It had become a custom of mine to spend the High Holidays with the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory. I was grateful to be hosted by the same family year after year, allowing me to relax and focus on my spiritual needs. One year in the late 1960s, I arrived at their home and discovered I'd been given a roommate for the holidays.
It didn't take long to discover his story. He had been dispatched by the Jewish Federation of London as part of a summer leadership program to visit Jewish communities across North America and share his experiences with the Federation upon returning home.
It so happened that the final stop of his tour was London, Ontario. There, he spent Shabbat with Irving Block, Professor of Greek Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario, and a dedicated student of the Rebbe. Professor Block wanted to know what the young man planned to do now that the trip was over.
"Well," the young man explained, "I have two weeks before university begins, so I'm planning to spend that time touring."
To which the professor suggested that he might consider spending that time studying in a yeshivah in the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, instead. After some thought, the young man agreed.
| "I informed him that I would be returning to England after Shabbat. Surprisingly, the Rebbe asked me to stay in Crown Heights for Rosh Hashanah . . ." |
When I met him, he had just completed those two weeks of study and was scheduled to leave right after Shabbat. After all, he had a four-year full scholarship in the department of philosophy at Cambridge awaiting him. But, before he left, he told me he wanted to attend the Rebbe's Shabbat
farbrengen (chassidic gathering), where the Rebbe delivered scholarly talks with interludes of
Chassidic melodies. He wanted to find a moment when he could approach the Rebbe and, like the proper Englishman that he was, thank the Rebbe for his hospitality during the preceding two weeks.
I watched him approach the Rebbe between talks, while everyone else was singing. Although I could not hear a thing, I could see that an animated conversation ensued.
When my young friend returned to his place, curious onlookers asked him what had transpired.
He recounted, "I told the Rebbe I had spent the past two weeks studying in Crown Heights and enjoyed it immensely. I thanked the Rebbe and informed him that I would be returning to England after Shabbat. Surprisingly, the Rebbe asked me to stay in Crown Heights for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
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