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Don’t Be Fazed by Past Mistakes

When Italy’s shliach Reb Gershon Mendel Garelik felt discouraged over past mistakes, the Rebbe encouraged him not to dwell on them, explaining that mistakes serve an important purpose.

How One Girl’s Mesibos Shabbos Changed Entire Families

At just 10 years old, Mrs. Sarah Mindel Shemtov began leading Mesibos Shabbos in Montreal. With the Rebbe’s personal encouragement and seeing how these gatherings inspired families embrace Yiddishkeit, she was motivated to continue her work through her teenage years, and into marriage.

The Orphan Who Found a Lubavitcher Father in Shanghai

From the Margins of Chabad History: The final installment of the series about the life of Harav Meir Ashkenazi of Shanghai tells the remarkable and dramatic story of the young orphan boy he took into his home and raised to live a life of devotion to Torah and the Jewish people.

‘The Rebbe Does It, But That Doesn’t Mean You Should’

A wealthy chossid from Riga, R. Chaim Yaakov Rashal was a mekushar of the Rebbe Rashab. When someone questioned the Rebbe's unique tekios, he had a ready answer for them.

‘Don’t Carry the World’s Troubles on Your Shoulders’

When three chassidim felt weighed down by life's worries, the Rebbe guided them to place their trust in Hashem, and the more they did - the more success it would bring them.

The Rebbe’s Advice That Ended My Arguments with My Mother

As a young teenager, Rabbi Moishe Yosef Engel found himself in constant arguments with his widowed mother over his beard and tzitzis, until a simple piece of advice from the Rebbe brought the conflict to an end.

‘Don’t Worry, He Doesn’t Have a Yiddishe Kup’

Facing a harsh trial, R. Yisrael Yitzchok Lubinsky nervously presented his case before the Rebbe Maharash. The Rebbe assured him that the self-indulgent judge didn't have a Yiddishe kup...

‘Vildkeit’ Is Not Chinuch

When Rabbi Chaim Binyamini began to wonder whether his disciplined approach to education was too demanding for a changing world, the Rebbe encouraged him not to compromise, insisting that seder and eidelkeit were precisely the path he should continue.

I Never Knew How Closely the Rebbe Was Watching

After a serious medical ordeal left him struggling to find his footing in yeshivah, Rabbi Moshe Weiss had no idea that the Rebbe was closely following his progress, until years later, when he discovered what had prompted two unexpected visitors to suddenly show up at his dorm room.

The Partisan Who Never Stopped Fighting

From the forests of Nazi-occupied Europe to the establishment of Chabad institutions in Eretz Yisroel, Reb Zusha Wilmowsky devoted his life to rescuing, building, and inspiring. Forty years after his passing, his remarkable story remains an example of courage, determination, unwavering hiskashrus, and extraordinary simcha.

‘Halevai There Should Be Many Baalebatim like Him!’

When chassidishe businessman R. Dan Tumarkin spent two years defending the Rebbe Maharash’s chidush in a weighty correspondence with the Kopuster Rebbe, his grasp of Chassidus earned remarkable praise.

The Rebbe Put His Hand on Our Shoulders and Danced with Us

Arriving in 770 as a 12-year-old boy, young Yudel Krinsky was with some friends in the Zal when the Rebbe walked in and asked if they held a Torah. Hearing that they didn't, the Rebbe did hakafos all over, just for them.

The Last Dance in Leningrad, The First in America

As we approach Simchas Torah, From the Margins of Chabad History presents a series of first-hand accounts of Simchas Torah with the Frierdiker Rebbe. Spanning decades and countries, they take us from the bittersweet farewell to Russia in Leningrad, 5688, to the historic visit to America, 5690, the remarkable celebrations in cosmopolitan Riga, 5693, and finally the iconic scenes at 770 Eastern Parkway.

The Day I Was Asked to Leave 770

Rabbi Hershel Zaklos thought he had finally achieved his dream of learning in 770, but after just one day, he was summoned to the Rebbe and told to leave, with a lesson on what it meant to be close to the Rebbe.

My Memories of an Incredible Simchas Torah by the Rebbe

A fascinating diary by Rabbi Dovid Krautwirth documents his first Simchas Torah with the Rebbe in 770. His vivid account follows a transformative 96-hour trip from New Jersey to Crown Heights, capturing the intense energy, overwhelming crowds, and joyous dancing. At times humorous and colorful, his detailed descriptions bring the indescribable atmosphere of Simchas Torah in 770 to life.

He Waited 60 Years for the Alter Rebbe’s Third Shailah

Before sending him as rov to Vitebsk, the Alter Rebbe told R. Yitzchak Aizik three shailos. For the 60 years he served as rov, he waited for the third shaila, and when it came, he knew his life's mission was complete.

The Rebbe’s Nachas from Chassidim Caring for Each Other

When secretary Reb Binyomin Klein brought the Rebbe a note from a chossid about an act of ahavas Yisroel that he witnessed among chassidim, the Rebbe's face lit up with nachas.

Kol Nidrei with the Rebbe in Liadi: An Eyewitness Account

The latest installment of From the Margins of Chabad History takes us back 150 years to the holy and uplifting atmosphere of Yom Kippur with the Chabad Rebbe of Liadi, Harav Chaim Shneur Zalman Schneerson. A picture of the zal of the Rebbe of Liadi is also uncovered for the first time.