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A story of the Rebbe (one of thousands)

The Lubavitcher Rebbe
“The Rabbi,” © by Linda Frimer

In honor of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s 29th yahrtzeit (anniversary of his passing), 3rd of Tammuz 5783 (June 22, 20’23), we share a story of his blessing for a Gentile.

Reprinted, with permission, from Sichos In English.

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The young bearded man in the dark suit hardly resembled the regular customers of the large clothing store in a New York inner city neighborhood. But Tony, the black security guard, was not surprised to see this “regular.” Every week, he would come to visit Tony’s boss, the owner of the store.

“We talk about our religion,” the boss had told Tony when he asked about the visitor. “He also tells me all kinds of miracle stories about this holy Rabbi of his who lives in Brooklyn and helps sick people. He has a lot of admirers, this Rabbi. I heard that even the President sends him a card on his birthday. Impressive, eh?”

But Tony wasn’t thinking about the president. He thought about his own four-year-old little son, Michael, who was suffering from a developmental disorder. He did not talk, walk, or feed himself, and the doctors had been unable to help.

“It’s a far out idea,” Tony thought hesitantly. “But maybe….” Still, he could never bring himself to approach the bearded man.

One hot summer afternoon, Tony was standing listlessly at his post when the young man walked through the door. Maybe the intense heat gave Tony a sense of urgency. “It’s now or never! I’ve got to ask the man to get his Rabbi to bless my son.”

After waiting nervously for the man to end his meeting with the boss, Tony called out, “Hey sir, got a minute?”

The young man turned to the guard. “What can I do for you?” he answered politely.

With a what-do-I-have-to-lose shrug, Tony blurted out his request. He could see the man listening attentively and thinking as he spoke, and then he offered to help. “But there’s one small condition,” the young man said. Tony instinctively reached for his wallet.

“No, no,” the young man said, waving his hand. “That’s not what I meant.” Tony was surprised. Now it was his turn to listen. The man told him about the Rebbe’s campaign to begin each day with a moment of silence, meditating upon the Creator of the World and His expectations of man. He explained the Seven Universal Laws commanded to Noah and his descendants which all Gentiles are obligated to observe.

“I’ll write the letter about Michael to the Rebbe,” the young man concluded, “but I’d like to tell him that you’re trying to earn the blessing. Do the things that we spoke about for a week, and then we’ll see.”

“It’s a deal,” responded Tony enthusiastically. “I’ll do my thing and you do yours. I’ll think about G‑d every morning and try to act right. I swear my wife will be in on this too. Next week, we write this letter to the Rabbi and you give it to him, O.K.?”

The next time they met, Tony vowed that he had kept his part of the deal. “It ain’t bad, thinking about G‑d and all that every morning…”

The letter was written, but Tony’s boss left for vacation, and it was several months before the two saw each other again. When they met again, Tony greeted the young man with a flashing smile. “Unbelievable! The kid suddenly started living! He’s walkin’ and talkin’ and he’s gonna go to school this September! Listen, would you help me write a thank-you card to the Rabbi?”

Tony promised to tell all his friends about the miracle. He tried to convince them to start their day with a moment of silence and to keep those seven laws.

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For our biographical page about the Rebbe, CLICK HERE