The Rebbe - 3 stories: Part 1

00:01 As we find ourselves in Gimmel Tammuz, the Yem HaGodol BaKodesh, twenty-nine years since Tav Shin Nun Daled, nineteen ninety-four, we will discuss sipurim stories when it get to the Rebbe, as the Rebbe mentions the unique quality of telling stories. And these stories express broches and Yeshua's that the Rebbe gave and gives for Yidden. The first story was relayed by Harav Agoan, the author of The Safers State Sefim and the Shas, Harav Shmuel David Friedman. And he tells the following. In the framework of my trips throughout the world, because of my business, I became aware to see the commitment of schluchim in s-cities which are completely spread out in, in every corner. And that is how I merited to become closer to Lubavitch. And amongst the things that I did was to support the organization, Sivs Hashem, the World Organization, Sivs Hashem, which the Rebbe founded, and it is being conducted, led by Harav Yerachmiel Benyominson in Crown Heights. Harav Benyominson suggested to me many times, I should come on one of the Sundays to receive a dollar from the Rebbe. I tried to excuse myself not to go because it'll take too many hours, v'cholov, v'cholov. But after he begged me that it's kiddush to come even one time, I, uh, brought this suggestion to my wife, and as soon as the children heard it, they all jumped and requested and said, "Yes, they are coming for the dollars." Chalukah dollars that the Rebbe is distributing on Sunday. At that point, I didn't have a

02:23 choice, and in the closest Sunday, which was Hanukkah time, I arrived with my family to seven seventy. Thousands of people were standing in line. To my luck, Harav Benyominson made sure, as I am a supporter, a sponsor in his organization, that I should receive a VIP, and therefore, it was a short wait, and in no time, we found ourselves passing by the Rebbe. Since it was Hanukkah, the Rebbe distributed two dollars to everyone, a dollar for tzedakah and a dollar for Hanukkah gelt. My children, in particular, rejoiced very much with this, and the Rebbe blessed us all with berakhah v'hatslakhah, and we all returned home very pleased. But one of my daughters did not come to the distribution because exactly on that day, she had a half a day of exams, tests. And u-upon the suggestion of Rabbi Benyominson that a person should never make a difference between one child and another, therefore, we came again for the distribution of dollars with this daughter who did not originally receive the dollars on Sunday Hanukkah. While I'm standing and waiting in line, I was thinking to myself, "Oi, the earlier time the Rebbe gave everyone two dollars, but now that it is not Hanukkah, the Rebbe will give only one dollar, and my daughter will feel discriminated." Our turn came, and the Rebbe gives a dollar to my daughter and says, "Berakhah v'hatslakhah." And then he gives a dollar to me. After we left, suddenly the Rebbe calls back my daughter and gives her another dollar.

04:31 A second story which happened in the mems, in the eighties, there was someone of Anash who lived in France, and he got sick with the disease, and the doctors forbade him of drinking alcohol. They told him this is one thing that he has to be very careful not to drink alcohol. He came to the Rebbe for Pesach, and in the middle of Seder HaMashiach, the Rebbe turns to him, he should say l'chaim. He figured he's gonna drink a little, and that won't make a difference. So he just drank a little, and that was it. The Rebbe motions to him he should drink a full cup. After the following Sicha, the Rebbe again turns to him and tells him, instructs him that he should drink a second cup. And this is how it went for all the four cups, which is four cups of wine that is drunk by the, um, Seder HaMashiach. He then didn't feel well. The children took him to the hospital, and they did all the tests, and they said, "We don't find anything wrong with him besides that he is intoxicated, but there is no sign of any illness." The children could not believe it, so they requested from the doctors, "Maybe you can repeat the test again." And the result was there's nothing wrong with him. The children understood that this was a mefis from the Rebbe. So the next day, Yisro Chag, they felt they wanted to come and thank the Rebbe for this miracle. It was either before

06:20 or after Mincha. They walked over to the Rebbe, thanking him for the mefis and for the cure. The Rebbe responded, I'll say it first in Yiddish, The doctors in the United States are better than the doctors in France. This was the cover-up that it was a natural thing. The doctors in America are better than the doctors in France. But it was very obvious that this was a miracle of the Rebbe. A third story, which is connected with Refuah, Rabbi Yosef Goldberg, Alav HaShalom, who was a machanech in a yeshiva, and he was a nephew of Rabbi Yitzchak Duber Ushpal, the Rosh Yeshiva in Lubavitch Yeshiva, was recently nifter on the 12th of Sivan. Therefore, we will relate a story which he has personally shared. This should be the zchus ilu nishmasi. In the early 1950s, around the time when I bought myself a new car, a Dodge, for the wild sum in those days of $1,500, and seeing me in it, the yeshiva's driver asked if I would give a few driving lessons to the Rebbetsin Chaim Mushka, the Rebbe's Rebbetsin. At that time, the Rebbetsin had an interim license, which meant she couldn't just drive anywhere. She needed to practice. So Rabbi Yosef took her to Canarsie, to a site where people learn motorcycle riding, and she was able to brush up there. It was at this time that his grandfather fell ill, and the doctor said that he had to have an urgent operation on his eye, or he would go blind. Arrangements

08:21 were made immediately for an operation at Maimonides Hospital. The day before the surgery was to take place, I saw the Rebbetsin, and I asked her for a favor. I said, if you don't mind, could you mention my grandfather's name to the Rebbe? He is having an operation tomorrow. He is in danger of losing his sight, and he needs the Rebbe's bracha. The Rebbetsin agreed. The next day, when they laid his grandfather on the operating table, they examined him and saw that there was nothing there to operate on. They sent him home, and he was fine. Yevah lemirtzeshem continue in the next installment.