Zalmon Jaffe

A special milestone was approaching this winter: the twenty-fifth yahrtzeit of the previous Rebbe on Yud Shevat (January 22 this year). Consequently, this date would also mark twenty-five years of our Rebbe’s reign. I considered it most appropriate to spe...

Back to our last night in New York. To our great delight and surprise, there was another treat in store for us before we left 770, even at this late hour of 11:30 p.m. I had just heard that the Rebbe would be coming outside within a few minutes for Kiddus...

I sent a note to the Rebbe informing him that we were to leave New York early Tuesday morning, Sivan 14 (June 4). I added that we were hoping to have the opportunity on Monday night, after maariv, of saying farewell to the Rebbe and to receive a brocha fo...

On Shabbos, parshas Nosso, Sivan 11 (June 1), we were privileged to enjoy an additional farbrengen. This was an extremely freilicher farbrengen. It is the first time I have ever seen or heard the bochurim singing so vigorously non-stop without any prompti...

Once again, we were privileged and honored to be received by our Rebbetzin. She was marvelous. She told me that Hindy and her children were also welcome. We arranged that Roselyn and I would arrive first, alone, and that Hindy and the children would come ...

Wednesday night was our yechidus. Rabbi Groner advised us to be prepared to enter the Rebbe’s sanctum at around 11:00 p.m. It is always difficult to gauge when anyone will actually enter for yechidus; it depends on how long the previous appointments last....

The day after yom tov, isru chag, was the kinus hatorah. It commenced at 3:30 in the afternoon and went on until about 10:00. The audience of about 400-500 is addressed by a number of roshei yeshivos (yeshiva deans) and rabbonim (rabbis). Some outstanding...

Following maariv the Rebbe made havdalah. We were now at a most rewarding – and interesting – feature of the Shavuos farbrengen: receiving wine directly from the Rebbe. At this point of the proceedings, for the past number of years, there has been, at bes...

The Rebbe initiated the “mezuzah campaign” earlier this year. This was a call to assure that all Jewish homes should have a mezuzah affixed (and a kosher one at that!). Two weeks before Shavuos, on the night of May 15 (Iyar 23), three Arab terrorists dres...

Some of what the Rebbe spoke about during this farbrengen: Three of our greatest leaders are connected to Shavuos: Moshe Rabeinu (our teacher), Dovid Hamelech (King David) and the Baal Shem Tov. Our sages teach that everything Moshe Rabeinu did is eternal...