chassidim – Page 2 – Melava Malka Stories

Reb Meir of Premishlan’ Mikvah Adventures

During the winter of 5663 (1903), when I accompanied my father for a couple of months during which time he spent consulting medical specialists in Vienna, he would sometimes go out in the evening to visit the shtiblach (small houses of prayer and study) of the local Polish Jews—to be among Chassidim, to hear a story from their mouths, to listen to a Chassidic saying, and to observe their fine conduct and refined character.

The Rebbe and Dudu Fisher

During the time that the Previous Rebbe was staying in Riga, Latvia, my grandparents were living on the outskirts of the city. In January 1932, in the freeze of the winter, my grandmother went into labor with my mother, and things started to go wrong.
She was rushed to the hospital, where the doctors decided that it was necessary to abort the baby in order to save her life.

His Jewish Name

Many years ago, I received a voice message on the Chabad House answering machine. The person on the call was asking desperately for a return call. So, I called him back.

The Last Potatoes

.…When they returned, Bentzion (her son) said that all they had left were a few potatoes. Mother decided to plant them in the yard, hoping to use the produce both to eat and sell. Nearby, the wife of the shul caretaker also planted potatoes in her own patch of the yard. The two women carefully tended the green shoots pushing up from the earth.

A Menorah On A Car Kindled A Soul

I had the most unusual phone call. A man called up anonymously, no caller ID, and asked, “Can I speak to a rabbi?”
“Yes, sure,” I answered.

The Rebbe Feels Your Pain

For two years after my marriage, I attended a post-rabbinical college for Torah study, known as a Kollel. About three months into my studies, I was summoned by Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov, the Rebbe’s personal secretary and also the director of the Kollel.

Tefillin In Manhattan

Rabbi Kantor shares his experience.
…..This is what brought me to the streets of Manhattan. There, on the mundane streets of the New York an inspiring story unfolded for me. I share it here with you, as it shows the detailed Divine Providence of Hashem down here on earth. It gives us a chance to see the presence of G-d in the smallest details of our lives.

A Brit Milah in Russia

We came to the bus station to meet the bus driver who was bringing us some kosher provisions for the winter. We were told the time that the bus would be arriving and made sure to be there on time. However, to our great consternation, the bus had already left and was now on its way to its last destination, Tobolsk.

Help from the Rebbe

Soon after we moved to Israel, I attended a farbrengen in Nachlat Har Chabad, and one of the participants came over to me. With great feeling he said to me, “I envy you!”
“You envy me??” I asked in surprise.

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.