alter rebbe – Melava Malka Stories

The Mysterious Salvation

It happened one day that a poor man who lived close to Vilna, came to the city of Vilna. He was a very learned person and a Chasid and was walking to Liozna to the Alter Rebbe. Passing through Vilna, he decided to remain there for Shabbat. He made himself comfortable in the synagogue, took out a Gemara (book of the Oral Torah) from the bookcase and sat down to learn.The shamash (synagogue caretaker) realized that this passerby was not like the usual poor people.

The power of Tanya

The Rebbe’s grandfather, Reb Meir Shlomo Yanovsky*, was the Rav of Nikolayev. Once, there was a typhus epidemic and Reb Meir Shlomo fell ill. At that time there was no known cure for the illness. All the victims were quarantined in a building outside the city to avoid spreading the disease, and they were treated by a doctor who visited daily. Very few people returned from the building alive.

Heartfelt tears of a mother saves her family

In the annals of Chabad, who has not heard of Reb Peretz Chein z”l, the prodigious Chasid of the Alter Rebbe, first Chabad Rebbe. His progeny today are leaders and shakers and movers around the world numbering in the thousands. Reb Peretz merited to live during the lifetime of six Chabad Rebbes, beginning with the Alter Rebbe till the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Yet his family from the Shaltiel clan, a well respected and knowledgeable Jewish family who were leaders among the Jewish people for many centuries, were not previously Chassidim. How did he come to become a Chasid?

Lessons learnt from a horse

The court of Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the founder of Chabad Chassidim, was located in the small White Russian town of Liozna. His many chassidim flocked there to be near him; to pray, and to celebrate the festivals, and to receive his blessings, and to benefit from his Torah wisdom and guidance.
Once, a chassid came to the Rebbe with a heavy heart. When he entered the Rebbe’s room, he could not restrain himself. Tears flowed from his eyes.

Reb Meir Refoels becomes a Chassid (story #2)

It happened one day that a poor man who lived close to Vilna, came to the city of Vilna. He was a very learned person and a Chasid and was walking to Liozna to the Alter Rebbe. Passing through Vilna, he decided to remain there for Shabbat. He made himself comfortable in the synagogue, took out a Gemara (book of the Oral Torah) from the bookcase and sat down to learn.
The shamash (synagogue caretaker) realized that this passerby was not like the usual poor people.

Reb Meir Refoels becomes a Chassid (story #1)

There was a certain Chassid, whose son in law, left his wife, the daughter of the Chassid. Three years had passed since he disappeared, and not a word was heard from him. He thus left his wife an aguna. (A woman whose husband’s whereabouts are not known, and she does not have a get -divorce document.) The Chassid and his daughter came to the Alter Rebbe and poured out their bitter hearts to him. They asked him for his advice and blessing.
The Alter Rebbe told them to travel to the city of Vilna and go to the elected community leader of Vilna and ask him to find her husband.

Senator Derzhavin and the Jews

In addition to disseminating Chassidic teachings, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad Chassidism, worked methodically and discreetly to protect and improve the welfare of Jews living in Russia. This began shortly after Catherine the Great took up her position in 1772, and Jews were granted citizenship rights.
This began shortly after Catherine the Great took up her position in 1772, and Jews were granted citizenship rights. The Rebbe chose 12 wise and successful Chassidim to relocate to the capital city of Petersburg, where they were to establish contacts with various government officials in the course of their business dealings.

Reb Gavriel Nosei Chen

There lived in Vitebsk a prominent Jew by the name of Reb Gavriel. Soon after the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, became the first Rebbe of Chabad, Reb Gavriel became a devoted Chassid of the Alter Rebbe.

Saved From Eating Non-Kosher Meat

Two Jewish business partners traveled deep into Russia on account of their business. They remained there for a number of years and were very successful in business. However, with the passing of time, they became ever more estranged from Judaism and distant from Jewish traditions. Mixing with the gentile population, they learned from their ways.

Tishrei with the Alter Rebbe

The winter of that year—5547 (1786)—was most severe, the first snow falling in Liozna during the festival of Sukkot.