Story Archives | Anash.org https://anash.org/category/story/ News, Views, Inspiration Fri, 05 Jun 2026 02:52:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 The Chossid Who Wouldn’t Stop Shouting Tanya Through the Window https://anash.org/the-chossid-who-wouldnt-stop-shouting-tanya-through-the-window/ https://anash.org/the-chossid-who-wouldnt-stop-shouting-tanya-through-the-window/#comments Sun, 07 Jun 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1067001

A chassidishe shochet in Nikolayev, R' Asher Grossman was a devoted chossid and a talented ba'al menagen. When his friend, R' Meir Shlomo Yanovsky, was quarantined with typhus, he came daily and shouted Tanya to him, hoping it would give him the strength to overcome his illness.

]]> https://anash.org/the-chossid-who-wouldnt-stop-shouting-tanya-through-the-window/feed/ 4 Misnagdishe Gedolim Can Perform Miracles Too https://anash.org/misnagdishe-gedolim-can-perform-miracles-too/ https://anash.org/misnagdishe-gedolim-can-perform-miracles-too/#respond Fri, 05 Jun 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1066893 "Why can't misnagdishe gedolim perform miracles?" That was the question a young activist posed at the close of a 1961 yechidus. The Rebbe insisted they could and shared the secret to making miracles.]]> https://anash.org/misnagdishe-gedolim-can-perform-miracles-too/feed/ 0 The Rebbe Had Me Daven Right Next to Him https://anash.org/the-rebbe-had-me-daven-right-next-to-him/ https://anash.org/the-rebbe-had-me-daven-right-next-to-him/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1066921

After losing his mother at fifteen and finding himself largely on his own, Rabbi Moshe Avrohom Smith began attending shul at 770. The Rebbe would have him daven at his side, sending for him whenever he was missing.

]]> https://anash.org/the-rebbe-had-me-daven-right-next-to-him/feed/ 1 The Refugees Who Astonished the Jewish World: Part II https://anash.org/the-refugees-who-astonished-the-jewish-world-part-ii/ https://anash.org/the-refugees-who-astonished-the-jewish-world-part-ii/#comments Sun, 31 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1065312 In Sivan 5706, chasidim began to flee the Soviet Union for the free world. As we mark 80 years since the Great Escape, From the Margins of Chabad History continues a series documenting the vibrant chasidishe life of the escapees in the refugee centers and DP camps. Part 2 of the series is devoted to life in the Austrian DP camps in 5707.]]> https://anash.org/the-refugees-who-astonished-the-jewish-world-part-ii/feed/ 3 He Learned Chassidus with Three Kids Dancing on His Head https://anash.org/he-learned-chassidus-with-three-kids-dancing-on-his-head/ https://anash.org/he-learned-chassidus-with-three-kids-dancing-on-his-head/#respond Sun, 31 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1065296 Known as “Baruch Polisher,” Reb Baruch Friedman, who had come from distant Poland to learn in Tomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch, was known for his exceptional devotion to Chassidus. Even with three children climbed all around him, he would not get distracted.]]> https://anash.org/he-learned-chassidus-with-three-kids-dancing-on-his-head/feed/ 0 ‘When He Davens, You Can Hear Every Word’ https://anash.org/when-he-davens-you-can-hear-every-word/ https://anash.org/when-he-davens-you-can-hear-every-word/#respond Fri, 29 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1065001 Born to a Karliner family, R’ Avrohom Blesofsky would daven in 770 in a loud, booming voice. When some chassidim complained to the Rebbe about his loud davening, the Rebbe highlighted the lesson everyone should apply.]]> https://anash.org/when-he-davens-you-can-hear-every-word/feed/ 0 The Advice I Didn’t Want to Hear Impacted 10 Million https://anash.org/the-advice-i-didnt-want-to-hear-impacted-10-million/ https://anash.org/the-advice-i-didnt-want-to-hear-impacted-10-million/#respond Thu, 28 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1064961 When young Miriam Grossman asked the Rebbe to leave medicine to study Torah, she was disappointed by his answer. But that guidance led her to become an influential voice on moral issues in America whose congressional testimony and writings have reached millions worldwide.]]> https://anash.org/the-advice-i-didnt-want-to-hear-impacted-10-million/feed/ 0 ‘With the Chassidim’: A German Writer’s Shavuos in the Rebbe Rashab’s Court https://anash.org/with-the-chassidim-a-german-writers-shavuos-in-the-rebbe-rashabs-court/ https://anash.org/with-the-chassidim-a-german-writers-shavuos-in-the-rebbe-rashabs-court/#comments Sun, 24 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1062152

A fascinating account by a writer in the Orthodox German newspaper Der Israelit recounts his journey to Lubavitch for Shavuos 5671 (1911) to spend Yom Tov with the Rebbe Rashab which overturned everything he believed about Chassidus, leaving him awestruck by the fiery davening, soaring niggunim, and spiritual power surrounding the Rebbe.

]]> https://anash.org/with-the-chassidim-a-german-writers-shavuos-in-the-rebbe-rashabs-court/feed/ 6 ‘Maybe This Will Break the Practice of Large Chassunos!’ https://anash.org/maybe-this-will-break-the-practice-of-large-chassunos/ https://anash.org/maybe-this-will-break-the-practice-of-large-chassunos/#respond Thu, 21 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1061870 On multiple occasions, the Rebbe expressed his displeasure at the unnecessary spending at chassunos, which took a toll on the families and took away from the pure and simple joy that once characterized Yiddishe simchos.]]> https://anash.org/maybe-this-will-break-the-practice-of-large-chassunos/feed/ 0 ‘Wasn’t That Supposed to Happen?’ The Anglo-Saxon Lawyer Said https://anash.org/wasnt-that-supposed-to-happen-the-anglo-saxon-lawyer-exclaimed/ https://anash.org/wasnt-that-supposed-to-happen-the-anglo-saxon-lawyer-exclaimed/#respond Wed, 20 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1061694 When a prominent Australian lawyer asked if he could ask the Rebbe a bracha, Mr. Robert Kremnizer hesitated. But their faith in the Rebbe's bracha and the incredible chain reaction surprised everyone. ]]> https://anash.org/wasnt-that-supposed-to-happen-the-anglo-saxon-lawyer-exclaimed/feed/ 0 The Refugees Who Astonished the Jewish World: 80 Years Since ‘The Great Escape’ https://anash.org/the-refugees-who-astonished-the-jewish-world-80-years-since-the-great-escape/ https://anash.org/the-refugees-who-astonished-the-jewish-world-80-years-since-the-great-escape/#comments Sun, 17 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1059295 In Sivan 5706, chasidim began to flee the Soviet Union for the free world. As we mark 80 years since the Great Escape, From the Margins of Chabad History launches a series documenting the vibrant chasidishe life of the escapees in the refugee centers and DP camps, until they reached their final destinations.]]> https://anash.org/the-refugees-who-astonished-the-jewish-world-80-years-since-the-great-escape/feed/ 4 In the Middle of the Night, They Heard Knocking on the Door https://anash.org/in-the-middle-of-the-night-they-heard-knocking-on-the-door/ https://anash.org/in-the-middle-of-the-night-they-heard-knocking-on-the-door/#comments Sun, 17 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=788237

It was late one blustery Friday night under Communism when knocking was heard on the door of a chossid’s home in Nevel. Terrified, he opened the door, to find the town's shochet Reb Chaim Dovid Lein looking for candlelight by which to learn a maamar.

]]> https://anash.org/in-the-middle-of-the-night-they-heard-knocking-on-the-door/feed/ 2 What the Rebbe Was Busy With in Berlin https://anash.org/what-the-rebbe-was-busy-with-in-berlin/ https://anash.org/what-the-rebbe-was-busy-with-in-berlin/#respond Fri, 15 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1059213 Arriving in Berlin in need of a visa, R’ Ezriel Zelig Slonim turned to the Rebbe's residence. He was surprised to discover the Rebbe alone in his room, fasting, and immersed in Yerushalmi in Rabbeinu Tam tefillin.]]> https://anash.org/what-the-rebbe-was-busy-with-in-berlin/feed/ 0 Ping Pong on Shabbos Kodesh?! https://anash.org/ping-pong-on-shabbos-kodesh/ https://anash.org/ping-pong-on-shabbos-kodesh/#respond Fri, 08 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1055292 Seeking new ways to reach boys who had fallen through the cracks, Rabbi Aharon Mordechai Zilberstrom organized a Shabbos program with games. Yet despite the urgency of the program, the Rebbe insisted that the holiness of Shabbos be upheld.]]> https://anash.org/ping-pong-on-shabbos-kodesh/feed/ 0 ‘For Twenty-Five Dollars, I Don’t Let You Leave Yeshiva’ https://anash.org/for-twenty-five-dollars-i-dont-let-you-leave-yeshivah/ https://anash.org/for-twenty-five-dollars-i-dont-let-you-leave-yeshivah/#comments Thu, 07 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1055255 Growing up in a home shattered by the Holocaust and poverty, Laibel Lipszyc traveled to Argentina determined to make money and rescue his struggling family. The Rebbe's caring guidance changed his understanding of parnassah and what truly brings success.]]> https://anash.org/for-twenty-five-dollars-i-dont-let-you-leave-yeshivah/feed/ 1 Was the Kopuster Rebbe a Zionist? https://anash.org/was-the-kopuster-rebbe-a-zionist/ https://anash.org/was-the-kopuster-rebbe-a-zionist/#comments Sun, 03 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1053422 In honor of the upcoming 126th yartzeit of Harav Shlomo Zalman of Kopust, From the Margins of Chabad History presents new information about his life and stance towards the Zionist movement.]]> https://anash.org/was-the-kopuster-rebbe-a-zionist/feed/ 2 The Rebbe Said ‘Wait’ and the Baby Turned https://anash.org/wait-said-the-rebbe-and-the-baby-turned/ https://anash.org/wait-said-the-rebbe-and-the-baby-turned/#respond Fri, 01 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1052457 As doctors prepared for an emergency C-section, the Goldmans in Johannesburg, South Africa, made a late-night call to the Rebbe. The Rebbe instructed them to wait, and moments later, the baby turned on its own.]]> https://anash.org/wait-said-the-rebbe-and-the-baby-turned/feed/ 0 The Rebbe’s Reaction to a Women’s Prayer Group Proposal https://anash.org/the-rebbes-reaction-to-a-womens-prayer-group-proposal/ https://anash.org/the-rebbes-reaction-to-a-womens-prayer-group-proposal/#respond Fri, 01 May 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1052247 At the height of the feminist movement, a woman approached R’ Shlomo Cunin, asking to start a women’s prayer group. When he consulted the Rebbe, the Rebbe firmly rejected the idea, even if a halachic permissibility could be found.]]> https://anash.org/the-rebbes-reaction-to-a-womens-prayer-group-proposal/feed/ 0 The Rebbe’s Secret Shiva After His Brother’s Passing https://anash.org/the-rebbes-secret-shiva-after-his-brothers-passing/ https://anash.org/the-rebbes-secret-shiva-after-his-brothers-passing/#respond Thu, 30 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1052090

In the morning, the Rebbetzin called Berel Yunik and asked him to come to her home. She told him she had received word from Liverpool, England, that the condition of the Rebbe’s brother was very serious. Soon, the truth became clear: the Rebbe’s brother had passed away. A diary recording the events of the time.

]]> https://anash.org/the-rebbes-secret-shiva-after-his-brothers-passing/feed/ 0 Father and Son, Very Much the Same https://anash.org/father-and-son-very-much-the-same/ https://anash.org/father-and-son-very-much-the-same/#comments Sun, 26 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=127954

9 Iyar marks the yahrtzeit of Reb Nissan Nemanov and his son Reb Moshe Nemanov. Much has been written about Reb Nissan Nemanov, his legendary sense of kabolas ol, and his influence on generations of talmidim. Far less is known about Reb Moshe Nemanov, who shied away from the public eye and abhorred any form of attention or recognition.

]]> https://anash.org/father-and-son-very-much-the-same/feed/ 4 Renowned Mir Rosh Yeshiva’s Surprising Connection to the Rebbe https://anash.org/renowned-mir-rosh-yeshivas-surprising-connection-to-the-rebbe/ https://anash.org/renowned-mir-rosh-yeshivas-surprising-connection-to-the-rebbe/#respond Sun, 26 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1050866 Reb Nochum Partzovitz, the legendary Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir, was one of the towering Torah minds of the twentieth century. What is less known is his decades long personal connection with the Rebbe that came to matter at an unexpected moment in his life.]]> https://anash.org/renowned-mir-rosh-yeshivas-surprising-connection-to-the-rebbe/feed/ 0 My Years in 770: Rabbi Leibel Alevsky Recalls https://anash.org/my-years-in-770-rabbi-leibel-alevsky-recalls/ https://anash.org/my-years-in-770-rabbi-leibel-alevsky-recalls/#respond Sun, 26 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1050614 Rabbi Leibel Alevsky AH, the Rebbe’s shliach to Northeast Ohio who passed away Monday, shares stories, recollections, and lessons from his years as a bochur in 770 and his involvement in the early years of hafatzas hamaayanos as the menahel of Tzach throughout the 5720s.]]> https://anash.org/my-years-in-770-rabbi-leibel-alevsky-recalls/feed/ 0 In His Sleep, He Asked the Alter Rebbe ‘What is a Neshama?’ https://anash.org/in-his-sleep-he-asked-the-alter-rebbe-what-is-a-neshama/ https://anash.org/in-his-sleep-he-asked-the-alter-rebbe-what-is-a-neshama/#respond Sun, 26 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=637981 As the Alter Rebbe came in with a candle to see how the chassidim slept, R. Moshe Vilenker woke up bewildered and asked the Alter Rebbe, "What is a neshama? What is Elokus?" The Alter Rebbe told him to go back to sleep, but later said a maamar on the topic.]]> https://anash.org/in-his-sleep-he-asked-the-alter-rebbe-what-is-a-neshama/feed/ 0 ‘Painful and Reckless,’ The Rebbe Decried ‘Underqualified’ Halachic Voices https://anash.org/painful-and-reckless-the-rebbe-decried-underqualified-halachic-voices/ https://anash.org/painful-and-reckless-the-rebbe-decried-underqualified-halachic-voices/#respond Fri, 24 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1050780 When someone suggested that the Rebbe's opposition to Yom Ha’atzmaut and its celebrations would rescind after the miraculous victory of the Six-Day War, the Rebbe bemoaned that "underqualified individuals express halachic opinion" and "vilify the great rabbonim."]]> https://anash.org/painful-and-reckless-the-rebbe-decried-underqualified-halachic-voices/feed/ 0 The Rebbe Knew the F-16 Better Than the Experts https://anash.org/the-rebbe-knew-the-f-16-better-than-the-experts/ https://anash.org/the-rebbe-knew-the-f-16-better-than-the-experts/#respond Thu, 23 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1050739 Following a 1979 visit, an Israeli Air Force veteran discovered how the Rebbe’s pointed questions and practical suggestions about F-16 systems anticipated developments that would emerge over a decade later.]]> https://anash.org/the-rebbe-knew-the-f-16-better-than-the-experts/feed/ 0 Revisiting Rabbi Lipskar’s Impact on his First Yahrtzeit https://anash.org/revisiting-rabbi-lipskars-impact-on-his-first-yahrtzeit/ https://anash.org/revisiting-rabbi-lipskars-impact-on-his-first-yahrtzeit/#respond Wed, 22 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1049985

Marking the first yahrtzeit of legendary Bal Harbor shliach Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar a"h, we share stories of his profound impact, from the 'forty-year handshake' with a Holocaust survivor, to a “clean slate” for a woman in crisis, to breaking the stigma for inmates.

]]> https://anash.org/revisiting-rabbi-lipskars-impact-on-his-first-yahrtzeit/feed/ 0 When Rabbi Chodakov Relayed the Rebbe’s Secret Orders https://anash.org/when-rabbi-chodakov-relayed-the-rebbes-secret-orders/ https://anash.org/when-rabbi-chodakov-relayed-the-rebbes-secret-orders/#respond Mon, 20 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=231955

5 years ago, Rabbi Leibel Alevsky a"h, Shliach to Northeast Ohio, shared with Anash.org unique personal memories of Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Eizik Chodakov, the Rebbe’s legendary secretary and chief of staff, in honor of his yahrtzeit, 3 Iyar. As hashgacha protis would have it, it turned out to be Rabbi Alevsky's yahrtzeit as well.

]]> https://anash.org/when-rabbi-chodakov-relayed-the-rebbes-secret-orders/feed/ 0 When Fake News About the Rebbe Maharash Sparked a Public Rebuttal https://anash.org/when-fake-news-against-the-rebbe-maharash-sparked-a-public-rebuttal/ https://anash.org/when-fake-news-against-the-rebbe-maharash-sparked-a-public-rebuttal/#comments Sun, 19 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1049476

2 Iyar marks 192 years from the birth of the Rebbe Maharash. From the Margins of Chabad History relates an episode of fake news from the contemporary maskilic press that gives us a glimpse of the respect in which he was held, details about his travels, and the loyalty of his devoted chasidim.

]]> https://anash.org/when-fake-news-against-the-rebbe-maharash-sparked-a-public-rebuttal/feed/ 1 He Ran Into the Alter Rebbe’s Room Without Negel Vasser https://anash.org/he-ran-into-the-alter-rebbes-room-without-negel-vasser/ https://anash.org/he-ran-into-the-alter-rebbes-room-without-negel-vasser/#respond Sun, 19 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1049059 One of the greatest chassidim of the Alter Rebbe, R. Zalman Zezmer was an incredible maskil. Barred from attending the "Yungeh Chassidus" for newcomers, he ran to hide, but the Alter Rebbe could smell that he was there.]]> https://anash.org/he-ran-into-the-alter-rebbes-room-without-negel-vasser/feed/ 0 70 Years: Kfar Chabad Massacre and the Rebbe’s Revolution https://anash.org/70-years-kfar-chabad-massacre-and-the-rebbes-revolution/ https://anash.org/70-years-kfar-chabad-massacre-and-the-rebbes-revolution/#respond Fri, 17 Apr 2026 https://anash.org/?p=1049155 On Rosh Chodesh Iyar 5716, terrorists attacked the Beit Sefer L'melacha in Kfar Chabad, killing five talmidim and their teacher. The massacre nearly shattered the fledgling village - until the Rebbe responded with a revolutionary shlichus that transformed Chabad in Eretz Yisroel forever.]]> https://anash.org/70-years-kfar-chabad-massacre-and-the-rebbes-revolution/feed/ 0