י״ג תמוז ה׳תשפ״ו | June 28, 2026
He Stopped Coming After Gimmel Tammuz, But the Rebbe Called Him Back
When the Rebbe’s cousin, a Belzer Chossid, thought his connection to the Rebbe had come to an end, a simple, offhand ‘joke’ triggered a series of precise, mind-blowing answers that changed everything.
Although he is a Belzer chossid, Rabbi Shem Rokeach grew up with a close family connection to the Rebbe and Rebbetzin, and often visited them both in their home and in 770. After Gimmel Tammuz, however, he felt that his personal connection to Crown Heights had ended.
While deliberating whether to make his son’s upsherin early to accommodate his parents’ vacation schedule, he was visiting his mother-in-law, and he noticed an Igros Kodesh on the table. He decided, half-jokingly, to write to the Rebbe, but to his shock, the answer he opened to addressed the exact same question: a child turning three, family members leaving on vacation, and whether to move the upsherin earlier.
Even more surprising, on the facing page, the Rebbe wrote to someone who had once been close but had stopped coming, urging him to resume coming. Hearing that, Rabbi Rokeach began visiting the Ohel.
When his daughter was in shidduchim, he experienced the same amazing experience. At the Ohel before one serious shidduch, he opened the Igros Kodesh and found a surprising answer indicating that it was not meant to be. Indeed, the other side called off the shidduch the next day. But months later, before another shidduch, the answer was filled with brachos and “mazel tov,” noting a special simcha when both sides are descendants of the Alter Rebbe, which was true in their case as well.
“This message here is that the relationship between a Rebbe and chossid is not bound by time or place; it’s an everlasting connection,” he concluded.
A recent story of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, from RebbeStory.org
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COMMENTS
Interesting! Anyone know how he is related to beis harav?
His grandmother Rebbetzin Devora Leah Klinberg was born a Schneerson, her father was Rabbi Yosef Moshe Schneerson son of Rabbi Nochum Zalman Schneerson who was the grandson of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok of Avrutch who was the son of the Tzemach Tzedek.
It gives real chizuk to hear an igros story. Usually people repeat ohel stories, which are beautiful, however igros stories give the feeling that the Rebbe is answering you back, and this feeling is so powerful and strengthening. A real present from the Rebbe to today’s chassidim.
Besides that he keep talking about Igeres Hakodesh.
Something is missing in this story.
Didn’t the Rebbe say that the Frierdiker Rebbe never clearly said no to a Shidduch, and neither does he?
Sometimes the Rebbe would not say yes, but did he ever say, and even more so WRITE no?
“indicating that it was not meant to be”
Does not mean a no.
Second of all: yes, before Gimmel Tammuz there were times when the Rebbe said not to go ahead with a shidduch.