Yechidus

Our yechidus was the following night, Monday, 9 Sivan (May 26) at 8:30. The Rebbe said I must not tell anyone about this special yechidus, as all would want the same early appointment. [When we finally came out at 9:45, (maariv should have been at 9:30), only about 150 students were waiting for us. They all knew about this yechidus!]

Upon entering, the Rebbe stood up and told Roselyn that it was nice to give her sholom aleichem again, for the second time, and asked her to be seated. She sat, with paper and pencil in her hand, ready to write down the vital points that would arise.

I told the Rebbe that so far I had a wonderful time socially and now it was time for a business discussion.

The Rebbe asked Roselyn whether she had given permission for me to leave her and eat the Yom Tov meals with the Rebbe. When Roselyn answered in the affirmative, the Rebbe said he hoped she did not mind. Roselyn replied that as the Rebbetzin had made this sacrifice, so could she and was pleased to do so. The Rebbe said that his Rebbetzin had made this sacrifice for forty years.

Roselyn replied “biz ah hundred un tzvansig” (until 120). The Rebbe smiled appreciatively. In fact, during the whole one and a quarter hours the Rebbe was laughing and smiling most of the time.

I told the Rebbe about my speech at the kinus hatorah the previous day, about not wanting to be a tzorrus chossid.

“Did you not give a moshel as usual?” asked the Rebbe.

I was surprised, because I did not remember ever having given a moshel before. But, the Rebbe gets to know everything! So I told the Rebbe what I had said about people living at the source of the river who could not appreciate what was happening many hundreds of miles away. The Rebbe seemed to like it.

I reported about the many complaints I was receiving from people who had no replies from the Rebbe to their letters. I said, “l’havdil, the Queen of England has a private secretary who just acknowledges her letters.”

The Rebbe said that was not for a chossid. But yet, he was looking for some nusach (standard responses to be applied to various requests) that would satisfy not only his correspondents, but also himself. We discussed business and family, Lubavitch and communal problems.

I realized it was now 9:30, so I said, “The Rebbe will want to daven maariv.”

The Rebbe replied, “Vail ess shtaite in Shulchan Aruch!” (Because it states so in Jewish Law; - not just because “the Rebbe wants.”)

“True,” I remarked, “but it does not say one need daven at 9:30 p.m.; it could again be 3:30 a.m. like the other night.”

“Yes,” said the Rebbe, “that is so; but it was getting a little ‘tight’ for s’firah.” [The counting of the Omer, which needs to be completed before dawn.] He advised us to come for our next yechidus at the “usual” time, in the early hours of the morning, so that no one would be jealous.

The Rebbe then disclosed to me that he had received an anonymous letter from Detroit, “upon which even a “vWc” (a blessing to G-d) appeared on the top,” telling the Rebbe to go back to [the town of] Lubavitch and to not interfere with people in America and pester them to do mitzvos.”

The Rebbe agreed with me when I said I thought that it was a good sign to get such a letter.

I told the Rebbe that it reminded me of a Lubavitcher who once phoned me in Manchester at 7:00 a.m. and once called Bernard Perrin at 2 a.m.

The Rebbe said, “He must have been keeping 770 hours.” When we mentioned Avrohom, the Rebbe said he always addresses him as HoRav Avrohom in his letters.

The Rebbe asked me if I liked the apartment in Union Street. I replied that it was ideal, especially as it was only seconds away from 770. I added that we would like to avail ourselves of its use for every Shavuos.