Rebbe Sent Pearls Back 3 Times Before Buying For Rebbetzin

In the upcoming Chof Beis Shvat edition, the Nshei Chabad Newsletter shares a story about the Rebbe purchasing pearls for the Rebbetzin, and the powerful recount of Rabbi Mangel’s Aushwitz ‘victory march’.

By Rishe Deitsch

I had the tremendous zchus to interview Rabbi Nissan Mangel, along with his wife Mrs. Raizel Mangel, who worked hard for years as an editor for the N’shei Chabad Newsletter. This interview with Rabbi Mangel was unlike any other interview I have ever done.

His memory is sharp and clear, even when he is describing events of 80 years ago. But that’s not the main difference. The main part that is deeply unusual and that I found very moving is simply his attitude. Where some would sigh and cry and moan as they remember the horrors they endured, he cannot stop thanking Hashem for the miracles.

Whereas 80 years ago, as a ten-year-old, he was forced on a death march, today he goes back to Auschwitz with nearly 100 descendants in what he describes as “a victory march.”

Listen to Rabbi Mangel talking about it:

One woman whose articles invariably bring us tremendous appreciation from readers is Mrs. Esther Sternberg. Her memories of the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, whose yahrzeit is on Chof Beis Shvat, are priceless. Here’s an excerpt from this coming issue’s memories by Esther:

“The Rebbe treated the Rebbetzin with the utmost respect, like she was a queen. My father at one point was in the business of importing cultured pearls from Japan. One time, the Rebbe asked my father to order pearls because he wanted to make a necklace for the Rebbetzin. My father, of course, ordered the most beautiful pearls.

“The shipment arrived and was given to the Rebbe. The next day, my father got a call from the Rebbe. The Rebbe said, ‘The pearls are not beautiful enough for my wife. Please order new pearls for her.’ My father ordered larger, shinier, and more expensive pearls. When the second shipment arrived, the Rebbe said that they were still not beautiful enough. Only after my father ordered a third shipment of even more special pearls did the Rebbe accept them. This is just one small example of how the Rebbe treated the Rebbetzin as a queen.”

Rabbi Yossi Paltiel, in his regular column ‘(Inside) Chassidus Unwrapped,’ is very clear about the war in Eretz Yisroel and how the Rebbe wanted these conflicts handled. In an article entitled ‘NO MORE CEASEFIRES,’ he explains that we each have our job to do. Excerpt:

“On Simchas Torah 5784 (2023), over a thousand of our brothers and sisters were brutally murdered. At
this very moment, young men and women are risking their lives to protect the Jewish people and defend
our homeland.  Every single Jew who was killed in the vicious pogrom, and every soldier who was slain
on the battlefield, is a kadosh—the holiest Jew that could be. It doesn’t matter how they lived their lives.
They were killed simply for being the Aibershter’s children.

“The Gemara tells us that such souls fly up to the highest realms of Gan Eden, where others cannot even come close.  The burning question we are all asking ourselves is: What should I do now? A former student of mine texted me: ‘I’ll give anyone $10,000 if they can get me a gun and put me on the front line.’ I forwarded his message to someone I know in Israel who I thought might be able to help with this kind of thing. I received a torrent of insults in response.

“To paraphrase, in nicer words, he said: ‘Stay in your lane.’ Everyone has a job to do in this
war. Our jobs are not identical. You have to figure out what your job is—how you can contribute to the
victory of the Jewish people—and do it. Don’t try to be somebody else.”

Thank you for your loyalty, and we look forward to sharing Chof Beis Shvat with you!