Melava Malka Stories

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.

Biography of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson

The Chassidim of Nikolayev would fondly recall Chana’s scholarship as a teenager. When a maamar (Chassidic discourse) would arrive from Lubavitch—either repeated by a Chassid who was present at the Rebbe’s discourse, or as notes sent to her father’s home—she would meticulously and faithfully transcribe it, making it available for the eager Chassidim.
Bright and talented, Chana had an excellent ear for music—a quality she shared with her father.

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.

The Baal Shem Tov’s Vision

Once, during his travels, the Baal Shem Tov* stayed at the inn of one of his followers in a village near the city of Brody. The innkeeper, wishing to honor his distinguished guest and those accompanying him, prepared a huge feast on their behalf and accorded them all the respect due them. As the Baal Shem Tov took leave of his gracious host he said to him, “Ask of me what you wish.”

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.

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.

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.

Tzaddikim Are Greater In Their Death Than In Their Lifetime

An upright young man once set out from his home in Vilkomir to buy up merchandise in Niezhin. Though not a chassid himself, he was on very friendly terms with a celebrated chassid by the name of Reb Yaakov Kaidaner*.

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.