One of the chassidim in Moscow had been wealthy before the revolution, but had been reduced to poverty by the Communist regime. Once during the 1920s, when the Previous Rebbe visited that city, this chassid did not have the money to pay the trolley fare, and so he walked from one end of the city to the other to see him at yechidus.

At yechidus , he asked only about his divine service.

“And what about your material concerns?” the Rebbe asked.

“My material concerns don’t interest me,” the chassid replied.

“But they interest me,” the Rebbe responded.

Unquestionably, the Rebbe thinks of every Jew. That said, there is undeniably a unique degree of closeness and care shown for Anash, the members of the chassidic brotherhood. A chassid regards the Rebbe as his father, sharing with him his inner conflicts, appealing to him for help in times of need.

And the Rebbe responds sometimes with advice, sometimes with words of blessing, and sometimes with a blessing that is not expressed in words.

A chassid’s relationship to the Rebbe is not one of give and take. His commitment is based on the genuineness of the Rebbe’s message and the truth of his principles.

And indeed, the relationship goes deeper than that. As the Alter Rebbe writes in Tanya:1 there are certain comprehensive souls who serve as a conduit for the spiritual nurture of others. A chassid feels that the Rebbe is the source of his spiritual vitality, and therefore he is willing to devote that energy to the Rebbe’s objectives without reservation.

Such wholehearted devotion calls forth a reciprocal commitment to the chassid on the part of the Rebbe. The Rebbe will keep him in mind and invest energy in seeking out his material and spiritual welfare.