Barely a year has passed since the Biale Rebbe’s last visit to Passaic and West Orange, but it seems like so much more. Since then, dozens of miracle stories resulted from the Rebbe’s blessings last year. The sense of wonder and awe that remains with all those who met him buzzes within the community. Now anticipation pulses among the Passaic and West Orange residents, who look forward to seeing the beloved Rebbe again, hearing his advice, and above all, seeing his loving smile.
What is it about Biale Bnei Brak that attracts thousands to the Rebbe? What propels hundreds of people to stand on line for hours for a meeting with the Rebbe?
It happened about half a year ago, at the start of the winter. Thousands of people gathered in the Chassidic town of New Square in honor of the wedding of the granddaughter of one the great leaders of our generation, the esteemed and famous Skverer Rebbe with the son of the Rebbe of Biale Bnei Brak. An event like this naturally attracts thousands; anyone with a connection to any of the Rebbes looks forward to participating and taking part of the blessing that such a fortuitous event generates.
As expected, thousands of streimel and kapote-clad Chassidim were in attendance, thousands of Skverer Chassidim from New Square and from abroad and of course a huge crowd of Biale Chassidim who had come especially from Israel to participate at the wedding. But among this uniform crowd there was also something different: Together with the Chassidim standing on the 20-tiered bleachers was a very noticeable segment of people who were not wearing streimlach. They sported a large spectrum of appearances, from kipot srugot to bent-down hats, ties, tuxedos and trimmed or shaved beards. These were people who came from all over the U.S.—doctors, lawyers, realtors, financers, bank officials, Young Israel Rabbis—people who would not be expected to come, participating from the very beginning of the wedding until the early morning hours.
We scanned these attendants who had come from California and Florida, Manhattan, and Bergenfield, and wondered what they were doing at this wedding. Their response? “We are the Biale Rebbe’s Chassidim!”
We met there a distinguished rabbi from the community of Edison, NJ. The rabbi was a graduate of a Yeshiva University and clearly didn’t have the look of a Biale yeshiva alumnus. When we asked him what his connection to Biale was, he told us a story that he had just told his community members the previous Shabbos:
As he is the rabbi of his community, an engaged couple asked him to arrange the marriage ceremony at their wedding. This couple had a problem that no one else knew about except them and the rabbi. When they heard that the Rebbe of Biale Bnei Brak was in the U.S., they went to him for a blessing before their wedding. As soon as they entered the Rebbe’s room, even before they could say a word, the Rebbe told them their secret problem. They told their rabbi later about this instance of obvious Ruach Hakodesh, and he quickly made sure to secure his own appointment with the Rebbe. Since then the rabbi has met the Rebbe many times and makes no move in his personal and public life without the Rebbe’s blessing.
The Rebbe doesn’t rest for a moment. He has 15 biological children, keineine hora. The Rebbe spearheads the institutions “Mishnas Shimon” in Beitar Illit, Biale shuls and kollels in Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, Beitar Illit, Modi’in Illit, Ashdod and Beit Shemesh, and closest to the Rebbe’s heart, the Fund for Orphans and Widows, which functions under the Rebbe’s personal supervision. This special fund provides clothing, shoes, home-like accommodations in the yeshiva dormitory and even pocket money for the orphans studying in the Biale yeshivos. But most of all, the Rebbe takes these precious souls under his wing, opening his home for them and caring for their needs as only a father would.
The Rebbe follows up on their learning and pairs them with private mentors. The Rebbe personally sees to it that they have new clothing before each holiday. Once, when the Rebbe returned from an overseas trip before Pesach, he went to visit the orphans straight from the airport, even before he saw his family, and gave each one money to buy clothing and gifts for yom tov, and only then did he go home.
These days work is progressing quickly for a new building that is being built in Harav Shach Street in Beitar Illit. This building will be another tier in the Biale Rebbe’s wide-ranging institutions in Israel, and it joins the Rebbe’s yeshiva, which is located on HaRabbi MiLubavitch Street in Beitar. Last year the yeshiva experienced difficult times when tens of students heard the sirens as missiles and rockets were launched by Arab murderers right over the roof of the Yeshiva. The Yeshiva is in a prefabricated structure and the students awakened during the days of the war to the alarming siren warning them of impending rockets. The Rebbe, who is like a father to the students, came specially to stay with them in order to strengthen and encourage them. As the war continued, a building in Safed was rented and the yeshiva moved there to rest and recover from the horrors of the war. The Rebbe, who carries his students/children, began to build the new building in Beitar, which will house a Beis Midrash and shul for Biale Chassidim in Beitar, and a logistic center for assistance and support of hundreds of orphans, widows and needy families supported by the Rebbe at all times.
When the day ends in New York the phones start humming from Israel, with Jews from Israel on the line who need the Rebbe’s blessing and advice. When the Rebbe is in Israel, phone calls come from Los Angeles, New York, Miami and New Jersey. Hundreds of emails arrive at the Rebbe’s secretariat, and the Rebbe devotes time every day to answer the questions that arrive from all corners of the world. He prays for each of them, either in his Beit Midrash, or at holy sites, or at his ancestors’ graves; the Rebbe carries the burden of the whole nation, feeling their sorrow and rejoicing with their simchas. There are seven gabbaim who work around the clock to answer the thousands of questions of people who phone to get a blessing from the Rebbe. Their greatest satisfaction is to tell the Rebbe the good news of another miracle, a child that was born or a couple that got engaged due to his holy blessing.
Amongst the Rebbe’s many attributes is a deep perception in all areas of life. Parents from all parts of the world consult the Rebbe about education issues. Many times the Rabbi provides surprising advice that brings about a complete change to the entire household. Homes that were full of strife are now happy, peaceful homes. Countless cases of conflict between couples are solved following the Rebbe’s instructions. Even in hopeless circumstances peace was restored thanks to the Rebbe’s immense investment and intervention.
Now the residents of Passaic and West Orange can merit seeing the Rebbe again. During his yearly visit, the community of Passaic is hosting the Rebbe in their midst, and the Rebbe will be staying from Tuesday, June 30, until Friday, July 3, at the home of the Barry and Meira Lebovitz. The address is 14 Dakota St., Passaic, N.J., 07055.
From Friday, July 3, until Tuesday, July 7, the Rebbe will be staying at the home of Dr. Joseph and Lori Joy Rozehzadeh. The address is: 19 Roosevelt Ave., West Orange, N.J. 07052.
A large crowd is expected to come to draw spiritual pleasure and delight, to hear the singing at the “Oneg Shabbos” tisch, which the Rebbe will conduct Friday night Parshat Balak, July 3, at the home of his hosts Dr. & Mrs. Rozehzadeh, at 9:15.
A special part of the tisch is when the Rebbi recites the “Kiddush” in a special nussach keeping the entire crowd electrified by his holy avodah.
It is a known fact to his Chassidim that the time of “Kiddush” is a special time with potential to bring about great salvation. Singing together at the tisch moves the masses each time as if they were hearing it for the first time. The assembled feel a “real taste of paradise” each time they experience a Shabbos gathering.
The following story was told firsthand by the Rav of a Chassidic community in Monsey, NY. “Eight years ago, my friends told me that the Bnei Brak Biale Rebbe was visiting Monsey and recommended that I get a blessing from him. I went into the Rebbe with a kvittel with my name and those of my family. At that time I had three daughters, the youngest already six years old. The Biale Rebbe looked at my kvittel and asked me “What’s with a boy?” I looked at the Rebbe and replied that I’ll be delighted to have a son. The Rebbe told me that the time hasn’t yet come for this blessing, but it will happen. That Friday night I participated in the Rebbe’s “Oneg Shabbos” tisch. There was a large crowd there enjoying the Rebbe’s singing and talking. Suddenly the Rebbe looked around in all directions as if he’s searching for somebody, and when he saw me, he called me over, took a piece of fish with a bone from his portion, put it in my hand and said “Take a son” (a play on Yiddish/Hebrew words—in Yiddish a bone is called a “bein,” which is like the Hebrew word for son, “bein”). After the tisch the Rebbe spoke to me and told me which extra things I should take on. The miracle took place immediately! Nine months later I stood outside the delivery room and phoned the Biale Rebbe in Bnei Brak (with apologies to my parents whom I phoned after the Rebbe). I told the Rebbe, ‘It’s a boy.’ ‘Mazel tov,’ the Rebbe answered, ‘I know already!!!’”
Now, the residents of Passaic and West Orange also have the opportunity. If you haven’t yet met the Rebbe and you are interested in making a personal appointment for advice, blessing or guidance, you can do this now by phoning the Rebbe’s personal English-speaking secretary, Reb Moshe Friedman at (917)272-4045 or send an email to [email protected].
