Twelve years ago on the 3rd of the Hebrew month Tammuz (June 12, 1994), the Lubavitcher Rebbe was laid to rest next to his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Schneerson, both of blessed memory.
The late Rebbe, also known as Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, would go to his father-in-law’s grave to pray for the thousands of people who sent him notes several times each week. He would meticulously read each one of the thousands of notes he would receive from every individual in need of prayers. After reading the note, he would tear it in half and leave it as a memento.
Not much has changed since. The small red house near his tomb looks like any other -- from the outside. Walking in the front door, however, leads one into a whole different world: the Rebbe’s world.
A video monitor hangs in the corner near the ceiling, playing a tape of one of the Rebbe’s farbrengens (literally “spending time together” in Yiddish, but featured Torah insights and singing). It is a way of sharing the experience with those who remember it, and with those who never had the privilege.
When the Rebbe would lead a farbrengen, it was an emotional Torah learning gathering that was punctuated by singing and dancing. This memory often would bring tears to his followers.
A couple of small tables and a few chairs are placed in the center of the room next to his gravesite, each with blank paper and pencils available. His followers explain that visitors are invited to write a pidyon nefesh, called a "pon" -- a note to the Rebbe, asking him to bring their prayer before G-d. After reading it the visitor tears up the note and tosses it into a pile of previous requests, invitations and simple updates on one’s life.
Visitors stand in awe. Chassidic men and women shuckle (rock or sway), as they pray with the intensity of an Olympic athlete. Some weep quietly and others stand in silence, communicating without words from the heart.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe was born on the 11th of the Hebrew month of Nissan 5662 (April 18, 1902) in the small Ukranian town Nikolaev. Three years later, frightened families hid from a raging pogrom in their neighborhood. They tried to hide their screaming children. The last thing in the world that they wanted was for their children to be discovered. It was young Menachem Mendel who came to the rescue. He offered soothing words and the smooth touch of a child’s hand to comfort his peers.
The Rebbe loved all people: men, women, and children. As an adult, he saw a child’s unique perspective to life as something advantageous to all. The Rebbe taught that an adult enhances his learning experience by learning from a child as well. He also taught that the purpose of an education was not only prepare a child for adulthood, but also to help him preserve childhood gifts and innocence in the most positive way.
It was in this light that that the Rebbe established Tzivos Hashem (G-d's Army of Children) in1980. The army's strategy was to bring the ultimate redemption to the world through the mitzvot (performance of G-d's commandments) of each individual child. He considered every little boy and girl to be a crown jewel.
In 1935, the Rebbe founded the Lubavitch Women’s Organization, which helped change the way women study Torah today. Through the new movement, the Rebbe broke down the barriers that limited Torah study to men and boys. When he sent men out to the streets to put on Tefillin with their Jewish brethren on the streets, he would also send women out to the shopping malls and the markets to distribute Shabbat candles to perform the weekly commandment of lighting them and reciting a special blessing on Friday evenings.
The Rebbe spoke many languages fluently. His linguistic talent was most obvious when he would distribute dollars every Sunday at 770 Eastern Parkway, Lubavitch World Headquarters in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. The Rebbe would give a dollar to each person who came to receive his blessing so that he or she could perform the commandment of giving charity - either with the dollar he gave, or more often with a dollar the recipient exchanged for it. He spoke to each person in his native tongue.
Sometimes the Rebbe would give two or even three dollars — and he would tell his visitor what each was for. “This is for your daughter, this is for you, and this is for a speedy recovery for…”
These are only some of the memories of the Rebbe. For more information, click on www.chabad.org
The late Rebbe, also known as Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, would go to his father-in-law’s grave to pray for the thousands of people who sent him notes several times each week. He would meticulously read each one of the thousands of notes he would receive from every individual in need of prayers. After reading the note, he would tear it in half and leave it as a memento.
Not much has changed since. The small red house near his tomb looks like any other -- from the outside. Walking in the front door, however, leads one into a whole different world: the Rebbe’s world.
A video monitor hangs in the corner near the ceiling, playing a tape of one of the Rebbe’s farbrengens (literally “spending time together” in Yiddish, but featured Torah insights and singing). It is a way of sharing the experience with those who remember it, and with those who never had the privilege.
When the Rebbe would lead a farbrengen, it was an emotional Torah learning gathering that was punctuated by singing and dancing. This memory often would bring tears to his followers.
A couple of small tables and a few chairs are placed in the center of the room next to his gravesite, each with blank paper and pencils available. His followers explain that visitors are invited to write a pidyon nefesh, called a "pon" -- a note to the Rebbe, asking him to bring their prayer before G-d. After reading it the visitor tears up the note and tosses it into a pile of previous requests, invitations and simple updates on one’s life.
Visitors stand in awe. Chassidic men and women shuckle (rock or sway), as they pray with the intensity of an Olympic athlete. Some weep quietly and others stand in silence, communicating without words from the heart.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe was born on the 11th of the Hebrew month of Nissan 5662 (April 18, 1902) in the small Ukranian town Nikolaev. Three years later, frightened families hid from a raging pogrom in their neighborhood. They tried to hide their screaming children. The last thing in the world that they wanted was for their children to be discovered. It was young Menachem Mendel who came to the rescue. He offered soothing words and the smooth touch of a child’s hand to comfort his peers.
The Rebbe loved all people: men, women, and children. As an adult, he saw a child’s unique perspective to life as something advantageous to all. The Rebbe taught that an adult enhances his learning experience by learning from a child as well. He also taught that the purpose of an education was not only prepare a child for adulthood, but also to help him preserve childhood gifts and innocence in the most positive way.
It was in this light that that the Rebbe established Tzivos Hashem (G-d's Army of Children) in1980. The army's strategy was to bring the ultimate redemption to the world through the mitzvot (performance of G-d's commandments) of each individual child. He considered every little boy and girl to be a crown jewel.
In 1935, the Rebbe founded the Lubavitch Women’s Organization, which helped change the way women study Torah today. Through the new movement, the Rebbe broke down the barriers that limited Torah study to men and boys. When he sent men out to the streets to put on Tefillin with their Jewish brethren on the streets, he would also send women out to the shopping malls and the markets to distribute Shabbat candles to perform the weekly commandment of lighting them and reciting a special blessing on Friday evenings.
The Rebbe spoke many languages fluently. His linguistic talent was most obvious when he would distribute dollars every Sunday at 770 Eastern Parkway, Lubavitch World Headquarters in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. The Rebbe would give a dollar to each person who came to receive his blessing so that he or she could perform the commandment of giving charity - either with the dollar he gave, or more often with a dollar the recipient exchanged for it. He spoke to each person in his native tongue.
Sometimes the Rebbe would give two or even three dollars — and he would tell his visitor what each was for. “This is for your daughter, this is for you, and this is for a speedy recovery for…”
These are only some of the memories of the Rebbe. For more information, click on www.chabad.org
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