On Yud-Beis Tammuz (Tammuz 12), 5687 (1927), the Previous Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, was released from prison in Stalinist Russia. Ever since then, the date is celebrated as a major holiday among Lubavitcher chassidim.

Rabbi Berel Baumgarten, the Rebbe’s shliach in Argentina, cherished this occasion, and often spent the day at 770, taking in the Rebbe’s farbrengen. At other times, he used the holiday as an opportunity to spread awareness of chassidism to others.

One year, however, he was forced to travel from Argentina to Brazil, and realized that on Yud-Beis Tammuz, he would be in the middle of his journey. Disturbed at the prospect of spending this auspicious date far from anyone with whom he could share his feelings, he sent the Rebbe a telegram before he left home, asking to be remembered on that date.

In order to reach Brazil, Rabbi Baumgarten had to cross the Iguacu River by ferry - a boat with an open deck covered by an awning, with several heavy-duty rafts tied together to carry cars and cargo.

Together with several others, Rabbi Baumgarten followed instructions and drove his car onto the raft. As soon as the cars were parked, he and the others left their vehicles and enjoyed the fresh air beneath the awning. At first, Rabbi Baumgarten was happy to find that two of his fellow passengers were Jews. But his joy turned to consternation when he discovered that they were totally alienated from their heritage, and had no desire to hear about Jewish practice or ideas. One of them brazenly flaunted a ham sandwich before him, making it clear how little Judaism meant to him. Feeling that further conversation would be futile, and offended by their actions, Rabbi Baumgarten returned to his car and opened his books to study.

Suddenly, there was a powerful jolt: a banana boat had slammed into the raft! Huge beams that had been piled in a corner of the raft began tumbling down, pushing cars off the raft and into the Iguacu River. To his shock, Rabbi Baumgarten’s car also began to move. He slammed his foot on the brake, but was powerless to stop the car’s forward motion. It too crashed into the waves and started to sink!

Now Rabbi Baumgarten was a big man, over six feet tall and more than 250 pounds. Yet, as big and strong as he was, he couldn’t open the car door; the water pressure was simply too great. What happened next, he never knew, but suddenly his door opened, and he found himself out of the car and in the water, being pulled upward.

His troubles, however, were far from over. Yes, he had escaped the sinking vehicle, but Rabbi Baumgarten had never learned to swim. Frantically kicking and flailing his arms for what seemed like hours, he was at the end of his strength when his head suddenly broke through the water. Exhausted, Rabbi Baumgarten could only bob helplessly up and down; he had no idea what was keeping him afloat. Between waves, he could see the raft close by, but was powerless to move towards it.

To make matters even worse, he could hear a rumbling thunder in the distance, and realized with horror that the river’s powerful current was beginning to pull him away from the raft, and towards a waterfall! As the white water crashed over him, Rabbi Baumgarten looked up to see a man heaving a life-preserver toward him. It splashed into the river just within reach.

Rabbi Baumgarten grabbed the life-preserver and drew it close. He tried to put it over his body, but he was simply too big. Though his strength was giving out, there was no alternative; he would have to hold on by hand. While in the water, he pictured the Rebbe’s face before him.

After he had been hauled into the raft and was able to regain his composure, the two Jews whom he had met previously approached him, overcome with remorse. They realized that it was because of them that Rabbi Baumgarten had returned to his car, and apologized for their previous conduct. The man who had flaunted the sandwich even promised to keep kosher from that time onward.

After Rabbi Baumgarten reached the far shore, he began to contemplate his situation. He had no explanation for the miracle that had occurred. Days later, he understood. When he called the Rebbe’s office and asked that the Rebbe be told what had happened, one of the secretaries told him when his telegram had been delivered. Calculating the difference in time-zones, he realized that the Rebbe must have been reading the telegram at precisely the time that his car had been dislodged from the raft!

All these calculations, however, came later; at the moment, he had more immediate concerns. His personal belongings had all been lost with the car, and he was far from any Jewish community. Where would he find a tallis and tefillin with which to pray?

Now in Brazil, Tammuz falls in the winter and the days are short. Rabbi Baumgarten found that there was a small airport nearby, but no flights were scheduled until late afternoon; he would not be able to reach another city before sunset. He did not know what to do, being unable to conceive of letting the day pass without putting on tefillin.

He inquired about hiring a private plane. Although the cost was exorbitant, he was able to find a pilot who could fly him to another city before sunset. He sent a telegram to the leaders of the Jewish community there, asking them to meet him at the airport with tefillin.

There was a mix-up in communications, however, and no one greeted Rabbi Baumgarten at the airport. With less than an hour left before nightfall, Rabbi Baumgarten grabbed a cab and told him to hurry to the nearest synagogue. Unfortunately, night fell before he could get there. Broken-hearted, he stopped the cab and sat down on a nearby park bench and cried.

At his next yechidus, he asked the Rebbe how he could atone for not putting on tefillin that day.

Before answering his question, the Rebbe looked up at him and asked: “Well, did I think about you? Yes or no?”

He then instructed Rabbi Baumgarten to study the laws of tefillin in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, and the discourses in chassidic thought that speak about the subjugation of heart and mind - the spiritual message associated with the mitzvah of tefillin.

Rabbi Baumgarten lamented that a pocket-sized Siddur and Tanya which he had been given by the Rebbe were now at the bottom of the Iguacu River. “Could the Rebbe please replace them?” he asked.

“Why? Is it my fault?” replied the Rebbe with a smile. He did, however, give Rabbi Baumgarten another Siddur and Tanya.