Yeshiva life

Rabbi Lipszyc' story of the week. Dedicated in Memory of Sheina Golda Bas Michoel Wishing you and yours a k'siva v'chasima tova and a gut gebentscht yahr! Only revealed good, and most importantly the revelation of Moshiach NOW!!! The hanhola of the yeshiva were made up of a special breed. Each one was special in his own way. Rabbi Laibel Kramer a”h was the Menahel Gashmi and overall director. Rabbis Yitzchok Hendel and Aizik Schwei a”h (aleihem hashaolom) were the Roshei Yeshiva. Reb Volf Greenglass a”h (who would object every time one called him “Rabbi,” although he was one,) was the senior Mashpia. Rabbi Yitzchok Meir Gurary yblt”a, was assistant mashpia, and Reb Pinye Korf sheyichye, was the mashgiach (and the one with whom I built a special rapport over the years.) [In the 1980s, when the Rebbe asked that everyone should choose a mashpia I asked Rabbi Korf to be my mashpia and when he accepted, I submitted his name to the Rebbe and so he is until today.] They were all great in their respective fields, and as a hanhola were not to be underestimated. As an example: there was a bochur who had a strong desire to go to the Rebbe for a Shabbos. The hanhola did not give permission he went anyway. At the beginning of the farbrengen, the Rebbe said, “there is a bochur from Montreal who came without the permission of the hanhola and is therefore to leave the farbrengen.” Needless to say, that was never tried again by any bochur. They were very precise in how they dealt with each bochur. Just two examples: when I was 12 years old, I went to Camp Gan Israel in Montréal. I was a few days early, before camp started, I stayed in the yeshiva dormitory. One night about 2 AM, I was awake when Reb Volf Greenglass came into the dorm and was checking all the bochurim. The bochur sleeping in the bed next to mine had his feet sticking out from under the covers. To my surprise, Reb Volf Woke him up and told him “shteck arein deine chazer fisselech” – stick your “pig’s feet” under the covers. As a kid, I didn’t understand why didn’t Reb Volf simply pull the blanket over the bochur’s feet himself? When I grew older I understood that Reb Volf wanted the bochur to know that even when asleep he was responsible for his modesty; the second example actually happened to me. All the bochurim of my class and older were given permission to go to the Rebbe for one of Chassidic holidays. However, each one had to ask individually for permission. Imagine my surprise when I was the only one denied permission. I asked why I can’t go when everybody else is being given permission. Reb Volf said, “no one was given permission to go to New York.” When he saw the confusion on my face, he explained: all the others asked for permission to go to the Rebbe, whereas I asked to go to New York. To the Rebbe they are giving permission to go, to New York there is no permission being granted. That my friends is education! Although there were exceptions, in general permission to go to the Rebbe for Farbrengens were denied unless there was a special reason in addition to the farbrengen that might warrant it (i.e. a family Simcha, etc.) Once a year, for Yud-Shvat, an official trip was organized for the Yeshiva as well as Anash to go to the Rebbe. [I believe, it was in 1968 that permission was granted that for Shabbosim that there was a farbrengen, such as Shabbos Mevorachim, or a Shabbos that coincided with a special date (Yud Kislev, Yud-Tes Kislev, etc.) the hanhola granted permission to have a goirel. Every bochur who wished could buy a “lottery” ticket and on Wednesday they would choose the winner, whose ticket to New York would be paid for. He would go as representative of the Montreal community and when he would return right after Shabbat, he would have to review the entire farbrengen for the whole community. When the Rebbe was informed of this development he mentioned it in one of the sichos in a very supportive way.] At the farbrengen of Purim 5726 (1966) there was a very unique happening. During one of the breaks in the sichos, for singing and saying l’chaim, one of the venerable elderly chassidimd sitting behind the Rebbe, bent over to the Rebbe and asked if he could have some l’chaim from the Rebbe’s cup. This was unheard of, and so the Rebbe looked at him in surprise, shrugged his shoulders and poured him some from his own cup. One of the other eltere chassidim saw this and figured well why not him too, and he asked the Rebbe for some as well, again the Rebbe complied. A third and fourth of the eltere chassidim figured why not, and they too asked. At this the Rebbe smiled poured for each of them, again shrugged his shoulders and proclaimed, “nu, kol hapoishet yad!” [Regarding giving gifts to the poor on Purim, the rule is that whoever stretches out his hand to receive, should be given without questioning or hesitation.] There was no way to imagine what happened next. Total chaos as chassidim from all across the room jumped, dived, climbed over heads, under feet, anyway possible to get to the Rebbe with outstretched hands to receive l’chaim from the Rebbe’s personal cup. Even the Rebbe’s own brother-in-law, the Rashag was seen crawling, on hands and knees, on the Rebbe’s table, between dozens of feet to get to the Rebbe for a little l’chaim. In order to accommodate everyone the Rebbe stood up from his chair to pour the l’chaim. The chassidim were piled one on top of the other all around the Rebbe so that he had to stretch his hand out way over his head and keep turning in circles to give everyone “with stretched out hands.” This went on for quite some time, and there was no way to get the farbrengen into order again, so the Rebbe said brocha achroyna and headed for his room upstairs, officially ending the farbrengen. When the Rebbe got to his office there were chassidim there waiting and saying they didn’t get. So the Rebbe stood by his room for quite awhile more, giving out l’chaim’s. The Rebbe then entered his room to get ready to go home. When the Rebbe then went out to his car there was a massive amount of men waiting who hadn’t yet gotten l’chaim from the Rebbe. So standing near his car, a 1956 (?) Cadillac, the Rebbe again was pouring l’chaim into every cup stretched out to him. There were so many guys piled on top of each other, on the roof of the car that the whole roof (in those days made out of steel) just collapsed. The Rebbe’s driver had to find another suitable car to drive the Rebbe home, as that car was finished! When the Rebbe got to his home, there were several eltere chassidim waiting there, who couldn’t get l’chaim because of the tremendous pushing and crushing at 770, so they went to the Rebbe’s house hoping to be able to still get l’chaim. The Rebbe didn’t let them down, and once again spent considerable time pouring l’chaim from the steps of his home. At some point one of the eltere chassidim called out to the Rebbe, “oif ibber a yahr” – [this should be so] again next year! To which the Rebbe responded “mit hoisafos” – “with even more.” Thus the entire Chassidic world excitedly looked forward to Purim 1967. Of course, the bochurim in Montreal let the hanhola know that if they don’t want a major mutiny on their hands, they'd better give permission for the yeshiva to go for Purim 5727. To be continued. Support Rabbi Lipszyc's work by Donating at https://chabadcrimeaorg.clhosting.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/2511910/jewish/Crisis-Relief/lang/en or sending checks to: Chabad of Crimea World Friends, 1601 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11213 To Sponsor the story of the week, Contact Mendy at 513-456-7595