Saturday, September 6, 2014

יארצייט הרש"ל - ארבעים שנה



Reb Shmuel Levitin was the zkan and most respected Lubavitcher chossid from his arrival in NY in 1938 until his passing on 11 Elul תשל"ד. The Rebbe had great derech eretz for Reb Shmuel  as well and would write his name as such: הרש"ל. There are countless such stories. Reb Shmuel was Rov in Rakshik, Lita until he left Europe. He was a grandson of the great Reb Gershon Ber of Pahar, and would call himself a 5th mekabel of the Alter Rebbe. He was sent to the US by the Frierdige Rebbe as a שד"ר in 1938 and was thus saved from the horrors of WWII, but he lost his wife and several of his children, r"l.  In Crown Heights he was the Rov of the Lubavitcher shul - 770, until his passing. He was the first when it came to kibbudim, went along with the Rebbe to shiva calls or to visit the camps, etc. Bekitzer, he was the man. He was already a "zach" בחייו  of the Rebbe Rashab, being sent on shlichus to the Republic of Georgia, where he exhibited great mesiras nefesh and brought many closer to Torah, as well as to Chassidus. Anybody who came in contact with him will tell you one thing for sure, he was a great פקח. Anyway, we all know that in Lubavitch we say Yisgadal VeYiskadash, not "deil" and "deish." Reb Shmuel, however, had this minhag to say "deil" and "deish," which was apparently how the Rebbe Rashab would say it. Here we bring you a recording from Reb Shmuel davening for the amud and being oleh leTorah in the summer of 5725/1965, where we can hear saying it as such.

Thanks for listening.


16 comments:

Anonymous said...

reb yisroel jacobson was the rov, reb shmuel was the rov of beis harav.

Not a Harry said...

Was it him that the satmar gaboyim were mechanic when he accompanied the lr to be menachem avel?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

mechanic?!

Anonymous said...

i all ways thought that converts to chabad are big dor shviniks, hiyitochen your write about reb shmuel with out mentioning anything negative?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

I don't do much negative

Anonymous said...

Who is laining the torah?

Not a Harry said...

מכבד
Thanks auto correct

Anonymous said...

He was not a fan of #6 & #7.

Payer Ruv said...

Not a Harry said...
"Was it him that the satmar gaboyim were mechanic when he accompanied the lr to be menachem avel?"
it does not matter who it was, there was never such a story

Doir Hoefes said...

Anon
"i all ways thought that converts to chabad are big dor shviniks"
in 1950 he was 1 of the biggest fighters of the Rebbes Hanhoga

Anonymous said...

Why are you so sure of yourself that the story never happened.
Is there anything crazy about the story that doesn't make sense?
I was told the story happened in תשי''ג when the rebbe was Menachem avel the satmerer rebbe after his daughter passed away/killed

Anonymous said...

Is the one sitting behind him, Harav Yoshe Ber Kastel?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

yes, it is R Kastel

Payer Ruv said...

Anon
I guess I am older then you,
I remember when this Lie was processed

Anonymous said...

Who is the one doing krias hatorah of roish choidesh? It doesn't sound like reb shmuel.

Anonymous said...

R' Shmuel wasn't alive in 5736...
That letter from the Rebbe is from Elul 5715.