Ep. 38: When I Held The Door Open For The Rebbe with Rabbi Berel Levertov

uplifted everything, set the tone for the whole thing. It's It's It was so different when the Rebbe spoke about the Ahavah and the kids and the love that the Rebbe spoke with the with the kids. Just how every every year then every kid is precious and then [music] for sure we did this and for sure you could do this and the kids and then in school it was like why weren't you here and what were you what were you there? It was a little different that I'm not saying in the school there were very good teachers and they still have them good learning and everything. It's still the whole concept of I say "Tay" rather than "Tav" or like somewhat focusing on on the possibilities and the good it it was like a sort of a contrast like They were uplifted it was unbelievable. I'm Yossi Kleinman. Welcome to Among the Siddim by the Hair, an ongoing Fabrengen about life as a Chossid, our vibrant connection with the Rebbe, and inspired living shaped by the way he teaches us each and every day. Right now, we're at the very end of our annual campaign. If this podcast or anything that the Hair provides to you and your family means something to you and you would like it to continue, please consider joining this campaign. You can donate today at the hair campaign .com. That's d e r h e r campaign.com. Thank you for considering it. And now, let's continue with this week's episode of Among the Siddim. Shalom Aleichem Rabbi Berel Levertov, how are you? Baruch Hashem, Aleichem Shalom. Okay, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it. It's an honor and a pleasure. Okay, so I happen to be reading just the other day uh before we get into uh you yourself like you and like many, there's uh there's roots from where we come from. I happen to be reading a whole um write-up about Russia and about the Chossid the the Rebbe Nachman of Breslov and one of the things And one of the things I read was uh various memories and recollections that your father Reb Meshulam Levertov had. So, maybe we'll start talking about your parents and Reb Meshulam Levertov and I know there's a lot of important things that he was involved with when he was when he was young, but especially in the later years as a Sach and the many things like that. So, maybe you could tell us a little bit about him. So, my father Reb Meshulam Levertov, Aleichem Shalom, came from a family of Chassidim. He his grandfather was a Chossid of the Rebbe Maharash and they came from the they came from Kremenchuk. And his father would learn in Lubavitch. His father, who's who I'm named after, Berel Kabalaker. He was known as Berel Kabalaker cuz I probably he probably stayed uh in Kabalaka for like 25 minutes or something. And I passed through Kabalaka so they got his name of Kabalaker. Berel Levertov, he was in Lubavitch. He learned in Yeshiva in Lubavitch. He was a baal mesirus nefesh. He was one of the Chassidim of the Friediker Rebbe. Uh lived in Moscow. I and and major major mesirus nefesh and he actually passed away he was killed by the Russians in the Russian gulags in when they escaped everybody escaped and he couldn't make it. My father came out of Russia in 1946, Tofshin Vav. Went to Paris and was finally came out came to Crown Heights. The Rebbe allowed him to come to Crown Heights in Tofshin Yud. Shmini Atzeres Tofshin Yud, the Rebbe asks about if the if if he came if he arrived yet. Shmini Atzeres Tofshin Yud. You talking about the Friediker Rebbe? I'm sorry. Shmini Atzeres Tofshin Yud Alef. Mhm, okay. No. Shmini Atzeres Tofshin Yud Alef, the Rebbe asked about the Fabrengen if he arrived yet. Came with a five other Rusisher saying he coming from France and he was one of the Bachurim who were there before Yud Shvat Tofshin Yud Alef. So, in between Tofshin Yud Tofshin Yud Alef, he was one of the Bachurim who wrote Sichos Kodesh and so on from the young Bachurim who were there before Yud Alef before Yud Shvat Tofshin Yud Alef. >> He wrote things then that year, right? He recorded a lot of things, a lot of stories, a lot of Sichos. And a lot of Yimei Bereishis is based on his writings. So, a lot of the a lot of the history that we know from that period is from my father's writings. Yes. He also wrote letters to Reb Elchanan Teitelbaum and others who were still in in France or in England. And he wrote what he wrote in Tofshin Yud Tofshin Yud Alef. And uh he he yeah, he had we still have those those those Ksavim that he wrote down and the notes that he took. He kept writing even like to later years. He wrote down Fabrengens. He would sit by Fabrengen sometimes and like even in the mems he would have write down Nekudos of the Fabrengen just to remember it as well. Uh my mother came from a from a non-Lubavitch family and her brother his her name is Moskowitz and there's a Moskowitz family. Her brother came to Lubavitch and then he brought the whole family in. And she had early guidance from the Rebbe when she was dating and earlier she had a lot of Yechidusen. Uh a girl coming in from Beis Yaakov. Very involved in Chassidus and she would learn a lot of Chassidus and she would also memorize some of the Fabrengens and uh very involved in the early the early years. So, they got married um in in New York. Your father was learning in 770 for a few years and and they and then they got married here. So, my father was a elder Bachur Shliach in Pittsburgh in Tofshin Yud Gimel. He went out there. He was a Mashpia. There's a letter to the Rebbe to Reb Sholom Paysner, "Why does Meshulam Levertov have to have to tell me that you're not well?" So, he went there as a Bachur and then he came back from Pittsburgh and uh they got married. And the Rebbe was Mesader Kiddushin. After Mesader Kiddushin, he went back to Pittsburgh to be a Mashpia and then he came back to New York. Okay, so um so, he's back in New York. So, I understand that I think he did diamonds, right? The the Is that correct? That's very good. He did uh >> [laughter] >> He did He was a jeweler at that time. Um I know Mrs. Mrs. Garelik says that he he was involved in Gershon Mendel Garelik's uh Shidduch. And he convinced him cuz they weren't living in Pittsburgh. And uh so, that was that was the Pittsburgh time. And then he has again he has letters from the Rebbe then and he comes back to New York and they they didn't have children for a for a for some time, but if the Bracha from the Rebbe, the doctor said actually that they couldn't have any children. And uh with the Bracha of the Rebbe, my mother actually had an had an appendix removed and the Rebbe said Eppes nisht gut is a is a ruise. So, the Rebbe said a good thing can come in. Something bad came out so something And um then they had my older brother Yossel Levertov. Mhm. He worked in a lot like a lot of other Chassidim, a lot of other Jews, they worked he worked in diamonds and she was a teacher. Uh preschool teacher. She always loved children and she always spoke to the children and did crafts with the children. She was very artsy. And eventually they were living in Crown Heights. They moved to Crown Heights in the in the '60s in Tofshin Chof Hey. And then and I was born in Tofshin Lamed. And it was a really rough time. Crown Heights when everybody moved out, all the Jews moved out of Crown Heights and it was a crime-ridden and very challenging. We lived on Lefferts Avenue, which was technically even out of Crown Heights. It's a different other zip code. It's a 11203, not 11213. And there were like three four families on the on the block. And it was pretty pretty challenging. To go from New York from Lefferts Avenue to Empire, you have to go through and every street whether it's Troy, Albany, Kingston, Brooklyn, there's always big apartment buildings and there's people loitering there. And it was extremely dangerous and scary. And it wasn't just phobia-like scary, it was actually scary. There were a lot of break-ins. You couldn't leave anything outside. You had to check right and left before you walked out of the house. Even in schwerer Zeiten, it was difficult times. And and but we you know, we we managed. We used to go to 770 and it was a idea of Chizuk Hashchuna that the Rebbe spoke a lot about keeping all the shuls open. So, my father would was uh involved with the shul and he made sure the Minyanim kept going and we would be we grew up on Lefferts Avenue in Lefferts Avenue Shul with the Mikvah. But it was pretty pretty challenging those those years. Um Yeah, people I don't know if everyone realizes that there are people that if by choice they would have probably would have davened in 770 on Shabbos, but since the Rebbe was promoting this idea of the being mechazek the Shchuna they dafka davened in the Shtieblach to keep them going. I mean they were they I mean they were existing Shtieblach that were from they were from before, right? And uh Lubavitchers Lubavitchers are the ones that kept them going. The Rebbe wanted very strongly that at the all the shoulders should stay open and they push out the kept keeping you on the air. I remember they still had like different siddurim and sometimes they would add a few things that before we might have I remember growing up there was like a one till the last guy left or passed away, they kept saying the bracha that in you you say you know in any way is machlileinu or something that we kept saying in might have at the end before before shmona esrei. How creative was that? Um we used to go for kiss all the shuls would come to 770 like a break and also for of course for Simchas Torah after all the shuls finished. Hakafos we would go to 770 but otherwise we we try to kept it kept keep the shul going but as a as a youngster I used to go I would go to 770 a lot and especially as a bachur once I was able to walk and not be afraid to walk to walk the streets of Crown Heights after 5:00 in the afternoon. Right. So let me ask you um uh two questions about your I guess one about your father and one about your mother. Okay. So maybe we'll start with your father. So I know that at a certain point he became very involved in Ezras Achim which was doing secret uh missions for the Yidden in Russia. Maybe you can elaborate on what it is, what it was, when did it start and what was his involvement in it. So in taf shin kuf dalet Reb Mendel Futerfas came out of Russia and he told them that there's a lot of chassidim stuck in Russia still. My grandmother was actually still stuck in Russia. Her husband was killed but she was still stuck and they said he told them that there's a possibility there's a ability the Russians are allowing for people to send packages to their family. A silka so it would be called. One second so your father's mother was in Russia the whole time? Was in Russia the whole time. She came out in taf shin lamed but taf shin lamed taf shin tes lamed. Wow. Okay. >> She came out. So with her daughters, my father's sisters. My father father has has one brother, shalom alav alav hashalom. He's a had a father of all the other Levitas and that's it the two Levitas. Other ones are sisters. And she was still stuck in Russia and he Reb Mendel Futerfas came out and told the chassidim like there's a a possibility of sending packages pasilkas and what they could do with the packages is first of all they could have it for themselves. Secondly, they could sell them in the black market. So you get a for a coat that's very valuable or jeans or other small things but it had to come from family. So they created this whole so they he Reb Mendel Futerfas founded this Ezras Achim or he urged at least chassidim to found Ezras Achim and my father was one of the founders, Reb Gedaliah Korff and there was a Shpalter involved, there was others who who built this uh this organization called Lishkas Ezras Achim. It was of course very secret and it took place they it was run from underground literally from my basement from our basement in our house. Literally underground and they started sending packages and I still have the bills of lading the the the the shipping bills where I think it's called Kaufman or something. So what they would do is they would create names that sound of similar to the names of the people they're sending to. They had a list of names and they would create as if they're cousins and addresses and they would package them and send them some send them things. Some things got there, some things didn't get there from moving um but it helped them a lot cuz they were able to sell things on on the black market. So as time went on they were sending more and more packages. That's where it started. Slowly and Reb Berel Levy was the main one who who traveled a lot to Russia on his own and he would give reports to Ezras Achim. >> would go there for kashrus purposes. That was his main objective, right? I don't I'm guessing but I'm not sure. I I still I never figured out why he would go a lot. He would travel a lot. He was the main the main guy who would say had videos and he had letters. He was the main contact to Yeah, I mean I thought that the way I understood it is that he had a reason to go for kashrus purposes and that's why he got all involved with the with the with the Yiddishkeit operations but I don't could be I'm wrong. I don't know. I don't know. I I to to me it sound like he would go intentionally maybe use that as an excuse but but uh but he definitely was the main the main person of the connection and he had had these many conversations with my father and other he was the main main person who traveled. And then they started sending him packages and started sending him they they would get packages send kashrus kedusha like sefarim, tefillin, mezuzahs and everything they would send with different people who were traveling. Some people were tourists, some people were from the from Israel or something and diplomats and they they started scaling up the operation more and more. I have a a letter from someone who was going from I I have a a duch, a report from somebody from who's going from the Federation of Connecticut or something and they said they turned to all the different organizations asking them what they could they're going to Russia, they're having a trip, could they bring anything and maybe people said that we don't know what to send, we don't know. The minute they called my father within like two hours or four hours had two massive suitcases with names and addresses to go and and distribute. So the Babitch has it all. So that's they started sending people. They started sending shluchim as well and my we it was a phone number they had Ezras Achim had a phone was registered under my father's name and there was a an extension that was in my house as well upstairs and I remember getting phone calls in the middle of the night because they would be able to call in order to reserve a call you had to call weeks in advance like to make an an international call. And of course in order but the reason was because they always had to have an operator listening to the whole conversation. So they were limited so they had to >> The calls from Russia. From Russia. Calls from Russia would take a couple of weeks. And so finally we'd get call with phone calls and of course they would say the zayde said this and the zayde said that and um The zayde you're referring to the Rebbe. The Rebbe. They would ask questions and they would get um answers about >> I was going to ask you do you know what the Rebbe's involvement was in this operation? The Rebbe was very involved especially with reports from from Berel Levy. My father gave a lot of reports to the Rebbe, duchos. The Rebbe was limiting his his direct involvement. It was dangerous especially anybody to have any connection with the Rebbe was dangerous. So they had a lot of they had answers but it was I haven't seen that many like clear directives cuz the Rebbe was was very careful not to be involved. After they came out and even in 1990s when it was already open the Rebbe and they had Ezras Achim had a melaveh malka the Rebbe forbade them to show a video. Everybody was already talking about Russia. Russia's open and they wanted to show a video but the melaveh malka the Rebbe didn't allow it. The Rebbe was not was of the opinion that they may still go back. After they came out that if you look at the at the sefer hashlichim all the people who are going to who are Moscow are listed as Ezras Achim Brooklyn. And the word Ezras Achim wasn't it wasn't like no one it wasn't the Babitch of course that would be dangerous. It was ach Ezras Acheinu Me'achdei Masach Barzel or something like very vague of what they did. So it was hard. They had to raise money, they had to send money and had to send people and um my father was but they couldn't really say what they were doing. They it was limited what they could what they could say they were doing. Well his father was the one who was the main the program director. The other people were fundraising. My father Those who went told me that my father was the one who was really really making decisions. He was involved in it quite a bit. At a certain point he gave up in in taf shin mem bet in 1982 he gave up first he was you know Julie we were saying he gave up that and then he went he was working Kehos for a little bit. I was I helped move Kehos into its new space where it is today. It used to be upstairs 788. They used to be a Kehos showroom uh room two something 214 or something 784 and it's the same place where the Rebbe went up for the for Nachshon's Bar Nachshon's display uh art exhibit. That's where the Kehos was. And then we in taf shin mem it moved over to the current space and I helped my father organize it and set it up and I used to hang out a lot of at the at Kehos. uh Then he asked the Rebbe if he should go full time into Ezras Achim and was trying to get more involved more time cuz the Rebbe said he should go. And that's when it really they started sending more and more shluchim and more and more young elite couples would go. Right. So all these couples that went um they're all sent by Ezras Achim you know throughout the mems and those years. Over the past few months I've been receiving constant feedback regarding the Monsey Monsey podcast. Each episode brings a different guest and hits home differently for a different person. 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But they needed tzitzit, so they sent them. They got a hold of wool material like a whole bunch of sheets and they folded over and they said it's like tablecloths. And then, we got tzitzit in a ball of yarn. Just one big ball and we put like a crochet needle in it and it was for crocheting. And I remember we had to we had to send ink for safe to tell us to go fix safe to tell us. So, we used to get shoe polish and empty out the shoe polish into things. I used to have shoe We used to have shoe polish in our house. We used to have shoe polish in a cup. Because they had to empty They had to empty it out and fill it up with with yarn. So, you can't you need to keep the shoe polish. You can't throw it out. So, they go out and they used to have shoe Then, we had when you had to have Seforim, you couldn't just send Seforim. You had to use it You're using it for your own So, you used to take Seforim and sometimes we traded out for used Seforim. Otherwise, we like push like made it used. We had like push put some coffee on it and make it look like it was used or break it a little bit or tear a little bit. You couldn't really hide anything cuz that was much worse. If you hid something and they found it, it means you were trying to hide it. So, you can't hide anything, but it was it was used. And then, I remember a story. I forgot who it was with, but is he brought a chalice? He had to bring a chalice for shochet. So, when it came to the border, of course, when it came to the border, they would open them up and they would start interrogating them and asking what's this for to get out. It was a whole process of what the border agents would take. Some things they would just schlepp away stomach cuz they wanted it. Sometimes they asked and sometimes the shlichim would put things back into the suitcase. It was a whole process. What did they take? How much did they pass by? Like I I think it was with my with the label Rabbi Label Shapiro. He went with his wife and they had four pairs of tefillin and the agent at the place said, "Oh, these two are for you and these two are for you." These two were for his wife. So, he they understood that the wife also needed two pairs of tefillin. I said, "I said sometimes they used to leave the course of tefillin over there and they would come back with old ones. But in a lot of times, they wrote down exactly what they taking what they took and they would have they would be afraid to leave anything. It was it was nerve-racking in every every single step of the way. Rabbi Yisrael Deren went, he had major stories as well. Um so, one time they came to the to the border and they saw the chalice. They asked him, "What do you need a chalice for?" He says, "It's to cut my salami. You see, I have salami." So, they asked him, "Well, but why do you need such a long one?" He says, "Cuz I cut the salami the long way." >> [laughter] >> So, my mother was very involved in it. And my mother created a new way a way she figured a way how to how to send meat. And she got a canning machine. Something I never saw and never It's a little machine that you put you put meat So, she cooked meat, put it in the cans and sealed it and that's what they had They would take it it would last a long time. Sometimes it worked out, sometimes it didn't work out it didn't work out, but she was her project herself. Voluntarily, she made meat for the Yidden in in Russia and for the shlichim as well. And Rabbi Berel Lazar tells a story that one of the times he went, they they were packing it up and my mother came down and said like I would come to the basement and that's where everything was happening. She came with a few candies. She said, "You're going to kids. You're going to see kids. Give them candies." And the men said, "Ugh, what's up with the candies? Who needs candies? There's more important things to put in there. Tashmishei Kedusha, what do you need candies?" Okay. So, the candies didn't go. They left and then he came to the border and he started taking out his stuff and they find a pushka. And they asked, "What is this?" He says, "Every day, I give charity. I want to put a pushka." He says, "Fine." And he started shaking the pushka and he said, "What what's in there?" And he got all scared cuz you know they're bringing in any money and they're not hiding money. So, they opened it up and it was the candies that his mother had He got a good laugh that his mother snuck in the candies anyways because you know, those days it wasn't so they weren't so marked up about the weight or paid extra for weight. They didn't care like it was heavy heavy suitcases. Of course, you paid over weight whatever it wasn't a matter. So, it wasn't the matter of space. The weight it was about the the spaces. So, she cared about the chocolates for the kids or the candies for the kids. Mhm. So, she got away with that. There was somebody who came out of Russia who told me that my father told us my father There was somebody who had to go through some operation and they needed to have the equipment like a kit like for for a knife and a scissors and other things. The whole kit. And that's what they needed in Russia. They couldn't get it. So, my father got a hold No one was able to help. Okay, forget it. You can't You can't find it. My father went around, called different hospitals and finally got a hold of a doctor and he could finally got this kit. And he took it apart and he sent bit by bit with different shlichim and over there on the other side, they put it together and they they were they made this whole kit and they were able to do this operation. The person saved his life. Wow. So, it's like all the needs. It's the the Kedusha needs. It's physical needs. Whatever whatever the Yidden in Russia needed. Ruchniyus and gashmiyus and uh very very involved. That's where Berel Lazar came came and got involved. He went as a as a bochur. And then, he he when he after he came back, he realized that the bochurim are going and not really continuing the connection and they're not they're not being they're chosen by these younger light or people who run the organization don't really know the bochurim. So, he got involved and started volunteering. Spent And he said my father gave him a desk and he said, "Here is a a desk and a phone call. Make as much as you want. Call call Russia." Then, it was starting to get a little open. It was '89 already or tough shinan '89. And it was at least a dollar a minute at least, maybe even more to call, but my father said, "Don't worry. Just make any phone call you want to Russia and organize." And he talked to Katani. Him with Yibadel l'chaim mean to uh l'chaim l'chaim to Yana Pruss. They got involved and they really revamped and they expanded and got more bochurim involved, made a whole system and uh it expanded operations. So, is you're saying that the whole Chabad in Russia was basically when it was when it was not safe to run it there and it was being operated from New York, cuz basically Ezras Achim was was doing it and then until until Lubavitch became established in in Russia itself. Absolutely. Ezras Achim is a main main part of Lubavitch in Russia. It's the foundation of Lubavitch in Russia. The reason we were able to operate once it opened up is because we were there the whole time. They had connections. They had a whole network of people and they were pushing sending stuff and money and and stuff to sell on the black market, cameras and ruchniyus and gashmiyus. Everything The point was that they would refuse nix. Anybody who applied for a visa to leave Russia, especially to Eretz Yisrael, they would immediately lose their job. So, they had to get have a parnassah. They had to be in the black market. So, they would go there they would pose as tourists and go do tourist things and they would take pictures bring cameras expensive cameras. I remember those cameras and they would leave it there and they the people there would sell it. Um I know Kahos went also they had there was a book fair Jewish book fair or something and they would bring Seforim there and they would people would steal it k'viyochol from them. They knew already that what they're going to do. Um very very dangerous times. And what's interesting, one of the reports that I read in 1980 4, they write that that you know, we we imagine that things got slowly opened up. It it got it was hard and it got slowly slowly opened up and finally it opened up in 1990 k'viyochol. The truth is it wasn't that way. In 1984, there was there was this two successive people who who running Russia the presidents of Russia who who died. Um and they were there for a short time and one of them, the report writes that it's been terrible. The people are reporting that the arrests have been made. More people are being interrogated and arrests and they're clamping down on all the Yiddishkeit more than before. So, it first got worse before it got better. Right. And I think people's narrative is that like you know, in the the '30s in the '40s, you know, '50s, you it was terrible and then they they forgot about the Yiddishkeit. They're saying that in in those skufas itself, there was ups and downs. There was ups and downs. And it was the the same year from If I remember correctly, it's the same year tough shinan tough shinan tough shinan gimel that they were spoke about machons Seforim in Petersburg where the Tzemach Tzedek would speak on Yom Kippur on Rosh Hashanah and would mention different ministers in Petersburg who should remain and who should not remain and that's what happened to them. And the Rebbe mentioned just the story uh on on Rosh Hashanah and actually the guys who were in charge of the Paget died and they those were terrible people. It was actually getting worse. And I heard that when Professor Yirmiyahu Branover met with Gorbachev Gorbachev asked him, "Who is this rabbi who said that it's going to get that that it's going to be become oh it's going to open cuz I myself wasn't planning to open it. I don't know what happened." He says, "Somehow I I I was motivated to do it." So it wasn't like it was a plan. He was actually going to plan to make it worse, Gorbachev. And the pale and this is in the fire. So it's clearly the Rebbe's working over here in this thing. >> Right. So that's as the Kofetz Chaim was amazing amazing at the Kofetz um again answers and and connections you know reports to the Rebbe all the time and then when it opened up it was they were major containers were going the Schmerlings were involved with containers from Switzerland and the the Ronald Lauder and Israel Singer and Bronfman and there was there was time to send matzos and hundreds of thousands of dollars are going through like they really start pumping in and rebuilding Yiddishkeit in in Russia once it opened it up once it opened up. Um you remember Israel Kogan remember Israel Kogan came in tough shin mem vov and I stayed at my house. He was a tzaddik of Anigov cuz we knew him my father gave took care of him when he was in Russia when he was in Russia. They that was their connection to to the Rebbe. Um So that was an amay- amazing amazing Kofetz a really really helping and finding out and debriefing and connecting to watching all these chassidim go and the and uh I I remember that if I remember correctly when he used to put down mashke for a Shabbos to take and everybody except for the farbrengens at first they would So so anyways the farbrengens the Rebbe would give mashke from from the farbrengen and mix from his becher into the mashke. If anybody was doing so a goolah of that week. So and they would have to announce what they're doing. But the when the shluchim went to Russia they would take but they wouldn't announce. Mhm. Just could have said you know that we shouldn't say what what they're doing. Right. Okay. Um so and these things have been documented. I mean the hair has written an article about the the sachim and uh he actually had a bun about to mention the Binyamin Kogan we had one about him. But uh there's a lot more that I don't know what a lot of these things sounds like they weren't documented so it's you know it's hard to collect but uh there's a lot of fascinating um anecdotes that should be recorded. Yeah. Um The one of the fa- fascinating things I had one of the duchas of one of the shluchim and I sent it to them and he says, "You know I don't I never kept a copy because it was special dangers we weren't allowed to keep a copy. It was sent to the Rebbe and that was the only copy. So they as the sachim kept a copy I guess. But uh classified stuff. There's no question they were listening and listening into the telephones and they they were watch- they were watching. Right. Okay. So I want to ask you about your mother. So one of the things your mother is famous for she was the famous uh mikvah lady in Crown Heights. And because of that the um the Rebbe used the the mikvah that the Rebbe used was was the the Mikvas Nashim in Crown Heights. And I understand she would prepare the mikvah for the Rebbe and there was involvement so maybe you can uh tell me a little bit about that. Yeah that was something that was uh very amazing and she again she started working there in tough shin mem gimmel. That's the mikvah in Union and in Albany. And of course the women use the mikvah at night so the Rebbe would use the mikvah when he went before he went to the ohel every time. And every single time before the Rebbe went to the mikvah the Rebbe would there would be a phone call Rabbi Groner or Rabbi Klein would call and ask as the Rebbe the Rebbe given to make an announcement in the mikvah morning. So we would know the night before if the Rebbe is going to the ohel. So there was there was the kavod of the times tough you know the Rebbe would go to ches vov of the month and adar v'es chodesh and then other yomim de pagers that were very very known then it started becoming every Sunday then it moved to Monday. It was kavua. E- I remember getting a phone call after farbrengen. The Rebbe gave the Rebbe farbrenged and after farbrengen like 11 12 o'clock at night a phone call came in asking if the Rebbe could use the mikvah tomorrow. When we already knew for sure the Rebbe was going to use the mikvah. So that was an amay- again the courtesy that every single time the Rebbe made sure that that the asked asked if the if he could ask if he could use the mikvah. And the night before? The night before. Sometimes the Rebbe wanted to go to the to the ohel right away. So it was that day. Now the way they did the the mikvah there was they would empty out the water and they would put in fresh city water every single day. So it wasn't like filtered the same water but it was new water. So and until you put it in until it heats up and so on takes time. So sometimes the Rebbe would get a phone call like the Rebbe given to make a call mikvah. So sometimes it was a rush you would have to rush to the mikvah and see put everything together set it up clean it up. You know the women would use it the night before so it wasn't wasn't always ready. Uh and a few once or twice there was something wrong with the city plumbing and the water was coming in was very dirty and she tried so hard to get it clean and finally she said, "It I'm sorry but the water is not ready." So the Rebbe went to to Kesser City mikvah. So a few times the Rebbe went 770 Eastern Parkway 770 Eastern Parkway Kesser City mikvah. The Rebbe went there. So a few times it was something was wrong with it. It was black water was coming in for whatever reason and there wasn't enough time to So even in the later years something happened a few times that the Rebbe went to the Kesser City mikvah. Yes yes later in the later years talking about like in the known known aleph like really late I mean and basically it was not possible. But at that time they were doing construction in the mikvah. That was a famous saga of the construction of the mikvah which took incredibly amount of long time and there was masai the Rebbe the Rebbe had a lot of tzar that it wasn't happening and the Rebbe Kehot Udus sold 770 um to in order to to get raise money for the mikvah. So if I remember correctly it was for $10,000. I don't know but I but I remember going down was working in Merkos and I saw some I went down to look at the registry of uh the deeds and it actually says a certain time that it was sold and and then it was bought back in the end. The 770 itself. I if I remember correctly it's under Merkos and Yanneh Chinuch. The 770? I believe so. Um In any case I I think it's under Agudas Chassidei Chabad. I I'm sorry so 770 is under Agudas Chassidei Chabad but 788 and 784 is Merkos yeah you're right. Um So so the mikvah the so so the mother would now when the Rebbe went to the mikvah when the Rebbe went to the ohel the Rebbe went to the mikvah first. And the like I said it was a major construction going on and it was the Rebbe was very bothered by the lack of movement. There was three boites that were being put put together was the original one and then they were building they were expanding two more and it was and the Rebbe screamed at the farbrengen and it was it was very very heartbreaking to see. It was just going very very slow for whatever reason. And uh finally they opened the other one and it was had cracks and had leaks and had to start again and it was really really challenging. But my mother would there was no specific time the Rebbe went to the mikvah. So my mother would have to would go there it was after after 10 o'clock with after Krias Shema after davening from then till the Rebbe went to the mikvah anywhere in between let's say 10:30 until 2 3 4 o'clock. There was no specific time. And she would spend a lot of time there. Basically waiting there was no uh you know she couldn't like just sit and watch you know she was doing things she had to do and she would daven and she would check every few minutes to see if the Rebbe was coming. And the Rebbe would come Rabbi Klein would drive the Rebbe from Eastern Parkway come down Albany and usually turn into turn into Union Street backwards the wrong way. You would drive in straight the wrong way. The wrong way. Yeah. Right straight into and then the Rebbe would come up the stairs from the front from the front upstairs. Um So so there there was one or two times that the Rebbe came up and she hadn't you know she walked away she was doing something and the Rebbe had to you know either be young or Rabbi Klein himself Rabbi Klein ran up and rang the bell or one time the Rebbe rang the bell himself because she it wasn't open yet, you know. She wouldn't She didn't want to keep it open, but she waited. I could find him that ever would give to come in and that ever would give First it was $10 and then it was $20. And my mother would would leave you leave the building and And that that ever would pay the fee every time. Every single time. $10 or $20. And like in a pushka like in a Put it down on a chair. They would put it down on a chair. And um There's one time that So if my mother couldn't do it for whatever reason, my father would sometimes did it. And a few a few times my father actually had something to ask about Russia. So he went to he opened it he opened it in the mikvah and he asked the Rebbe something about a question he had about Russia as well. Um There's one time so and then there was a lot of there was construction sometimes they went from the side from Albany Avenue. So I remember it was a Lag B'Omer. And my mother asked me that if I could hold the door if I could open the door downstairs for the Rebbe to come in from Albany because there was upstairs and downstairs and she wanted to stand upstairs and she needed someone to open the door downstairs. I was planning I was I looked at it I was planning to when the Rebbe came to open the door and walk away. You know, I'm not What am I supposed to be What I was planning to be there. This is Lag B'Omer after parade I think it's Tashlich M'Zion. And I was at planning to open the door and just walk away. And so I see the Rebbe's car the people are walking down Albany Avenue to all the way down to the park down on Troy. And then the Rebbe's car pulls up to Albany Avenue and I see the Rebbe's coming out. So I immediately open the door and start walking away. All of a sudden the door starts closing and I realize there's a spring. There's a spring. I mean the door is going to shut. I can't just leave it. So I'm standing over there. I I I was like mortified cuz I I wasn't planning. But I held the door open. It was a fear that I'll never forget. I held the door open for the Rebbe. Rebbe said yesher koach. And I went inside. And another time my my parents wanted to leave. It was in the summer they wanted to leave for for for the day. And they couldn't get anybody else to other mikvah ladies to open up. So they asked me if I could open. I said, "I'm not really I don't feel comfortable opening the mikvah for the Rebbe." But they said if if you don't open it, we can't go on this trip. So I said, "You know what? Okay, I'll do it for them." So I stood there when the Rebbe I I stood there and I opened held the door open for the Rebbe. It was it was shocking like to watch. I mean not not shocking which is to watch the Rebbe come up the stairs. You're standing in the Rebbe is walking slowly up the stairs and and I'm opening the door. And um you know, being being in being in the in the building yourself with the Rebbe. Um everything goes to the mikvah. Very powerful moment. And when the Rebbe left the Rebbe said "Guten Tag." I I didn't know what to say. What do you What do you say when the Rebbe tells you "Guten Tag?" I said I hear I mean like whatever. Um Of course I went to the mikvah right after that after the Rebbe went I was I was I was I was the I was the real host that was able to do it. And one time I I noticed that A moment to them is brought to you by Aksedisha Derher. We live in a chaotic world. A world where for us Aksedim as it say no lay da inu we do not have the ability to hear and see the Rebbe on a daily basis. Yet we know that the Rebbe is very much with us and Aksedisha Chabad is alive and thriving more than ever before. One needs to only tap into it. Aksedisha Derher provides you and your family with the tools necessary to tap into all of this. Whether it's the monthly magazine, the way it all began. Whether it's Derher books, Derher online content and so much more. 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Thank you very much. Enjoy the rest of the podcast. That this chair that Rebbe was using is not a good chair. And those days there was a gizone, you know, after the Rebbe had the mice with the foot in in Tashlich M'Zion. So people were more sensitive about the about things. So I I asked like why can't we get a a better chair? So we tried to figure out what kind of chair whatever Finally from they brought from 770 one of the red chairs. One of the Rebbe's nice red chairs and they brought it for the mikvah. And that's what the Rebbe used after that. And then they kept it there and it's still there. And it's like the the women it's a host that the Rebbe's chair is sitting because a red chair in the middle in the middle of of the mikvah. Um After construction they finally got the last third by the mikvah ready. And it was And they wanted the Rebbe to use it. The the Rebbe used it. And after the Rebbe gave a message as for a frui the hot to come at the hearts is schwer to roof gain the trap. That if a woman who has heart sensitivities heart problems it may be hard to go up to the steps. So that because that mikvah was a little deeper for whatever reason. And I I think the Rebbe was saying that it was he didn't want to use that one anymore because it was a little it was harder. So they didn't give him give him that one yet. Other times >> see >> other times >> the way it worked is that not all the mikvahs had water in it every in every time. They had, but they wanted they they switched This is a new mikvah that that they just they just finished construction and finally they had the rain water and finally everything was fine. So the first one to use it they wanted the mother wanted the Rebbe should use it first. It was a big host, you know, like the old ladies to to go into the mikvah that Rebbe used afterwards at night. So they wanted the Rebbe to inaugurate it. You know, not a and the Rebbe used it, but then the Rebbe like sort of asked not to use it again. One time uh my mother got a message that the clocks the clocks should be the what weren't updated. Like it was daylight savings or the clock was broken. And the Rebbe could say it's kind of kill the Shabbos zecher. But the clocks were not good. So the Rebbe gave a message the clock should be done. I remember once my mother I don't know why but my mother gave me and told me the Rebbe left his his gartel. His got undershirt gartel. Not the regular gartel but the undershirt. The under the tzitzis gartel. And I had it. I remember holding it. And it was like a the a bit like a 3/4 inch and it was full of knots. Terrible knots. Like knotty, you know. And I I had a big dilemma. Like should I should I buy a new one and return it or should I return this? Like what's the Maybe the Rebbe left it the Rebbe doesn't want it anymore. And it was a big nisayon, but I I went and I brought it back to Rebbe Klein and I said the Rebbe the Rebbe left this. I mean like so I I didn't keep it. Um My uh My nephew who was involved with one of the I think one of the founders of of Derher. Mendy Levertov. So he was born from a bracha from the Rebbe. And he was born in Tashlich M'Tashlich Erev Rosh Hashanah Tashlich Noon. With the 200 years of the Tzemach Tzedek. He always prided himself that he's from the Mems. Exactly. The last day Exactly. So it was a big it was a big it was a big miracle. It was the Rebbe's bracha. And my father opened the door. So they didn't have for a few for a few years. Didn't have children for a few years. It's a possible after story before he asked me you could ask him about it. And they had a bracha and he was born and my father went to open the mikvah. And then [snorts] my father told the Rebbe that my son had got not a kid. And then the son So the Rebbe said, "Ah." So it's So, look, 200 years of 700 different 700 different 200 years of Tzemach Tzedek. Amak Tzadiks. And then I gave him And the Rebbe a bunch of brachos. My father was too overwhelmed to remember the details of the brachos, but they gave a lot of a lot of brachos then. And one time the Rebbe the Rebbe went to the mikvah and came and and he noticed that there was like a lot of garbage for like for construction or somehow they didn't pick up the garbage and and the Rebbe was very very bothered by it and he spoke about it with a farbrengen. Why there was garbage by the mikvah. At one point there was a display that they made. Mrs. Devorah Halberstam was involved in Sheyfeh Chabad. And they made a whole turning display of of mikvah, about the old mikvahs, about marriage, different little with little dolls and so on. And they set it up for the and they wanted and the Rebbe and they wanted to show to the Rebbe. And Mrs. Halberstam was there. Was it a display that was like going to be housed in the mikvah? I think it was meant to travel, like to go around and have like a turntable, like a turning thing. It must have been like 4 ft wide or 5 ft wide. I believe they showed it in different areas of plug it in and it was a very nice handmade hand hand made water. And uh so she came there and when the Rebbe came, she explained what it was and then showed it. I think the Rebbe was going a little too fast. The Rebbe held stopped it with his hand and made it slow it down. And then the Rebbe saw the the scene which had a chuppah. So, there was a photographer and there was a chosson kallah. The Rebbe asked, "Where's the rav?" "Where's the rav?" And there was a few other comments that the Rebbe made about that, but the Rebbe was uh very happy to see the whole display over there. Um so that was a very very very special time. Yeah. That was like a Thank you for sharing with that. That's very interesting not often spoke spoken about topic. So, let me ask you Like one one one Like I remember stories. I don't know why I was getting something I got something from my mother. I came to get something and whatever and all of a sudden I I I see the Rebbe was coming. So, I ran I was I ran upstairs. There was a there's a second floor which was empty. And I stood in one place. I don't want to make any noise. There's really I stood in one place and like for 30 minutes for 30 minutes like holding my breath. Just to to be there. Oh, and have and and then I had amazing story with my a story with me. One second. I think I think I know the story, but I want to talk about you. Okay, fine. So so that that and Uh actually Well, yeah, put a put a placeholder on that cuz I think it'll be it's part of your story. Um So, you said you were born in Tof-Shin Lamed. Tof-Shin Lamed. I'm from the 60 60s. Uh 1969. Um there's something from the Rebbe when you were born, no? So, I was born Yud-Tes Kislev. And my mother went to the hospital which is now Bais Rivkah campus Chomesh on Lefferts Avenue. Everybody was born there. And it was Shabbos morning. I was born at 8:00. And then so my father sent my brother to go tell the Rebbe when the Rebbe came from his house that uh his mother had a baby. I think there was like I think there was some type of seder that people would do that. Yes. Yes. Yes, that's what I understand. And if you had a baby on Shabbos, you would go and tell the Rebbe. Tell the Rebbe in the morning. Yes. Yes, that was common. That was a that was a that was a thing. >> [clears throat] >> Um so my brother went, but he didn't want to didn't want to tell the Rebbe. So, he asked my grandfather my mother's father to tell the Rebbe. And your mother's father lived in Crown Heights? He did not live in Crown Heights. He lived in the Bronx and then in Borough Park. So, I guess he came for Yud-Tes Kislev maybe. Some reason he was there and he told the Rebbe and the Rebbe said, "Oh, Yud-Tes Kislev." And the Rebbe said, "Oh, and the bris was on Shabbos Chanukah." So, I knew that uh my father said he knew that his bris was going to be b'zmanai because because the Rebbe said it was a bris was on Shabbos Chanukah. Mhm. So, that was uh Um so growing up in Crown Heights, it was it was an incredible time, of course, to be with the Rebbe. You know, it the tziur, the the experience that you remember is there weren't that many kids. And it came from the people who were living there, the chassidim came from all these people from all the tzaddiks that they had in Eastern Europe, whether it was Russia or or they were survivors. And uh the the teachers weren't we still wasn't the mode of teaching of teaching with uh not all the teachers were the most loving people, let's put it this way. So, what happened? You know, like we were troublemakers, so we we got what we deserved. But it was it was it was amazing like the Rebbe sort of was was the kind the kind one. Like the Rebbe the Rebbe spoke and the Rebbe encouraged the kids and was involved in our lives. He like uplifted everything. Like you know, it covered over it overcame everything, all the challenges. Like I said, living in Crown Heights was challenging. I mean I think the Rebbe kept us in boot camp, if you will. I mean cuz anywhere outside of Crown Heights was like going to be better. It was difficult. I mean you you you wake up with nightmares. We had people in our house. There was muggings and everything. People killed. I mean a bochur was shot killed making a phone call. It has an effect on the kids. There's no you can't walk in the streets easily. You're afraid every time you see somebody, you know. So, but the Rebbe encouraged and inspired and just uplifted everybody with a michaye. You know, he came to farbrengen. And especially when it came to the mems, when it was Tzivos Hashem, and the Rebbe poshut like gave the kids, you know, or or looked looked at the kids and gave them such power and and spoke directly to them. You know, Tof-Shin Mem, the Rebbe said that michige proft reden durch der eltern. Tried speaking to to the eltern. Now I'm going to speak directly to the kids. I'm going to try directly There's a sicha the Rebbe says I'm going to directly to the kids. Forget about the the parents and speak directly to the kids. I mean we were we went on with tankist and my brother was a tankist. He drove one of those bread trucks, you know, the Wonder Bread trucks. That was a the tank. And I was part of it. I remember Tof-Shin Mem Shin-Aleph Shin-Lamed with the with the tanks. It was the Rebbe really like gave the kids amazing like uplifted the kids, especially in Tof-Shin Mem Aleph. I remember we were part of the choir for for Simchas Torah. Tof-Shin Mem Bais. There was by Koshel Brocha, there was a choir. And we were waiting with Tzivos Hashem and we had I That was a that was a that was a Tzivos Hashem choir? Tzivos Hashem choir. Wasn't it later became Silber Zemer, no? First it was Tzivos Hashem. First it was Tzivos Hashem and then it was Silber Zemer with Moshe Rosenberg. And it it was amazing that music and I we had a choir. And I think we were planning to be there like just for like 2 hours or something and ended up we were there the whole Koshel Brocha. We stood the whole seder the whole Koshel Brocha. And at the end, the Rebbe like turned the turned and like led the whole the whole choir. I don't know there's there's a picture a video of the Rebbe saying Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu V'Rabbeinu saying of doing it. It was like standing at the Koshel Brocha and and and singing in the choir. I'm curious to why they never did it again. The Rebbe I mean they didn't was was for it. Um It wasn't only the Bais Rivkah kids, right? Right. So, I remember Dux was part of it and Williger, these big singers. And but mostly but mostly Bais Rivkah Torah kids were >> you could >> part of it. >> So, you could have been a singer also. Exactly. Even that. Mamish. Um Yeah, that was that was really good. And the Rebbe like mamish took care of the kids and gave us inspired a chiyus with the with the with the Tzivos Hashem. Did a lot for for us kids. You're saying something important. You're saying basically you know, the the system that everyone likes talking about the system. The system might not have been the best or people might not have had a good experience at all, but the Rebbe was the oasis that was uh that was higher than the system. Uplifted everything. Set the tone for the whole thing. It's it's it it was so different when the Rebbe spoke about the ahava and the kids and the love that the Rebbe spoke with the with the kids. Just how every every year then every kid then every is precious and then for sure we did this and for sure you could do this and the kids and and then in school it was like, "Why weren't you here? And what were you what were you there?" It was a little different. I'm not saying it's the school that were very good teachers and chachamim gelernte and everything, but still the whole concept of asei tov rather than sur me'ra, like somewhat focusing on on the possibilities and the goodness. It it was like sort of a contrast. Like that was the place where the Rebbe and in in a way like sort of like as a kid it was like by the way, why does the Rebbe talk about so much about the goodness and the tzaddikim? What about like, you know, not everybody is frum. Not everybody is is doing all these good things. It the Rebbe the Rebbe uplifted as it was unbelievable. And yeah. There was a diary that one in New Man that a kid went over to the Rebbe and said that his melamed was hitting him. Hitting him. The Rebbe took it very seriously. The Rebbe said which Yeshiva is it? And the Rebbe asked who's the melamed. And I heard and I heard that there was a backstory that this kid ended up calling the school. I mean but I don't know who this kid was but you know he felt like the Rebbe is the address, you know. There's no question. There's no question. Um they used to go and hang out a lot in 770 like I said I lived in in Lefferts Avenue so it wasn't easy to go back and forth especially as a kid. Once I was in 770 I couldn't come back. It wasn't simple cuz it was at night or whatever it was. So we used to like sort of parked and hang out and that was the place to be in 770 where we could be. So like I used to go 770 for davening. My father would daven still in in Lefferts Avenue shul but I wanted to be by the Rebbe. So I I stood there. I was very I was very fortunate my father had a place by the shvil. So I I sat on his I sat I sat with him a lot of time with all the skanim. He sat? I sat. He sat. I'm saying he sat at the table over there. I was at the table. By the table. And uh I I was a kid I used to I used to sit with him whenever he used to come come in time for farbrengen um I would sit. I was I remember those days. There's like some videos of it as well. But that was precious. It was a precious. Did he move to sit with the kids by the Rebbe's feet after melaveh shabbos? Once or twice I sat by the Rebbe's by the by the feet. Yes. Once or twice I sat there but whatever I wanted I used to sit by my father so it was like it was I didn't have to do that one. Um But later on as a bachur once I tough shin nun beis they had closed off the tables cuz the kids were commanding over there and they closed off the table and put a wall around it so these the kids stopped standing there but bachurim came in from underneath where the bleachers came in and one of the bachurim was Mendel Feller and he was out of town so he gave me his place in tough shin nun beis and it was incredible like to be so close up. It was closed off but a little bit we opened the the board and and you know see from so close up you could even see like the crumbs on the Rebbe's shtender. >> [clears throat] >> That was very precious. And when when the Rebbe was coming in and out by davening you were like up front like by the shvil like or you were with the crowd like how did it work? When till my bar mitzvah I was on the front. I remember I have a memory of of I I think it's tough shin nun gimmel. I was really was it two months before my bar mitzvah so I was basically wearing a hat but it was like last year I was able to stand with the kids in the front. I was all the way all the way all the way in the front with on Yom Kippur by neilah. Um together with I remember Ari Groner and I believe if I remember correctly it was Shabbos. I have to check out the dates but anyways the the Avinu Malkeinu before neilah or I mean Avinu Malkeinu of neilah was that I was making for a very long time. It was making for a very long time and I was able to hear the Rebbe cry. Crying the Rebbe crying and it it not not too many people were able to hear it cuz there wasn't there was singing Avinu Malkeinu but us two you know a few kids that were sitting in the front were able to I don't know if we were able to see the Rebbe. Maybe that was covered up with his tallis but definitely I remember crying the Rebbe crying and crying and like so he was standing all the way all the way in the front um like mamash against the mizrach wall. Later on as a bachur also when the Rebbe was davening for the amid in tough shin nun I was in tishrei tough shin nun I'm sorry. Um tough shin nun tes. Tishrei tough shin nun tes. So I was stood also mizrach all the way on the other side of the aron kodesh and I was able to see the Rebbe from from from the front. In other words I was able to see behind the pareches. Um I was able to see and that's another interesting a couple of things that I noticed as well. Um what do you mean behind the pareches? You see like in the gap between the pareches and the aron kodesh. The gap. It's basically a little gap. So there was a few bachurim who stood over there. But as a kid so I was uh let's say let's how do we put this? I was a very I was an I was an overachiever so I didn't fit into any classes very well. So at a certain point we we skipped into >> You have the right terminology I see. We were we were overachievers so we a few of us were skipped into a a higher class in fifth to sixth grade towards the end of the year and then went to seventh grade and I wasn't too well doing too well over there either. I was put back and up back and forth. And the pile Rabbi Bukowski of Mesivta tells me that better I don't know if we had you probably so talented that we don't have any more anything to offer you anymore. At that time you recommended that I should not come back next year basically. So I went to Lubavitcher Yeshiva Ocean Parkway. And uh academically I was learning it was fine but but in hagar was not not great and also it was so sort of a wasted year as well. And towards the end of the year my mother and father heard that there was there was a group of boys going to Israel to Hadar Hatorah summer. And so they found out some friends are going to Hadar Hatorah summer so they asked they asked Rabbi Bukowski from Oholei Torah if he thinks it's a good idea that I should go to to Israel and he said yeah I think it's a good idea. It was for teens to Hadar Hatorah. But then they asked the hanhala of Lubavitcher Yeshiva Rabbi Tenenbaum if I should go and he said no. He wouldn't give permission. So it was one day the Rebbe was came to the mikvah and my mother opened the door the Rebbe went inside and my mother left and then the phone rang. So my mother went inside to answer the phone you know people had questions and so on. So on other line other side of line was Rabbi Tenenbaum from Lubavitcher Yeshiva and she asked him you know could I send my son think it's a good idea to send him to Hadar Hatorah summer. And he said no. Because it's still in middle of the year and he's going to break apart the class if he leaves. So she said okay so when next year will you let him come back? So he says no. We're not letting him come back next year. So she said if you go no. No no no no. Oh you're saying >> [laughter] >> leave and you're not accepted for next year. Right. Not accepted for next year and I shouldn't go. So my mother was saying in Yiddish Rabbi Tenenbaum was wilt du fun mir was soll ich tun? What should I do Rabbi Tenenbaum? Loz ihm nisht gehen oder loz ihm nisht zich einshreiben. You're not you're not letting him go and you're not bringing him back. And she was crying on the phone like what should I do? But anyways she hung up and then a few days so she wrote they wrote this to the Rebbe that Oholei Torah says yeah and Lubavitcher Yeshiva says no. And I was under jurisdiction of Lubavitcher Yeshiva. The Rebbe answered ki yedu'a ka'atzas hanhalas Oholei Torah. Which means the Rebbe said I should follow the lead of Oholei Torah even though I was under Lubavitcher Yeshiva. Basically he said I should follow. As is as is known that As is known oh as it is known you have to follow then the the advice of the hanhala of Oholei Torah. The Rebbe like ki yedu'a ka'atzas the Rebbe would a lot of times answer ki yedu'a you have to ask your hanhala your of your Yeshiva. So that was as a bachur. But here there were two hanhalas and the one that was under right then was told me not to go. And actually Busha didn't want me to go. And here the Rebbe said I should follow the hanhala of Oholei Torah and then we got a call from Rabbi Tenenbaum's that telling my mother that I could go. So I don't know what transpired but he called back and said um he gives him permission to go and I went to Hadar Hatorah summer. You you know that the Rebbe was in the mikvah when this conversation was happening. Yeah the Rebbe was in the mikvah when the conversation happened and it's probably the Rebbe heard my from my mother hung up and heard probably that she like she said oh my gosh I didn't realize I I was speaking so loud. The Rebbe must have heard my conversation. That was the end of it. I never heard anything else but it's the pile Rabbi Tenenbaum said I could go. I had the most amazing year in Hadar Hatorah. We were 14 year old it was a whole group of us and we had amazing mashpia What year is this? Tough shin mem daled mem hey. Mhm. 84 85. And Rabbi Chaim Cohen it's so he became like he really dedicated himself to the bachurim and he gave us and he um really really inspired. I have at the same time Chaim Chaim Brook was there and he was like a vecker he used to wake us up. And I have a he showed me a habit settle that he gave me a pic copy of Xaviar from the Rebbe and in the back he writes he asked me to wake him up uh whatever 5:45 6:00 I should wake him up to veck I was me as a bachur I'm waking up Chaim Brook. What do you mean he gave you a Xaviar of the Rebbe? Two things. He wanted he had a copy of a Xaviar so he gave it to me but he also he wanted to so he said write it on the back of Xaviar. So that's why I kept it cuz I saved it. So I have this settle that he's telling me that I should I should wake up better [clears throat] levetov you know the he's waking up the vecker. The vaca, So so um amazing amazing amazing amazing year and then it was coming towards Yud Aleph Nissan, Pesach and I was going to go home for Pesach and and there was there was making they were making a goidel for the bachum to go who's going to go for Yud Aleph Nissan a goidel from all these shivas in Eretz Yisrael who's the representative of of bachum a representative of a a goidel who's going to represent the bachum for Yud Aleph Nissan 5748 and and someone came over to me and asked me it was a rangy good for Yeshiva Tiferes Shmuel in Yerushalayim and he said uh you should you know buy a ticket. I'm like I don't need a ticket I'm going to New York anyways. He says yeah but this is I think this is a good it's a like what am I going to do with it if I win if I win it. He says yeah you may you'll get money okay you convinced me last minute and I bought a ticket and [clears throat] I won from the whole Eretz Yisrael I won I was a okay so he came to me so now I'm now I'm a so he said no you have a bigger chiyus you represent all the bachum which means that you have to be by every single davening and every single farbrengen come on and uh when you come back you'll have to give hazara and share with all the bachum you'll travel around Eretz Yisrael. I was 15 years old so because of that I can't I I probably because of that I'm going to probably maybe even without it but I because of that I was made sure I was there for every shachris mincha maariv shachris was then kria so I was there by kria I was there by chassidus before before kria I was representing the bachum of Eretz Yisrael to the Rebbe for Yud Aleph Nissan 5748 5748 was then the first seima rambam and I remember that and I was learning we learned there was a new hadran that came out and I sat down with Yoska Greenberg he was teaching me um we taught us taught me the hadran and it was an amazing time to be Yud Aleph Nissan a representative of the bachum at that time I was supposed to get a a bottle from the Rebbe for a kasha bracha as a goidel but I came over to the Rebbe and I said you know quietly I said I you know bachum didn't speak to the Rebbe and and so I said it very quietly so the Rebbe said a kind of bracha and and I moved on so later on I got a bottle from Rabbi Groner he gave me a bottle for for the bachum from the Rebbe from the collection of the of the bottles like a bottle my way back to Eretz Yisrael and I took it traveled around and it gave gave a hazara of it was really It's very special because you know you you could have just came home for Pesach obviously it would be by the Rebbe but then you're coming home and then because of this whole experience it was like I mean I I came to be by the Rebbe it's also like the idea some people go growing up in Crown Heights could you know quote unquote take it for granted and here is like you know you're coming from Eretz Yisrael to the Rebbe as a so it was probably a whole different experience for you it was like It was amazing it was a different experience. Now the truth is after um being a whole year in Eretz Yisrael even again I can't imagine but I'm saying it was a little bit the first time coming to the Rebbe it was a it was a big deal the first time actually traveling to the Rebbe um you know and even going we had we had the earlier but but going into yeah so topic of definitely I remember a a tiny anecdote of so I say there was over the the shabbos I think and say there was over Sunday business I had a ticket to go on Thursday much because of that so I asked the then hall if I could go if I could go a little earlier so he told me yes but you have a tonight before I go I have to say after the base about that I did it yes I did I did it like you know he could push me to do it for the three days that I went early and rather than I came I came early and my um my zaida passed away business and lots of shabbos business and so it was because of that that I was I was by the levaya but I'm just being with what the how this much be a pushed us and and got us to do things like you know the Rebbe could be to come two days early to to Crown Heights New York um good times so so what I'm just the chronological history of here so you were in Tiferes Shmuel and then what so and then things fell apart over there and a lot of guys left from Tiferes Shmuel and that was the whole a whole group of uh there was Vistitzky Levi Shemtov um Dovid Moonshine Asher Farkash Mordechai Farkash Fleishman a lot of great chassidim were all part of that we all they all left they went to Montreal because because to follow this much be I went back I went back to Crown Heights Alta life life was not the same it was uh it was it was different um but I had a certain appreciation more about the chassidus and Rebbe and so on after that whole experience in Eretz Yisrael um um so so you thought this is like 5727 5727 5728 and then the end of 5729 I went back to as a as a shliach to Tiferes Shmuel oh okay so okay so I want to go back let me go back to your mother for a second I guess that we're holding 5728 now that's and it was just after shvat um I understand your mother was also part of the chevra kadisha yes so we she was part of the chevra kadisha and we found out about chof beis shvat 1:30 the night before and I I think the bachum found out from from my brother assistant my brother left from Texas um yeah we got a call that uh the rebbetzin passed away and they have to go go to the hospital with her to get to get her so my my uncle drove my aunt Cooperman his name is Cooper the Cooper the Coopersons and my mother and some other women and they went to take the the rebbetzin and when they when they left the hospital went to the Rebbe's house the before they left the car broke down so they couldn't they couldn't make it so when they came when the chevra kadisha came to the Rebbe's house they weren't there but my father did go there he came from the house he went there to the Rebbe's house I always regretted I told my father if anything's happening if you're going anywhere wake me up and I always regretted not staying up that night I whatever I was didn't do it I went to sleep and then for the next day I was at the levaya I understand there were people that were outside the whole night people that that was that was outside it was a very time a very moving time that was really really you know of course the stress and very very difficult time to see but the the aron came and came to the to the to the house and so on so she she was involved also with the whole yeah with the whole chevra kadisha that she did >> [snorts] >> so I want to ask you about you have another yeah go ahead my mother she was very uh she had many chassidim especially as a as a girl she was by Yaakov and the Rebbe um she helped bring young people to to Crown Heights the farbrengens and the Rebbe gave her like a specific advice about dating at one point uh she was dating somebody and and uh she says that this she felt really she doesn't feel like a connection so the Rebbe said what he's not playing ball she never understood what he meant not playing ball she didn't know if the Rebbe meant like he's not like involved or like he doesn't play ball she she never understood what he meant but the Rebbe used the term what he's not playing ball the Rebbe advised her to while she was dating him to put him on pause and date my father and after he was advised to to marry my father hm so it made an impact on that in that whole sense of uh dating and so on early on she so and you had and you had the Rebbe take care of people yeah I'm saying the those times was especially people that like your mother that comes from a different background and then you know the Rebbe used to care took took care of the people she has a story with her mother that her mother was having issues with her son whatever it was it was a little wild you know he was a little wild so she took on a taanis she was like she used to fast like Monday Monday and Thursday so she came to yechidus and she told it to the Rebbe and the Rebbe says you don't have to you don't have to fast better do do a taanis dibur do a tiny's dibber and it's fasten. then So, Monday and Thursday she'd like be more careful about the tiny's dibber. So, they >> Tiny's dibber doesn't mean not to talk. It means to be more mindful. Right. Be more mindful what you say. Be careful what you say. And not not don't speak anything correct. There was like be careful mindful think about. So, they had a joke that in when they want to say Lashon Hara it's Tuesday. It's Tuesday. You could say [laughter] In their house they would say Tuesday they would say because Monday and Thursday they weren't allowed to say any Lashon Hara of course. Cuz you have that. Okay. I want to ask you about I know that besides your learning in Yeshiva, you also got involved in few interesting things even as a bocher that involved the askonus of Lubavitch. I think so when you were in Eretz Yisrael, I think was it wasn't the first Chanukah Live? You were there Tashnun? Yes, we were at Tashnun. So, we were This Tashnun is a nice group of us. Um Avrohom Mordechai Steinberg, Mendel Azzimov, Mendel Feldman Um Zalman Zirkind, Zalman Wolowik, Yisroel Vogel. Okay. A whole group of shluchim. And we found out that Yisroel Vogel was in you know speaking with his father that there's going to be a Chanukah Live and it's going to be in London. And we were shocked that it's not going to be in Eretz Yisrael. So, we started speaking to some askonim and they said it's maybe if you take it on you could do it. Whatever. I don't I don't exactly know why. But it was extremely expensive. The downlink just to get the satellite downlink was $25,000. And a huge sum in those days. >> [snorts] >> So, where are we going to get $25,000 to be to have the downlink? But it was so important that every like how could you have a Chanukah Live without in without Eretz Yisrael? So, at that time Rabbi Yisroel Gutnick was in Eretz Yisrael working on Carlebach. It was Tashnun. That was after the whole Tehillim Mesiras Nefesh that whole story. Right? It was before. Cuz Tehillim Mesiras Nefesh was on was Nissan. That it was spoke about. So, he was there something else. No no no no. He was there. Maybe it was part it was the same time. It was it was that time. Yes. I don't know if it was before Yes, it was it was right after. Yes. He was putting together the the government. He was staying He stood at his He stayed in one of the hotels that didn't open up yet. He had a He had a whole floor. He was there for months. The Rebbe didn't let him go. The Rebbe told him to stay there. So, it was during that time. Yeah, it was that time. He So, they told us I'm saying I don't remember when which month the whole story happened of Tehillim Mesiras Nefesh, but I know I know that Chanukah Live >> After after the government was toppled because because of the Rebbe said that he's not for Peres and then the two Chaver Knesset were hiding you know for the vote Mesachin and what's his name? Berdeguer. Berdeguer. So, afterwards I think the Rebbe sent Rabbi Yisroel Gutnick Eretz Yisrael cuz he now now he needed to build a coalition to build a coalition. So, he would he was involved. >> So, it was right after. Correct. It was I don't I don't Yeah. I don't remember the dates, but yeah. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. So, we were bocherim and we were involved like it was a it was a exciting time. And I remember at that's note speaking to Lubavitchers in Yerushalayim and they're explaining to me why it would make sense for Chabad to be involved and make a coalition with the with Peres Peres. It was mind-boggling. It was mind-boggling. It was like I'm a regular chossidim were talking about that whole process and that was a normal thing for them. They weren't get It was shocking. Anyway, um So, they told us, "You know what? Why don't you go to ask to visit with Yisroel Gutnick and see if maybe he'll sponsor it." So, Yisroel Vogel myself I went out and went out to his hotel. Kasriel Shemtov was there. He was uh helping him. Yeah, I was going to say that I only know about what I just said because I heard it from Kasriel Shemtov. Yeah. spent a lot of time worked hand in hand with him spent a lot of time and uh [snorts] Yisroel Gutnick said, "Okay, he'll sponsor it." So, we got the main the main thing covered. And we started working to try to get to get this going and to set up We had to get permission for the Kotel and it was Never was there a video at the Kotel. Never. Never was there a satellite projection of a video. Now, obviously we're not going to project it on the Kotel itself, but even to have a a video at the Kotel was unheard of. And we went to the Rabbi Kotel The the the askonim went to the Rabbi Kotel Rabbi Getz and he was a very good to very close to Chabad and he said, "Sure, you could do it." And then he started harassing And they wanted him to stop it. And at that time so we we went around the whole Mea Shearim and all the all Yerushalayim with bullhorns with we rented cars and we everybody Kulanu LaKotel HaMaaravi. It was a whole campaign to get everybody to the Kotel. The buses that were going we made they they went straight like they filled up and they straight that day was packed. We got the whole Kotel packed. And this Rabbi that day had to push it hide because they wanted to stop the whole thing. They wanted to pull the plug that there should not be a a Chos Vesholom a video on at the Kotel. And uh So, he's hiding so he's not available. Not available. He couldn't stop it. He couldn't stop it. He was hiding. So, hi- hiding in Tashnun in Eretz Yisrael was a thing. It was a thing. Yeah. Dying. So, he And finally had it. It was amazing. I mean, for the first time the Gashmius of the Rebbe saw the Kotel live and the people in Eretz Yisrael saw the Rebbe the Rebbe live for the first time. I mean, it it was it was a historic. It was amazing. Amazing. All the Yerushalmi went. Everybody came to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe live and and and you know to have a zechus that the Rebbe pashut saw live the Kotel was was amazing. It's amazing. I mean, the whole phenomenon of Chanukah Live that people are seeing the Rebbe live and the Rebbe seeing them is an amazing feat. But then that you were able to make it happen in Eretz Yisrael though that's very special. Unbelievable. From what I understand is there was at that point there were four satellites around the world. The whole thing was four satellites. Four international satellites. And all four were hooked up for this Chanukah Live. Matter of fact, I got you watched the video. It's very it's very interesting of Chanukah Live. I just recently watched it. And at the end of the sicha um the Rebbe speaks about giving Chanukah gelt. And you see him Kronik goes over to the Rebbe and wants to know to say that how it's going to be because the Rebbe wanted to give dimes to the kids and dollars to the adults. And he asked the Rebbe if the Rebbe is going to give it alone. If the Rebbe is going to give it himself or to the tankist no. And the Rebbe said So, the Rebbe says Alone is better. Alone is better. I mean, alone to do it himself is is a lot better than than than to give it to the tankist. And then the Rebbe was like like like what's the shaila like It's an amazing thing to hear the way the Rebbe is committing to give every single kid in that that place thousands of kids four dimes himself. They were not prepared for it. They were doing it in the Rebbe's hand. If you It's an incredible video. But the the the loshon alone is better. Yeah. Better alone. Better alone. And after say when I went to Eretz Yisrael the first time after this I I it I can't not mention the amazing uh Greenberg family who took me in when I was uh when we were shpacheredy. My mother my brother was already married to a a Greenberg and they really opened their home so when I had free shabbatim or Rabbi Shmuel Greenberg picked me up in the airport and you know kind of had a beautiful big family and they they took me in like one of their own. And it was very very moving to to have that special place. So, I hold a special place in my heart for them. Okay. So, subsequently when I came back to the to the then Chaim Greenberg Chaim Greenberg was involved with Machne Israel Development Fund. He got involved because but Rabbi Berel Shemtov got his son Gedaliah to get him to be involved and Gedaliah got Chaim Greenberg Chaim Greenberg needed someone to do something >> They're also brother-in-laws. They're also brother-in-laws. And they were he needed someone to do something in English. So, he knew me. So, he asked me if I could help him out. So, it's not really involved. So, just describe a little bit what Machne Israel Development Fund is. Okay. One of the integral components of being a chossid are the chassidishe yom tov and yom ed depagra. Whether it's Hey Teves, Yud Shvat, Yud Daled Nissan, or Gimmel Tammuz. These days give us an opportunity to connect with the our Rebbeim, to connect with each other, and be better chossidim. What is the story behind each of these days? How did the Rebbe commemorate and celebrate these days? And most importantly, what are the lessons, the takeaways, and the action items and maiseh hu ikar needed for each of these days? All of this and much much more are answered in the new set recently published by Der Her. Our Days is a journey through the Chabad calendar in story, meaning, and practice. With over 700 beautiful glossy pages with elevated content, beautiful beautiful photographs, you, your family, and friends will enjoy and live with each Khassidic Yom Tov. This book is a must for every Lubavitcher home, for every shul, for every school. It is a perfect gift item. This will not collect dust. It will be used day after day, month after month, year after year. You can have this set. Go to the here.org/ourdays. Order your set today and start living with the Khassidic Yom Tov. So, in the early early years, I believe No, in the early early years, the Rashag would bring some The figure would meet with some balabatem between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and then the Rashag would would bring them to the Rebbe. And the Rebbe had this concept of bringing donors and gvirim to to have them yechidus with the Rebbe is connected to that idea, I believe. But this is going back much much later in the Tof Shin Mem Vov Zayin when um a group of shluchim brought balabatem to 770 between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and and also between right before Yud Alef Nissan, twice a year. And surprisingly, the Rebbe gave said a sicha for them. The first time they weren't even planning to. And uh they they started a fund, Machne Israel Development Fund, to help shluchim develop and to raise bigger money from wealthy donors to give to the general kupah to give Machne Israel and from there to the shluchim. So, at some point there was there was other people running it, and then they left, and then Gedaliah Shemtov was looking for somebody to run it. He asked his brother Chaim Greenberg. Chaim Greenberg started. He was very organized and very well suited for this, but he didn't know English. So, he needed somebody to help him. So, he asked me to get involved. And it entailed mostly to for the the two events that took place, two yechidusin. Usually it was like Zayin Tishrei, and the other one was like Chof Vov Adar. Twice a year. That uh first they first it was for a higher amount. Then it was like $100,000 over 5 years was the was the amount they had to contribute to. And there was a whole vad. There was Rabbi Hershen, Rabbi Bel Shemtov, Rabbi Simcha Zirkind, um Rabbi Leibel Chaim Teitelbaum, like I said, Rabbi Shemtov, and a few other shluchim. We wrote a quite a number of years ago we wrote a very nice article on it. I believe in that article there's the list of the vad, yeah. So, I started I started helping out around uh the the events around the yechidusin. And later, slowly, I was getting more and more involved until Chaim Greenberg was getting married, and he asked the Rebbe if he should stay on and do this and continue Machne Israel or go to Eretz Israel. And the Rebbe told him right away to go. It's Kadima l'Eretz Israel, like out. And he went to yechidus, and that's when he told me, "Beryl, you're taking over." So, I was still a bochur then. And I was like, I I can't run this important vice. And we were working, of course, with Rabbi Krinsky was there and Rabbi um Kotlarsky. But and you know, throughout the year people would make donations, and they would have to get receipts, and they have to be recorded. And other shluchim would want to want want to sign up people. And it was a whole office. And then after the yechidusin, it means sending them letters from the Rebbe. And get giving them the pictures. People would order pictures that they where they were where they were at yechidusin and so on. So, there was a little office in 788, room 206. And we had a little office there. And at at a certain point later after Chof after Chof Zayin Adar, Rabbi Shalom Schapiro also got involved. But for like almost for for like eight eight months, so I was I was responsible as a bochur. And so, I got to be by the yechidus as well. At that time, the yechidusin were in 770 downstairs. And clean out all 770, set up some chitzis around, made it look a little more presentable for the for the for the shluchim for the balabatem. Uh interact with the balabatem, interact with the shluchim, and so on. Um So, also very amazing amazing privilege to be part of it. Um I remember one year So, one year, I mean, the last year when the Rebbe came to the yechidus was Tof Shin Tishrei Nun Beis. And they asked the Rebbe when to do it. And the Rebbe said to do it Sunday. I believe it was Zayin, but Sunday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. On Sunday, the Rebbe was giving dollars. And all the all the all the all the guests were there. So, it's going to be a definitely a long dollars at that time. And they they panicked. They wanted to change it because how could the Rebbe Why should the Rebbe have to do dollars and then yechidus in Machne Israel? But the Rebbe wanted a uh specifically that date. So, they decided that they're going to ask only the top donors, like make a small group, not a full group, only the top donors. And they asked Rabbi Krinsky to ask the Rebbe. And the Rebbe said "Besheim U'Mefunim, they should do it." Everybody was there. Everybody should be there. And uh that was the it was large. It was big. It was growing. Baruch Hashem, there was more people getting involved and more uh balabatem. And >> Because the the donors would also have like a like a yechidus, like a mini yechidus with the Rebbe. Right. So, that that was the point. They would they would have that opportunity to say to share It was mamash a yechidus, a few minutes to share and to share with the Rebbe, just to talk. So, at first it was upstairs in 770, and they would just walk over with a you know, then they'll order just speak a few minutes with the Rebbe. And the it did a made a katzir with the Rebbe. It was like putting all the envelopes in his pocket, and his pocket is being big. It's like there's not It wasn't really coordinated well in that sense. It was supposed to be like a quick yechidus. But then, when it came downstairs in especially when Chaim Greenberg got involved, it was very very organized. They we put a we made a step up, you know, the higher step, and and the Rebbe's the Rebbe's table, and organize a a special way of going. And we even By the way, in in this month, when did he get involved? Tof Shin Nun? Yeah, Tof Shin Nun Tes Adar Nun. I think it was Nun Tes even. It's like if you look in um the upcoming the here magazine, in the section of the Rebbe to the Rebbe, there's a whole slide of pictures from Machne Israel, and you already see how it's developed, and it's a nice uh event at that point already. It was yeah. He he he did a lot, and at that time, I remember we we even scheduled when people should go and gave them like a general sense of when they're going to go. And I remember yeah, and and it was it was it was hard for the Rebbe. I mean, it's like if the whole day of dollars, especially that one Tof Shin Nun Beis. Remember it was um Tof Shin Nun Beis. Uh I'm sorry. It was a whole day of dollars. And then the Rebbe came down. The Rebbe left the yechidus at 1:00 a.m. And I don't think there was even a break between dollars and and yechidusin. The Rebbe spoke a sicha. They'll give a spoke a sicha. And then the balabatem went together to the And then the Rebbe said a sicha for the for the shluchim, and the shluchim the Rebbe gave dollars to everybody, all the shluchim and anybody who was there. I never felt comfortable taking a dollar by as a bochur there cuz I I didn't really feel that I belonged there as a bochur, you know, we're asking whatever what are you doing over there. So, I didn't I never [snorts] I never took a dollar or at Machne Israel b'chlall. I remember once I uh there was two balabatem wanted to sign up. It was probably Tof Shin Nun Beis. And I wanted to I told Rabbi Krinsky to tell the Rebbe that these two balabatem want to sign up. So, it it they were friends of Ami Pekowsky. So, they told us. So, I Rabbi Krinsky was always out, you know, he was So, I sent him a fax. So, my fax machine to his fax machine. And it said that these people are writing to to asking for a bracha that And I wrote I signed my name Beryl. So, he shows me the fax afterwards that the Rebbe answered on the fax. U'Godol Haschus. U'Godol Haschus and something else. Three words. And I was shocked. I was like, you gave the Rebbe my paper with my Beryl? Like I I wasn't I meant to do it. I told him, "What are you I'm I'm not supposed to be giving the Rebbe like papers like that. We could we could have gotten in trouble." But anyway, that's that's that's what he did anyways. That's what happened. That's what happened. So, I was a little more careful then. Um But again, I wasn't working officially. I It was a bochur, and I had a kitah in an office in 770 and I whatever you know I would that learning take a few minutes and then work over there was I was still in the Yeshiva doing Smicha whatever it was. Um I I remember like you know after after Tekias so you you we had to come out quick and then you're all sweaty and all thing and I was able to go upstairs to my office and change and come back down. uh in the in the middle of Davening. So the perks The perks of the extras of working there. Um I remember I I again I think it was tough from Nun Base or maybe earlier. And after the Rebbe after the Yechidus the Rebbe would send out letters to everybody all the Balabattim and thanking them for coming and whatever the whatever it was. And yeah we have we have some of them around. I've seen them. Right. So on behalf of Machne Israel Development Fund the Lubavitch headquarters that that was a whole interesting Lashon in the in the letters. It was on the Machne Israel stationery. Yeah. Was it on the stationery? No no no no. I'm sorry. Was it on the stationery? It wasn't on the stationery. They're around so maybe some of these are >> Yeah right right. So but I was it was just I was into computer so I was able to make what's called a mail merge. I know today is like a few clicks. Those days it was before Windows. You know tough 1991. MS-DOS. MS-DOS. So I was able to do I knew how to do uh You knew how to use You knew how You knew how to use MS-DOS. I knew how to use MS-DOS. I would have I would have to have someone else load the game for me. I didn't know how to do it. I had everything. So we I would have like the first one of the first computers in in in Chabad. I had a T1 line to chabad.org. I helped them out so I was involved with those with the it had with the computers and so on. I I I gave Pinto his job. The the famous Pinto who took over my my Who ran the IT for 770? Right. I was my job. I gave him I gave it over to him. Ah so you were the first IT. I was yeah. I guess I made the first network between two rooms. I didn't know what I was doing. Um So yeah so I was mail merging and it was it was very sensitive. I had to make sure I got it right cuz the Rebbe was going to signing these letters. This is not this is not a joke. So you went and once I had a mistake I had to make it over again and do it over again and print again. It was it was a it was a process. So the Balabattim were getting the letters and there was one guy who came with someone else with Joe Carrey. I don't know if you know the name is Joe Carrey is Avrohom Shemtov Avrohom Hecht Avrohom Hecht's Balabus. He did the videos that Rebbe tells him the Yechidus that danced around. Oh it's him. The video he he's a video producer and the Rebbe tells him to dance around Moscow in the Chanukah Live around the video. So he brought a he brought a a friend of his. I'm saying it. So he uh we didn't make a letter for him because he doesn't he doesn't he's not a Balabus. He's not a donor. He's not a donor. He made a he made a donation but he's not a donor so we didn't make a letter appear and I gave it to Rabbi Krinsky or Krinska. And he says Rabbi Rabbi Krinsky comes in and says better the Rebbe is asking where is the letter for so and so. I was like God. >> [snorts] >> You're saying the one time you made a decision >> [laughter] >> You know the you know you're playing you're playing games. I I mean like I of course he didn't deserve it. He wasn't a Balabus. Why am I going to argue that the Rebbe is asking where is the where is the where is the letter for Ploni Almoni? I'm like okay. Coming right up. Coming right up. Oh. Um another time there was somebody Berke Wolf brought someone a a friend of Chabad from India. He's known I think his name is Rupin Bansali and Berke Rabbi Berke Wolf the famous Rabbi Berke Wolf brought him. And we were very nervous to to with someone who wasn't Jewish. How was How was the Rebbe going to respond? Is the Rebbe going to be okay with it? And the Rebbe was very warm to him. It was very nice Yechidus and he made his donation and I remember on his letter the Rebbe wrote on top a few lines about Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach. B'chtav Yad. In English? In English. I don't I don't I don't have it. I don't That's that was my my memory and it's probably around. I mean he probably has it but the the Rebbe specifically wrote something about Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach. Um So yes I I I hung around there. And at one point in tough Yitzchak 5752 they were filming Jerry Levine was filming the Rebbe for JEM. So we heard this So Jerry So Jerry Levine is involved with Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar and the Aleph Bet Studio and he was the anchor Chanukah Live. So he So he brings JEM hired him. JEM hired him to film the Rebbe. To produce some type of film. Or something I don't know I'm asking. I I don't know what Yeah I don't know what the end result but but he was Rabbi Krinsky hired him and they gave him equipment and they gave him money and they gave him he was going around and he was like you said he was the anchor of the Chanukah Live. He also went to Machne Israel by the way. Yes. He went to Machne Israel. That's correct. There's a video of him telling the Rebbe that in honor of the Rebbe's 40th the Nesi'us he quit smoking cigarettes. Yeah that's okay. Wow okay. Yes he goes to Machne Israel. Rabbi Lipskar was very involved in Machne Israel. He brought a bunch of people. Um I just remember what dealing with Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar he was in a he was not major but not many interactions but a few I was a Bachur and he was very very um respectful respectable and it was like even though he was far superior you know major Shliach and so on. Anyway so So they were taking you filming and the Rebbe gave permission and if you see the major major amazing amazing footage from the Rebbe Davening the Rebbe coming in the Rebbe had the Chulukas and so on. So so proper very modern cameras so I mean those videos look like they were taken today. It was very very high end equipment that they were using. >> Betacam Betacam Betacam footage yes. Betacam footage and the they were Yitzchak they wanted to go to the Ohel to film the Rebbe at the Ohel. So after Davening but Yitzchak after I was in the office and they said they need someone to go with the camera crew. To go with them pastor to go. So would you ask if I want to go I'm like Okay I was never I was never by the Ohel when the Rebbe was there. Although Yitzchak and everyone showed up people were allowed I never did it. Was I don't think it was it's respectable. So but here was an here they needed someone to help so I I went to help. So I remember so so we we set up had the cameraman these they don't know much about so they're standing outside 770 waiting for the Rebbe to come out. And I remember like a little anecdote I told them the Rebbe's secretaries are going to come out with the with the bags and put it into the car before So they they see this going on they they don't recognize like they told me they were expecting a few women to come out the secretaries they said secretary. >> [laughter] >> So they were they were they were waiting for us to like secretaries to come out. They didn't have a secretary. Anyways the Rebbe comes out and immediately The Lubavitch secretary is a different different definition yeah. Let's get us let's get us secretary. Secretariat. [snorts] Secretariat. Let's get us. Yeah. The Rebbe comes out and immediately sees them and he goes straight to them and and gives stuck and gives them coins. I of course stepped away but the camera crew gets the thing. And then we went into the into our van and followed along. And this the footage is available to incredible footage. It was it gave me such a different perspective of someone like seeing the Rebbe going to the Ohel and the Hachanas that I was making to the Ohel. And and and and the quietness and and you know at first I was bothered like this traffic why is you know I was zooming and running and going faster than him then I'm thinking like the Rebbe is here and there's no no where to rush to. This is a quiet time and it's you know what's the difference. Um going going. So it was a very driving all alongside the Rebbe and um uh in front in the back and and and go going going with was really really powerful. And at the Ohel itself I again I stayed outside. But the the videos there. And then everybody clears out and leaves and the Rebbe was there himself and it was so eerie like it's getting dark. The Rebbe is himself at the at the Ohel and we're standing over there behind some Matzeivos ready to take the film of the Rebbe going to his mother. And it was wow. The Rebbe walks down the the pathway and stands it's dark and there's a few lights and the Rebbe stands right on the Shvil to his mother says a you know says something Kapitel Tehillim or whatever it is. And then the Rebbe goes back to to the car and he stops by the Rebbe's son over there and it's the Rebbe bending down. I wasn't sure what it was. And then the Rebbe goes and picks up rips out some some grass. He's supposed to rip out the grass before you leave a cemetery. Okay, Beis HaChaim. Once, twice, and the third time the Rebbe keeps it, holds it. But as the Rebbe gets up, the Rebbe loses his balance and catches himself on the on the wall of the ohel. I noticed on the on the official on the official film it's missing that that section, but I remember the Rebbe got so scared I was going to Rebbe gained his balance and goes into goes into car. Right before he goes into the car he throws in the last bit of uh grass. I mean to me it meant like picking up ripping out grass is so important that even if it takes a lot of effort and it it's it's something important. We went back to 770. I you know, as someone who as bochurim we we didn't go much to the ohel, so we didn't really know the way directions to the ohel because you know, you just stop maybe you're not even and we go through through the we didn't spend much time at the ohel. So, we didn't get get back in time. So, when we came back the we went upstairs it wasn't I have to go take the whole camera crew to the downstairs to 770. We went upstairs to Rabbi Krinsky's office. And then in Rabbi Krinsky's office there was a a video a closed circuit TV a TV monitor. Again, downstairs. Up downstairs, which is there were a few people on the block who had there's no such thing as wireless no such thing as internet. >> [clears throat] >> So, you don't even can imagine what it means to have like Well, I just found out a few years ago. I was sitting talking to um Rabbi I think his name is Rabbi Zalman Wilhelm in the the shliach in Vermont. He's a son of um Yeah, Boruch. No, son of Rabbi Yitzchak Wilhelm from the library. Boruch Wilhelm. So, he um my parents live in Eastern Parkway. They're back-to-back with the Kazens. Yossi Kazen. So, so this Wilhelm tells me, "Oh, by the way, we also had a live circuit because uh Yossi Kazen worked in WLCC. And there was a wire that they they wanted the live >> course, Brooklyn Avenue. They Yeah, they they took a wire from 770 through all the backyards through it across Brooklyn Avenue. It was running it was running to So, he says, "If you if you would have known about it, your house could have also had it cuz it was running through your backyard." Wow. The technology then they just threw a wire over over over the street, you know. It blended in with all the other telephone wires, you know, running through the backyards. Yeah, so so Rabbi Krinsky had um And of course it's so so we're watching the Rebbe go to the amid for mincha. And the whole day the Rebbe was hunched over, but here the Rebbe walks straight up, very straight. And I remember Rabbi Krinsky saying saying to me to me he says, "Betzalel, is this the same Rebbe we just saw?" When it came to mincha the Rebbe was very strong and it it it was uh pela mamash a pela. Yeah. And also they also came Chof Beis Shvat this crew. They came Chof Beis Shvat and also you see that and Which is also interesting cuz I was listening last night to two sichos. And um there's a sicha Leil Chof Beis Shvat and Matzai. It's also it's reminds me what you're saying because the Leil Chof Beis Shvat before the Rebbe went to Contreras, where the Rebbe speaking, the Rebbe's tone is very like quiet. And then the next night the Rebbe says another sicha and the Rebbe sounds totally different. Like very very much louder and like it was like And what what you're saying like resonates like it's within 24 hours this this this thing. When you watch the videos the raw footage of the the Contreras was the night first night? I think so, yeah. Chof Beis Shvat, yeah. You can't imagine the Rebbe was going to give out Contreras now. The Rebbe stands there and gives out thousands of Contreras a pink Contreras. And it's superhuman. It's not such I mean it the gashmius how is it possible as if you look at it here the Rebbe was you know it was challenging those days. It was very very difficult. Machlokes the Contreras and I mean if you watched all the how much effort and time the Rebbe took to give you those Contreras. I remember one of the first Contreras that became regular was Vov Tishrei Taf Shin Nun. So, that year I mentioned that time already it was Taf Shin Mem Tes. At Rosh Hashanah night before Rosh Hashanah the Rebbe gave out Kitzur Beis Ha'Oros. A thick book. It was the first time and it wasn't shrink wrapped cuz no one had idea of doing a shrink wrap. They just give it and it was hard. There were at least I think 6,000 they said the Rebbe gave out that time. Then comes Rosh Hashanah three days of Rosh Hashanah. Not three days, I'm sorry. Rosh Hashanah and Tzom Gedaliah. And Tzom Gedaliah of course is is dollars. And then there's I think there was already s- um lekach already once Al Kaparos Vov Tishrei. The Rebbe wants to give out a Contreras a Contreras Shas Maseches from Tzemach Tzedek. And a letter from Vov Tishrei. And lekach and a dollar. And I remember as bochurim they were we they had it in in yellow manila envelopes. But apparently the Rebbe told it to them very late and they had very little time to print it. And as the Rebbe is giving it out we're packing it upstairs in the Beis HaMedrash. And even stapling some of the things. And we're putting in putting in putting in and the numbers the like 9 thousand Contreras. And this is after I'm sorry, this is after Kesher Brochoh. So, this Thursday night the Rebbe was giving out 6,000 books. M- Motzei Rosh Hashanah the Rebbe was giving out Kesher Brochoh. Then there's a sicha Tzom Gedaliah the Rebbe was giving out dollars. Then the Rebbe was giving out And and the Rebbe was still wants to give out more and this is the whole ohel a whole bunch of guests and the Rebbe was giving out these manila envelopes and it wasn't Again, it wasn't easy. It was like 9,000 of them. It's it's it's incredible. And then there was again Sunday of uh that Sunday there was dollars, but it was also there was lekach in the dollars. The Rebbe gave out dollars and lekach at the same time. Thousands of lekach and dollars. And then if you and then there's a sicha almost every single night Taf Shin Nun. Literally every single night. And then if you look at the thing I I noticed all of a sudden that there's a chalukas Kesher Brochoh Chof Tes Tishrei. Like what's Chof Tes Tishrei? W- When is the Kesher Brochoh? The Rebbe gave out Kesher Brochoh on Shabbos Bereishis. Shabbos Shabbos Bereishis which is a week after So, not slowing down, but actually giving more and more and more and and So, I have my my thoughts and my feelings where are all these Contreras? What are people doing with these Contreras? Are we are we learning these Contreras? Are they these obviously a very important Contreras cuz the Rebbe chose these to give out. So, there were four Tanya's. Three the Rebbe gave them himself and one the Rebbe gave through through the the Kehilas Yaakov light. Then there's so many Contreras. These should be the high These should be like high on our bookshelf and we should use it every single day. Either you know as kids we also got siddurim in uh Shavuos Taf Shin Mem Tes the Rebbe gave all the kids siddurim. I still have mine. I use it every day. There's so many this Kitzur Beis Ha'Oros is interesting stuff also and I you know, Shaar HaMaimar was an interesting maimer too. And just so many Contreras the Rebbe gave us. So, we have a chiyus to like use it and give it to you know, study it pass it on to our children, but also learn ourselves. The Rebbe himself said a number of times if we're giving out a Contreras that he's giving out the Contreras to learn. That's the purpose of it. When he gave out in Taf Shin Mem Beis he said he hopes that the Tanya he hopes they're going to use it so much he's going to give another one soon. In fact he gave out Taf Shin Mem Dal through the through the through the Kehilas and then in Taf Shin Yud Shvat Taf Shin Nun the Rebbe gives out the turquoise the the the green Tanya's. At that time already they shrink wrapped it to make it a little easier. And then Yud Tes Kislev less than a year later the Rebbe gives out another one, which means the Rebbe expected that that one should be so used and spent we have to give another one. It begs it begs after these are the Contreras that we have to use. And not all the bochurim took every Contreras. Of course dollars not everybody went every time, but also Contreras not everybody took every Contreras. It was it was >> You didn't go every time? I didn't go every time. I was there. We stayed there, but I didn't we didn't take every time. You're saying you didn't go because because it was a very taxing on the Rebbe to to give out these Contreras and bochurim felt or Kehilas Yaakov felt that the that we just didn't care whether the Rebbe was giving us a vasa. Mhm. Okay. But I have from my half of my father and I have you know, father alav hashalom and mother alav hashalom and my my wife has them and I I use them every that we you know, now it's the Chof Beis Shvat don't know now is the best part of the the pink Contreras. the pink person. Yeah. I mean I wish what. >> [clears throat] >> Okay, so So you continued this work with Machne Israel and your your work in uh the offices for a few years, right? Yes, I I was working Machne Israel and then I was also did some I got of some spot in for my brother-in-law El El Matisof. The method I was a bottom, so compared to the good Xavier it was also very amazing work to have the good Xavier of the middle Rebbe and read it and then compare it as a just a a fun work, fun fun ideas to see actually able to read exactly kiss for yet. And then um at that time Zalman Zalman Matisof was working in in the LNS news service and he got me involved there as well. Uh helping out with some media, with some you know, when they have to take care of all the current heights and uh or interact with them and have some interviews, so I he trained me a little bit to be a little bit involved with the media. And then I started helping out with the whole in in in headquarters. And I have to say that Khof Zayin Adar and Gimel Tammuz was a bombshell for them. It was extremely extremely difficult time. They felt it like direct hit because they had no idea what's going to be. No one knew what's supposed to happen, who's supposed to take control, what's supposed to be happening and we basically felt the Rebbe was collapsing. I mean I'm assuming that's certain feeling that it was by Shluchim as well, but I'm this is the office that took the Rebbe's heyder awesome they're working with the Rebbe and all of a sudden they're on their own and they have no idea, no clue. But they're picking up bits and pieces and no one I can tell you from inside and no one had an idea how it's going to continue. The Rebbe come over to the Rebbe did it did what he did and the Rebbe continues doing what he what he's doing. But the gashmius, the people on the ground at working in the Chabad headquarters does not really have have it together. For sure they don't have it together. It was the Rebbe the Rebbe the Rebbe did himself. We had no idea like what's supposed to happen, like we're supposed to um I remember even like going home from the hospital on Tofshin in a you know, following the ambulance and uh Gimel Tammuz, so like we were like what what's what's what's supposed to happen, like what's there to do? So finally Zalman Matisof put in perspective, he called me up and tells me like there's going to be media or going to be coming and they're going to want to have a good perspective because there was some negative things happening over there and they're going to want to focus on the things that are you know, on on a negativity. And we have to make sure that they get a good understanding of what happened and what the Rebbe is and what the Rebbe was. The Rebbe is and and so on. So I remember we were fielding calls from I was in Rabbi Krinsky's office and call from Israel. So I was Michael Kamenecki Mashama. This is not before the Levaya and uh and then a lot of people died. What's going on and who's there? Like I don't know like what do you want? I mean the there's a little you know What do you want me to say? What do you say? There's nothing to say. Um and then you know, we went we went to the oil. I was inside by the by the Gimel Tammuz and after coming home I was already married then. It was the last second to the last wedding from the Rebbe in some 70. I was I married Adar Khof Adar Tofshin Nun Daled. That was a Thursday night. Monday the Rebbe went to the hospital. I I near Before before the before Khof Zayin Adar. The second Khof Zayin Adar. Before the second Khof Zayin Adar. The second Khof Zayin Adar was also where I was at by the I saw them trans transporting the Rebbe from one hospital to the to Beth Israel. So in the morning like finally we went to sleep and it was like you know, we stayed by the by the by the by the oil for a lot a long time and then came home and then like there was like nothing like what's going to happen? There's no no no reason to wake up. So then I got a call from Rabbi Yossi Friedman and he told me that he says you know, better they're going to be opening the Rebbe's room for davening. And because everything is open, they need a few people to hold so to make sure no one takes anything or walks off with anything. So he's asking if I could come and help out. So that that's what got me out of bed. You know, and we we came, we opened it up and we and then later we kept it open for we kept it open 24 hours for for Shiva and for other times they wanted to know who to take who's going to take responsibility. I wanted to know who like who's going to make sure. So it was Rabbi Elkanah Shmatkin and I we said we'll take care of it and that's why we kept it open for there was you know, they learned and davened there for for I think for for the Shiva and for other times. But it was it was extremely extremely uh difficult. I mean Cloud yourself, but I'm telling you from from from the headquarters itself. No no one had really a sense of what's going to be. Then came the Kinus Hashluchim and also was like Shluchim like why should we come? What's there to come for Kinus? We had to make phone calls and and beg Shluchim and tell them that's you know, the Rebbe is this this the point to come and still be here and so on. And slowly it it grew back, but it took some time, took some effort. Um We're still figuring it out. We have to allow the Rebbe to to do it because we're you know, just like I don't know cuz I'm a Shliach not not going to stop the Rebbe. The Rebbe will continue because no one really has it all figured out. Right. So and you're sitting in a beautiful Chabad house, which is your Chabad house. So the Rebbe is Chabad house that you're the Shliach to make it happen, Chabad Santa Fe. So obviously you took it quite literal that if you you know to do the Rebbe's work. And I'm sure you see the Rebbe's hands in your in your Shlichus as well today. Some amazing First of all, I want to you know >> [clears throat] >> using the term Santa Fe, just want to clarify something because he do a the Rebbe was against using the word Santa. And clearly and I when I lived in in a block was called S Mateo, I called it S Mateo. So why do I use why am I so easy using the Santa Fe? So I asked the Rebbe, so this is the point. Um Santa means holy. Santa Fe means holy faith. When you say Santa with a name of a person, Barbara, Diego, face they're all saying that these people are holy. Santa Fe means holy faith, Emunah Emunah Kedosha. So the Rebbe said that I could use I'm okay using it Santa Fe, but still I'm still sometimes I write S Fe just uh I'm not comfortable with it, but that's it's different than the other Santas. Just want to make a clarification and that >> [clears throat] >> Okay. Also the way we say it over here, Sana, so we could we skip that. That's what I said about it then. Um we it was a whole long Shlichus and a miracle that we came here. I wasn't planning, I had other ideas. I was almost going to stay in Crown Heights. I had I was I was doing work with Chabad headquarters and I was doing a I felt a major major work, a lot you know, got busier and busier, but I shall I say it started to grow and people more more people were coming in and um I felt I guess I I was going to do it and I even got I went from a one bedroom apartment to a two bedroom apartment and I invest a lot of money to to to making it over. I thought I wasn't sure if I wanted to and then I was on a trip in California and then I got a call from Rabbi Mintz that there's a sudden opening in in something called place called Santa Fe, New Mexico. I'm like what is that? The face. You're ready in California, why don't you go out to see it? So I went to see it and I'm like I don't know, whatever. So Rabbi Chaim Schmukler is the head Shliach in in New Mexico in Albuquerque and he took us around. We looked around and we're like okay, whatever. We were told there's like a bunch of kids and there's a um there's a place for a school and whatever. We had some seed money and we got out we came out here. We had no idea. It's a beautiful beautiful place. It's not your typical city. I wanted to go to like a regular city in New New York in the in the United States. It's not you It's called a city different. It's the second oldest city in the whole country. It's beautiful architecture, beautiful beautiful scenery and so on, but it's extremely challenging as far as Yiddishkeit goes, extremely challenging, a very very liberal and people come here to run away from all the big cities and from all the Yiddishkeit. So we're we're make we made Baruch Hashem made quite a bit of progress here and had major miracles and keep seeing major miracles. I know you had a a writer for one of this one, but this is like a one of the main point one of the main stories that I have was we were looking to build and build a Chabad house. Renovate a Chabad house. We owned a Chabad house. We wanted to like tear down and build it. And we had a major donor who was who who committed to for us to do it. To give it quite a bit of money. And But they they had some time. They had very specific time. And they for good intentions that it should work out a certain way. And they wanted us to use specifically that place and this contractor. And we felt that it was tight. It wasn't really good for us. I was by the I I went to the aisle one time. It was a Shabbos in Chvat. And I really like this I was like I don't know what to do. I'm stuck. I'm stuck and I have a nice pledge and such and it's coming with a lot of restrictions and I don't know what to do. And I came home and I remember my daughter was having a Bas Mitzvah and I decided to take out to give her something that I got from the Rebbe. And I took out my package. And out of the package I don't a stack of stuff came out fell out a settle. A settle with a original from the Rebbe about 2 in by 2 in a square ripped. And it had a circle like a like a text bubble if you want to And it had four words. What's that? From who? From what? >> Oh, so what happened? It was my collection. And I'm assuming it came to me from my father's like you know like I got that part. I don't remember getting it. Like you know we divided the things of my father. All of a sudden my father collected things. He had letters that he got or some stuff. He was a Mamosh you know. So he had a stuff. He got. And it settle comes falling out. And it's Guf Chaviya from the Rebbe original. Not a copy but original Guf Chaviya from the Rebbe. Looked like from the early years. The handwriting. And it had four words on it. Had the Medats. V'hispa'sh'tus Livli Chais. With widespread energy without fear. Incredible like this came out of me like Shabbos I'm like this is a clear clear clear directive. I immediately moved out of the Chabad house. We immediately did the ground breaking. And the pile and then the donor was so inspired that they made their donation even without us um getting to the point where we're ready to had other money. And then at the end we ended up ditching that whole program and buying a building in downtown Santa Fe. A three floor three story 16,000 square feet in the heart of Santa Fe in the heart of the historic and it's such a big kid as a sham. It's like the biggest Jewish Jewish building. It but I should we did very nice renovations. We opened a deli which brings in tons of eating connection to people we never imagined. We brought another shliach down my son-in-law and daughter. It was small Itkin doing amazing work with the people and I'll give you a little story that happened just a few days ago. Someone made a donation at the end of the year. Someone I didn't recognize. So I called them up and I said you know what is this? I did it in in honor of this and this person. A doctor who's on your list of people who you know you're you're on campaign. So I asked him are you Jewish? No, I'm not Jewish. So I said you know what let's have lunch. Let's talk. So he comes he comes to lunch. And we have a long conversation. He tells me about this church and about how and I tell him about Chabad and how Judaism works and so on. Like from beginning it was a beautiful conversation. Amazing. He's he's into marketing. And I asked him a shaila. Anyways, at the end at the end at the end at the end like we're ready to go. And then he says like I said the word Bubby and he says a Bubby. Bubby means grandmother. Oh, cuz I said cuz my great grandmother was like a Ashkenazi Jew from France. I'm like what did you just say? He says yeah I had I had some medical issues and I had to do some lineage and I my mother is so and so my her mother is so and so and her mother is so and so. And she like You're Jewish? Like what? He didn't understand. He didn't know. We put on tfillin and we benched. We connected. This is all Mamosh a fish and rice from from from from the deli. This is ours this is the deli. Okay, it was a so it was at the Rebbe's hand and major things that I I wouldn't even imagined. And I'm still you know like you say I can't imagine get the job you know that that kind of thing. So such such miracles and the Rebbe took little kids and little people We don't I mean we grew up in a little town. We don't even know the ways of the world. We we don't understand the culture or anything. But you keep learning the sichos and you keep learning the ma'amorim. And more importantly you read the letters and letters and letters and the Rebbe's guidance is unbelievable. It's clear clear clear and now today with the whole world is going crazy there's you have the standing we know we have the answer. We know that we're the we're the address of saving Jewish kind and saving the world and being strong and unbelievable. And if if you notice that the Chabad house is a I try to keep it very clean. That's my my thing and I I I I associated to to a to a story with the Rebbe. So as a bochur once I decided instead of going being downstairs when the Rebbe came down for davening I want to see how it is upstairs. I was never upstairs when the Rebbe came down for davening. It was the middle of a weekday. So there's nobody there and I'm standing of course I'm not standing in the main the Rebbe was going to the elevator but not standing in the room of the elevator. I'm standing a little in a in the hallway. In the hallway. And peeking in. The Rebbe comes out of his room looks down and he points there's a piece of there's a paper there's something paper there. And the Rebbe going gives a look at it and he goes like in other words it's not a shaimos or whatever but So going on turns to me like pick it up. So so I have to go and and and pick up it was just a piece of paper. The Rebbe saw a piece of paper. The Rebbe stopped. He was almost going to almost going to pick it up himself. But the Rebbe couldn't stand when there was papers on the floor. Not shaimos not that it was shaimos. Just picking a shul has to have has to be clean. A shul uh and the Rebbe was very disturbed about it. So I spend I spend my my I try to not spend so much my time doing myself but I pay people to do it and >> [laughter] >> It's my money keeping and it and it makes a difference. People walk in and like they're you know like wow beautiful like I didn't imagine I didn't know. Like try. Beautiful. Okay. Thank you so much. Very very gishmack and the way it all sums up. And And yeah she Yes she can got I think we think we're good. Thank you very much. Keep up the good work. And also I I This this was my mother alav shalom Bracha Levitan uh the head she has a big big part in the history of the head. I know that it was her house was an incubator of the early early days early days of the head. Spent many people spent time my nephews and their friends spent time together. Um and maybe they even discussed things with her. So who knows. But uh she has a big source for that. >> She's she Bubby Levitan was definitely a major force by the bochurim. Okay. >> [laughter] >> So the Rebbe gave it to her. Okay. Yes she can. Thank you so much. Awesome. Thank you.