770 Life

The next day, the Rebbe received a brand new Cadillac from a wealthy follower who had often received, and is still receiving, the beneficent and successful advice of the Rebbe in his business problems. He sends a new Cadillac to the Rebbe every year.

We were also shown the new library and sumptuous offices next door, which we do hope the Rebbe will soon make use of. Although we always refer to Lubavitch House as 770, this building is now only a small part of the five or six huge buildings on Eastern Parkway owned by Lubavitch. I am not referring to our numerous schools and yeshivos in New York. (One new yeshiva costs $3 million to build.)

The following day I saw Rabbi Chodakov in his own private office, and I could not get a word in edgewise. The telephone was ringing continuously: Israel, England, Australia, besides local Canadian and USA calls. The general office is busier, even with three telephone lines. A young man wanted to see the Rebbe.

“The earliest is four months,” he was told, but he could send a letter.

A man had arrived from Uruguay with his son; he only wanted to look at the Rebbe. His wish could be granted at mincha. A yeshiva student brought in an old man and showed him a pair of tefillin, and said, “these are tefillin.” He helped the old man to put them on. The man made the brocha and recited shema; the boy then thanked the man, and the man, with tears in his eyes, thanked the boy.

A few years ago Rabbi Shemtov joined our group on the flight from Manchester to Brooklyn without asking permission from the Rebbe, and Rabbi Shemtov kept away from the Rebbe. He was afraid. I asked the Rebbe not to be angry with him, as it was my fault.

“Ah,” says the Rebbe, “then I have two people to shout at now!”

I had once complained to the Rebbe that he never replied to my letters from Manchester and I had to write again. The Rebbe said, “It was worth it as I had another nice letter from you because of that.”

On Shabbos, services usually finished about noon (beginning at 10:00). The farbrengen always started punctually, normally at 1:30. Once, I arrived at 1:33 and the Rebbe was already sitting at his place on the platform. He gave a sign as if to ask why did I come so late.

Many years ago, when Avrohom wanted to grow a beard, he asked the Rebbe if he could do so. I have since asked many people to guess what the Rebbe answered, and not one has ever got the right answer. He replied, “You must ask your mother.”

Another example of the Rebbe’s attitude is when I pointed out an ironic situation to the Rebbe: a woman was interrupting her work on Friday evening to light the Shabbos candles. The Rebbe replied, “At least she had fulfilled a mitzvah.”