נפטר הסופר שמואל ארגמן ז"ל

It never gets old. No matter how much time has passed, you learn about how the Rebbe had connections to and influenced people all across the Jewish spectrum, even if they officially belonged to the other side.

For decades, young Israeli frum readers enjoyed Shmuel Argaman's (Rot) books and magazine serials that gave readers a sense of adventure in a kosher setting. Nothing objectionable ever made it through the pages. Argaman also made sure to put Torah'dige concepts and messages in the books, so that his young readers would be left with a positive message as well, once done reading. Despite being a Ponovizher talmid and Bnei Brak resident, Rot made sure to send the Lubavitcher Rebbe a copy of the book הצוללת הפליגה בחצות, pictured below. He passed away today at the age of 77.

Based on the Rebbe's response it would seem that the Rebbe read the book cover to cover. Not that was out of the ordinary, being the ראש בני ישראל includes children and adolescents as well. But the Rebbe went on to write a quite lengthy letter to Mr. Rot telling him to make the messages more obvious to the reader, so that when he/she puts down the book he takes that message along. Any mechanech worth his weight would tell you that this is important, the Rebbe adds.

אשרינו שזכינו

 

צילום: אתר כיכר השבת

 

The FULL story of the release of the Skulener Rebbe זצ"ל

I've heard it said that with this story justice was finally done to the כבוד of the Lubavitcher Rebbe who is the one who deserves the most credit for the Skulener Rebbe's release. The Skulener Rebbe's yohrtzeit was Friday, Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul. Our friends in Satmar over the years have tried - and have been successful - in covering it up. Thanks to the opening of the JDC digital archive to the public Dovid Zaklikowski was able to bring to light the evidence for it. You wouldn't know from the subtitle of the story, though. Almost as if they published the story but didn't want that to be the main point... With very special thanks to the family of Rabbi Binyomin Eliyahu Gorodetsky, the unrelenting activist, who headed Chabad-Lubavitch in, among other places, Israel, Europe, and North Africa... the JDC's archive has this entire Parsha closed... nothing is available on it online...

Ami379 Cover Feature Skulener Rebbe zt"l by Hirshel Tzig on Scribd

File this under "לא הי' ולא נברא" please

Apparently this was published (!) in an Israeli newspaper called כל ישראל in honor of the recent yohrtzeit of the late Ponovizher Rosh Yeshiva. How any editor would publish something without taking just 2-3 minutes of his/her time to verify this.... is beyond the publisher of this blog.

Protesting about a problem doesn't - necessarily - mean you care (Guest Post)

Click here for an interview with Mr. Tzvi Aldroti.

Hirshel Tzig:

You don't know me, but people who know me say I have too much rage and I have to stop already, since we live in a great multicultural world and everything is peaceful and tranquil. I just haven't seen it yet, but that's how it is. Maybe it's my age, or where I grew up. Yet, before I realize what everybody else has already I have something interesting to point out. The Satmars are famous (or infamous) for their protests to fix Israel's ills (which was - in my humble opinion - just a ploy by the Satmar Rov to get the Pupa Ruv and Tzehelemer Ruv types on board of his political protests. He knew they were lovers of Israel.) Take Reb Yoelish's fight against the mixed swimming pool in Jerusalem, the mixed pool on Bedford Avenue corner Rodney in the YMCA - right in front of his nose - bothered him very little. Only the mixed pool 3,000 miles away outraged him obsessively, (they write in the new foreword of על הגאולה ועל התמורה he poshut got sick from it) at the same time you see the Lubavitcher Rebbe trying his best to change the whole Israeli PUBLIC SCHOOL system from learning co-ed. Speaking to anybody and everybody that could have any influence over there. Obviously the Rebbe got nowhere, as the the Leader of the 11211 community got nowhere either. But you detect a real non political pain from a erliche yid - if nothing else - and not trying to win points with anybody.....

נפטר געווארען דער גרויסער מנגן ר' בנציון שענקער ע"ה

I too was lucky enough that my choshuv'e father zg"z raised us with Modzitzer nigunnim as well as Reb Ben Zion's own tapes. The ones he made in Eretz Yisroel on the cheap. And I try to pass that over to my children, as much as that's possible...I was surprised to see, however, that the levaya was not as well attended as it should be. But that's another story. I guess people didn't know or were just too busy. Agudah convention and all...I never did attend one of his זיצען, at least that I can remember. He has a great zechus and Modzitz probably owes their existence to him. Anyway, so we'll do what we try and do here at Circus Tent, we'll try and bring something unique. First two pictures of RBZS receiving a dollar from the Lubavitcher Rebbe זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע on 2 Cheshvan 5751. Then we bring you 2 recordings - possibly unknown - of RBZS singing at different ocassions. I believe the Modzitzer Rebbe Reb Shmuel Elya (d. 5744) is also heard on the first second recording (named: Modzitz Fastag) as well as the baal menagen Fastag. Those who are a bissel bakant with Modzitzer Niggunim will recognize that some of the shtiklach that were composed - or at least recorded - for one piyut are interchanged here. One example is ובשופר גדול sung here for melava malka zemiros.

How Reb Menachem Meir HaCohen Blau made it his life's mission that every Jew know about the Rebbe

Reb Meir Blau was the son of the הרב חיים משה יהודה הכהן בלוי - the מו"ל of the many Sifrei Rishonim. Reb Moshe Blau was a Mirrer Talmid, but he was also a brother-in-law of the Rebbe's mazkir, HaRav Chodakov. The latter was the one who was mekarev RMYHB to the Rebbe. Reb Meir wanted every Jew to know about the Rebbe, but there was one problem: The Rebbe could only reach so many people. 770 could only hold so many people. So he harnessed the power of the day, newspaper and Radio, and did all he could to let people know about the treasure to be found at 770. Seems like out of his own pocket. He also provided busing to some farbrengens, and later created the Crown Heights Hotline, which to many of us was the lifeline to 770 back in the day. You might say that it takes a Litvak/Yekke like Rabbi Blau to recognize what the Rebbe was and the need to "share" it with the rest of the world. If I may be so bold as to say that the Russians wanted the Rebbe all to themselves. They did n't want o share with "outsiders." 

 











From Here

פרסום ראשון!!!!! מכתב כ"ד ניסן תשכ"ג

  New Doc 9_1

A recently-discovered letter dated 24 Nissan, 5723. This letter is not in the Igros Kodesh, and not in any English publication either. as far as I understand. The addition of the word "some" in the Rebbe's handwriting  (paragraph four) is worth a million dollars. The foregoing of some of life's pleasures... לעילוי נשמת מרת רחל בת ר' אשר זעליג יאהרצייט י"א ניסן. 

Box.com link

Remember this post? This nightmare may very well come true soon

See Here

We don't usually do politics, but why not a little? Lubavitchers are excited about just any PR. Whatever. We won't get into that. Yesterday they had posted letters from the Rebbe to Bernie, all about his Lubavitcher adviser from Vermont, and that he proclaimed Yud Aleph Nissan Education Day in Burlington. I don't think Bernie will become President, although he might well win the nomination. It seems like the forces that elected Barack Obama want Bernie to REALLY come and finish the job. But he still is an old white male, so he does have that going against him. Anyhoo, an old friend sent me a line with this old post from 2008, all about Judaism and Socialism. He leans that way, you see? he likes it when they Government confiscates from the rich and gives to the poor. That's because he'd rather be מקטיר קטורת than do a honest day's work. Not that he isn't forced to work at times... So he loved BHO and if Bernie gets elected; well, you can imagine his excitement then. Those were the golden days of this blog. Schneur, etc. So he asked me to post it again, and he promised me loads of comments. 

Yay.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe wanted Rav Chaim Kreiswirth to stay in Chicago

A few facts:
Antwerp had since WW2 and the liquidation of its Jewish Community not had a Charedishe Rov. In 1953 they had the opportunity to get Rav Chaim Kreiswirth. He was the Rosh Yeshiva in Skokie. [Also known as Beis Mesrish Lo Torah. By the guys at Telshe, etc. Although Telshe-Chicago hadn't been founded at that time] He agreed, provided that the CI give him his blessing. The CI at first said no, because of the Bittul Torah to Chicago that his departure would cause. Before his passing the CI supposedly told his shvogger that he retracts his first decision and know allows him to go to Antwerp. The Antwerp Kehillah was overjoyed and made preparations for his arrival, but Skokie wasn't going to go down without a fight. They were מרעיש עולמות, including writing to the Rebbe, who said that he was not happy that he was leaving Skokie. So the Antwerpeners wrote a letter, which we present here, as well as the Rebbe's response. We all know the end result. RCK did go to Antwerp. From Antwerpeners I hear of many stories that portray him as someone who did not appreciate Lubavitch. But that's all water under the bridge. The PDF is as it was received. You can rotate each page to make it easier to read.

  Rebbes Letter About R Kreiswirth to Stay in Chicago

?וואס וויל דער אייבערשטער פון דיר

 The call to action - as only our Rebbe could. It's not about saving yourself from a psak on judgement day. It's not about just doing your duty. It's so much more. It may be worth learning Yiddish just to understand this sicha.

מאמרי חסידות ביאור הזהר ע"פ ויהיו חיי שרה מכ"ק אדמו"ר האמצעי, מכ"ק אדמו"ר המהר"ש, מכ"ק אדמו"ר שלמה זלמן, מכ"ק אדמו"ר הרש"ב, מכ"ק המקובל ר' לוי יצחק ומכ"ק אדמו"ר זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע

  מאמרי חסידות על ביאור הזהר על פרשת חיי שרה

Box.com link

Update re: unidentified Chossid with Reb Uriel Zimmer

According to his son Mendel, the man pictured with Reb Uriel Zimmer is his father, Rabbi Dr. Doniel Meyers, o"h, then a young man of some 22 years. He was a son of a respected Ashkenezisher family, a survivor of Thereisenstadt at a VERY young age, and later a talmid of the Lubavitcher Yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel and 770. Also a Shliach of the Rebbe in Holland for many years, and of late in Yerushalayim. The Rebbe contacted Rabbi Meyers to greet Rabbi Zimmer at the airport and to have it covered by the media - hence the pictures of his arrival. RUZ passed away some months later, in the fall of 1961. Here's an article from after his passing. Interestingly enough there's no mention of his relationship with Reb Uriel Zimmer in that article... 

"... אפילו כל ה"אונגארישע ספרים

I don't usually like to post such clippings, simply because it seems like we have something to prove. But the "Ungarishe Seforim" line is what grabbed my attention. Ungarishe Seforim are basically scorned upon by their Polish and Russian counterparts. The Litvaks goes without saying. Other than the Chasam Sofer and a few others, of course. Most Geonim wouldn't bother with the Ungarishe Seforim, it's a waste of their time. But the Rebbe knew that תורה היא וללמוד אני צריך. There is a story of a Jew who met the Rebbe in Yechidus and was asked where he learned in Europe. The man foolishly dismissed the question, telling the Rebbe, איר האט מסתמא נישט געהערט פון אים, his name was Reb Shimon Greenfeld of Semihaly. To which the Rebbe responded, MaHarSHaG? He brings the Alter Rebbe in his Tshuvos some 77 times!

Tuesday Links

בליובאוויטש במיאמי - המשגיח שליט"א חוגג תשעים שנה
אגרות הרבי בנושאי בר-מצוה במהדורה עיונית ראשונית
Mottel: Here's to the Crazy Ones
Trial begins in murder of Glaubers
יארצייט: הרב ר' אשר זילבערשטיין מלאס אנדזשעלעס

Wednesday Early Morning Links

איפה יוסל'ה now has a sister campaign: איפה הערשעלע?

Reb Chaim's Tchernobler Menorah
Ba'al Divrei Yoel says neginah has no shaychus to Chassidus
Rabbi Yosef Bronstein teaches the Lubavitcher Rebbe's sichos and Maamorim at YU

מכתב כ"ק אדמו"ר זי"ע לישיבת טעלז אודות י"ט כסלו

A letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe to one of the Telsher Roshei Yeshiva/Chavrei HaHanholoh where he goes through all the hanhogos and sayings and that Chassidim through the generations said and did. The Rebbe writes about his hesitation, whether or not to answer the letter, since he's not sure what the point of the letter was, i.e. do they REALLY want answers?... Worth your time. 

From ספר שערי המועדים י'-י"ט כסלו.

  
19 Kislev Telshe

to Yankel: with Love

This goes out to my friend, the commenter Yankel, who said things about what defines a true Gadol B'Yisroel. Maybe this will enlighten him a bit. In truth we can all learn from this.
Direct Link for non-Scribd users

  Here's my story: 12-6-14

רבי איז ר"ת ר'אש ב'ני י'שרא-ל

Photo by Shmidy

The Rakeffet Article in "Jewish Action"

ע"פ בקשת רבים

 The Rebbe and the Rav - Jewish Action

Box.com link

הביאני המלך חדריו

Source

A recently publicized, not so common, picture of the Rebbe in his room, c. 1960s