Rabbi Menashe Yisroel Reisman, a Belzer chossid and popular maggid shiur, shared this previously unknown story about the late Belzer Rebbe, Reb Aharon, and his reaction when his gabbai didn’t share a letter from the then-young Lubavitcher Rebbe.
By Anash.org writer
In a recent shiur, Rabbi Menashe Yisroel Reisman, a Belzer chossid and popular Daf Yomi maggid shiur, shared this previously unknown story about the Rebbe and the late Belzer Rebbe, Rav Aharon (whom the Rebbe referred to as a “tzura bli choimer,” a spiritual form without physical matter).
As is well known, the Rebbe had a practice to send a michtav kloli – a public letter – to Yidden across the world twice a year, before Rosh Hashanah and before Pesach. Additionally, the Rebbe would sometimes send personal letters to rabbonim and Jewish leaders.
In the early years after accepting the nesius, he sent such a letter to the Belzer Rebbe (the Belzer Rebbe passed away in 5717). One of the Belzer Rebbe’s shamoshim felt uncomfortable passing on the letter, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe was a “new Rebbe” who was writing to one of the senior Rebbes and tzaddikim of the generation, advising him on what to do. The man felt uneasy about it and decided not to deliver the letter.
The next day, the Belzer Rebbe asked him, “Did anything come in the mail?” The man said no. The day after that, the Rebbe asked again, and again he said no. After the repeated question, he finally gave a vague answer – “Yes, something came” – implying it wasn’t anything important.
Realizing what happened, the Belzer Rebbe looked at him and said strongly, “Be careful how you speak.”
It’s worth noting that the Belzer Rebbe had previously met the Rebbe years earlier in Germany. The Rebbe had come unnoticed among the crowd to greet the Belzer Rebbe. When they shook hands, the Belzer Rebbe held the Rebbe’s hand and said with feeling: “A warm hand… a warm hand.”
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its a pretty famous story.
the belzer rebbe said גיב אכטונג ווי דו רעדסט, דו שפילסט מיט פייער.
This story is very well known.
But there is a story though not as well known, that once by Yechidus someone by mistake gave a random paper to the Rebbe instead of his Tzetel, and when the Rebbe was answering the tzetel he said this is a very hard tzetel to read only someone like the Shver and Reb Ahron of belz could read such a tzetel.
this story has been said over several different times in several different places (sometimes quoted that there was a third name mentioned?).
however, I have never found a proper source to this story and find it very hard to believe, this is a very strong statement and would need to find a reliable source to it (there was a discussion on the “Peninim” WhatsApp chat on this story a while back, though I don’t remember the conclusion).
when was this story first said? there are people that are trying to discredit it so can someone bring the original mekor and the year?
I think he messed up some of the details
The way I heard it: א נייע מאדערנער רבי האט אייך געשיקט א בריוו [ with a derogatory stress on new [or young?] and modern. But I too don’t have a serious source rather מפי השמועה as most of these type of stories go. Take it or leave it. [there seems to be this trend of a group of fellows every time a good anecdote surfaces they make it their job to discredit or challenge it..]
Rabbi Paltiel says the story often with more details
Iirc, The gabbai referred to the rebbe as “the young (maybe “new”, I don’t remember) rebbe from America, and the belzer rebbe said something to the effect that he is greater than them all
The story with giving the hand was with the rebbe maharash and the mitteler belzer rebbe reb shiale
wrong it also happend with the Rebbe i heard from someone that heard it from the person that went along with the Rebbe
Jem video has the story with the Belzer Rebbe and our Rebbe in Berlin as told by Rabbi Besser
The story with the Rebbe Maharash is printed in Sipurei Chassidim, with a different punchline: the Sar Sholom went through the crowd to find the Rebbe Maharash (dressed as a merchant) and they said Rebbe–he’s just a merchant. The Sar Sholom replied “yes, and his s’choira is the best”.
The story with the Rebbe in Berlin is on a JEM interview, as mentioned here.