Rebbetzin Shterna Soro (5620-5702/1820-1942)

00:00 In connection to Yud Gimmel Shevat, the yom ha'yortzeit of the Rebbetzin Sterna Sara, the mother of the previous Rebbe, we'll discuss various sichas where the Rebbe relates stories about the Rebbetzin Sterna Sara, regarding to chassidus and regarding to tzaddikah. In Sicha Yud Shevat, taf shin chaf daled, nineteen sixty-four, the Rebbe mentions that there are stories that the previous Rebbe related regarding to his mother. Regarding to the inyan of Torah, the previous Rebbe mentions that when they needed to write over maamar chassidus very quickly, since the Rebbetzin Sterna Sara was able to write quick and efficient, she would be the one that would write over the maamarim. To the extent that there are many maamarim from these years, as much Rebbe says that he is knowledgeable about that there is only one copy from that maamar, and that is in the handwriting of the Rebbetzin Sterna Sara. On another occasion, Be'Shalach, taf shin yud alef, nineteen fifty-one, the Rebbe gives additional background regarding to rewriting the, the maamar chassidus. That since the Rebbe Maharash was very organized and they knew exactly his daily schedule, including also the times that he would go out to stroll. So that's when would go into the room while he was on a stroll, and this was after they appointed a shomer, somebody should watch to let them know when he's coming back, and they would rewrite the kasavim of chassidus. And in such a manner, they managed to write many kasavim. One of the writers was the Rebbetzin Sterna Sara.

02:20 By the previous Rebbe, there are copies of her writings from the kasavim of the Rebbe Maharash. In one case, in one folder, with the hanochos that the Rebbe Rashab wrote from the Rebbe Maharash maamarim. The Rebbe explained al pi chassidus, al pi kedusha, what was the point of taking the maamarim and rewriting them, v'cholom. As the Rebbe explained it, uh, as it's mentioned in chassidus, regarding to mirmah de-kedusha. Regarding to the inyan of tzaddikah, the previous Rebbe relates that there were times that the matzah regarding to expenses that was not satisfactory. It was a very tough time economically to the extent that there was no money in the house by the Rebbe Rashab and the Rebbetzin Sterna Sara. Nevertheless, when a poor person came and there was no money to give him, Rebbetzin would give him a, a stikel from shvartze bread, black bread, lechem shocher, that was designated for the evening meal or for lunchtime or for breakfast, and she would give it to the poor person, and she would do it with joy in a very gracious way. In Sicha Shabbos Be'Shalach, taf shin lamed hei, nineteen seventy-five, the Rebbe, when he speaks about the Rebbetzin Sterna Sara, there's an expression the Rebbe says, "Kedai tzu vissn vung vemem mer red dor." Rebbe says, "In order to know about whom we are speaking." So the Rebbe refers to the tzava'ah, the will that the Rebbe Rashab wrote, Hanech Le'Nar, in which he writes that he's giving over the gashmius and the ruchnius, his

04:16 physical inyanim and ruchnisdike inyanim to her. The Rebbe Rashab stresses that the chinuch is also in the hands of the mother. And the Rebbe, uh, points out that although the chinuch is on the father, still the Rebbe Rashab brings from the Sha'la, regarding the responsibility of the mother. In Sicha Shabbos Be'Shalach, taf shin gimmel beis, nineteen fifty-two, the Rebbe speaks about the unique quality of our matriarch, Sara, in comparison to the other matriarchs, the other imos. That by Sara, as the Zohar says, she was descending and elevating, as the Zohar explains it on the pasuk, "Vayehi kho Sara." So the Rebbe says from this we also understand regarding to the Beis Rebbe, the families of the Rebbeim, that through the history and the lifetimes of the Rebbeim, we don't find so much the inyan of galus. On the other hand, we do find that they were imprisoned, and there were also differences in regards to the conditions of the imprisonments. By the Alter Rebbe and the previous Rebbe, we find that the imprisonment was a life-threatening situation. Regarding to the Rabbonius, the rebbetzins of the Rebbeim, we find a unique quality regarding to the Rebbetzin Sterna Sara, the mother of the previous Rebbe, referred to the Alter Rebbetzin, that she went through the most exiles in her lifetime. גולוס אחר גולוס. She wandered from Lubavitch to Rostov and then to Leningrad, Peterburg, Riga, Otwock, Warsaw and Arzes Abris, United States. And wherever the previous Rebbe came, she came along. The Rebbetzin came along with him.

06:24 And after all these exiles, she remained in her unique quality and shleimus with all her aspects. And although the other Rebbetzins that did not experience it in an actual way, if they would have experienced it, they would have come out also in the same way, likewise, but by them it was potentially. At the point that they did not have that practical experience. On the other hand, by the Rebbetzin Sternesora, she actually endured it, experienced it in a practical sense. In Mesicha, Yidimoshva Tov Shintes Vov, on Shabbos, Beshalach, the Rebbe mentions that this was the same kvias, the calendar setting, as the year the Rebbetzin Sternesora passed away. The Rebbetzin was nifter on Shabbos, Parsha Beshalach. The previous Rebbe was not home then. He was on a visit in Chicago, and he did not know about the stalkers till after Shabbos. And the Rebbe says it's understandable that the Friedike Rebbe was not home that Shabbos, and he needed to make a fabringen. It was Vashgacha Protis, because all the inyonim are Vashgacha Protis, especially inyonim that are connected with Teyda Mitzvahs, and especially inyonim that are connected with a nishlome klolis v'guf kloli, a Rebbe. And the Rebbe elaborates on the sicha that the Friedike Rebbe spoke then about the unique quality of women, which is stressed in the Parsha Shira, in the Shira of Miriam and the Shira of Dreda, as it is recited in the Haftara. To conclude with a custom that the Rebbe mentioned in a gear the Rebbe said Sternesora about

08:21 drawing water mitzoi Shabbos. The Rebbe said with a smile, I did not see it by my Ateres Habais, which means Rebbetzin Chaimushke, or nid by the shviger, not by the mother-in-law, unsolem, or nid by the shviger shviger, and not by the Rebbetzin Sternesora, that none of them drew water mitzoi Shabbos.