Horav Reb Dovid Raskin

HoRav Reb Dovid Raskin לזכות חבר מערכת של גליון זה החתן הרה''ת יוסף יצחק וזוגתו מרת שיינא שיחיו דענבורג לרגל חתונתם יום ב' אדר שני ה׳תשע״ד Reb Dovid Raskin was born in the city tivists for Yiddishkeit in the city. He re- they besieged the city and bombed the of Bobroisk on Yud Beis Sivan, 5687, to fused to send his children to the govern- bridges traversing the numerous water- his parents, Reb Yaakov Yosef and Droi- ment schools and hired Reb Sholom Ma- ways surrounding it. All bridges were za. Growing up in a period when Chassi- rozov to study with them and other chil- disabled besides for one, by which many dim were severely oppressed under Com- dren of Anash in his home. made their frenzied escape. munist rule, Reb Dovid endured a diffi- The persecution followed them to Len- One day in Elul of 5701 a neighbor cult childhood. When he was only ingrad and many times Reb Yaakov entered the Raskin residence and an- twelve, his father was arrested and sen- Yosef was taken for questioning and in- nounced that he had just received train tenced to one year of prison because of terrogated for hours as to the activities of tickets but, not wanting to leave his sons his efforts in strengthening Yiddishkeit. other Chassidim but despite the pressure, who were fighting on the Leningrad Following his release, Reb Yaakov he never breathed a word regarding his front, he had no use for them. He gave Yosef settled his family in Leningrad peers. his tickets to the Raskin’s who were both where he selflesslycontinued his holy WORLD WAR II shocked and overjoyed; thousands of work. people waited at the station for days in Reb Dovid celebrated his bar mitzvah Reb Dovid’s father became a promi- the hope of receiving even one ticket and under the shadow of war. nent figure in the Chabad community of here tickets had miraculously appeared When the Nazis reached Leningrad, Leningrad and was from the leading ac- for the entire family. 38 | A CHASSIDISHER DERHER They managed to board what would be scending from the train they learned that THE REBBE’S PARENTS the last train out of the city— the city was closed to refugees, and they In 5704 Reb Yaakov Yosef was in- immediately after crossing the one re- were forced to stay in the station for formed that the Rebbe’s father, Rav Levi maining bridge, the Nazis blew it up, and weeks, sleeping on the cold and wet Yitzchak, was exiled in Chile, Kazakh- the final escape route was destroyed. floors, until somehow they managed to stan, together with the Rebbe’s mother, After fifteen days of hardship and wan- steal into the city where they met a hand- Rebbetzin Chana, and he immediately dering, the train arrived in Omsk, Sibe- ful of Anash families. began efforts to obtain their release and ria, just a few days ahead of Rosh Hasha- Even in far off Siberia the element of to bring them to Alma Ata. His efforts nah. The town was teeming with refugees fear wasn’t absent. A short while after met with success and towards the end of and the city authorities were incapable of settling down, both parents were arrest- Nissan the Rebbe’s parents arrived in providing lodgings for the many more ed, leaving the children alone in their Alma Ata. constantly streaming in. Thus the Raskin new and strange surrondings. His moth- The first thing Reb Yaakov Yosef did family was forced to spend over two er was released after two weeks while Reb was secure a place of dwelling for the weeks under the open sky. Yakov Yosef sat in prison for a month Rebbe’s parents. He also arranged for From Omsk they continued on to No- and a half. doctors to care for the Rebbe’s father vosibirsk, eventually arriving on Chol who was very ill and weak after five years Hamoed Sukkos in Alma Ata. Upon de- of bitter exile. The Raskin children in- NISSAN 5774 | 39 REB DOVID AND THREE OTHER BOCHURIM POSE FOR A PICTURE BEFORE SETTING OUT ON MERKOS THE REBBE IS MESADER KIDDUSHIN AT REB DOVID’S WEDDING. SHLICHUS, IN THE EARLY 5710’S. CREDIT: LUBAVITCH ARCHIVES cluding Reb Dovid visited often, taking Temimim with the goal of eventually turns assisting the Rebbe’s father and travelling to the Frierdiker Rebbe in New attending to his needs. York. Years later Reb Dovid related: In the winter of 5710, five bochurim “During the weeks preceding the were chosen to be sent to New York. The Histalkus on Chof Av, Anash made shifts group included Reb Dovid, Reb Shlomo to stay with the Rebbe’s father and once I Pevzner, Reb Sholom Marozov, Reb had the zechus to be by his side for an Dovber Yunik and Reb Gedalya Korf. entire night. In the week prior to the They travelled by ship and on the way histalkus he was very weak and a couple a storm broke out, threatening to capsize of times I actually helped him put on the boat. The ship personnel told every- Tefillin. After I was done he would feel one to don their life jackets and be pre- the knot of the Tefillin Shel Rosh making pared to jump into the water. Reb Dovid sure it was in its proper place.” remained in his cabin and didn’t join the Even after Reb Dovid arrived in New rest of the people waiting nervously on York he continued to visit Rebbetzin deck for he was certain that after receiv- Chana in her home. ing the Frierdiker Rebbe’s bracha prior to Throughout the years, Reb Dovid mer- the trip, no harm would befall him. In- ited many a time the Rebbe's show of REB DOVID IN HIS YOUNGER YEARS. CREDIT: deed, within a few hours the storm quiet- appreciation for the assistance he had LUBAVITCH ARCHIVES ed down and then subsided entirely. lent the Rebbe's parents during those He arrived in New York on Zos Cha- weeks in Alma Ata. Rebbe. At one point it became known to nukah 5710. Being that he had already NEAR THE REBBE the bochurim that the Frierdiker Rebbe’s arranged his visa in France, Reb Dovid address in New York was 770 Eastern was able to pass through customs imme- With the conclusion of the war, the Parkway and for consecutive nights they diately, while the rest of his friends were Raskin’s managed to leave the U.S.S.R. farbrenged, “We already know the Reb- held back on Ellis Island until their pa- and settle in the D.P. camp of Poking in be’s address!” pers were issued. Munich, Germany. On the way out of After some time in Poking the Raskin That very day he entered into yechidus Russia they spent some time in Samar- family received the Frierdiker Rebbe’s by the Frierdiker Rebbe and Reb Elye kand where Reb Dovid learnt in Yeshiva. directive to emigrate to Eretz Yisrael. Reb Simpson went in with him, as was cus- For the temimim in Samarkand the one Dovid didn’t join his family and instead tomary then. During the yechidus Reb and only wish was to see and be with the travelled to Paris to learn in Tomchei Dovid became completely flustered and 40 | A CHASSIDISHER DERHER after leaving the room he was unable to recall what the Frierdiker Rebbe had told him. He turned to the Rebbe Nosi Doreinu and related his problem. The Rebbe immediately called Reb Elye who reported that the Frierdiker Rebbe had AFTER REB DOVID’S NAME. CREDIT: VAAD HANOCHOS B’LAHAK ורב פעלים asked Reb Dovid about his father and the THE REBBE ADDS THE WORDS family and had given a brachah. A month passed and Reb Dovid had a month earlier, I nevertheless very much tary, flatly refusedand rebuked me for another opportunity for a yechidus. The wanted to go in again, so I suggested that wanting to go into yechidus so soon after other four bochurim who were until then we enter as a group officially consisting my previous one, I nevertheless insisted. stuck on Ellis Island, finally arrived in of bochurim who had recently arrived “My proposal was finally received and 770 and they requested a yechidus. from Paris, and in this way I would be on Daled Shvat, just days before the Reb Dovid later recalled: included. Although Reb Moshe Leib histalkus on Yud Shvat, we entered the “Although I had just been in yechidus Rodshtein, the Frierdiker Rebbe’s secre- Frierdiker Rebbe’s room for yechidus. A Unique Yechidus During the year following the histalkus of the Frierdik- where Reb Dovid was studying, and motioned for him to er Rebbe on Yud Shvat, the Rebbe refused to accept peo- approach, whereupon the Rebbe handed him the tran- ple for yechidus (although the Rebbe gave brachos and scribed yechidus, replete with annotations in the Rebbe's replied to queries of all kinds). There were however a few own handwriting. exceptions. Here is a transcript of the Yechidus: On Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, Reb Dovid entered the ב”ה ר”ח תמוז תש”י Rebbe's room to discuss the various peulos the bochurim זהו כתוב במדרש שאם לומדים עם אחרים צריכים תחילה had initiated following the Rebbe's Fabrengen on Beis ללמוד לעצמו ארבעה פ ’. בודאי כן הוא גם כשלומדים איזה Iyar. Upon entering, Reb Dovid said that in accordance מאמר, לידע. צריכים לא פחות מארבעה פ', ולתפלה אפשר שיהי' -with the Frierdiker Rebbe’s words during his last yechi ד ' בפעם א'.

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