In honor of Yud Shvat, the day the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn passed away (in the year 1950), and also the day Rav Menachem Mendel Schneersohn took the mantel of leadership as the seventh Rebbe (in the year 1951). Adapted from collive.com
The renowned Chassid R’ Shlomo Aharon Kazarnovky would farbreng in the private office upstairs in 770, known as the ‘zal,’ after the meal on Motzei Yom Kippur. Among the stories he regularly related during that farbrengen was the following:
On 26 Teves 5711 (1951), the American press announced that Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson was expected to formally assume the Chabad leadership on the upcoming date of 10 Shevat, the first yahrtzeit of the previous Rebbe.
The Rebbe responded by summoning Rabbi Hodakov and bidding him to call the newspaper offices and relay a denial in his name.
Rabbi Hodakov, taken aback, called three of the elders of Lubavitch – Rabbis Shmuel Levitin, Yisroel Jacobson, and Shlomo Aharon Kazarnovsky – related the Rebbe’s instructions, and added, “I don’t know what to do.”
The three men immediately entered the Rebbe’s office, where Shlomo Aharon burst out heartrendingly: “What is the Rebbe doing to us?” He continued to cry and plead before the Rebbe for a half hour. Rabbi Levitin also argued, “All that was written in the papers was that the Chassidim have accepted the Rebbe as their leader and submitted a document affirming their connection. Isn’t this fact undeniably true?”
Shlomo Aharon continued pleading, “Even if the Rebbe refuses to accept the Chabad leadership, the Rebbe should at least refrain from placing a denial in the papers.”
Solemnly the Rebbe assented.
Several days before 10 Shevat, Shlomo Aharon had a dream. The previous Rebbe appeared to him, along with his son-in-law. The Rayatz turned to the Ramash and intoned, “You should be the Rebbe.” But the Ramash refused.
The Rayatz sternly quoted Exodus 14:15: “G-d said to Moshe – G-d tells the leader of the generation, ‘Why do you cry out to Me?’ For you are the leader of the generation. ‘Speak to the children of Israel.’ Say a discourse of Chassidus, ‘and let them travel’ – and you will lead them until the arrival of Moshiach.”
The next morning, Shlomo Aharon arrived at 770 and submitted a note to the Rebbe in which he wrote down all the details of his dream. Shortly later, the Rebbe summoned him with the words “yasher koach!” (“Thank you for it!”)
The elders, standing nearby, nodded. “This is clearly an indication that the Rebbe has finally agreed to fulfill the request of Chabad Chassidim and accept the leadership role openly.”
Sure enough, on the eve of 10 Shevat, the Rebbe entered the farbrengen that ultimately became the event formally ratifying his leadership.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 23.