In word count alone, the output on the Rebbe is voluminous. The essays, the countless accounts of personal encounters and meetings with the Rebbe are generally insightful and inspiring. The variety of perspectives on his leadership, both general and particular are of themselves testament to an individual whose larger-than-life being has fired the passion and the imagination of a breathtakingly diverse range of individuals. Continue

“How is it that the Redemption has not yet been attained? That despite all that has transpired and all that has been done, Moshiach has still not come?

"What more can I do? I have done all I can to bring the world to truly demand and clamor for the Redemption…. The only thing that remains for me to do is to give over the matter to you. Do all that is in your power to achieve this thing—a most sublime and transcendent light that needs to be brought down into our world with pragmatic tools….

“I have done all I can. I give it over to you. Do all that you can to bring the righteous redeemer, immediately!

“I have done my part. From this point on, all is in your hands.” Continue

Honorable Rabbi:

I have a Hannukkah story to tell you. Exactly ten years ago, during the Festival of Lights, though I didn't know about the importance of it then, I met my soul mate. It was also on her birthday which we later found out to be on the second day of this Festival. Without going into great detail about our lives and backgrounds, I will simply tell you that I was raised a Protestant, later I joined Catholicism, and my partner in life was raised agnostic but was born Jewish. This was definitely determined, as her mother and grandmother and great grandmother were all Jewish. By the time we met, each of us had undergone great trials in our personal lives and had sought God each in our own way. Continue

The yahrzeit of Rabbi Shneur Zalman Garelik, the first Rav of Kfar Chabad, falls out this week. Rabbi Garelik was the Rav in Kfar Chabad for 25 years until his last day.

He was born the 25th of Sivan 1880 in the city of Rogotshov and died in a car accident in 1974 on his way from Jerusalem to Kfar Chabad. He was laid to rest on Mt. Olives.

In this picture one can see Rabbi Garelik with other rabbis attending the 5th convention Tzach in 770. Comments

Tonight 29 Iyar is the a5th yahrzeit of the legendary photographer Reb Levi Yitzchok Freidin, known as the Rebbe's photographer who was one of the colorful figures in 770.

In honor of his yahrzeit Shturem is posting some excerpts of his diaries, courtesy of the family. The diaries were written in the month of Cheshvan 1993 (the year he passed away).

During that month he suffered a massive heart attack and he would dream very often of the Rebbe. He later wrote what he dreamt in his diaries.

Click on the pages to enlarge them Comments

An English announcement for the 8th annual Nshei Chabad convention in 1963. The Rebbe makes a point to mention of it being the 150th anniversary of the Hilulah of the Alter Rebbe

Soure: PirsumRishon blog

Chaim Schapiro, a student at the school, was sent.

"I remember it vividly," says Schapiro, "it was a condominium on Collins Avenue and 23rd Street, right past the Avis car rental office."

Following his instructions, Schapiro looked for one David Bezborodko, an elderly wheelchair-bound man with a flowing white beard. Schapiro dutifully read the megillah, and as he was getting ready to leave, Bezborodko asked the student if was a Chabad-Lubavitch chasid.

Thinking nothing of the question, Schapiro nodded in affirmation. The elderly man relayed that he knew the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, from his time in France.

Schapiro stayed, and listened to details about that time that he had never heard before. But after he left, he forgot about the entire incident. Exactly one year later, Bezborodko phoned the school once more, and Schapiro volunteered to read the megillah for him.

Schapiro had since moved to study in New York, when Bezborodko surfaced once more in the weeks following the Rebbe's 1994 passing.

"I had long forgotten about the events," he relates. "After the Rebbe passed away, some of us started digging up information about his life. One day, I came across a letter the Rebbe had written to Mr. Bezborodko in the early 1950s. I then remembered the entire story and decided that I had to find him again to document the events that he had related to me."

An amazing true story that is mentioned in this week's Torah article by Rabbi Tuvia Bolton:

In the year 1927 the sixth (and previous) Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rebbi Yosef Yitzchak, was miraculously released from Communist prison where he had been sentenced to death due to his 'Outreach' projects in Russia. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of Jews directly owed their Judaism to his 'underground' Torah schools, 'illegal' synagogues and other Jewish 'counter-revolutionary' activities.

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On the 4th of Nissan 1961, the Rebbe sent a telegram to the then Rav of Kfar Chabad Rabbi Shneur Zalman Gorelik obm that read (free translation):

"I heard a strange rumor that there are singles in Kfar Chabad without a family and there is no one who will invite them for Passover, not even for the Sedorim.

"Obviously, it was so mindboggling  that I didn't believe it. But on the other hand, I don't have the right without checking this out. I thank you if you will inform me of the situation as is.

Velvel Averbuch, 84, a resident of the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, N.Y., remembers the evening well.

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16 years ago today Purim Koton there was a big surprise in 770 although such things had already occurred before that.

The Maamar Veato Tetzave that was originally delivered in 1981 had been reprinted and the Rebbe proof read it. It was then published in a pamphlet as the other maamorim were published then.

Reb Yoel, the Rebbe's "chozer" and his staff would pick out a "maamar" that the Rebbe said in previous years that was not proof read by the Rebbe. Reb Yoel would write it over carefully and then hand in to the Rebbe to proof read. The staff member that was responsible to hand it in and give it to print afterwards was Rabbi Chaim Shaul Bruk.

During the morning of Purim Koton 1992 rumors begin to circulate based on a secret note that Rabbi Bruk sent out to his friends all over the world. The original note read as follows:

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The sixth of Adar is the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shmaryahu Gurary obm (Rashag) brother-in-law of the Rebbe. Rabbi Gurary was the executive director of the Yeshiva "Tomchei Temimim for 50 years.

Shabbos Parshas Terumah following the Rashag's demise the Rebbe spoke about him saying that since he was appointed by the Previous Rebbe to head the yeshiva, this is also alluded to in his name Shmaryahu ben Menachem Mendel and the Rebbe continued to elaborate on his name. 

The following are copies of letters that the Rashag wrote to the Rebbe as well as the Rebbe's replies to his letters in the Secretariat. there is also a copy of a check that the Rebbe wrote out to the yeshiva for the amount of $75. (By mistake the Rebbe's address is written 270 instead of 770).

Ilan addressed the assembled Jewish community leaders. After his speech approached me. He greeted me with a warm hug and presented me with his request: “Rabbi I need to talk with you. I want to keep Shabbat while in space but no one can tell me how to do it!”

And that was how our friendship began.

Ilan was a very special Jew. He often expressed the thought that he saw his trip to space as a mission. “I will represent the entire Jewish people,” he would say. As a representative of the Jewish people he wanted to do everything in the very best possible way Jewishly; including keeping Shabbat and eating only kosher food.

“Kosher food?” the NASA staff shrugged their shoulders at the Jewish astronaut’s strange request. Ilan was not one to give up easily and a solution was found. NASA contacted My Own Meals, a company in Deerfield, Ill. that sells certified kosher food in "thermo-stabilized" sealed pouches for campers.

Click here for extended article

In honor of Yud Shvat Shturem.net is posting a very rare picture of the Rebbe davening at the Amud Yud Shvat 1963.

Surfers who identify anyone in the picture can share their names with other surfers via our Comments column.

In honor of Yud Shvat this Thursday Shturem.net is proud to present a very rare picture of the Previous Rebbe. The picture was taken during a visit of the Previous Rebbe to Baltomore where he met with the Mayor of the City, Mr. Browning. At his right one see the Rashag obm.

The picture was printed in the local papers at the time.

Former Israeli armed forces chief Moshe Levy died today at the age of 72. Levy, who served as Israel's top general between 1983 and 1987, succumbed to a stroke.

Levy, whom David Ben-Gurion dubbed "Moshe and a half" for his height, took part in the fabled Mitla Pass operation as a paratrooper in 1956, going on to serve in several combat command roles. As chief of the Israel Defense Forces, he oversaw modernization projects in the years spanning the First Lebanon War and the first Palestinian Intifada.

Shturem.net received today a picture of Levy during a yechidus by the Rebbe many years ago.

If any of our surfers know more information about this picture kindly send it in to us via the comments column or Red Email.

Generally when one says "miracles can be found in the Rebbe's Igros Kodesh" the first thing that comes to mind is the custom that has become common in many circles in Chabad after Gimmel Tamuz: You insert a note with your questions or problems at random in one of the Igros Kodesh books. Then you open up the book to the page you inserted the note and if a letter appears to someone else years ago that corresponds to your question or problem and you follow the Rebbe's instructions in that letter and it works for you too - it's called a "miracle from the Igros."

I am not expressing any opinion of this custom, I leave that to those who are greater and smarter than I. But I want to draw your attention to an amazing miracle that appears in the Igros Kodesh, one that the Rebbe himself describes as a "miracle."

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(Portrait of a leader)In Honor of Yud Daled Kislev the Rebbe and Rebbetzins wedding anniversary we  would like to present an unbelievable encounter that a Chosson and Kalla experienced with the Rebbe in the winter of 1989.

"The city was hot and sweltering on that summer eve in 1989. The Chabad rabbi looked incongruously out of place in Manhattan's East Village, with his long beard and black coat. Nevertheless, the Chabad rabbi was determined. He had made a promise to a grieving father in Southern California, a man who was a leader in their Jewish community, that he would find his runaway teenage daughter. "Sarah is in New York City, that's all we know, can you find her for me?" the man had begged the rabbi during a recent visit.

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Rabbi Sholom Ber Veshedsky obm who served as Mashpia in Hadar Hatorah and Rabbi of the Reines Shul on Troy Ave. in Crown Heights passed away last year Rosh Chodesh Tamuz. Last week the Algemener Journal carried an article in his memory written by his son Shlomo, may he live and be well.

In his article, Shlomo reveals an amazing story that he heard from his father that occured during a yechidus he had with his father in 1957. Shturem.net brings you a translation of this story from the Yiddish:

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Following is a free translation of the Rebbe's Letter to the entire Jewish people 18th of Elul, 5750 [1990]

...Apropos of preparedness for the new year, it is well to reflect on the dual contents of every year: there is the general significance to each and all incoming years; and there is the special significance connected with certain specific features of a particular year, whereby the year differs from other years.

One such noteworthy feature of the incoming new year is that the two days of Rosh Hashana occur on Thursday and Friday, erev Shabbat, leading directly into the holy Shabbat, thus emphasizing and affirming the mutual character of Rosh Hashana and Shabbat.

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It's Labor Day once again, which brings up some very important questions. Where is the best Labor Day sale? Where did I put my dark hats?

Labor Day has been around since 1880; after 137 years, perhaps its time to dust off a holiday, shine some light on it and figure out what it's all about. Or more importantly, what it can mean to us.

Labor Day originated as a way to celebrate the hard working folks of our nation, who toiled with muscle and sweat to build the infrastructure of this nation.

There were the people who thought up the ideas, created the companies and made the profits. But then there were the workers. They got up early in the morning and went to work carrying the burden of industry on their shoulders. Often times the laborers are overlooked and even taken advantage of. So the Central Labor Union came up with a day to remember the ones who do the work.

On the Jewish calendar, Labor Day always occurs in the month of Elul, the month of preparation for the High Holy Days. On Rosh Hashanah, we mark the anniversary of the creation of the human being and rededicate ourselves to the purpose we fulfill in G‑d's grand plan in creating the world. That purpose, the Midrash tells us, is that G‑d desired to have a dwelling place in the lowest realm.

"Where is this lowest realm?" you might ask. "Lowest realm," the Chassidic masters explain, does not refer to a geographic space but to a state of mind. A state of mind that does not readily perceive the Divine, and could actually want to do something contrary to G‑d's will. The lowest realm is me and you.

Is your state of mind a place where G‑d can call home? If it is, congratulations! You need not read the rest of this article. But for most of us, G‑d is still somewhat of a stranger (or, at best, a tolerated houseguest) in our lives, still waiting for us to build Him that home He desires.

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