Faith Training

The Vizhnitzer Rebbe is the last person to consider public opinion or popularity, especially in matters of the soul. A Yid, he told us in a special pre-Yom Tov conversation, must never lose his frame of reference. “Faith draws down blessing,” the Rebbe said, “and it draws down salvation. Even if everything around you looks dark, it can all change in an instant”

We’ve merited to see the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, Rav Yisrael Hager, many times in public gatherings, but this time was different. We’d soon be admitted to his private chamber to give a new-year kvittel, a personal note in which chassidim pour out their struggles and challenges.

Holiness is hard to convey in words; it simply permeates the entire space. Hundreds of chassidim are standing outside, some waiting for hours, some with small children. The line is snaking along.

For all those who are waiting, the encounter is priceless — a private meeting between the Rebbe and individual chassidim, each one feeling like an only child. The Vizhnitz community is baruch Hashem large, and the needs of the people are many. The Rebbe has been traveling for an entire month, from city to city, from town to town, wherever chassidim reside, meeting them where they are, so as not to burden them.

It seems as if every word of the kvittlach etch a new mark on the Rebbe’s heart, and it’s clear that he’s looking far beyond those scribbled lines. At times, the Rebbe pauses, raising his compassionate eyes above his glasses, locking them with the eyes of the chassid. It’s hard to describe the moment that their gazes meet.