Living Torah Archives

David Mintz is the founder and CEO of Tofutti Brands. In the early 1980s he was the proprietor of Mintz’s Buffet, a kosher catering business in New York. With an eye on expanding his catering business, he asked the Rebbe for a blessing. The answer he received was unequivocal: he should not pursue this opportunity. Instead, the Rebbe encouraged him to continue his experimentations with creating frozen tofu desserts. Looking back, it almost seems obvious. But at the time, it took a great level of trust to heed the Rebbe’s advice.

Judaism teaches us that each and every child born is a cherished blessing for its parents and the Jewish people as a whole. But where can parents gain the confidence to take on the financial burden of raising a large family? The real answer is that your success was never in your hands anyway.

Today, Harvey Milstein is a businessman living in Israel. As a child, however, he grew up in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn where his father owned a pharmacy. While his father was a respected member of the religious community, he still struggled with the idea of closing his business on Shabbos and Jewish holidays. But a letter from the Rebbe finally convinced him to change his mind. (1960)

Meir Bastomski wasn’t raised in a Lubavitch family, so as he began to look and dress more like a Chabad Chassid, he also began to worry about any upset it might bring to his parents. It became so uncomfortable, that he was reluctant to return home for fear of causing friction in his relationship with them. Unsure of the best way to proceed, he asked the Rebbe for advice. (1967)

Ami Pykovski recalls introducing designer Maurice Sasson to the Rebbe. Despite a successful career in the clothing business, Sasson was not seeing the returns from his work and turned to the Rebbe for help. (1990)

The Previous Rebbe gave us a mission: "Stand ready to greet Moshiach." "Everything is already prepared, all that remains is to 'polish the buttons.'"

We live in a time of great freedom and prosperity for Jews. However, we must always keep in mind that it is not the “Strength and might of my own hand which has earned me this wealth,” but rather, “It is G-d’s blessing that brings riches.”