We are at the forty-seventh lesson in the Shalsheles HaYachas on the Rebbe's life, in part seven. Today we will read the years 5695 and 5696.
The year "5695" the first sentence: "For the month of Tishrei he travels to his revered father-in-law in Warsaw". The Rebbe himself related these matters at the farbrengen of Shabbos Bereishis 5717, as printed in Toras Menachem. The Rebbe relates there that in that year, 5695, the Rebbe Rayatz spent the month of Tishrei in Warsaw, and that he too had the opportunity to be with his father-in-law in Warsaw for that entire month. The Rebbe even details several customs that he saw on that occasion by the Rebbe Rayatz, explains them and comments on them.
The continuation: "At the end of the month of Marcheshvan he travels as an emissary of his revered father-in-law to comfort the Rebbe of Ger, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter - the author of the "Imrei Emes"". In that year, on 20 Marcheshvan 5695, the son of the Rebbe of Ger, Rabbi Yitzchak, son of Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, passed away, and then the Rebbe Rayatz sent the Rebbe as his emissary to comfort the Rebbe of Ger. The Rebbe himself once related that he tried to get out of this mission - since generally he would not take part in gatherings of rabbanim and would not make himself conspicuous on such occasions - but there was no choice, and he carried out the mission and traveled there.
The next detail: "He travels to Pertelsdorf (near Vien [Vienna]) to visit his revered father-in-law". In that year, in the month of Kislev, the Rebbe Rayatz traveled to Vienna for medical examinations, and the doctors determined that he had to rest in a spa town near Vienna. And from where do we have testimony about this? At precisely that time the chassid R' Refael Kahn, father of R' Yoel Kahn, left Russia, on his way to Eretz Yisrael. He said that first he wished to meet the Rebbe Rayatz and to go in to him for yechidus, and when he heard that the Rebbe Rayatz was staying in Vienna, he traveled there and from there continued on to Eretz Yisrael. He traveled to that little town, and describes in his diary how he met the Rebbe there, and how the Rebbe received him and took care of him. From the detailed description there we know that the Rebbe visited his father-in-law at that time and in that place.
The next item: "In this period he is occupied with preparing the Igros Kodesh of his revered father-in-law for print". In that period the Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz began to be published, edited by the Rebbe. These were not yet books, but thin kuntreisim. In practice, before the war they managed to print only one collection, called "Kovetz Michtavim Alef", on the subject of saying Tehillim - at the end of the Tehillim there appears a collection of letters of the Rebbe Rayatz. That is the first collection the Rebbe prepared, and it was printed even before the war; but in fact additional collections on additional subjects were ready for print, and the one who was occupied with them was the Rebbe.
The last item mentioned about the year 5695: "He is occupied with editing the "HaTamim" journals". We already told about this in the history of the previous Rebbe - the "HaTamim" journal began to appear in Warsaw in 5695, and the official publisher was the union of yeshiva students, "Ateh". Until the war eight issues appeared. The chief editor was Rabbi Zalmanov, and he relates that in that period the Rebbe was not in Warsaw but in Paris, and every issue that was prepared was sent to Paris before it was printed, to receive the Rebbe's approval. Only after the Rebbe had corrected and approved everything did the issue return to Warsaw and get printed. That is, the final approval for printing the issues and the books went through the Rebbe. With this we have completed the account of 5695.
"5696 - he travels several times to his revered father-in-law in Otwock". At that time the Rebbe Rayatz moved to Otwock, and the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva also moved there, and the Rebbe would travel to visit his father-in-law in Otwock. The temimim of that time relate that they would ask the Rebbe to farbreng with them and to test them on their studies. In one place it is related that the Rebbe Rayatz wanted to appoint the Rebbe as director of the yeshiva; in practice this did not come about, but the Rebbe was very much involved in the affairs of the yeshiva.
Another detail written here: "He was appointed honorary chairman of "Kupas Bochurim" (of the Tomchei Temimim yeshivos)". "Kupas Bochurim" is a fund that exists in the yeshivos to this very day, and it was established already with the founding of the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in the time of the Rebbe Rashab. Its purpose is to help bochurim who do not receive financial support from the yeshiva and who need coats, suits and other necessities, being far from home. To the position of honorary chairman of this fund the Rebbe was appointed at that time.
The next item described here: "He met with the gaon Rabbi Shabsai HaKohen, Rapaport - author of "Sifsei Kohanim"". One of the students who was in Otwock, Rabbi Heshel Reizman, testified about this meeting. He relates that one day, during a break in the studies, when the bochurim were in the courtyard, the famous gaon Rabbi Shabsai HaKohen, Rapaport, of the family of the Rebbes of Ger, came to the yeshiva, and there outside he met the Rebbe. He opened a Torah discussion with him - and the one who testifies describes exactly on which subject and in which sugya they spoke - and for two hours they learned in this way, in conversation, each one with his foot on a chair, and the students stood around them in tremendous amazement at the subjects that came up there. At the end of the conversation, before the gaon left the place, he said: "Such greatness in such a young avreich, I have never seen in my life".
The last item that appears here: "He visits the Rebbe Rabbi Aharon of Belz". The visit was not in Belz; the Rebbe of Belz had traveled to a spa town to be healed there, and the Rebbe wanted to visit him and to become acquainted with him. The Rebbe came there anonymously, without revealing who he was, and wanted only to see the countenance of the tzaddik. By hashgachah peratis, there was present there at that time a Jew from Chevron, Rabbi Chaim Schneersohn, who knew the Rebbe; he had come from Eretz Yisrael, he was a shadar, he collected funds for the community in Chevron and traveled to Europe, and he happened to be in that place. He saw the Rebbe and the Rebbe saw him, and the Rebbe asked him not to tell anything, so that he would not be recognized.
And it is related that when the Rebbe approached the Rebbe Rabbi Aharon of Belz to give him shalom aleichem, the Rebbe of Belz held the Rebbe's hand for a long time, and said: "A vareme hant" - a warm hand, a warm hand. Afterwards Rabbi Chaim Schneersohn revealed it to him and said: this is the son-in-law of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; and the Rebbe of Belz derived great pleasure from this.
It is worth adding that the Rebbe himself once described, in a yechidus with the present Rebbe of Belz, his meeting with the Rebbe of Belz, and expressed himself: "I saw form without matter" - a Jew upon whom one saw spirituality without a body and without physicality, entirely a spiritual man. That is how the Rebbe expressed himself about his visit to the Rebbe of Belz.