WHAT THE REBBE SAYS, GOES

They went to the kabbalist (who was no fraud) and asked him why the prediction hadn’t materialized. “What can I tell you?” he said. “The Lubavitcher Rebbe with his ‘children’ removed this Heavenly decree…” * The following is a transcript of a farbrengen held in Morristown, New Jersey in late MarCheshvan 5753, with Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak “Fitzy” Lipskier, of blessed memory. Part 3.

Every mitzvah campaign that the Rebbe started was criticized every step of the way. There was opposition galore. Did it deter him from going further? Absolutely not. The Rebbe was not running for office or conducting a popularity contest. He was doing what had to be done, regardless of what the world thinks. He was out to change the world – and that’s the mission of a Jew, “to make a dwelling place for Him in the physical world.” G-d didn’t send us to conform to the world, but to make it into a place of G-dliness, i.e., to bring Moshiach. This is the ultimate purpose, and this is what he’s out to do – and he’s doing it.

Thus, what was crazy yesterday is slowly not so crazy anymore. It’s already becoming normal and accepted. Why? Because you see the results. Back then, it was far more difficult. Today, however, everyone is trying to jump on the bandwagon. How many baalei t’shuva yeshivos have opened up? There’s competition now. Why not? It’s a good idea, they figure. There’s probably big money in it, too. I don’t know of a Lubavitcher institution that has big money. If there is such an institution, it’s not Lubavitcher. The Rebbe said that by definition a functioning and living institution is in the red. If they’re making a profit, it’s a business – not a Jewish institution.

MAKE YOUR 
OWN JEWISH TUMULT

The opposition to the mitzvah campaigns wasn’t just “out there,” from the misnagdim or other Chassidic sects – it also came from the inside. Naturally, no one came to the Rebbe and told him he was wrong. Here’s an example: The Rebbe came out with the whole concept of “Mitzvah tanks,” explaining how the “Tankistin” have to operate like tank drivers. They have to go out into the tumult and hubbub of modern-day Rome – Fifth Avenue – and conquer it. You have to blast away and make your own Jewish tumult.

No one seemed to know what the Rebbe was talking about. Nu, you rent a truck and hang up a big sign – “Mitzvah Tank – Put on T’fillin.” They went into Manhattan, grabbed people off the streets, and put on t’fillin with them. The stories with those people are too numerous to mention. I don’t know if anybody, except for the Alm-ghty Himself and the Rebbe, could keep track of all the neshamos that went through. It’s impossible to describe the hundreds of thousands of miracles that happened to these people. You have to be a Rebbe with a vision to foresee these things and decide what has to be done. As a leader of the Jewish nation and the world in general, the Rebbe knows what we need. He even knows with regard to saving non-Jews by teaching them the Seven Noachide Laws.

With every new campaign he initiated, the success was phenomenal. If we would have done it a little better, the success would have been even greater. That’s the life of the Rebbe. He didn’t care what people will say. The Rebbe knows what he’s doing. You think you’re so smart? The Rebbe is at least as smart as you are. He considered that as well, and yet he decided that this is the thing to do. And he’s been right.

Everything the Rebbe has said since becoming the nasi has come true. This is an accomplishment that nobody, besides G-d Himself, can claim. There hasn’t been a tzaddik or a prophet in the world, at least since the time of the Beis HaMikdash, who has a track record like that. He never failed. He said - it happened. Whether it was something big, global, or personal - the Rebbe was true to his word.

SPEAKING ABOUT FREEDOM FOR RUSSIAN JEWS IN KHRUSHCHEV’S TIME

There’s something else you have to understand: Of course, as Lubavitchers, our Rebbe must be the greatest. That happens to be true, but he’s not the greatest because he happens to be ours. This is not a vote for the party. “We’re going to look very good if our Rebbe is Moshiach. Won’t it look great in the newspapers? I’m on the winning team!” If that’s what you think it’s all about, you should have your head examined.

Back in the early sixties no one dreamt that Russia would be a free country. No one dreamt of leaving the country, except one person - the Rebbe. This was in the days when Mr. Khrushchev was in power - the guy who took his shoe off and banged it on the table at the United Nations. To live in Russia then meant being behind the “Iron Curtain.” If you didn’t work on Shabbos, you could be thrown out of your job, which meant that you had nothing to eat. You can’t pay your rent and you could end up being out on the street. And if you had the chutzpah to apply for a visa to go to Israel, you were automatically removed from your position, no matter who you were. You could be sent away to Siberia, you could be thrown into prison. For what? Nothing - just for being Jewish. That was one of the biggest crimes you could commit. This was Russia.

Yet, the Rebbe is sitting here and saying, “They’re going to open the doors. They’re going to come out by the thousands. You won’t be able to handle them. Do something now.” Yeah, sure, he’s a dreamer… Of course, as the years went by, the Rebbe spoke a lot at farbrengens, and not one passed during this time without his mentioning the Jews of Russia, what we can do for them, etc. Not through demonstrations, which all the major Jewish organizations thought was the only way to do it. What happened? His dream became a reality.

Five or six years before the start of perestroika in the U.S.S.R. the Rebbe spoke at a farbrengen, calling for people to organize a movement to build cities to house the Russian Jews. That’s not the way things work in this world. You don’t say, “Go into the forests of Mendham and build a million apartments because real estate may go up.” Do you know how many investors you’ll find? Less than none. Who would be so crazy? As usual, we procrastinated.

One of the richest and most famous Jewish businessmen in the world happened to come to the Rebbe for suggestions on real estate investments. When he asked if he should follow the advice of the realty experts and invest in a major building project in England, the Rebbe told him to invest in real estate in Israel. The businessman chose to follow the experts’ advice and lost his pants financially. These investors owned half of Manhattan - they no longer do. Meanwhile, real estate in Israel is booming.

IF THAT IS WHAT 
THEY’RE SAYING I SAID, THEN LET IT BE…

There was never a case where the Rebbe said that something was going to happen, and it didn’t take place. There was a famous story about the Gulf War that proved to be more than amazing. There was a rumor that the Rebbe said that the Gulf War was going to end on Purim. I don’t have to tell that it did end on Purim - you know that already. A U.S. army chaplain, a young Lubavitcher chassid, went to the Rebbe for Sunday dollars during Shvat. He was preparing to go to Saudi Arabia to be with the soldiers there, and he wanted to take a Megilla. The Rebbe said that it wasn’t necessary. Ah-hah! That means that he won’t need the Megilla, because the Gulf War will be over by Purim. The fact is that this chaplain overestimated himself, as they didn’t let him into Saudi Arabia. This rumor circulated even though the Rebbe had never said anything about when the war would end.

Not long afterwards, during one of the Rebbe’s regular excursions to the Ohel, his driver, Rabbi Krinsky, tells the Rebbe that there’s a rumor that the Rebbe said that the Gulf War was going to be over on Purim. The Rebbe replied that he had never said that. “But rumor has it that you did,” Rabbi Krinsky said. So the Rebbe replied, “Nu…,” implying, “If that’s what they’re saying I said, let it be…” Sure enough, the war ended on Purim.

This was a so-called back-door prediction that was never predicted. A rumor spread in the Rebbe’s name also has to happen. In truth, the Rebbe never “predicted” anything. The Rebbe just said, “Do this - this is going to happen.” That’s not called a prediction in my book. Tomorrow is going to be Tuesday - is that a prediction? That was how certain we were when the Rebbe said something - no ifs, ands, or buts. When will this happen? That usually depends on other things, mostly upon us - but sooner or later, it’s going to happen.

YOU HAVE ONE CHANCE, SO DON’T MESS UP

Here’s a beautiful story that’s also rather sad in a sense - not all stories necessarily have a good ending. Things like this do happen in real life. A poor chassid came in to the Rebbe for yechidus to ask for a bracha to have material wealth. Everyone in his family was rich except for him - he was a regular pauper. The Rebbe told him, “Go out and buy a lottery ticket.” He went out and bought a sweepstakes ticket - eventually…

In the meantime, however, immediately after leaving the Rebbe’s room, he excitedly went down into the shul of 770. Someone approached him and said, “Would you like to buy an Oholei Torah raffle ticket for a dollar? We’re offering a set of Chumashim for the winner.” He bought a ticket - and he won the set of Chumashim… That’s why the story is sad. The Rebbe told him to buy a lottery ticket, which means that you have one chance to win. So he bought a raffle ticket, and he won. Can you imagine what this guy feels like? He feels it to this day. He’s still not doing very well. This happened over thirty years ago. What can I say?

When it’s going to happen, how it’s going to happen, that sometimes can be screwed up by us, if it’s a personal matter. But there’s no question that when the Rebbe says something, it’s for real. How do we know? Practice, reality, the track record - and you have to understand this. If you learn Rambam, he explains in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah that one of the Thirteen Principles of Faith is to believe that there is a phenomenon called prophecy among the Jewish People. According to halacha, if you don’t believe in prophecy, you are an apikorus - a heretic. This is a clear statement within Jewish law, not just an implication.

The Rambam describes who is qualified to be a prophet. How do you know that he is a prophet? Why do you believe in him? You don’t believe in him because of the predictions and the fact that everything he said came true. You believe in him because the Torah says so. The Rambam states that if he predicts and it comes true - not once, twice, or three times - then you know that he is a prophet. It’s that simple. There is no question that the Rebbe qualifies. According to Torah, anyone who knows the laws of prophecy, i.e., the qualifications, will have to admit it. You have to know the halacha, if you don’t, you can say whatever you want, but you’re full of baloney. It’s not “say whatever you want.” What does the Torah say? Do you believe that there is such a phenomenon as prophecy? You know that there is such a thing. You’ve learned Navi; you know that there are prophets. There are different levels of prophecy, but the concept exists. Do you know that it’s one of the Thirteen Principles of Faith? How do you know what’s right and what’s wrong? Take the Shulchan Aruch. Torah is where you look.

“REBBE’S ADVICE SIMPLY DIVINE”

Take a more recent example: Hurricane Andrew in Miami Beach. There’s no reason to move. That takes guts. The government says that if you don’t move, they can arrest you, give you a summons, charge you with a misdemeanor. If you stay there, it’s suicidal, you are crazy. The Rebbe says: There’s no reason to leave. What does the Lubavitcher chassid say? If you leave, you’re crazy. Lo and behold, once again, as it said in the headlines of the New York Post: “Rebbe’s Advice Simply Divine.” Beautiful line. Imagine? A goy writing something like that. Phenomenal.

Nevertheless, you know what some of the rabbanim said? “What a nerve! It goes against the Halacha! How could a person take upon himself the lives of other Jews? Pikuach nefesh!” Did anybody get hurt? What are you screaming about? What don’t you like? What’s your problem?

There was a rabbi at the Shluchim Convention, Rabbi Bomzer, a famous world-renowned rav who is very close to Lubavitch. He’s not an official “Lubavitcher.” He learned in a misnagdishe yeshiva, but he’s more Lubavitch than many actual Lubavitchers. He called himself a Lubavitcher: “My Rebbe,” he said.

Then, he said something which unfortunately is very true: What’s bugging them? He summed it up in one word: Jealousy. This is probably the root of the whole problem. There are many people out there doing things. Are all these rabbis on the bandwagon criticizing them? No, the Rebbe is always the target. Why? Because he’s so big. He’s getting too famous. He’s getting too powerful. That’s their mentality. There’s a whole movement of so-called prominent leaders with a sacred mission: They believe that Lubavitch is taking control and it must be stopped. It’s all just a power struggle.

Last year, the Rebbe made a statement using words that he never had used before. Never had the Rebbe alluded to something he had said in terms of prophecy. Now, there’s no question in anyone’s mind that when the Rebbe came up with all these ideas, they were definitely “Divinely inspired.” This didn’t come when you woke up one morning and said, “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Let’s go and make these Jews’ lives miserable. Let’s make them learn three chapters of Rambam a day. Give them something to do.”

Why did he always come up with these new things? You think they just came out of the clear blue sky? There’s no question that everything the Rebbe does is coming from somewhere. There’s an inspiration, a directive, guidance coming from Above telling him what to do. He didn’t just wake up one morning and decide, “Let’s make Tzivos Hashem. Let’s decide this; let’s do that. Twelve p’sukim…”

REMOVING DIVINE PUNISHMENT

There are stories that you hear about later. There’s one about Tzivos Hashem, the largest boys’ club in the world. It’s even bigger than clubs like Boy Scouts of America, which is really only based in the States, while Tzivos Hashem is a worldwide organization. Years ago when Tzivos Hashem first started, there was a prominent kabbalist in Eretz Yisroel who came out with a certain prediction that a disaster was destined to take place during a given year, and he even gave specific details. The year came and went and the disaster didn’t happen. They went to the kabbalist (who was no fraud) and asked him why the prediction hadn’t materialized. “What can I tell you?” he said. “The Lubavitcher Rebbe with his ‘children’ removed this Heavenly decree…”

More recently (5749), there was the “Shnas HaBinyan” campaign. The Rebbe sent a check for $100 to anyone who wrote a letter to 770, stating that he had built or constructed something in his home or his institution, even if it was only an addition. This was an open campaign available to all Jews anywhere in the world. This was a lot of money. Where he got the money, I don’t know. What’s going on here? He’s not taking money, he’s giving money. That’s one of the more minor differences between him and other Jewish leaders.

You have to realize that the Rebbe gave you a hundred bucks toward the expenses of the construction that you did. You know what that means in plain English? He now legally became a partner in your house. As I see it, that’s good for business. It’s a great fringe benefit for me to have the Rebbe as a partner. Furthermore, since there were no restrictions, everyone was making calls to their non-observant parents urging them to build.

Then, a couple of strange things took place: The Rebbe repeatedly told people to make “groundbreakings,” even if they don’t actually start building. There had been another kabbalistic prediction of major earthquakes this year, especially in populated areas where Jews live, including New York City. Of course, it never happened, but there was an earthquake - in Armenia, a place with some of the biggest anti-Semites in the world. In short, the Rebbe created a detour: make a “groundbreaking” to prevent one of another type.

You have to watch out and know who you’re dealing with. There was never a Rebbe like this in the world, at least for the last two thousand years since we went into exile. This is not to pat somebody on the back; this is not a case of “because I think I’m a Lubavitcher, I want to make my Rebbe look the greatest.” This is an undeniable statement of fact.

They may not like it, because they want their Rebbe to be the greatest. What do they do? They try and find fault with Lubavitchers: You don’t sleep in the sukka, you eat mezonos before davening, and other similar crimes. The Rebbe is not an individual who seeks power. His life is the people; there’s no one else in the world like that. You don’t have to be a Lubavitcher Chassid to think that; you just need brains.

There was never a leader who influenced and affected the lives of people around the globe, Jew and non-Jew alike. There was a story about a non-Jewish attorney in Australia who was married but had no children. He met a Lubavitcher Chassid and told him about his problem. “You know what?” the Chassid said, “write a letter to the Rebbe.” The attorney did so, and the Rebbe replied with a bracha and instructions to put a pushka in his office. Needless to say, the bracha was fulfilled.

One day, another Gentile came into his office and saw the pushka. “What’s this?” he asked. When the attorney explained the whole story, the person said that he also had a problem. “So, write to this Rebbe,” the attorney replied. “He helped me; he can help you too…” There’s also the story about the Uruguayan senator who was running for the country’s presidency and came to the Rebbe for a bracha. The Rebbe spoke to him about the importance of fulfilling the Seven Noachide Laws, and the senator won the election by seven percentage points - a fact that the Rebbe made certain to remind him.

(To be continued IY”H)