A Ten-Year-Old’s Birthday Gift to the Rebbe

At a child of ten years old, Rabbi Pesach Sperlin of Montreal decided to give the Rebbe a special gift in honor of Yud Alef Nissan. He was a shy boy and almost gave up on submitting his gift to the Rebbe, but thankfully, he went ahead with it. The result is an experience he will never forget.

By Anash.org reporter

At a child of ten years old, Rabbi Pesach Sperlin of Montreal decided to give the Rebbe a special gift in honor of Yud Alef Nissan. He was a shy boy and almost gave up on submitting his gift to the Rebbe, but thankfully, he went ahead with it. The result is an experience he will never forget.

Rabbi Sperlin shared:

In the year 5732 (1972), as Yud Alef Nissan marked the Rebbe’s seventieth birthday, there was a tremendous ruach of giving matanos to the Rebbe in the air. You can see the pictures: Rabbi Shlomo Cunin, Rabbi Shmotkin, and many others from all over, including Cleveland, all presenting their gifts.

At the time, I was a 10-year-old child, and I felt a deep desire to give something as well. But what could a 10-year-old possibly offer to the Rebbe? After some thought, I decided that I would learn an extra 70 hours outside my regular yeshiva schedule as a personal gift in honor of the Rebbe’s birthday.

I bought a small notepad, and every day, from Yud Shevat until Yud Alef Nissan, I carefully recorded my additional learning—10 minutes, 15 minutes, half an hour at a time—until I had accumulated the full 70 hours.

As Erev Yud Alef Nissan arrived, I was filled with excitement. But then I faced a challenge—how would I let the Rebbe know? I didn’t want to tell anyone, and I didn’t know the proper way to deliver my message.

I remembered that whenever my father wrote a letter or a pan to the Rebbe, he used a special drawer filled with plain, unlined paper, just like the ones we see today at the Ohel. Quietly, I took a small paper and, in my childhood Yiddish, wrote a short note to the Rebbe, explaining that in honor of Yud Alef Nissan, I had learned 70 extra hours outside of cheder.

I folded the letter and began walking toward 770. But another challenge arose—how would I actually deliver it? Standing in the hallway outside mazkirus, I hesitated. I knew that if Rabbi Binyomin Klein saw me, he would surely ask who the letter was from, and I felt too shy to answer. Embarrassed, I walked away and found myself wandering down Kingston Avenue.

But then I thought, after all this effort, should my gift go to waste? I turned back, returned to mazkirus, and quickly slipped the letter under the door before running away.

Again, doubt crept in—would anyone notice it? Would it just be stepped on or discarded? So I mustered my courage and entered mazkirus, where I saw Rabbi Binyamin Klein. Since we were neighbors, I knew him well. I casually mentioned, “There’s a letter on the floor.” He immediately responded, “Oh, pick it up quickly!” I pretended not to know where it had come from, and he placed it in the special shelf where the Rebbe’s letters were collected.

Now, I am happy. My letter had made it.

The next day, Yud Alef Nissan, was a whirlwind. Shluchim were arriving from around the world, and countless letters and brachos were coming in. I came home, and my father asked me, “Did you write a letter to the Rebbe?”

I froze. My face turned red, then purple. I was terrified—maybe I had done something wrong. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to write to the Rebbe without permission. But my father quickly reassured me, “Don’t worry. The Rebbe answered.”

He was in shock that on such a busy day, the Rebbe had taken the time to respond to a young child. The Rebbe’s answer read: “גודל הנחת רוח שגרמת כמופת הייתי לרבים ואתה מחסי עוז -you caused a tremendous nachas ruach. [As it says in Tehilim] “I was a sign for many, but You were my strong refuge.”

I don’t remember if this was written in the letter itself or if my father told me, but that year, the Rebbe’s michtav klali for Yud Alef Nissan emphasized this idea of כמופת הייתי לרבים ואתה מחסי עוז, a possuk from the Rebbe’s new kappitel and the Rebbe stressed the concept of ameilus — how a person has the choice to either work hard or take life in a relaxed way. The Rebbe stressed that our purpose in this world is to toil and exert effort.

Listen to Rabbi Sperlin tell the story, courtesy of Lubavitch Lebt archives: