Rabbi Moshe Feller and his wife Mindy were one of the first couples to begin the tradition of shlichus. Before leaving for the twin cities of Minneapolis-S. Paul, they went to yechidus to receive the Rebbe’s blessing and advice.

At that yechidus, Rabbi Feller was a little surprised. The Rebbe spent most of the time speaking to Mrs. Feller, telling her that since she had studied mathematics, graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Hunter College, she should continue her studies and try to get a university position. This would not, the Rebbe emphasized, compromise her position as a shluchah. On the contrary, having a post at the university would facilitate outreach activities there.

Shortly after arriving in Minnesota, Mrs. Feller was able to secure a position at the University of Minnesota. The head of the mathematics department was Paul Rosenbloom, soon to become famous for developing the “new math.”

Besides being a mathematical genius, Prof. Rosenbloom had a vibrant Jewish heart, and a sincere desire for spiritual growth. His discussions with the new faculty member soon went far beyond mathematics, and he established a close relationship with the Feller family and a growing interest in Judaism and Chassidism.

In 1963, Prof. Rosenbloom was called to Brooklyn College for consultation. When he told Rabbi Feller about the upcoming trip, Rabbi Feller suggested that he visit the Rebbe for yechidus.

“Why would the Rebbe want to spend time with me?” Prof. Rosenbloom asked.

Rabbi Feller assured him that the Rebbe would find subjects which would interest both of them, and arranged an appointment.

The meeting was scheduled for 11 PM. Prof. Rosenbloom realized that the Rebbe would be seeing many people before and after him. Feeling that the area in which he shared the greatest common interest with the Rebbe was chinuch (education), and to save the Rebbe time, he wrote some of his ideas down and gave them to one of the Rebbe’s secretaries.

When he gave him the note, Prof. Rosenbloom told the secretary the general thrust of his thinking: that the programs of limudei kodesh (Torah studies) and limudei chol (secular studies) in Jewish day schools should be integrated.

The secretary reacted with shock. “There must be,” he told the professor, “a distinction between the holy and the mundane! A child must know what is sacred and what is not.”

When speaking to the Rebbe, however, Prof. Rosenbloom received a different picture. “Children should be taught to appreciate that everything is connected with the Torah,” the Rebbe told him. “When they perform an experiment in a science lab, they should know that it is G‑d’s creative power that is causing the chemical reactions they observe.

“There are some,” the Rebbe continued, “who have two sets of bookshelves, one for seforim [sacred texts] and another for secular books. That is the wrong approach. If a person thinks of secular wisdom as being unrelated to the Torah, he does not understand the Torah, nor does he truly understand the secular subject he is studying.”

This yechidus spurred Prof. Rosenbloom to continue his progress in Jewish observance and deepen his connection with Lubavitch. Several years later, when he moved to New York to accept the mathematics chair at Columbia University, Prof. Rosenbloom was an observant Jew with a strong connection to the Rebbe. At first, he rented an apartment close to the university, but he and his family felt the lack of Jewish community there, and he asked the Rebbe if they should move to Crown Heights.

“Absolutely not,” the Rebbe answered. “You should live near the university. A Jewish professor on campus should see that he has a colleague who wears a yarmulke; a Jewish student should see a young boy who walks proudly with his tzitzis hanging out.”

Although the Rebbe wanted Prof. Rosenbloom to serve as an example of Jewish practice, he made it clear that this was not to be done at the expense of his professional advancement. On the contrary, he urged Prof. Rosenbloom to forge ahead with his research. At one point, he invited him to bring a new mathematics paper to every farbrengen he attended.

Prof. Rosenbloom faithfully adhered to this directive. On Yud-Tes Kislev, Purim, and other occasions when some people chose to offer presents to the Rebbe, Prof. Rosenbloom would present him with a mathematics paper.

Once he brought a copy of a paper that had been published in a major journal. The Rebbe gave it a quick perusal and asked if he had not seen the paper before. The professor directed the Rebbe’s attention to a footnote on the first page. There it stated that the preliminary draft had been presented to the Lubavitcher Rebbe at a Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen.

Prof. Rosenbloom shared a birthday with the Rebbe, Yud-Alef Nissan. Year after year, at the farbrengen held on that date, he found a unique way to celebrate together. He would present the Rebbe with a mathematical problem which he had devised in the course of weeks of work, then wait a few brief moments until the Rebbe responded with its solution.

As their connection developed, the Rebbe began to entrust Prof. Rosenbloom with projects, some in the field of Jewish outreach and some in mathematics. One day, Prof. Rosenbloom received a package from the Rebbe’s office containing a mathematics paper written in German and a note from the Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Groner. Rabbi Groner stated that the Rebbe would like to know if the professor could find someone who understood German, and who would complete the paper and prepare it for publication.

Prof. Rosenbloom answered that the language was not a problem; most students of higher mathematics knew enough German to appreciate the paper. The problem was that mathematical research was very individualized, and it would be necessary to find someone with an expertise in the particular field which the paper addressed.

Rabbi Groner relayed the professor’s answer to the Rebbe, who replied by asking the professor to prepare a summary of the paper so that it could be presented to another person.

As Professor Rosenbloom began writing the summary, he realized that it would be difficult to find someone to complete the paper, and so he chose instead to offer advice to the author as to how he could complete the research himself. Neither the Rebbe nor Rabbi Groner had revealed the author’s identity, and Prof. Rosenbloom had not inquired.

At his next visit to a farbrengen, Prof. Rosenbloom presented his letter of advice to the Rebbe. The Rebbe asked him if he could find someone to complete the research, but the professor answered that it was unlikely. “Any person who would have the knowledge and ability to think creatively needed to complete this paper would most likely want to work on his own research,” he explained. The professor added that he had prepared the summary in a manner that would allow the author to finish the paper himself. This, he felt, would be the best alternative.

The Rebbe answered that this was impossible because the author was no longer living, and again spoke of finding someone else. “Would money make a difference?” asked the Rebbe, offering to pay a generous fee for the work.

“No,” answered the professor. “For such a person, the project itself would have to be the inspiration.”

“Could you find a graduate student whom you could direct in this work?”

“I’m afraid not,” answered the professor, explaining that the subject was too complex for an ordinary student.

Seeing the Rebbe’s sharp interest, however, Prof. Rosenbloom offered to complete the paper himself. Initially, the Rebbe refused, saying he did not want to take him away from his own research. But the professor persisted, sensing that the Rebbe genuinely wanted the paper completed.

Ultimately the Rebbe agreed, and allowed him to undertake the project. He then revealed that it was his own brother, Reb Yisrael Aryeh Leib Schneerson, who had begun the paper.

When the project was completed, the Rebbe asked the professor to try to have it published. He requested, however, that it be published under a pseudonym, with no biographical data concerning the author, aside from the fact that he had served as a professor of mathematics at the University of Liverpool.

The Rebbe showed an interest in all the members of the Rosenbloom family. Once the professor’s young son was having problems at school, and the guidance counselor suggested that professional counseling be sought for him. Mrs. Rosenbloom was very upset by this suggestion, and arranged a yechidus at which the problem could be discussed.

At yechidus, the Rebbe explained that there was no need for such an approach. Shifting the focus of discussion, he asked the Rosenblooms what they intended to do with their son on Chanukah. The Rosenblooms answered that they were planning to light candles with him and give presents, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The Rebbe suggested that they throw a Chanukah party for the members of their son’s class. Since he was only seven, the Rebbe added, they should invite the girls as well. The Rosenblooms should make sure that their own daughter had other plans for the afternoon, however, so that the boy could be the center of attention.

The party was scheduled for the Sunday of Chanukah. On the preceding Friday, a package arrived at the Rosenbloom home with a copy of the Merkos publication, “The Complete Story of Chanukah” for every member of the class. On Monday, Rabbi Chodakov, the Rebbe’s personal secretary, called and asked how the party went.

From that time onward, the child’s socialization ceased to be a problem.

At a yechidus before the boy’s Bar Mitzvah, the Rebbe showed an interest in Mrs. Rosenbloom’s activities. She told the Rebbe that she was involved with the Speakers Bureau of the Lubavitch Women’s Organization, arranging talks at meetings of Hadassah, Bnei Brith and other Jewish organizations in an attempt to heighten the awareness of Torah Judaism.

“And do you speak yourself?” the Rebbe asked.

“Oh no,” Mrs. Rosenbloom answered, explaining that she shied away from public speaking.

“That’s a shame,” the Rebbe told her. “It would be far more effective if women could hear the Torah’s message from someone who came from the secular world and understands that perspective.”

The Rebbe did not content himself with merely making a suggestion. The following day, the Rosenblooms received a message from his office asking that Mrs. Rosenbloom be the primary speaker at their son’s Bar Mitzvah , announcing the establishment of a free loan fund in honor of the Rebbe’s mother.

After making this speech, Mrs. Rosenbloom found public speaking less daunting, and began speaking at many of the functions arranged by the Lubavitch Women’s Organization.