The sheperd of Am Yisroel

00:00 The hemshech and continuation to the earlier installments in regards to the concept of a king that is considered the heart of Kol Kahal Yisroel. In addition to that, a Mane Yisroel, a Jewish leader, is also referred to as a Re'e Yisroel, a shepherd, as we find it in Chazal in regards to Moshe Rabbeinu and David HaMelech. And as the Midrash says, that the point of a shepherd is that he attends to each one of the sheep who he needs to emanate her, each one separately attending to their individual needs. The following stories will demonstrate how the Rebbe's focus on each individual was beyond understanding. Not only the focus in the aftermath, but also at times, many times, avoiding certain issues beforehand. As the expression by our sages is, Magdim Refuah Lemakah, bringing the remedy before the illness. The following story is told by a Chassid, Rabbi Reuven Witkes, who is a teacher in the Morristown Cheder, and it was a story of his personal experience. It was Shabbos Mevarchim Shevat, the Shabbos before Rishchei de Shevat, Tov Shin Mem Beis, early 1982, and it was towards the end of a bringer, as the Rebbe was encouraging the crowd with a nigun that they should sing the last part of the Zmir as Bnei Echola, which is mentioned in Chabad Seder, and at the end of the nigun, the Rebbe would many times motion they should sing over that part. At some point, the Rebbe turned to my direction, as he tells the story, to the

02:23 Rebbe's left side, and he began clapping with his hands very vigorously. For some reason unknown to me, obviously he was clapping to me, but I didn't really make sense of it. Usually the Rebbe would clap to the children. I wasn't sure, and I had no reason to be sure that it was meant to me. After the Fabringen, the Bochrim, the young students, were saying to me, Well, what happened? What did you do? And I answered them, I don't know why the Rebbe was clapping to me exclusively. I said I had no idea. The following week, on Tuesday, I was in Worcester, Massachusetts, and I was driving my brother's car and going down the hill. It was icy, cold, and snowing. And the car was picking up speed on its regular road, but going down a hill. And as the street turned, but the car didn't turn because of the ice, and it crashed into the side railing of the street. There, the car spun around. What I do remember seeing afterwards is that all four corners of the car got smashed up. What happened to me? There was only one little scratch I had in my leg, by my knee. As the old cars, they used to have a handle for a handbrake for an emergency. And so I was left with a scratch. And obviously, I guess that that is where the Rebbe was taking care of Magdim Refuah Lemakah, bringing the cure before the ailment. A second story, which took place at a

04:25 Hanukkah rally in the beginning of the 1990s. It was either 1990 or 91. The story I heard from Dr. Mahana, who is a therapist, a counselor in the Yeshiva Leiteira on Eastern Parkway, and he shared the story with me with all the details. There was a Hanukkah children rally in 770 with the Rebbe. Dr. Mahana, who works in the Yeshiva, participated in this rally. At the end of the rally, the Rebbe was distributing coins. The music was playing and everyone was singing. And the Rebbe was occasionally motioning with his hands to the assembled. When Dr. Mahana approached the Rebbe to receive the coins, the Rebbe began motioning to him very intensely, very strongly, as encouraging him to sing livelier. He had no idea why the Rebbe motioned exclusively to him so intensely. After a while, when it was over, he left 770 to go home. He got into his car on New York Avenue on Eastern Parkway and locked the doors. Suddenly, he saw some young hoodlums surrounding the car and wanted to attack him. He was still under the impression when the Rebbe motioned to him very strongly. And instantaneously, he lifted up his hands and motioned very strongly to them that they should... Implying they should stay out of his way. They got scared and immediately disappeared. He then understood the Rebbe's motions to him. The keyach the Rebbe gave him secured him and saved his life. And now a story of a survivor, a Yid who survived World War II and settled

06:30 in Montreal. His name is Mr. Razler, father and grandfather of the Razler family in Chabad. Mr. Razler, zichrona l'vracha, lived in Montreal. He was a survivor. He lost his whole family in Auschwitz, and he made it out alive. He had a very strong spirit. After the war, he moved to Montreal and didn't really have anything to do with religion, with frumkeit. In Montreal, there was someone who tried to convince him to see the Rebbe. After much convince, convincing, he agreed, and he came to a farbrengen for Yut Zvat. While being there, he didn't want to stand out, but rather just stood in the corner of seven seventy. He barely knew the Rebbe. He wasn't really conspicuous. He was just part of the farbrengen. At one point during the farbrengen, the Rebbe and everyone were looking at him, and people basically picked him up and brought him to the Rebbe, to the Rebbe's table. The Rebbe asked him if he said l'chaim. He responded that he didn't. So the Rebbe told him to say l'chaim. He asked him, "Where is your cup?" He said he does not have a cup. So they got him a cup. The Rebbe gave him mashke, and then gave him the bottle and told him that he should pour l'chaim to the Yidden at the farbrengen. After this experience, he felt a total uplifting and moving experience, which totally changed his whole attitude in general to Yiddishkeit and from... And from that point, he became a Hasid of the Rebbe. He

08:37 then returned back to Montreal and began doing a lot of mitzvahs and was mekarev many Yidden. He would have many yechidias, private audiences with the Rebbe, which went on for many hours. Maskirim, the Rebbe's secretaries, did not like him because of that. And apparently to the extent that one time he went in to yechidas with his wife, and one of the maskirim told him that he's not allowed to speak because otherwise it is going to end up taking too much time. What happened? During the yechidas, the Rebbe was speaking with his wife, and then at one point the Rebbe turned to him and said, "Un vos iz mit dir?" And what's with you? And he said that he's not allowed to speak. He promised he's not going to speak because he didn't want to take up the Rebbe's time. The Rebbe asked him, "Abrich ber dir", I am requesting of you. But he still said he already made a promise, so he cannot break it. So the Rebbe smiled. On an occasion, the Rebbe once told him in yechidas, "Ich bin geven mit ayikh in ala Eretz Yisroel", I was with you in all your bad times, and I will also continue to be with you in the future.