Melava Malka Stories

The Rebbe Helped

In the winter of 1975, we moved from the US to Europe. My wife had booked a flight from New York via Montreal because this ticket offered a substantial savings. I was to join her along the same route three weeks later when my job would end, and our lift would be shipped.

Excerpts from an upcoming book about Rebbetzin Shula Kazen’s life

… Not far from our new home was the Zemach Zedek shul*, founded at the end of the 19^th century by Chabad Chassidic immigrants from Russia….

The Rebbe saved her life!

There was a young kallah (bride) from a Satmar family who, as her wedding day approached, wanted to go to the Rebbe for a bracha (blessing). Her family members tried to dissuade her from going (as they were not followers of the Rebbe and in some cases very much against the Chabad ideology) but she was adamant.

The Rebbe’s blessing after an Ohel visit

Although I lived in Brooklyn for many years, had an Orthodox Jewish education in my youth, and passed by 770 (the main Chabad synagogue located in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY) quite often, I never had the opportunity to engage with Chabad in a meaningful way, until….

Reb Menachem Mendel of Kosov

The holy tzadik, Reb Menachem Mendel of Kosov*, was a true lover of the Jewish people. He would always look for ways to help a fellow Jew in his time of need. His heart was filled with compassion and love for each one. He would go around collecting tzedakah and secretly give it out to poor and destitute families.
This is the way he acted beginning when he was still a young man and continuing throughout his life.

Reb Naftali of Ropshitz with the Jews of Lublin

Blizzards and storm winds had pounded Lublin and the surrounding countryside for several weeks. The roads were piled so high with snow that no one was able to go anywhere.
This meant that the farmers weren’t able to reach the city with their produce and food supplies were dwindling rapidly.

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.

Miracles that happened through the printing of the Tanya

A young man who traveled extensively for business, decided that he would print a Tanya in each city he visited.
Sometime later, his father didn’t feel well and needed heart surgery.

The Rebbe’s Vision

Dr. Ira Weiss of Chicago, a renowned heart specialist, became very close to the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, when he was called upon to be part of a dedicated team to care for the Rebbe after the Rebbe had a major heart attack in 1978*.
In 1981, the Rebbetzin was not feeling well, and Dr. Weiss was called.

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.