Pesach II with Rabbi Shain in honor of Rubashkin
Wednesday April 28th, 2010
After long anticipation we finally merited Farbrangen with Rabbi M Shain exuctive Director of Lubavitch on the Palisades. What a Farbrangen indeed! Here are only some of the stories that he gave over.
When I went on Shlichus I decided that each Wednesday, come what may but I will go to the Hospital to visit the Jewish patients. So last week I went, and I came to a room where I found 5 nurses fighting with a man, he didn't want to take his medicine. They were trying to get him to take it in his apple sauce but he just refused. They told me that if they don't get him calmed soon they will have no choice but to give him a shot which will relax him. So I said let me try ' it can't hurt'. "Would you like to say a prayer?" I asked him said Rabbi Shain, "Sure" said the man. "Boruch Atah Hashem Elokainu Melech Haolam Shehakol Nehiyo Bidvaro" and the man said with me word for word then I gave him his apple sauce and he opened his mouth and ate it!!!
Sure enough when I came to visit the next week, the nurses saw me and said "oh here's the man who performed the miracle". In truth it wasn't a miracle. It's just that a Jew doesn't enjoy anything in this world without making a Bracha (a blessing), otherwise it's like Gneiva=Stealing from Hashem. This man didn't know what a Bracha was and didn't know what a Ganif is, but his Neshama wouldn't let him go anymore without first making a Bracha.
I once went to Russia, on Pan Am airlines, Alav Hashalom (of blessed memory). Before we went, I wanted to bring Tefillin for Jews in Russia that I could leave there for them, so I raised the money from people on my mivtsiom route in Jamaica Queens. Then I wrote to the Rebbe that I did this in order to be Mezakeh (merit) these Yidden (the supporters), and I concluded VEYEHE RAZON SHYIGROM NACHAS RUACH (may this cause pleasure to the Rebbe). This took place in 5750 and to get an answer from the Rebbe in those days was very rare, most of the Rebbe's correspondence with people was by dollars. I asked Rabbi Groner if the Rebbe gave an answer and he said Yes, "Can I see it?" and he showed me, the Rebbe wrote in Pencil , which is what the Rebbe regularly wrote with. KVAR GORAM KEIN YIVASER LEOSID (it already has caused much pleasure-to know that you are such a mitzvah promoter- and may you give such good news in the future as well).
Once when I was a bochur (student) we went for two months to Moscow and to Charkov, we made a camp for a month for teenagers, now in Russia, teenagers means from ages 15-30! We had 100 come! Now we needed a trip and till we bribed some buses..... We took them all crammed into 3 buses on a boiling hot day on a 3 hours journey to Haditch. We went to the AR's Ohel (grave site of the first Lubavitcher Rebbe) , but before entering it is customary to go to the Mikvah, so everyone went down to the river right near the Ohel, and we weren't sure which was the Ohel and which was the daughter of the Alter Rebbe and there's a whole story about that......it turns out that this was their best part of camp ,though previously they had no knowledge whatsoever of what a Rebbe is or an Ohel!!!
We do Mivtiom (outreach)in the center of town in Tenafly, especially in the summer there's a lot of people there... Well one week while doing this I was approached by the City Mayor. He began berating me for doing this. He explained that they've gone to great lengths to keep Tenafly as a very exquisite town. "Did you know that we did not allow any apartment buildings in this city? We also didn't allow a boys dormitory? All this was in order to keep a certain feel for this place. Now when you come along and start putting on Tefilin with people in the street, you are ruining this!!! So I asked him" Are you telling me that doing this is breaking the law or are you giving me your opinion" I simply wanted to know if what I was doing in illegal. So he just went on giving me his long speeches about how 'not nice' it is. So when he finally finished I said to him, knowing that he's Jewish "Did you put on Tefillin today? and sure enough we put on Tefillin together right there in the center of town!!!
I had meeting last week scheduled with a couple. Then a few days before the man called me and said "Rabbi I know why your coming to meet us, and you don't need to come. My wife and I have made up our minds already that we are not going to be sending our son to a Jewish school". So I said "No problem, I'd still like to meet".
Now why would he be calling me first, I thought, it must be because in truth he does want to send his son to a Jewish school and the reservations are only on the outside. Sure enough we met, that is the father mother and I, we said L'chaim and by the end of the evening they said "we will send him to a Jewish school"!!! So you see, often it is the one who refuses at first, is truly the one who wants to do the mitzvah the most!!!
The farbrangen went on and on until 2 am! Another topic was about Emes, truth! It was Mamosh Mein Alom Haboh! (Out of this world!)
After long anticipation we finally merited Farbrangen with Rabbi M Shain exuctive Director of Lubavitch on the Palisades. What a Farbrangen indeed! Here are only some of the stories that he gave over.
When I went on Shlichus I decided that each Wednesday, come what may but I will go to the Hospital to visit the Jewish patients. So last week I went, and I came to a room where I found 5 nurses fighting with a man, he didn't want to take his medicine. They were trying to get him to take it in his apple sauce but he just refused. They told me that if they don't get him calmed soon they will have no choice but to give him a shot which will relax him. So I said let me try ' it can't hurt'. "Would you like to say a prayer?" I asked him said Rabbi Shain, "Sure" said the man. "Boruch Atah Hashem Elokainu Melech Haolam Shehakol Nehiyo Bidvaro" and the man said with me word for word then I gave him his apple sauce and he opened his mouth and ate it!!!
Sure enough when I came to visit the next week, the nurses saw me and said "oh here's the man who performed the miracle". In truth it wasn't a miracle. It's just that a Jew doesn't enjoy anything in this world without making a Bracha (a blessing), otherwise it's like Gneiva=Stealing from Hashem. This man didn't know what a Bracha was and didn't know what a Ganif is, but his Neshama wouldn't let him go anymore without first making a Bracha.
I once went to Russia, on Pan Am airlines, Alav Hashalom (of blessed memory). Before we went, I wanted to bring Tefillin for Jews in Russia that I could leave there for them, so I raised the money from people on my mivtsiom route in Jamaica Queens. Then I wrote to the Rebbe that I did this in order to be Mezakeh (merit) these Yidden (the supporters), and I concluded VEYEHE RAZON SHYIGROM NACHAS RUACH (may this cause pleasure to the Rebbe). This took place in 5750 and to get an answer from the Rebbe in those days was very rare, most of the Rebbe's correspondence with people was by dollars. I asked Rabbi Groner if the Rebbe gave an answer and he said Yes, "Can I see it?" and he showed me, the Rebbe wrote in Pencil , which is what the Rebbe regularly wrote with. KVAR GORAM KEIN YIVASER LEOSID (it already has caused much pleasure-to know that you are such a mitzvah promoter- and may you give such good news in the future as well).
Once when I was a bochur (student) we went for two months to Moscow and to Charkov, we made a camp for a month for teenagers, now in Russia, teenagers means from ages 15-30! We had 100 come! Now we needed a trip and till we bribed some buses..... We took them all crammed into 3 buses on a boiling hot day on a 3 hours journey to Haditch. We went to the AR's Ohel (grave site of the first Lubavitcher Rebbe) , but before entering it is customary to go to the Mikvah, so everyone went down to the river right near the Ohel, and we weren't sure which was the Ohel and which was the daughter of the Alter Rebbe and there's a whole story about that......it turns out that this was their best part of camp ,though previously they had no knowledge whatsoever of what a Rebbe is or an Ohel!!!
We do Mivtiom (outreach)in the center of town in Tenafly, especially in the summer there's a lot of people there... Well one week while doing this I was approached by the City Mayor. He began berating me for doing this. He explained that they've gone to great lengths to keep Tenafly as a very exquisite town. "Did you know that we did not allow any apartment buildings in this city? We also didn't allow a boys dormitory? All this was in order to keep a certain feel for this place. Now when you come along and start putting on Tefilin with people in the street, you are ruining this!!! So I asked him" Are you telling me that doing this is breaking the law or are you giving me your opinion" I simply wanted to know if what I was doing in illegal. So he just went on giving me his long speeches about how 'not nice' it is. So when he finally finished I said to him, knowing that he's Jewish "Did you put on Tefillin today? and sure enough we put on Tefillin together right there in the center of town!!!
I had meeting last week scheduled with a couple. Then a few days before the man called me and said "Rabbi I know why your coming to meet us, and you don't need to come. My wife and I have made up our minds already that we are not going to be sending our son to a Jewish school". So I said "No problem, I'd still like to meet".
Now why would he be calling me first, I thought, it must be because in truth he does want to send his son to a Jewish school and the reservations are only on the outside. Sure enough we met, that is the father mother and I, we said L'chaim and by the end of the evening they said "we will send him to a Jewish school"!!! So you see, often it is the one who refuses at first, is truly the one who wants to do the mitzvah the most!!!
The farbrangen went on and on until 2 am! Another topic was about Emes, truth! It was Mamosh Mein Alom Haboh! (Out of this world!)
