מאת הרב ליפא ברעננאן / נכתב ע"י נכדתו - אבל נשלח על ידו בפורום
הסבא שלי, הרב ליפא ברנן, סיפר לי סיפור על הרבי והרבנית שקרה איתו, בשנת תשל"ה כשהיה בחור ב-770.
בליל שבת, הלך סבי לאכול אצל ידיד ברחוב פרזידנט. הבית שכן ממש ממול ביתו של הרבי. כשיצא מהבית בסביבות השעה 11 בערב, הביט לעבר הבית של הרבי ושם לב לרבנית שעמדה במרפסת ביתה. בזמן הזה, הרבנית לא נראתה בציבור כלל, ולא רבים הכירוה. סבי הכיר אותה משום שראה אותה מגיעה כמה פעמים לבקר את אחותה חנה, שביחד עם בעלה הרש"ג גרו בקומה השנייה של 770. הרבנית ראתה את סבי, ורמזה לו להעלות הביתה. הוא חצה את הרחוב, עלה במדרגות ונכנס למרפסת. הרבנית ניגשה אליו ושאלה אותו מדוע בעלה מתמהמה? האם הוא סיים להתפלל ערבית? סבי ענה לה שכן. הרבנית ביקשה ממנו ללכת ל-770 ולראות מה קרה שמשום כך הרבי לא מגיע. הוא מיד החל לרוץ לכיון 770. כאשר הגיע לפינת ברוקין-איסטרען פארקווי, ראה את הרבי מרחוק יוצא מ-770 לכיוון הבית. הוא מיד הסתובב בחזרה כדי להודיע לרבנית על כך, כשהגיע לפינת ברוקין-פרזידנט
בבניהה
My Zaidy, Rabbi Lipa Brennan, told me a story that happened with him, the Rebbe & the Rebbitzin a”h in the summer of 1975 when he was a bochur in 770.
Friday night Shabbos Shuva, he ate at a friends house on President St, opposite the Rebbes house. As he left the house around 11pm he saw the Rebbitzin standing on the porch of her house. He knew it was the Rebbitzin because he had seen her a few times when she came to 770 to visit her sister Chana who was married to Rabbi Gurary ( the Rashag) & lived on the 2nd floor. In general the Rebbitzin was a very private person & was not seen in public too often.
The Rebbitzin saw my Zaidy & motioned for him to come over to the house. He crossed the street, went up the steps to the porch & the Rebbitzin said that’s its very late & the Rebbe is usually home by now to make Kiddush. Did the Rebbe daven Maariv yet? she asked. Yes, answered my Zaidy. Was there a fabrengen or a maamar tonight? She asked. No, he answered. The Rebbitzin then asked him to go to 770 & see whats happening & to come back & let her know. My zaidy started running to 770 & as he turned the corner from Brooklyn Ave onto Eastern Pkwy, he saw the Rebbe was leaving 770 & starting to walk home. My Zaidy quickly turns around & starts running back to the Rebbitzin. When he reached the corner of Brooklyn Ave & President St, he sees the Rebbitzin standing on the corner. Apparently, she had walked from her house to the corner herself. My Zaidy tells the Rebbitzin that the Rebbe is on the way home & starts to walk away to go back to the dormitory.
The Rebbitzin calls him back & says that its late at night & would I wait with her till the Rebbe arrives. My Zaidy says he did not know what to say, all he knew was that he did not want to be seen by the Rebbe when he met the Rebbitzin. The Rebbitzin saw his apprehension & said its not the right thing to leave a lady standing by herself on a street corner in New York !!
Not having any choice my Zaidy stood a little behind the Rebbitzin near the bushes of the corner house. ( Today the bushes have been taken away & now there is a metal fence ).
As the Rebbe approached my Zaidy squeezed in further in the bushes !!
When the Rebbe got to the corner & saw the Rebbitzin he made with his hands as if to say “what are you doing here?” The Rebbetzin answered the Rebbe but my Zaidy could not hear. They then started to walk home together with some bochurim walking behind them & he joined with the bochurim. ( Whenever the Rebbe walked home on Shabbos or Yom Tov, 2 or 3 bochurim would always follow behind as a sign of derech eretz so the Rebbe should not walk alone. On Shabbos & Yom Tov mornings, the bochurim would wait outside his house to walk him to 770 ).
The Rebbe always walked pretty fast & the Rebbitzin walked slowly. So after a little while the Rebbe looks to his left & did not see the Rebbitzin, so he turned around & saw the Rebbitzin slowly catching up to him. When she reached him they started walking again together, and again the Rebbe walks faster & again, after a little while, he turns around & waits for the Rebbitzin to catch up. This happened 3 times till they made it home !!
When they reached the steps to go up to the house the Rebbe turned to my zaidy & said “ a dank un a gut Shabbos” thankyou & good Shabbos.
They then walked up the steps, the Rebbe opened the door, held it open for the Rebbitzin to enter, & they both went inside. When the Rebbe closed the window lock in the front room, that was the sign for the bochurim to leave.
A very unusual aspect of this story is that my Zaidy says he never before, or after, ever saw the Rebbe & the Rebbitzin walking together. Another important lesson from the story was the care & concern the Rebbe showed to the Rebbetzin by waiting for her 3 times & opening the door to the house for her.
A lesson that can be learned is that however busy a person is he/she should always make time for another Jew especially if it someone they care about.