The Pittsburgher Rebbe Shlit"a VISITS LOS ANGELES

Pittsburgh: A Flourishing Chassidus

The Story begins almost 90 years ago.

he history of Pittsburgh Chassidus starts almost 90 years ago. The Rebbe ????"?’s grandfather, Rabbi Yosef Leifer,????"?, traveled to America to raise money to marry off his orphaned sisters. Rabbi Yosef was a scion of Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna, the progenitor of many Chassidic sects.

On the boat, Rabbi Yosef was told that there were Chassidic Jews living in Pittsburgh. Rabbi Yosef went to Pittsburgh. The Jews in Pittsburgh begged him to stay and be their leader. Rabbi Yosef’s modesty prevented him from taking the name of a European city for himself. Instead, he called himself the Pittsburgher Rebbe. Though Rabbi Yosef lived in Pittsburgh for over 45 years, he davened to Hashem daily that he not be affected by the spiritual decrepitude found in the United   States.

In 1930, Rabbi Yosef sent his three sons to Europe to learn ???? in established Yeshivas. The oldest of the three, Rabbi Avrohom Abba, ????"?, learned in Rachov and married the daughter of Rabbi Issomor of Nadvorna in 1939. Due to the political turmoil in Europe, Rabbi Avrohom Abba’s parents were unable to attend the wedding.

In America, boys were being drafted to fight in the Army. Many parents brought their sons to Rabbi Yosef for a ????. Rabbi Yosef had the names of these boys inscribed on a plaque. Throughout the war years, the plaque was always with Rabbi Yosef. He did not stop davening for the young soldiers. When the war ended, every boy whose name was inscribed on the plaque returned home unharmed.

During the Holocaust, the Nazis, ??"?, killed Rabbi Avrohom Abba’s two brothers. In addition, Rabbi Yosef and Rabbi Avrohom Abba both lost sons to illness.

It took two years for Rabbi Avrohom Abba and his Rebbetzin to make their way to Pittsburgh. After living in Pittsburgh for a short while, Rabbi Avrohom Abba moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he built a shul. For 16 years, Rabbi Avrohom Abba spread Judaism and the warm light of Torah and Chassidus in Newark. Eventually, he even succeeded in opening a Chassidic Yeshiva in Newark.

In 1966, Rabbi Yosef passed away, and Rabbi Avrohom Abba left Newark to take his father’s place in Pittsburgh. Although his father’s shul was much smaller than the shul in Newark and there was no Yeshiva in Pittsburgh, Rabbi Avrohom Abba felt that he owed a debt of gratitude to the community in Pittsburgh that required him to abandon all he had built in Newark. The hand of Hashem was clearly guiding Rabbi Avrohom Abba, as only a short time later Newark was beset by riots.

After spending three years in Pittsburgh, Rabbi Avrohom Abba followed his father-in-law and moved to Eretz Yisroel. Upon arrival, he received invitations from many towns and neighborhoods requesting that he settle in their vicinity, each letter describing the place’s spiritual advantages and the assistance he would receive in building a shul. Shortly after reading the letters, Rabbi Avrohom Abba dreamt that he saw a holy man standing at the edge of the ocean. He approached the man who said, “I am Chisdai Ibn Shaprut. Come to Ashdod and I will assist you in spreading the words of the Torah to the people.”

Rabbi Avrohom Abba awoke. The decision was made. Rabbi Avrohom Abba moved to Ashdod in time for Rosh Hashanah 5730. At the time, Ashdod had almost no religious Jews. However, there were many traditional Jews from Georgia (in the former USSR), Morocco, and India. Jewish education was minimal. Rabbi Avrohom Abba slowly built up after school programs for the children. In addition, he started monthly meetings for adults. With his boundless love for all Jews, Rabbi Avrohom Abba brought thousands of Jews back to full Torah observance.

Over the years, Rabbi Avrohom Abba built a shul and gathered a small band of followers and supporters.

Rabbi Avrohom Abba was internationally renowned for the blessings he gave childless couples. A couple who received his blessing was assured that a child would be born to them within the year.

In 1981, Rabbi Avrohom Abba called his youngest son, Rabbi Mordechai (currently the Rebbe ????"?), requesting that he move to Israel and open a Chassidic Yeshiva in Ashdod. The Rebbe ????"? answered his father’s call, and in the winter of 1981 the Yeshiva opened. Through the difficult years of building the Yeshiva, the Rebbe ????"? was the ??? ??????.

On???? ???? ??"?, Rabbi Avrohom Abba passed away. At the funeral, the mantle was passed to the Rebbe ????"?. In the 13 years since Rabbi Avrohom Abba’s passing, the Rebbe ????"? has built up the Chassidus with tremendous success.

The Pittsburgh Chassidic community comprises around 120 families. Most of them live in Ashdod; however, there are Pittsburgher Chassidim in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beis Chilkiya, New York, and California. Each Chassid has a unique relationship with the Rebbe ????"?, yet all feel that the Rebbe ????"? is their loving father. The Chassidim are in constant contact with the Rebbe ????"?, asking for his guidance, receiving the Rebbe’s advice and blessing.

The educational system for the boys is extensive including a nursery school, a Cheder, a Yeshiva for boys from Bar Mitzva to 16, a Yeshiva for older boys, and several Kollels. The Cheder, with over 300 students, is famous throughout Israel for its exceptional approach towards teaching. The Yeshivas, with 90 students, regularly award certificates to boys who are tested on 200, 300, 500, and 1000 Blatt ???? with ??"? and ??????. The Kollels include a???? ???? and a ???? ????, as well as an early morning Kollel and a night Kollel. Rabbi Shmuel Einfeld ????"? is the director of the educational institutions.

The Rebbe on Lag BaOimer

On Shabbos, the shul is overflowing. The Rebbe’s tish continues until late at night with singing and ????????. Shabbos morning, the davening is enhanced by the Rebbe’s ????. At the end of the Shabbos meal, the Chassidim gather in the Rebbe’s house for a midday tish. ????? ?????? continues well into the night with the Rebbe’s fiery words of ????. A guest of mine once noted that the love with which the Rebbe wishes everyone a Gut Shabbos is palpable. The amazing thing is that this feat is repeated hundreds of times every week with no diminution. The “Gut Shabbos” is different for each individual.

On weekday evenings, people from all walks of life stream to the Rebbe’s office to lay the burden of their troubles at his feet and receive the Rebbe’s blessing. The Rebbe ????"? leaves the office in the early hours of the morning. Many people have seen miraculous salvation as a result of the Rebbe’s blessing.

One evening while waiting to see the Rebbe, a family with a 12-year-old son joined me in the waiting room. The boy’s head was slightly misshapen, but he behaved normally and appeared in good spirits. The Rebbe’s attendant told me that a few months earlier, this family came for the Rebbe’s blessing. At that time, their son was in a wheelchair, unable to walk. A large tumor had been found in his brain. The doctors in Israel were afraid to operate. They said that in Israel, the boy had only a 2% chance of surviving the operation. The doctors recommended that the family take the boy to Canada for the operation. There his chances were 50-50 for surviving the procedure. While undergoing tests in preparation for the trip to Canada, someone suggested that they see the Rebbe ????"?. The Rebbe gave them a container of olive oil that he had prepared and instructed the family to rub the oil on the boy’s head every morning and evening. After a couple of weeks, the doctors detected an inexplicable shrinkage in the size of the tumor. The family had brought the boy to thank the Rebbe for the miracle he had wrought.

This is one of hundreds of stories of people who have been helped by the Rebbe ????"?. I include myself among those who have benefited from the Rebbe????"?’s miraculous intervention.

Those who are close to the Rebbe see the self-sacrifice the Rebbe endures for every Jew, the warmth the Rebbe feels towards even those Jews who are far from Judaism, and the effort the Rebbe expends in bettering Jewish lives both physically and spiritually.