SPECIAL REPORT 2: Rabbi Klein's Farbrengen

In continuation to the previous post about Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein's Farbrengen (HERE) we hereby present you with a few more snippets, stories, pictures and videos (courtesy of Pinchus Morozow) from the Farby. Just FYI the Farby ended at 5:00am (so I heard, I left at 3:15am to update this blog...). Rabbi Berger left at 1:30am leaving the podium open for Rabbi Klein to "really Farbreng". Schneur then started filming the whole Farbrengen...

Anyways, here you go...

The Rabbi Farbrenging, with his son to his right and Rabbi Berger to his left watching every word he says...

* When I first went out on Shlichus, I didn't know anything about Campus Shlichus, and my wife worked for some time in the Buffalo University, so we decided to use some of the flyers they made then. The first Peulah I did was Simchas Torah, so I took a flyer which said "GALA Simchas Torah Party" and posted it all over campus.

Simchas Torah came along, and I had over 100 people at the party at various times, and each few minutes a new group came in, so as a Lubavitcher I made Kiddush on Mashke for every group... The next morning I woke up and was trying to figure out when Hakafos are hapenning... Then I was told that I was brought home in a Shopping Cart because I was totally out...

Anyways, that day, a student came over to me and said: "You know, in this University "GALA" stands for Gay And Lesbian Association, and the people that came to your party were from that group. I recommend you refrain from that next time...

That was my first experience with Campus Shlichus.

Berel Zak / Zed / Zee / Zaklikovsky trying his luck at BasketBottle

* When the time came for my first Yechidus I stood in line with a paper full of all my questions I wanted to ask the Rebbe. The order was that every one would go in for a minute or two and go out. When I was in line, Rabbi Groner came over to me and told me that usually a Bochur just writes his name and his mother's name, and asked me if i wrote more than that. I didn't want to lie, so I just didn't answer. Then he asked me how many lines I wrote, I again didn't asnwer him. So he asked for my paper, and I reluctantly gave it to him. He gave a glance at it and asked me to re-write it. I re-wrote it, this time I wrote my name and one more line of a special question I really wanted the Rebbe to answer me, and I folded the paper so R. Groner doesn't see it.

As it was nearing my turn, Zalman Jaffee [Gav's Great-GrandFather] who was a few people in front of me went into the Rebbe and was there for 10 minutes. As he exited, Rabbi Klein asked him what the Rebbe said, and he answered: The Rebbe asked me: "Do you want me to live?" I answered "Obviously" so the Rebbe told me: "Then make sure the Bochurim come over for Kos Shel Bracha and Lekach, because if G-d sees that the Chassidim don't need the Rebbe, he will take him away!".

As I heard Zalman Jaffee say this I got into such a shock i couldn't think straight, and a second later I was inside the Rebbe's room fearing my life. I entered and gave the Rebbe my paper folded and stood in front of the Rebbe. The Rebbe slowly opened up my paper and took a pen and slowly started reading my paper. He "read" line after line until the bottom of the page, all the empty space I left, the Rebbe read right thru it as if it was my original paper. I was totally shocked. Then the Rebbe answered me. The Rebbe then rang the buzzer to motion to the next one to come in, but I wasn't happy with the answer the Rebbe gave me, I wanted a more deatiled answer. So as I was walking out I took the courage and asked the Rebbe my question.

My question was [I am telling it for the first time in my life, I don't know why, maybe because I am drunk...] that I want to know How to become a Mentsch. The Rebbe answered my question, and as he ended he turned to me and said "DOV HILLEL, I WANT YOU TO BRING ME NACHAS RUACH [נחת רוח]".

Rabbi Berger smiling to Rabbi Klein in a special moment.

* About the people who try to shield themselves from the reality that Moshiach is now here: There are some people who wear these dark sun glasses that when there is sun, it becomes dark, and the inside becomes even darker, so they can say that they are not seeing anything, and therefore they do not see that Moshiach is here... It could be compared to these Eye Shields that are given in First Class [whoever flew on first class knows about it, it is given for free] that you can use to easily go to sleep, so you cover yourself from the light, close your eyes and go to sleep, in your sleep you see the Golus as a reality, when really it is only a dream, you see a dream and since you do not want to see the reality, you shield yourself.

We are so used to Golus that we are trying to hide in the shield and not see reality, WE GOT TO WAKE UP, TAKE OFF THE EYE SHIELD AND SEE THE REALITY! MOSHIACH IS HERE! THE REBBE SAID THAT ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS OPEN UP OUR EYES!".

Rabbi Klein just simply Farbrenging with the Bochurim...

* There was a very Chassidishe Yid in Crown Heights, his name was Reb Avraham Mayohr, a real Chassid who was able to make anybody happy at any time, he also used to daven every day till at least 3pm and then go home, it wasn't because he woke up at 2:30pm, he used to wake up every morning really early, learn Chassidus and then daven.

It was the first year the Rebbe spoke a Sicha every night of Sukkos. On the first night the Rebbe said everybody should be happy, so I went to my host, we got drunk together and afterwards I went to the Sukkah of Reb Avraham Mayohr Drizin, he was a very sweet Jew who was able to amke everybody happy, and I farbrenged there till morning, then I went to the Rebbe's Minyan to bentch Lulav and continued the day.

That night the Rebbe demanded that as much happiness there was the first night, there should be more happiness the second night, so I went back to my host, we drank more than the night before, and afterwards I rolled again to Reb Avraham Mayohr's Sukkah where there quite a few people who were Farbrenging, and we Farbrenged till morning. I was beyond happiness then.

Then the third night came, the Rebbe spoke another Sicha and asked that there should be an increase in happiness over the previous night, I got really depressed, how could i possibly be happier than last night? I went to my host depressed, tried to drink, but after a few Lechaim's I felt that it was not it, and couldn't drink anymore, but I still wasn't happy, so I decided to go to Reb Avraham Mayohr's Sukkah and see if he could make me happy. So I rolled to the Sukkah and I saw only two people there and Avraham Mayohr is not there! So even more depressed I walked out.

As I started walking back to my host I hear a howling voice singing Niggun Hakafos on the top of their lungs, it was a distinguishable voice I immediately recgonized as that of Avraham Mayohr. He came over to me and asked: "Bochur, what's going on in my Sukkah?" I didn't answer, so he peeked inside and turns to me and says "Lets go to 770".

I walked him to 770. On President St. he suddenly lets go of me, starts saying "והשתחוו לה' בהר הקודש" (And they bowed to G-d in the holy mount), and suddenly he did a Kulleh, landing on his back, so he is spread out on the street and he said "Bochur! You won't help an old man stand up?" So I helped him and we continued to 770.

In 770 at that time there were a few Bochurim who were Farbrenging with Shmuel Lew, all of them depressed, and they were singing a little and trying to dance. Suddenly Reb Avrohom walks in with me and he turned the whole place around, he managed to make everybody happy, he actually made that night happier than all the other ones...

That was Reb Avraham Mayohr, he was a very Chassidishe Yid who was able to make anybody happy anytime...

Avi Wrubell bothering Rabbi Smith (again)...

* Talking about Reb Avraham Mayohr-Drizin, his son Chaim Itche was the Shliach in Berkeley for some time. There was a jew in Berkeley by the name of Jod Landes, a psychologist by trade, he was a very special Jew who became a Baal Teshuva in a special way, he started his connection to Judaism when his son started to get closer to Judaism. He was in charge of the Conservative Shul of Palo Alto, in charge of picking a Rabbi for the Shul. He had a very special way of picking a Rabbi, he would give him an interview, and during the interview he would ask the potential Rabbi if he believes in G-d, and would calculate with a stop-watch how long it takes him to answer. If he said Yes after less than five minutes he was hired.

Anyways, one day his son, Josh Landes, comes over to him and asked that he wishes to put on Tefillin every day. The father tried to persuade him from it, for he was traumatized by his mother who used to bug him to put on Tefillin every day. He complied to his son and decided to purchase the best available pair for his son. He went to the Conservative Shul and found some small pair which was barely Kosher. So he phoned Chabad of Long Beach, Rabbi Newman. Rabbi newman immediately got him the best pair, and sent it to him.

The son started putting on Tefillin and started begging the father to put of Tefillin with him. The father refused because of his phobia, but was being bugged daily by his son and he decided to go seek professional help. He went to another psychologist and the psycho told him that the only way to overcome the trauma is by starting to put on Tefilin himself! He listened and from there and on his connection to Judaism started snowballing.

A few months later he invited Rabbi Newman for a day on his house, and they were praying together in the living room, when suddenly Rabbi Newman asked to daven elsewhere, so he thought about it and realized that it is since he has three huge paintings of nude women in his living room...

Rabbi Drizin lighting a Public
Menorah in S. Francisco '74

After Davenning he decided that he will get rid of the paintings, but since they were worth a lot of money he decided to donate them to a... Bais Chabad! The Chabad House he picked was that of Rabbi Chaim Itche Drizin of Berkeley. He immediately gave him the drawings, and Rabbi Drizin put them backwards in his living room in a corner till he could sell them...

His luck was that a few Shabbosim later his father, Reb Avaraham Mayohr came to visit his son, and was davenning till 3pm. When he finished he came to his son's house to Farbreng. As he walks into the living room he realized there were three big paintings facing the wall, so he went over and looked at the first one... AAAAAAHHHHHH he shrieked... he looks at the next one AAAAAAHHHHHH he shrieked harder this time... then he looked at the third painting and let out a great shriek AAAAAAHHHHHH... Till his father's death, his son couldn't explain to his father what those pictures were doing in his house...

VIDEOS
OF THE FARBRENGEN

Video 1: "Israelis take showers with their udnerwear on, so they could wash it without the creases, and they get two for one, they wash their underwear and their body" (To Mendy Boaron) CLICK HERE

Video 2: "There are some ads saying "JUST DO IT", so Just Do It!" CLICK HERE

Video 3: "There are Chareidi Spies making sure you don't take a dump in the direction of the beis HaMikdosh, be aware!" (about the upcoming Israel Trip לא עלינו) CLICK HERE

Video 4: "You know why your eyes are brown?" (to Shmuel Kalatchy) CLICK HERE