Photo Credit: Jewish Press
On 19 Shevat 5749 (1989), I was called into the Rebbe’s room. The Rebbe was in the house at that time, as it was within the year after the Rebbetzin’s passing. So I went upstairs to the Rebbe’s private room.
I didn’t know it at the time, and it was not on my mind at all, but I was told that this was the only time, before or after, that the Rebbe called somebody into his own private room in the house.
Some people asked me, “If you were in the Rebbe’s room, how did it look? Did you look around?”
I must say that I didn’t see anything. I was afraid to look to the side; I was focused only on the Rebbe. I don’t know how the room looked. I don’t know anything. I just looked at the Rebbe all the time.
The Rebbe started by saying, “Di bletter vos du host araingeshikt machen a shtarken eindruk.“
This was right after the Siyum HaRambam of 5749 (1989), and the Rebbe says, “The pages that you sent in make a strong impression.” And then the Rebbe said, “Until now, we had five Siyumei HaRambam, five times.”
The Rebbe wanted us to make a Sefer of Hadronim from the siyumim that had taken place. Ideally, it should have encompassed the siyumim throughout the world, but the Rebbe said that would be too difficult, so it should be from New York, “Vail doh is der Mokor – Because the source is here” – and also from Eretz HaKodesh.
Then the Rebbe said when he wanted it to be done. He said that to wait until after Pesach was too long, and even after Purim is too long, so it should be “biz dem ershten Purim – before the “first Purim,” referring to Purim Katan. This gave us three weeks to put together the sefer.
The Rebbe said we could choose which cities to include from within Eretz HaKodesh. He said, “Ich vil dir nit zogen a sach protim – I don’t want to tell you many details… chotch ich hob shoyn gezogt a sach protim – although I already told you many details.”
The Rebbe continued (in Yiddish), “Because I want you and your colleagues to put yourself into it, and I want you to think, yourself, what’s the best way to do it.”
“Officially, you’re all equal,” the Rebbe said. “Unofficially, you’ll be the one in charge, but everyone is equal because everyone is truly equal.”
Then the Rebbe said, “You shouldn’t make any calculations about the money.” The Rebbe repeated this three times. “You should do everything in the best possible way.”
Then the Rebbe said, “You should use experts for everything.” The Rebbe added, “The experts don’t have to be shpitz Chabad,” as long as they are experts.
Then the Rebbe said there are “Sifrei HaYovel oif farshidineh zachen,” books that were given out for jubilees for certain things. “It doesn’t mean that Lubavitch has to emulate the entire world,” but to see how it’s done by the world, that we should do.”
Then the Rebbe looked at me with a big smile and said, “I’ll be happy to receive a report from you in a few days.” And then he said, “If you will know that I’m waiting for your report, it will encourage you and your colleagues to do things faster.”
This was the sefer the Rebbe wanted us to produce in record time. And Baruch Hashem, b’chasdei Hashem Yisborech, and with the Rebbe’s infinite brachos, we were able to fulfill what the Rebbe wanted.