A General Has Fallen in the Rebbe’s Army of Shluchim

Article by Rabbi Yosef Greenberg: Our hearts are broken as we struggle to absorb the devastating news of the passing of one of the most devoted and dynamic of the Rebbe’s shluchim, who never stopped demanding that the Rebbe wants us each to take personal responsibility to bring Moshiach.

By Rabbi Yosef Greenberg – Alaska

Our hearts are broken and pained as we struggle to absorb the devastating news of the passing of one of the most devoted and dynamic of the Rebbe’s shluchim, a Yid full of life, Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar a”h.

Rabbi Lipskar was a Chossid who lived with the Rebbe 24 hours a day. His shlichus permeated every fiber of his being – he was not only devoted to his own community but took personal responsibility for the entire world of shlichus and the global mission of the Rebbe.

Shortly after Gimmel Tammuz, when we were all broken, I decided to organize a major event in Alaska in honor of the Rebbe. I called Rabbi Lipskar and asked him to speak. Without hesitation – despite the long journey and his busy schedule running a massive community in Florida – he agreed to come, and of course, he wouldn’t accept any compensation.

I had invited the newly elected mayor of Anchorage, an influential figure in the state, to participate. He told me he could only stay for ten minutes to offer brief remarks, as he had to attend another event. I seated him next to Rabbi Lipskar at the dais. They exchanged a few words, and then I quickly invited Rabbi Lipskar to speak.

Out of courtesy, the mayor remained for the start of the speech. But as soon as Rabbi Lipskar began, the room was electrified. He spoke about the Rebbe with deep passion, from the heart, delivering a fiery talk that lasted over an hour and a half. The mayor sat spellbound the entire time, unable to leave.

From that moment, the mayor became a close friend of Chabad, and his support benefited our shlichus for years to come. All this from one unforgettable speech by Rabbi Lipskar. (I hope to locate the video recording and share it publicly in his memory.)

Over the years, I had the privilege to work closely with Rabbi Lipskar on numerous projects – whether through the Shluchim Office, where he served on the Vaad, or through the Igud Hashluchim and the board of “Or V’Chom.” He always showed a genuine concern for what was happening across the entire landscape of shlichus and the Rebbe’s work to bring Yidden closer to the Rebbe, as well as bringing humanity closer through the Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach.

I especially recall a trip he arranged a few years after Gimmel Tammuz together with the Shluchim Office – bringing a group of baalei batim from Chabad Houses across the U.S. to the Rebbe’s Ohel. He invited me to join with a group from Alaska, and he treated them with the same warmth and respect as he did his own community members from Florida. We spent time farbrenging together, and the visit was a resounding success. That trip inspired many shluchim to begin bringing groups to the Rebbe.

I also had the privilege of joining him at several major Yud Alef Nissan events in Washington, D.C., and I particularly remember attending the White House for a Chanukah event with President George W. Bush arranged by my uncle, Rabbi Avraham Shemtov, and his son, Rabbi Levi Shemtov. It was an opportunity to observe Rabbi Lipskar’s uncompromising geon yaakov and strong chassidishe presence, as he engaged with the president and his senior staff.

Rabbi Lipskar was one of those who took the Rebbe’s well-known sicha of Chof Ches Nissan 5751 with utmost seriousness. He never stopped speaking and demanding that the Rebbe wants that we should each take personal responsibility to prepare the world for the coming of Moshiach.

Despite being a prominent and accomplished figure, founding a major Chabad presence in Florida, connected to influential philanthropists, and leading massive community initiatives, Rabbi Lipskar remained, at his core, a chassidisher bochur of 770. He was constantly eager to hear a new story about the Rebbe, to delve into a fresh vort from a sicha, or to analyze a deeper meaning in the Rebbe’s words about Moshiach. He would joyfully spend half an hour on the phone discussing with me a point in the Rebbe’s Torah, even in the middle of his busy day.

Most recently, we were working with him – together with my brother-in-law Rabbi Gedalya Shemtov of the Shluchim Office – on a special project to enhance the visitor experience at the Rebbe’s Ohel. Rabbi Lipskar strongly pushed the initiative forward, but sadly, did not live to see it completed. With Hashem’s help, it will be established in his memory.

Rabbi Lipskar was a Yid with a warm heart, who genuinely cared for others and was always ready to help a fellow shliach or Jew with true warmth and sensitivity.

Today is a difficult day for all of Chabad. Rabbi Lipskar’s passing leaves a deep void not only for his family and community but for the entire network of the Rebbe’s shluchim. We will be comforted by continuing the holy work of shlichus with renewed strength, strengthening our hiskashrus to the Rebbe, and dedicating ourselves to preparing the world for Moshiach.

May we soon merit the fulfillment of “umacha Hashem dimah” and “vehekitzu veranenu shochnei afar” – with Rabbi Lipskar among them – and the long-awaited hisgalus of the Rebbe, now.