New York – I am the son of a Communist victim. I am the brother of a Holocaust martyr. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
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I am a voracious talmid chochom. I am versed in the secular. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am the Old Country. I am the New World. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am a Rogachover musmach. I am a college graduate. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am European. I am American. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am the son-in-law of a tzaddik in a shtreimel and black coat. I am a U.S. Navy civilian engineer in a suit and tie and gray hat. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am a mysterious mystic. I am salt of the earth. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I saw the past. I see the future. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am fiercely tradition-true. I am an innovator. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am an open-minded tolerant liberal fanatically bent on communicating my unimpeachable Torah absolutes. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I dispense down-to-earth advice to the intellectual. I direct divine blessing to the infertile. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am a dozen, a hundred, a thousand young rabbis worldwide. I am one rabbi in Brooklyn. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am a man who made a movement. I am a man who rarely moved. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am a beard and yarmulke in Pleasanton. I am a mikvah in Baranquilla. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am a sheitel in Daytona Beach. I am a chupah in Moscow. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am a sefer Torah in Oxford. I am a black hat and kapotah in Berlin. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am a young dead couple in Mumbai. I am the tears of millions. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am generations restored to G-d. I am the Jewish world redefined. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am a Chosid. I am a Rav. I am a Misnagid. I am a Rosh Yeshivah. I am frum. I am not yet frum. I am a Jew. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am whatever a Jew needs, wherever a Jew is. I am Ahavas Yisroel, I am Klal Yisroel. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I am part of you. I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe. And so are you.
In tribute to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneersohn, zecher tzadik livracha (1902-1994), who turned Lubavitch into a worldwide force for kiruv rechokim and Jewish support services. The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s 15th yahrzeit, the 3rd of Tammuz, falls this year today on Thursday, June 25, 2009.
Zecher Tzadik Livracha
“Young dead couple in Mumbai. I am the tears of millions”
May the z’chus of the rebbe’s life, midos and maasim tovim provide a basis for hashem to grant shalom al KOL yisroel (chassidim and misnagdim, zionist and hareidi). Even those who were not followers of the rebbe today acknowledge him as a transformational figure in yiddeshkeit for his own chassidim and for all the rest of us for generations to come.
the rebbeh loved ALL people and regardless…. he was the epitome of “love the sinner, hate the sin” true unconditional love and care, a true OHEV YISROEL!
While true to his own tradition of chassidus, the rebbe was respectful of others claimed to follow a different derech to chassidus and provided them some legitimacy
As a Lubavitcher Chossid, this moved me to tears.
wow an amazing poem!!! thank you Hashem for giving us the Rebbe!!
The Lubavitcher Rebbe: Shleimus Hatorah, Shlaimus Haam, Shleimus Hooretz.
I think one may say that the Lubavitcher Rebbe was the greatest Jew on earth in all aspects – with the likes of: Moshe Rabbenu, the Rambam etc. in their time. How lucky was our generation to have this great sage amonst us.
“I am not yet frum”? If you write that you coud write “I am a non-Jew” because the Rebbe had a mivtza of sheva mitzvos bnei Noach!
who ever wrote this thank you. my eyes filled with tears and its so true and beautiful
All of you are a bunch Kool-Aid drinkers and need to have your head examined.
Thank you VIN.
I’m crying not just bc I have no parnasah. I’m crying not just because I don’t daven or learn properly. I’m crying not just because my wife left me and our beautiful kinderlach for nothing. I’m crying because we need our father,teacher and Rebbe back begolui NOW! Please Ha-shem send us Moshiach NOW!
Part of the Rebbe’s desire to reach out to every Jew, including non-orthodox, as well as mentally disabled, may come from the fact he personally had a brother (Yisrael Aryeh Leib, who the Rebbe wrote about in the Yizkorbuchs after the war), as well as a brother in law (Mendel Horonstien) who was not orthodox, and his brother who was killed in the war was mentally challenged.
very nice poem, yasher koach. to the people out there who wish they had met the Rebbe, there is something you can do: learn from the vast amount of amazing Torah he taught, both in Nigleh and in Nistar!
And thank you again, this was beautiful,, I am so emotional today,, thinking that the only way my children can see the Rebbe himself in action is through a video,, they will never be able to look into his eyes, and feel what I felt, without Moshiach to take us out of this horrible golus. Rebbe,, RATEVET! Please,, Hashem, bring Moshiach NOW!!
Tears in my eyes and my family reading this togther. We decided we will light a candle in his honor and take another mitzvah. Thank you Rebbe that we did not know.
The Rebbe objected to the use of the term “Kiruv Rechokim”. We don’t have the right to judge who is far and who is close.
kiruv rechokim!!! the rebbe said no jew is rachok its kiruv krovim!
I just returned from the Ohel and saw this on the internet.I thougt to myself how well you expressed the scene. You hear 70 different languages, you see bekeshes and beeber hit and kipah srugahs. Yet all stand together and beg Aveinu Shehbashomayim for Moshiach now and the return of our Rebbe. Thank you for the beautiful poem and beautiful sentiments. My heart was touched and I truly appreciate the gesture. May I ask who is the author?
was at the ohel this morning and saw on video the Rebbe explaining that its kiruv kroivim not rachoikim
As a 30 something having grown up in CH I have always been a fierce defender of my Rebbe’s honor. It always bugged me when people put descriptors beside the Rebbe’s name because no descriptor was ever adequate. This poem is the first piece I’ve ever read that described the Rebbe yet sat comfortably with me. Not because it described the Rebbe in every way, but because it didn’t try. To the author: reading this has made me feel connected to the Rebbe today although I am not able to participate in any live farbrengen or go to the Ohel. Thank you.
Only one thing, the Rebbe did not know the word ‘I’.
I am so moved by this post – I have no words.
Yes, this is a tiny glimpse of our Rebbe. It would be advisable to change and remove the firs word “I am” and replace maybe with “we”, because by the Rebbe there was never such a word as I, the Rebbe devoted every second, minute, hour, day 24/7 for Klall Israel in general, and every single individual Yid in particular. The Rebbe looked at every yid’s Neshomo how he could connect it to Hashem and how to help every Yid Begashmius. This was and is his life. I’m proud to be his Chosid, he has changed the world, I miss him very much.
Wonderful post about the Rebbe zt”l. May his chassidim continue their wonderful work all around the world.
But it’s a shame that some commenters (eg #11 , #12 ) spoil it by bringing in the flavor of avodah zara.
I read this to my wife and we both cried…
Thank you VIN for publishing this piece. I am unable to travel to the Ohel as I have for the past 14 years. Reading this has been an emotional experience, full of inspiration and motivation. Thank you!
“I am whatever a Jew needs, wherever a Jew is.”
are you saying “you” are chas vesalom god??? seemingly a lot of chassidim viewed the Rebbe as some type of force and power to himself .
The question is why? and what we can do to take this apikoires out of peoples heart.
I am not writing this to make machlokes but to save yidden from the worst types of aveira.
to # 29 what part of comments # 11,12 is avodah zorah???????
Hashem runs the world, not the Rebbe. As great as the Rebbe was, he was a nivra, not a borei. Moshe Rabbeinu’s kever was hidden so that people wouldn’t daven to him or turn him into an avoda zara. Doesn’t the Rebbe deserve the same zechus of not being turned into avoda zara?
beautiful. yahser koaich!
A harty and 100% poem. Nicly writen.
Zol zain a gutte better. What a gaint.
Very very nice. Please learn a little extra or do another mitzvah bhidur on this special day.
what the Rebbi accomplished is far greater than the mind can perceive! he broke through all barriers and sects of Judaism! uniting humanity by our common innate godliness
i just watch a video of Mr. chase praising the Rebbe for all his done and doing for all his thought and teaches…
the Rebbes reply was “the best praise a teacher wishes for, is that his students follow in his way and live up to his teachings!”
oh how much we must live up too, let us not let the Rebbe down!
thanks for the great poem, i cried when i read it.
i really really miss the Rebbe
I thing the Lubavitcher Rebe has a lot of similarity to the Rambam, in his knowledge etc. same as the Rambam in his life time had some Gdolim disagree with him sharply, but after his ptira all recognize is gadlus, same by the Lubavicher.
Well done! The author is deserving of an award.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWw1PGVJAzo
The line I am the Lubavitcher Rebbe. And so are you. sent chills up my spine! We have a lot to live up to, to make ourselves into a minutre baston of Judiasim and love.
You missed one thing. When the Belzer Rebbe shook the hand of the Lubavitcher Rebbe flesh to flesh, he said “these are such pure, holy hands.”
Why can’t we get along? The Lubavitcher Rebbe (as well as all of our Gedolim) emphasize achdus (unity) but for over 2000 years we haven’t gotten it right yet…lets get it right this year. So please, all you arguing comment people – just relax. You won’t make anyone understand your point if you attack people. Please don’t attack each other…there are billions of others to do that for you. Unify and welcome Hashem…
I would like to add:
I am the one who had no children, and people with six or seven children would ask me to pray for them for more children. Every time, thousands of times, this would happen, it would break my heart as I prayed to Hashem:
“Please Hashem give Ploni bas Plonis another beautiful and healthy child. I am not asking for myself, as I have none, for You so willed it, but I am asking for Ploni bas Plonis” The angels would cry when they heard these prayers. And Hashem would wipe off their tears (K’evayochel) and proclaim: “How could I refuse prayers that are so pure without any self-interest. I must fulfill them immediately”. And He did.
To the Lubavitcher Rebbe there is no ‘rechokim’ all Jews are our brothers, we are all KROVIM.
Thank you for this moving tribute. Now the Rebbe’s work is ours to bring the Geula.
in the last paragraph in bold you have a bit of a mistake, its says “kiruv rechokim”, the rebbe never used those words because he said that no Jew is far [rochok]. i am just teaching you something new in case you never knew. The Rebbe was anti using words like that.
Although “I” is one of the most common words in the English language, I don’t believe I ever heard the Rebbe use the word “I” in a public address. I is not the Lubavitcher rebbe.