Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Gimmel Tammuz 5780

Gimmel Tammuz 5780
Me and my Rebbe
A personal story on the Rebbes 26th Yahrtzeit.


It was Erev Rosh Hashana 1990 and I was in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, excited to spend the High Holidays with the Rebbe with thousands of other Chassidim. The High Holiday season was always very uplifting and spiritually invigorating being in the Rebbe’s court.
Besides the importance and special significance of Erev Rosh Hashanah on its own, it is also the day before my birthday. I was turning sixteen that Rosh Hashanah and I was at that stage of life when, I was trying to figure myself out.

The Rebbe had a custom to visit the grave of his predecessor, the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn on Erev Rosh Hashanah. As such, the Rebbe visited the Ohel (cemetery) in Queens. The Rebbe returned for the Mincha prayer quite late in the day. After Mincha, there was an announcement that the Rebbe would now give dollars to whoever wished one. I decided to get in line as my birthday was in a couple of hours. It is customary for a Chassid  to visit his Rebbe on the day of his birthday. But as I got in line a commotion began. There were some older Yeshiva students who were pleading with the people in line to go home. “Don’t you realise the Rebbe hasn’t eaten anything all day? The Rebbe has been fasting prior to the Ohel visit and it’s almost Yom Tov” they implored. “Go home and get a dollar and blessing another time”.

I felt torn. I decided to leave the line, only to get back in line a couple of minutes later. It was my birthday after all. But I decided not to mention my birthday (as I normally would) so I would not take up even an extra second of the Rebbe’s precious time.

As I walked by the Rebbe (it was a very short line due to the Yeshiva students successful pleading) the Rebbe handed me a dollar with a blessing for a good year. As I backed away, the Rebbe turned to Rabbi Groner of blessed memory and said in Yiddish “Isn’t it his birthday?” and then the Rebbe handed me a second dollar with a blessing for a year full of Bracha V’Hatzlacha- blessings and success. I was in seventh heaven.

So many people often wonder why Chabad chassidim love, respect and even revere the Rebbe 26 years after his passing. How can one man possibly be so great and his influence still felt so many years after his passing?

I don’t know about others, but for me it was these special moments. I was a nobody, a sixteen year old kid who was quite dorky and confused. My parents were Balei Teshuva (returnees to Observance) not well known personalities from Russia or the rabbinate. And yet, even with thousands of people calling on him, on a busy Erev Rosh Hashanah, while still fasting, the Rebbe took the time to wish me a special blessing for my birthday. That friends, is the quality of our great leaders like Moshe, Shmuel and the prophets of old.

Twenty six years later, it has been the greatest honor of my life to be part of the Rebbe’s Army-the shluchim of Chabad these last 22 years, dedicating ourselves to helping Jewish communities around the world, both spiritually and physically.

L’Chaim dear Rebbe, I can still hear your blessing for “Blessings and Success” ringing in my ears. I hope I live up to it.


Rabbi Yossi Marrus
Shliach of the Rebbe
San Antonio, Texas

PS. I have no idea how the Rebbe knew that it was my birthday but you may come to your own conclusions.