After a lengthy discussion on the challenges facing El Al Airlines, the Rebbe told North American director, “In order for the flights to stay safe, and in order for El Al to succeed, El Al must observe Shabbos.”
“The Plans Are Not Mine”
When the honorary president of Chabad of Binghamton University asked the Rebbe for a bracha to “succeed in implementing the Rebbe’s plans,” the Rebbe noted that the plans are not his own.
An “Overlooked Fact” About Money
When Harav She’ar Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Chaifa, passed by the Rebbe to receive a dollar at the end of a farbrengen, the Rebbe shared with him an ‘overlooked fact’ and the lesson it provides.
Give Me a Smile!
In his diary, Kfar Chabad Mayor, Reb Shlomo Madanchick, records how the Rebbe lovingly berated him – after his wife left the yechidus room – for his lack of simcha, and made a personal request.
‘Stay Here and Learn About Yourself’
When a non-frum young woman told the Rebbe in yechidus that she wanted to go to India to learn about the lives of others, the Rebbe advised her to stay in Crown Heights and learn about herself.
The Only Thing to Worry About
After the Rebbe wished a chossid that his daughter would recover, the concerned chossid asked if there was no need to worry. The Rebbe reassured him and then told him one thing he should be worried about.
General Sharon Kept This Rebbe Letter in His Pocket
Six-Day War general Ariel Sharon received unique attention from the Rebbe in lengthy yechidus, long letters, and private messages. But there was one letter that he kept in his jacket pocket and read it over and over again.
The Rebbe’s Message to the World
As a team of CNN reporters filmed the dollars’ line, they asked the Rebbe for his message to the world about Moshiach. The Rebbe then told them what should be done for Moshiach to come.
The Rebbe Begged Him to Stay for His Birthday
In the winter of 5733, an unstable man who wanted to convert to Christianity barged into the Rebbe‘s room. The Rebbe took the time to talk to him, and even begged him to stay for the Rebbe’s birthday.
“Our Time is Precious!”
As thousands of chassidim gathered to celebrate the Rebbe’s eightieth birthday and all that the Rebbe had accomplished, the Rebbe himself shared no satisfaction and focused on the value of time.
Different Hafatza for Different Places
When R’ Raphael Aron to the Rebbe in yechidus that mitzva tanks were not well received in Australia, the Rebbe told him these guiding words, “Not everything which is done in America must be done in Australia.”
The Power of a Rov
Although the Rebbe could pasken himself, he would refer halachic shailos to rabbonim. In a yechidus with R. Nachman Sudak, the Rebbe attributed it to the special siya’ata dishmaya given to a practicing rov.
R’ Elya Chaim’s ‘Expletive’ Made the Rebbe Smile
While reciting Aleinu at a Purim mairiv in 770, R’ Elya Chaim Roitblat was overcome with such disdain for wickedness that he muttered an expletive. A wide smile spread across the Rebbe‘s face.
The Surprise Maamar
On Shabbos morning, the Rebbe surprised the chassidim when he announced that he would say a maamar in his room. After locking the door, the Rebbe had mercy on the latecomers and recited the maamar unusually loud.
Restaurant Shlichus
When Reb Chaim and Reb Zusha Rivkin, wanted to sell their Tel Aviv restaurant, the Rebbe didn’t let them since their kashrus standards might not be kept up. Instead, the Rebbe encouraged them to use it for hafatza.
What to Learn Every Day
Artist R’ Boruch Nachshon of Chevron merited personal direction from the Rebbe on the criticalness of daily Torah study, and what to learn for two hours each day.
Children First!
While the Rebbe encouraged women to get involved in outreach activities, he also emphasized the woman’s primary role as a homemaker, requiring them to put their children first.
The Surgeon’s Cap That the Rebbe Said to Show Off
After recovering from polio disease, Zalman Lipskier underwent surgery, for which he insisted on keeping his head covered. The head nurse gave him a surgeon’s cap and attached a note not to remove it. The Rebbe later told Zalman what he should do with it.
“Are People Learning the Letters?”
When R. Sholom Mendel Simpson delivered a pile of letters to the Rebbe for the tenth volume of Igros Kodesh, the Rebbe wanted to know if Anash were using them as intended.
The Rebbe’s Value of Lubavitch Teachers
When Reb Yitzchok Yaakov Rosenshain, a teacher at the Toras Emes yeshiva, wanted to give up his teaching position, the Rebbe highlighted the priority of teaching and the public benefit it brings.