Morrie Steiman is one of San Diego’s leading Jewish philanthropists. Through his father and uncle, his family shared a connection to the Lubavitcher Rebbeim and, encouraged by Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky, he sought to renew the relationship.

He had met the Rebbe several times, and had begun to develop a bond with him. “Do chassidim give shalom to the Rebbe?” he asked Rabbi Bogomilsky, referring to a custom among Polish chassidim, but not practiced within Lubavitch, to greet one’s Rebbe and shake his hand.

“Everyone has their own relationship with the Rebbe,” Rabbi Bogomilsky answered. “What I do and what other chassidim do does not have to affect the way you relate to him.”

And so Mr. Steiman asked for an opportunity to give shalom to the Rebbe. In those years, the Rebbe would recite his morning prayers alone, but every Monday and Thursday he would hear the Torah reading at the service conducted by the yeshivah students in the small shul upstairs at 770. It was arranged that Mr. Steiman would attend a Monday morning Torah reading. After being honored with Hagbah, he hurried to stand in the small foyer between the Rebbe’s room and the shul , intending to stop the Rebbe as he passed and shake his hand.

But plans do not always go as expected. That day, there were many visitors to 770. The Rebbe walked briskly out to his office, and Mr. Steiman was not able to catch his attention.

Mr. Steiman was slightly surprised. On previous occasions, he had received much personal encouragement from the Rebbe, and yet now the Rebbe had walked past without even a sign of recognition. Needless to say, Mr. Steiman was disappointed; he was certain that the Rebbe had not recognized him.

Several weeks later, he received his first and only letter from the Rebbe. The Rebbe began by thanking him for his visit to 770, and apologizing for the fact that although he had noticed him, circumstances had not allowed for a proper exchange of greetings.