22 Shvat: Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka: Part I

00:00 The Kesher Techalvei Shevat, the yard site, hilula of the rebbetzin, we will discuss a few short sichas which were delivered in the week and also days before the hisktalkus of the rebbetzin, and an anecdote which took place on Erev Rosh Hashanah Tav Shin Mem Ches. The first event took place on Erev Rosh Hashanah Tav Shin Mem Ches, late 1987. But first, we will refer back to Erev Rosh Hashanah Tav Shin Yud, late 1949, some thirty-eight years earlier. A Hasid then benched the previous Rebbe with good wishes for the new year. The previous Rebbe responded that this is a time that focus needs to be on the public, not on the individual. As we know that Tav Shin Yud was the previous Rebbe's last year be'alma dein in this world. Later during the year on Yud Shevat, the previous Rebbe was nistalik. Erev Rosh Hashanah Tav Shin Mem Ches, Rabbi Klapman, a sefer in Crown Heights, and some of his children had a close relationship with the rebbetzin. On this day, Erev Rosh Hashanah, they benched the rebbetzin with best wishes for the new year. The rebbetzin responded with this exact same response as mentioned earlier that the previous Rebbe said, "This is a time that focus needs to be on the public, not on the individual." During the year, when one of the Klapman daughters bid farewell to the rebbetzin, the rebbetzin gave her a hug, which was unusual. After Chovrei Shevat, the family understood the rebbetzin's comment on Erev Rosh Hashanah, and the girl

01:59 understood that the hug was her last visit to the rebbetzin. A second inyan, it was after the twenty-second of Shevat when Hasidim realized the impression of the rebbetzin. The Rebbe no longer farbreng the middle of the week, be it Yud Tes Kislev or Yud Shevat or Yud Beis Tammuz. The farbrengens remained only on Shabbos and Yom Tov. And later on, also a sicha on certain occasions during the week. The Shabbos farbrengens changed in style and also were becoming shorter. It was Pesach Tav Shin Mem Ches, 1988, Rabbi Yoles from Philadelphia would customarily visit the Rebbe on Chol Hamoed Sukkot and Chol Hamoed Pesach. On the eighteenth of Nisan, Chol Hamoed Pesach, Rabbi Yoles asked the Rebbe to continue with the regular schedule as he did prior to Chovrei Shevat. The Rebbe responded that people who came to console him forgot that this is an entire sugya, an entire, uh, discussion in the Talmud, in Masechtah Sanhedrin about the loss of Ishti Harishona, the first wife. One of the things which the Gemara mentions that is lost is the lack of advice. When we look back in the sicha of the fifteenth of Shevat, the last weekday farbrengen that we had by the Rebbe to date, the Rebbe states, as it was translated by Sichas in English, "With this power, the previous Rebbe's life teaching Chasidus and guiding his followers, we may also find in his teachings answers and advice in all areas of divine service as they are illuminated in Chasidus. This rule will apply

03:59 to questions in divine service and Chasidic custom, there being no reason to ask since the answers may all be found. Likewise, in matters of healing and health, since the Teyte directs the doctor to heal and the individual to be healthy, as explained in the laws of the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch of the Beis Yosef as well as in the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, therefore, there is no need to ask questions. Similarly, questions of business or parnasah may be answered by seeking advice of knowledgeable friends. In all these areas, there should be no reason to seek directives or answers, for in the teachings of the previous Rebbe, one may find all the answers." Which basically the Rebbe is speaking here about finding all the advice already in the sichas from the previous years or seeking the advice of experts. A third nekuda, during the Yechidut on the evening of the twenty-first of Shevat, there were several groups who merited to enter into Yechidut by the Rebbe, a group of chasanim and kallas, a group of bar mitzvahs, and the general bulk group of Hasidim who were here as guests. In the last sicha to the general Yechidut for all orchim, the guests, the Rebbe concluded with the words, "Be'er pnei melech chaim." And the word chaim is bolded in the printed sicha, which seemed to be loud. Rebbe seemed to conclude the sicha on a loud note. This was the last closing word the Rebbe said in public to the large group of Hasidim guests before

05:56 the hishtalkus of the rebbetzin. The hemsech to the earlier installment, B'neguer to the Rebetzin, we're continuing now with installment number two, referring to various stories, short stories that the Rebbe either spoke with individual people or expressions from the Rebbe to the Rebetzin. When the Rebbe and the Rebetzin lived on New York Avenue and President Street before they moved into their house on President Street, when the Rebbe went from his house to 770, he would walk through President Street. The Rebetzin would escort him from the window of their apartment on New York Avenue. In the middle of the block, the Rebbe turned around, looked at the Rebetzin who was escorting him from the window, and the Rebbe motioned with his hands as saying goodbye. Another occasion when the Rebbe once came into his house after a day's work, it was Yud Dalet Kislev, the anniversary date of the Rebbe and the Rebetzin. The Rebbe walked over to the Rebetzin and said, "Mazel tov, heint is unzer chassanetog. Mazel tov, today is our wedding day." There was another occasion when the Rebetzin did not feel well and she was resting in bed. The Rebbe was unaware of it. There was a farbrengen then into the late hours of the night. And when the Rebbe came home, he was notified about her condition. He immediately ran up the staircase to her room and he sat with her till the morning. Now, B'neguer, two stories of N'shei Chabad sending a bouquet of flowers to the Rebetzin. It was many

08:08 years ago that N'shei Chabad sent to the Rebetzin L'kovet her birthday a bouquet of flowers. And they also attached an envelope that contained names of people that needed brachos. And the intention was that the Rebetzin will give over the reshimah, the list of names to the Rebbe. The bouquet of flowers was given over to the Rebetzin and the envelope was given over to the Rebbe. The Rebbe looked at the envelope and saw that it was addressed to the Rebetzin. The Rebbe asked, "Why are they bringing me an envelope that is addressed to the Rebetzin?" The meshares, the person helping in the house answered that this is a list of people that need brachos. The Rebbe responded, "Nu, sie ken doch eich benshen zey. Nu, she can also bless them." On another occasion, a kvutzeh, a group of women from France brought a bouquet of flowers for the Rebetzin with an envelope of names that needed brachos and they brought it to the Rebetzin. The meshares took the pigen and gave it over to the Rebbe. The Rebbe said he should give it to the Rebetzin. A smile appeared on the face of this person helping in the house. The Rebbe became serious and the Rebbe said, "Why are you laughing? She is a daughter of the nasi hador that his brachos were fulfilled. She is a granddaughter of a nasi hador that his brachos were fulfilled. She's a great-granddaughter of a nasi hador that his brachos were fulfilled and you're laughing?" During the shiva, when

10:12 people came to be melachem avo, one of the people that approached the Rebbe told the Rebbe that he heard many unique qualities about the Rebetzin. The Rebbe said, "This is underestimated. Only Hashem knows all her qualities." On another occasion during the shiva, there was one of the rebbes from other circles that came to be melachem avo, the Rebbe, and he asked how old the Rebetzin was. The Rebbe answered that in general, we do not count years, but since he asked, her birth date is on the 25th of Adar, which on this day she is supposed to become 87. In conclusion, there was a family that knew the Rebbe and the Rebetzin from France. Their name is Gorlin. Rabboruch Gorlin had a very special relationship with the Rebbe and his mother had a relationship with the Rebetzin. And he was also very helpful when the Rebbe registered in Sorbonne. This was already discussed in detail in the audios number 174 through 177. The son-in-law, Mr. Lassner, alav ha-shalom, related the following. After they visited the Rebetzin a few months earlier, and it was the occasion that the Rebbe was distributing dollars, so they stood online to receive a dollar from the Rebbe. Mr. Lassner relates that he felt a strong will to tell the Rebbe that we visited the Rebetzin two months earlier, and if the Rebbe will allow me, I want to say something to the Rebbe. And he said to the Rebbe as follows, "Behind every great man stands a great woman." When the

12:26 Rebbe heard it, the Rebbe smiled, very wide smile, as this person told me that it was from ear to ear.