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Stories from As I Heard Them (Lesheima Ozen) by Reb Zalman Duchman. © The Duchman Family; used with permission — share this sheet as produced, do not republish the stories in other formats.
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Va'eschanan

Trading One Mitzvah for Another

As I Heard Them, Vol. 1, pp. 211-212, no. 21

אדמו"ר זי"ע האָט דעמאָלט דערציילט אַ מעשה, אַז דער אַלטער רבי האָט געדאַרפט אָפּגעבן דעם מיטעלן רבי'ן אין חדר, האָט ער גערופן דעם מלמד און האָט צו אים געזאָגט מיט אַ ניגון כדרכו בקודש: איך וויל מיט דיר בייטן אַ מצוה אויף אַ מצוה. איך האָב אַ מצוה "ושננתם לבניך", דו האָסט אַ מצוה "עושה צדקה בכל עת — זה הזן בניו הקטנים" איך גיב דיר אים אָפּ אין חדר לערנען אַלף־ בית. וואָס איז אַן אַלף? אַ קעפּעלע פון אויבן, אַ קעפּעלע פון אונטן, אינמיטן אַ פּאַסיקל — דאָס איז אַן אַלף. און דער רבי האָט אַ זאָג געטאָן צו ר' פנחס בן אלי' חיים אַלטהויז הי"ד: אַז דו וועסט אָפּגעבן דיין אינגל לערנען וועסטו טאָן די זעלבע זאַך וואָס דער כהן גדול אין קדשי קדשים. וואָס האָט ער געטאָן? ממשיך געווען גילוי אלקות למטה.

The Rebbe told a story on that occasion:

When the Alter Rebbe had to enroll the Mitteler Rebbe in cheder, he summoned the melamed and said to him in his customary nigun, “I want to trade one mitzvah for another with you. I have the mitzvah of V’shinantam l’vanecha – Teach Torah to your children; 65 you have the mitzvah of One who does tzedakah at all times: he who sustains his young children. 66 I am enrolling him in your cheder to learn alef-beis. What is an alef? A dot above, a dot below, with a line in between — that is an alef.”

And the Rebbe commented to R. Pinchas ben Eliyahu Chaim Althoiz (may G-d avenge his blood), “When you enroll your child to study, you do the same as the Kohen Gadol in the Kodesh HaKodoshim (Holy of Holies ). What did he do? He brought G-dliness down into the world. ”

Parsha: vaeschanan (3/5): The Alter Rebbe's side of the trade is the mitzvah of V'shinantam l'vanecha, the phrase of the first paragraph of Shema read in this sedra — a natural pairing for a chinuch story.

Also this week

The Alter Rebbe's Nigun: K'ayal Taarog and V'ahavta

As I Heard Them, Vol. 1, p. 59, no. 42

Reb Groinem the mashpia would imitate the way chassidim heard the Alter Rebbe sing, with a nigun, the words "K'ayal taarog al afikei mayim" followed by "V'ahavta es Hashem Elokecha." Reb Groinem explained that Chassidus hints at the connection between the two pesukim: the first expresses ratzo and the second shov. A footnote notes that other sources cite the second phrase as "V'hayu l'totafos bein einecha," since V'ahavta is itself a ratzo.

Power of a niggunHiskashrus

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Shema Traded for Lunch and Supper

As I Heard Them, Vol. 1, p. 51, no. 29

The narrator's zeide, R. Mordechai Yoel, recounted a saying of the Alter Rebbe: the King of kings issued a decree that one recite Shema twice daily and thereby unify His blessed Name — but people exchanged this for lunch and supper.

Kabbolas OlEmes

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For We Are Descendants of Dovid

As I Heard Them, Vol. 1, p. 196, no. 92

The narrator recalls the last time he was with the Rebbe Rashab — in Rostov, on Simchas Torah 5679 (1918) — noting that the Rebbe's talk is printed in Toras Shalom. He remembers that the Rebbe spoke about the Alter Rebbe in connection with the posuk 'ki becha bachar Hashem' (Devarim 7:6), remarking, 'For we are the descendants of Dovid.'

Sanctity of a tzaddik

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And You Are Zalman's Descendant

As I Heard Them, Vol. 1, pp. 215-216, no. 28

Alexander, whom people called Aharon ben Ber, once came over to say LeChaim, and the Rebbe recounted that his father had once told Uncle Zalman: the verse "I stand between you and Hashem your G-d" was the Mitteler Rebbe — and you are a descendant of the Mitteler Rebbe. The Rebbe then concluded to Alexander, "And you are Zalman's descendant."

HiskashrusSanctity of a tzaddik

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