Presented here is a letter written by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Homnick, z”l, to his kallah at the time, describing his impressions during a visit with Chabad-Lubavitch at 770 shortly after the Rebbe accepted the leadership. Rabbi Homnick was a student of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan. As he describes in his letter, his family had chassidishe roots, and he, therefore, always took an interest in chassidus. The letter is a treasure, offering an authentic and very vivid description of what life around the Rebbe was like in those early years.
“Tuesday Parshas Pekudei, 28 Adar I, 5711. (March 6, 1951).
“I would like to describe to you what I did this past Shabbos. Every Shabbos Mevarchim, the Lubavitcher Rebbe recites a “maamar.” Amongst Lubavitcher Chassidim, Shabbos Mevarchim, when the new month is blessed, is considered a joyous time, because then the Rebbe comes out to the crowd of hundreds of Chassidim gathered to hear his words of Torah and blessing. So on this past Shabbos, Shabbos Mevarchim Adar II, I went to Lubavitch to hear the words of the “Rebbe.”
“How do I end up in Lubavitch?
“Firstly, when I lived on the East Side, my father attended the Chabad (Lubavitch) shul for many years, where they davened Nusach Ari. While there, I heard much about the Lubavitcher Rebbe and about the philosophy of Chabad.
“They told me all about the wondrous deeds of the Lubavitcher Chassidim in Russia, who, despite the [persecution of the] Russian government, were able to save thousands of Jews from assimilation. With real mesiras nefesh, they taught Torah and kept mitzvos in hiding. I also heard about their successful operation to evacuate thousands of Jews from Russia to America and Eretz Yisrael; Jews who had lived for 25 years under the Bolsheviks, yet they remained Torah-true. I had also read about these stories in the papers.
“And in America too, I heard how they go around to small towns and build Jewish schools with mesiras nefesh, bringing the youth closer to Hashem. I heard about the Otzros Shabbos Mevarchim in Lubavitch with the new Rebbe, the establishment of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch and the organization they have to fight assimilation.
“Learning about all of the above really piqued my interest, and I decided to go and see for myself, who and what exactly are these people. I also heard about their beards and peyos. Most importantly, a few years ago I attended the summer camp of Mesivta Torah Vodaath. Every summer, the Lubavitcher yeshiva sends students to this camp, and while there I met some of them.
“There was one bochur in particular who paid close attention to me. I heard that he is an exceptional student, both in his regular Torah studies, as well as in the teachings of Chabad. Chabad Chassidus consists of a very well-built philosophy. Their first Rebbe, Reb Schneur Zalman of Liadi, was a student of the Baal Shem Tov. He was able to blend the teachings of Chassidus from the Baal Shem Tov with the teachings of the “misnagdim” and the Vilna Gaon. He wrote a sefer called “Tanya,” based on the school of thought of Chabad – chochmah, binah, daas.
“Like the other Chassidim, he extolled the importance of emotional feelings and the role they play in the life [of a Jew]. But like the misnagdim, he also stressed the importance of studying Torah. The Tanya lays out a whole philosophy for life.
“They say that Rabbi Soloveichik has said that the Tanya contains the deepest philosophy in the world. The bochur that I met wanted to learn Tanya with me. In the Lubavitcher yeshiva they learn it every day. Because it contains many terms and concepts from Kabbalah, you need a teacher to introduce them to you. This bochur (Rabbi Peretz Hecht) was thin with his back hunched over. His eyes shined brightly, almost with a spiritual bearing; he looked to me like a tzaddik. He learned some Tanya with me and I enjoyed it immensely. Unfortunately, soon thereafter I had to leave back to the city.”
(To be continued)
