In a podcast interview, Rabbi Yehuda Clapman shares his personal journey to Lubavitch, the deeply cherished memories from his family’s close relationship with the Rebbetzin, as well as the guidance he received from the Rebbe and Rebbetzin throughout the years.

Rabbi Clapman grew up in East Flatbush in a frum home. Despite his family not having prior ties to Chabad, he was drawn to 770 and gradually became more involved. He recounts his first encounter with the Rebbe at a young age, describing it as “love at first sight”, and shares how he navigated his yeshiva learning while growing closer to Chabad, receiving guidance from the Rebbe on his future and personal growth.

He shares how he and his family developed a close relationship with the Rebbetzin, beginning when he decided to make beeswax candles. This small gesture became an annual practice of bringing candles to her, later including his children. The Rebbetzin would insist on preparing a “party” for the visiting children, telling him, “You should know that whenever you have children over, you have to make a party.”

Rabbi Clapman recounts many moments of her care and thoughtfulness: supervising candy distribution to the children, joining them in a dreidel game (saying “I’m good at this!”), and comforting them when they were frightened by a dog.

“She said, ‘The people who come to visit me are scared because of the dog, and it bothers me…'”, he recalls. “It was a big lesson to me that their pain was her pain.”

The podcast episode is part of Among Chassidim: a Podcast by Derher. Hosted by Rabbi Yossi Kamman, director of A Chassidisher Derher, the podcast captures the vibrancy and vitality of dor hashvi’i through immersive, heartfelt discussions on meaningful topics, presented in raw, unedited conversations.

To view all the episodes, visit here.

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