INTRODUCTION I Was Responsible for Arranging the Very First Charter Flight

INTRODUCTION HOW AND WHY I BECAME AN AUTHOR I was responsible for arranging the very first charter flight from England to visit the Rebbe Shlita in New York. This took place in July 1961 – Tammuz 5721. On the 8th of Elul of that year I received a letter from Rabbi M. A. Chodakov, the personal and private secretary of the Rebbe which stated: “I would like to take this opportunity to suggest that it would certainly be worthwhile if one of the members of the group that came aboard the chartered flight from England would write a diary containing incidents and information of their visit here. A diary of this kind was kept by one of the visitors who came aboard the chartered flight from Eretz Yisroel last year and it was really of great interest.” “I would also like to suggest that I think it would be advisable that you publicise your speech to the teenagers, about which you write in your letter, or at least excerpts of it, in newspapers and other means of publicity.” I decided to accept this challenge personally, and I wrote a short account of this memorable visit. I sent a copy of this to the Rebbe, who in due course acknowledged this by writing to me as follows: “I take this opportunity to thank you for sending me the diary, which has revealed to me a new trait in your character, namely - a sense of humour.” As Rabbi Chodakov had suggested, I also read out this report to various youth organisations - it took 30 minutes to recite. It was a huge success. I do not know exactly how many of my listeners I had influenced, but many years later Rabbi Chaim Farro admitted to me that this was his first contact with Lubavitch beliefs, doctrines and work. It had created a profound impression upon him and was in no little way, instrumental in his decision to become a follower of the Rebbe. From December 1959 onwards, I visited the Rebbe at ‘770’ every year, sometimes twice and on one occasion three times per annum. Ten years later, in 1969, I decided to write a personal diary of my visits to ‘770.’ There were so many interesting and varied occurrences and happenings which had taken place, and in which my wife and I were personally connected and involved with the Rebbe that I felt obligated to record these facts - in order that my grandchildren should be able to read and learn how their ‘Bobby and Zaidie’ had spent their time at ‘770,’ and of the high honour and friendliness which the Rebbe and our Rebbetzen had extended to us over the years. I printed only fifty copies of the first edition. I wanted to ascertain the reaction of the Rebbe before I wrote any further material for general distribution amongst my friends. It was an instant success and I was requested by the Rebbe to “carry on writing.” Thank G-d I am blessed – at this moment – with seventeen grandchildren (KAH) and I have not sufficient copies left to supply even them. I RECEIVE A LARGE ORDER After Shovuos 5738-1978 I had a mini-Yechidus with the Rebbe. He instructed me to continue to write further instalments of “My Encounter” and “the next edition, being the tenth, should contain at least one hundred pages.” This seemed to me a rather difficult assignment. “On the contrary,” the Rebbe said, “it would be easy.” Since then I have received a letter from the Rebbe dated Shevat 5739/1979 which contained the following paragraph: “I thought it would not be necessary to make it more explicit when I expressed my hope that your next diary would contain 100 pages. But let me make it clear that it refers to a minimum, as a 5738 prelude to larger ones in the future. Indeed, In view of the Farbrengens and events of the current year, it should not be difficult to attain this goal.” I am not sure whether my readers would welcome a complete edition devoted and confined only to the Rebbe’s Sichas (talks). These Sichas are published regularly, weekly, in Yiddish and irregularly, but often, in English too. Surely the Rebbe does not desire that I should compete with these professionals. It is well known that I do include a number of Sichas in “My Encounter.” I would not print a word of Torah unless it could be easily understood by an ordinary layman or housewife. Therefore, it is essential that I should translate the Sichas into basic, simple, English. I do realise that the effort is worthwhile, because I have been flattered by some Lubavitch woman telling me that it was the first time that they had understood a Sicha of the Rebbe! I shall therefore continue to include as hitherto - a small number of Sichas in this tenth instalment. However, I have a much easier and simpler method of filling one hundred pages - and they shall be the usual standard size of page as on previous occasions. I intend to achieve my target by rewriting the very first of my encounters, and to conclude with the events of this past year - my tenth instalment. I do hope that my readers will be pleased with the results of my endeavours. 2 5738 CHAPTER 1 MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH THE REBBE My very first encounter with the Rebbe took place in 1952. It was not a direct face-to-face meeting. It was by means of a letter which I had received as President of the Kahal Chassidim Synagogue, Manchester. We wanted to send the Rabbi of our Shul my uncle, Rabbi Shmuel Rein, to visit the Rebbe as our emissary. He had himself, written to the Rebbe for permission to travel. It was a long sea journey (there were no air services at that time) and he was not in good health. The letter which we received from the Rebbe was in Yiddish. The following is my translation of this epistle: 7th Elul 5712/1952 To the Members and Honorary Officers of the Kahal Chassidim Synagogue. I have just received your letter, and am pleased to learn how much you value the work of your Rabbi Shmuel Rein. I am also happy to note that you desire a closer liaison and contact with us here (at ‘770’) - that being the main reason why you want to send Rabbi Rein as your Shaliach - emissary to Brooklyn. I hope that, just the same as with every living- thing, so will your good feelings also continue to grow and to permeate through your members, into their homes and their activities. This is the principle theme of our Torah and of our religion that they are not relevant to a part of the day only, and the rest of the time this Yiddishkeit is not even noticeable. But ours is a living Torah, from a living G-d which encompasses a Jew from the very first second until the last second of the 120 good years of his life - not only a Jew in Shul, at prayer and study, but also at home, in the street, and in the office - as we recite twice a day in the Shema “and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise up.” should visit me here, and further to his letter to me regarding his health. I consider that the strain of the journey, especially with the problems of eating and drinking, and other essential matters - although even amidst Simcha and happiness - would be too much for him. I am sure he has shown you the letter which I sent to him and in which I have explained these above-mentioned matters. I wish to thank you for the good thoughts in wishing to send your Rabbi, especially from a congregation which prides itself on the name of Kahal Chassidim. We learn that the Alter (old) Rebbe wrote in the Tanya, Chapter 16 that “Good thoughts have to be united with deeds.” That is, there has to be action too. Therefore, I hope that there will also be deeds that mean, that the good results which you could have anticipated from the visit will be turned to good actions even though your emissary did not make the journey. I end with good wishes for a Happy New Year to all the members of your Shul and to their families - to everyone - materially and spiritually.” This was the first letter which I had ever received, albeit indirectly, from the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Until that moment the Rebbe was, to me, some vague personality living thousands of miles away in the USA, literally - we were worlds apart. My first recollections of a Rebbe were as a youngster – when he was an even vaguer figure, who resided thousands of miles away in the town of Lubavitch in Lithuania. My maternal grandfather, Shneur Zalmon Edelman was a devout Lubavitcher Chossid. My mother used to tell us that he left his wife and three daughters at home in Rakishik, Lithuania and spent every Yom Tov with the Rebbe, Sholom Ber, who reigned from 1883 until 1920. Around 1906, during the time of the Russian pogroms, my mother together with many thousands of Jews fled to this country. She settled in Manchester, where she subsequently met my father, Zev Jaffe, who had come from Riga in Latvia. They were married in 1910. My father was not a Lubavitcher Chossid, but my mother persuaded him to join the Kahal Chassidim Synagogue.

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