In pre-war Poland, the chassidim of R. Avraham Mordechai of Gur would boast that their Rebbe had tens of thousands of chassidim who did not put on tefillin, nor fast on Yom Kippur. If a listener questioned this statement, they would take him to any local cheder teeming with happy, young faces, adding “These are some of the Rebbe’s most ardent followers.”

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In Lubavitch, children always looked up to the Rebbe as “their personal Rebbe,” proudly cherishing the bond they shared with him. The energy and intensity he would show at the Lag BaOmer parades or at other children’s rallies was singular. When he would speak to children individually at yechidus or when distributing dollars for charity, he was focused on them entirely. It was as if there was nothing else in his world at that time.

The Rebbe’s connection with children was not only inspirational. He taught; communicating Torah thoughts in a way that guided the development of the children’s characters. In this collection, we have taken the process one step further, using original stories and analogies to convey the germ of the idea taken from the Rebbe’s sichos.

May the Torah study and the prayers of the many thousands of children who have learned to study and pray through the Rebbe’s inspiration hasten the coming of the Mashiach and the fulfillment of the prophecy:1 “And those who lie in the dust will arise and sing.”

Then children will again sit at farbrengens and ask their parents: “Please tell me what the Rebbe said.”

Malka Touger

Jerusalem

18 Elul, 5762