Biale Rebbe In the Five Towns

 

It’s happening again! Hardly a year has passed since the Biale Rebbe of Bnei Brak has visited the Five Towns, yet hundreds are excitedly anticipating the return of their revered Rebbe. Although the Rebbe has been visiting annually for some years now, every year the sensation repeats itself. Every year when the Rebbe arrives at the house where he lodges, the place becomes a public source of attraction as hundreds of people of various standards and types gather. The street becomes a hive of activity as lawyers, doctors, lay leaders, rabbis, and educators, ranging from Hasidic to modern orthodox, mingle as they flock to the Rebbe’s hosts’ house. From early morning until the small hours of the night, the streets resound with miraculous tales of unnatural miracles seen and experienced firsthand as a result of the Rebbe’s blessing.

What is his secret? What is it that pulls so many people to seek his presence again and again? What is it that causes thousands of people from different backgrounds to seek the Rebbe? What is it that brings people with no semblance to Chassidim to cleave to the Rebbe with all their might, involving him in every move they take in life? At every occasion, be it happy or sad, their first phone call is to include the Rebbe! What is it that unites young boys and elderly? What brings Ambassador David Friedman to visit the Rabbi? Many other prominent rabbis and highly significant political figures from the American and Israeli government can be recognized among the Rebbe’s visitors in California, Florida, New York and New Jersey.

Many share stories of how the Rebbe finalized their engagement. Young couples who were having shalom bayis issues and with the Rebbe’s mentoring restored marital harmony and happiness to their homes. These stories mingle with stories of businessmen who reaped great success after receiving the Rebbe’s blessing. Childless couples who had all but lost hope were blessed with children. People who were being harassed by the legal system and could not sleep at night from fear were miraculously straightened out after receiving the Rebbe’s blessing. So, it is really no surprise or wonder at the crowds waiting to meet the Rebbe.

When The Rebbe Drowsed

A prominent mechutan celebrating his daughter’s sheva berachos shared the following amazing incident: “Thank G-d I have been blessed with several children who have reached a marriageable age. However, they find themselves ‘stuck,’ unable to find suitable matches. Upon the Rebbe’s visit to our town, I decided to ask him for a blessing. I called the gabbai for an appointment and when my turn arrived, I entered the Rebbe’s domain, handing him the note with all of our names on it. The Rebbe read the names and talked to me for a couple of minutes when suddenly it seemed as if the Rebbe fell asleep. I thought he must be very tired. However, after a couple of minutes the Rebbe opened his eyes and asked, “What is it with your ketubah?” The Rebbe told me to check out the viability of my ketubah. When I came home, I immediately checked and found that indeed my wife’s English name was registered and not her Hebrew name which she was given at birth. I returned to the Rebbe who advised me to ask my community rav to write us a new marriage contract. On that very same day a special match was suggested for my daughter, and this is the chasan we are celebrating tonight’s sheva berachos.”

The Rebbe Is Not Satisfied, Go Buy a Twin Carriage!

This incident happened two years ago. A nice couple came to the Rebbe for a blessing as they had been married for five years and were still childless. The Rebbe counseled them in his unique and holy way and shed a tear with them, when suddenly the Rebbe asked the wife: “Which color carriage do you prefer for your baby?!?” The woman became emotional and began to cry but the Rebbe insisted: “I see children, go buy a baby carriage this week and on my next visit I want you to come to me with your baby!” Needless to say, last year the delighted couple came to the Rebbe accompanied by a screaming healthy baby of two weeks in a carriage purchased at the Rebbe’s behest. The Rebbe, however, was still not satisfied. The Rebbe said that the child is lonesome, he needs a brother to play with. Go buy a double stroller! This year the couple will visit the Rebbe with a fully occupied double stroller including the new baby that the Rebbe’s blessing brought forth.

Keep the Bottle of Whisky for Next Year and the Following Year

The power of the Rebbe’s blessing is well known in Central Manhattan. Many residents have their own unbelievable story to share. Two years ago, the Rebbe received the public in the home of a well-known businessman who was close to reaching his 40th birthday — a bachelor. Prior to bidding him farewell, the host brought the Rebbe a bottle of whisky wishing to drink l’chaim with the Rebbe. The Rebbe returned the bottle saying, “Save this whisky for next year. On this specific date. Next year when I will return, we will drink l’chaim together with your wife!” Needless to say, that eleven months later, their wedding was held. The Rebbe paid a visit to Manhattan and the young man came accompanied by his wife… however this story has a sequel to it.

As he was pouring the Rebbe a glass to drink to, the Rebbe said, “Save the bottle for next year, when we will drink l’chaim to the birth of your son.” Barely a year has passed and next week the couple will come to drink l’chaim with the Rebbe accompanied by their firstborn son.

The Doctors Had Misdiagnosed

A prominent rabbi, joined by his wife with a baby in a carriage was waiting to see the Rebbe. He told his story, “Several months ago, my wife went for a regular prenatal checkup. Suddenly the doctor turned to her sorrowfully and said, ‘It doesn’t look good!’ Something with the baby’s development was amiss and the doctor assumed it was unhealthy. My wife returned home in tears, terribly worried about the doctor’s outlook. Acquaintances suggested to contact the Biale Rebbe from Bnei Brak and seek his guidance. We called the gabbai and we spoke to the Rebbe personally. The Rebbe, who had never met us before, said: ‘The doctor has no idea what he is talking about. You will have a healthy baby.’ Two weeks later my wife went for a follow up appointment and once again the doctor warned her about his dire prognosis. We called the Rebbe again who said: ‘I take full responsibility that this baby will be healthy.’ After an indescribably stressful period, here is our baby. Whole and healthy just as the Rebbe, shlita, had promised. We are here now to thank the Rebbe personally, and receive his blessing.”

Your Match Has Been Waiting For You

Many young couples are among those waiting for an audience with the Rebbe. Each one tells its own fascinating tale. One young girl relates: “I live on the Upper East Side. For many years I was looking for my destined match, to no avail. The years passed and as I grew older, I saw no hope in sight. One day a friend told me about the Biale Rebbe and I went to him for a blessing. The Rebbe who had never met me before exclaimed suddenly. ‘You have already met your destined. You went out with him many years ago. Go search for him again. He is still waiting for you! He is in California.’ I searched my mind for the guy the Rebbe had in mind. Suddenly it got to my mind, I had met him ten years earlier, an excellent young man, a friend of my brother’s. Our relationship ceased for no apparent reason. I contacted my brother to inquire about this boy and indeed he was still waiting for me. Thank G-d, at the age of 37, I was finally married to the wonderful boy I had met 10 years earlier, just as the Biale Rebbe had seen with his ruach hakodesh.”

The Rebbe Saved Us From Bankruptcy

A well-known businessman was also waiting to see the Rebbe. He said that he met the Biale Rebbe by mistake: “I was invited to a tisch that the Rebbe conducted in my neighborhood. The week I met the Rebbe was the worst week of my life. That week seemed like all the fortune I made my whole life was lost. The bank was about to foreclose everything. I didn’t sleep the entire week and didn’t see a way out of the complication, not knowing what’s going to happen to me and my family.

“As I said, accidentally, I saw the Rebbe at the tisch. At the Kiddush, the Rebbe spoke about trusting in Hashem, and that a Jew should never give up and a Jew is above nature. I felt that the Rebbe was talking to me, to my soul. On Motzaei Shabbos, I came to take a blessing from the Rebbe. The Rebbe who didn’t study business in MIT told me to set a time every day to learn Torah and respect my wife. The Rebbe told me to speak with the bank manager himself with no attorneys and no one else. The Rebbe guided me to do some spiritual stuff before the meeting. The Rebbe even guided me on the phone and encouraged me in my hard days. Till now I have no clue how it happened, but here I am my house, which is not in foreclosure, and my business is growing with Hashem’s help, and everything with the Holy Rebbe’s blessing.”

The Rebbe, Shlita

Twenty-two years ago, the Rebbe was barely in his early thirties when the yoke of leadership of Biale Chassidus Bnei Brak was thrust upon him. His greatness and guidance reached far beyond the borders of Bnei Brak as the Rebbe chose to draw his brethren from all over the world close to him by encouraging and helping them. The Rebbe is the leader and mentor of a most respectable chassidus that is centrally based in Bnei Brak and has branches in Jerusalem, Beitar Eilit, Ashdod, Bet Shemesh, and Modiin Eilit. This has added a new-old hue to the leadership of Biale chassidus. Every day hundreds of people from varying backgrounds, Sephardim and Ashkenazim alike, ultra-orthodox and those who have only just donned a kippah, from Cholon to Bat Yam, Beer Sheba to Eilat, all stream to one address. The Rebbe opened his door and his heart to the whole of Klal Yisrael. Welcoming them with his compassionate heart and warm smile. People enter his room carrying a heavy load of troubles and worries however when they leave they are lighthearted and hopeful.

Biale Chassidus’ holy lineage stems from a holy sage named Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok from Peshischa. This revered tzaddik lived some 200 years ago and was known to all as the “holy Jew” — the “Yid Hakadosh” from Peshischa. He was a disciple of the holy “Chozeh of Lublin” who was a direct fourth generation descendent of the holy Baal Shem Tov. The Yid Hakadosh was the greatest of the Polish rabbis, rabbi to the leaders of Gur, Kotzk, Alexander, and other great luminaries. Generations of tzaddikim in succession continued the tradition of the Yid Hakadosh. This chain was continued from father to son until the flame was kindled in our generation by the holy tzaddik and Rebbe, Reb Yechiel Yehoshua from Biale, may his holy memory be blessed. He was the grandfather of our revered Rebbe, a direct descendent of five generations to the Yid Hakadosh.

The Chelkas Yehoshua

Prewar Poland boasted of the Rebbe’s grandfather, Reb Yechiel Yehoshua, zt’l, as one of its greatest leaders. However, his fame reached a pinnacle during the terrible Holocaust when he uncompromisingly sanctified Hashem’s name, first in occupied Poland and later in the freezing Siberia. His selflessness was indescribable. When he reached Israel, all the great rabbis acknowledged him as a great tzaddik. He was defied and honored as an angel in a mortal world.

The Lahavas Dovid

Next in line was the Rebbe’s father, the holy Rabbi Dovid Mattisyahu, zt’l. He was renowned and famous for his purity and greatness. During his lifetime, his father appointed him as head of yeshivas Biale. During his travels throughout the world he revived the brokenhearted with his moving prayers and heartfelt talks. People were drawn to him from afar. His tall handsome profile reminded many of his holy father’s image.

The Rebbe continues to tow this beautiful golden chain. However, he does not suffice with leading his own community. He is concerned about the welfare of all of Klal Yisrael. Several times a year he leaves the comforts of his home and visits countries and communities where no other Chassidic Rebbe has ever spent a Shabbos before. He embraces those who have strayed. He strengthens, encourages, motivates, and directs until another Jew has found his way back to our Father in Heaven.

The Father Of The Orphans

The Rebbe’s institutions are famous throughout Israel. The center is based in Bnei Brak, and there are branches all over the country. However, his favorite project is the welfare of “his” orphans. The Rebbe is father to 15 biological children and countless of grandchildren. However, hundreds of children throughout the world call him “Father.” Amongst the many institutions which are under his auspices is the yeshiva gevoah called “Mishkan Shimon Biale” which is situated in Beitar Eilit. Batei midrash and kollels for young men are spread out in Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, Beitar Eilit, Modiin Eilit, Ashdod, and Beit Shemesh. However, the institution for widows and orphans is under the Rebbe’s direct administration. This fund supports the widows and orphans studying in the Rebbe’s institutions. The desolate orphans receive everything they need of the best quality and quantity. This includes clothing, shoes, scholarship, dorm service, and pocket money. All this is naught compared to the personal attention the Rebbe bestows upon them. As far as the Rebbe is concerned, they are his fully adopted children. His house is their house, their worries become his own. The Rebbe is following after their studies and makes sure they have personal tutors. The Rebbe who had just returned from a trip to the U.S. one erev Pesach told his driver to take him to visit his orphans directly from the airport. His own family and children can wait—his orphans come first. Upon his arrival, the Rebbe gave each orphan gifts and pocket money enough for everything he needs for yom tov. Only then did he make his own way home to his family and yom tov preparations.

Outstanding Development In Biale Institutions In Israel

For many years, the special institution in which the Rebbe’s “children” reside is an old building in the town of Beitar Eilit, which is close to Jerusalem. The building lies in close proximity to the borderline and faces directly the Arab town “Hussan.” The Arab inhabitants have a daily view of a Jewish Torah town developing right in front of their hate-filled eyes. The town is part of the “occupied territories.” The building is old and dilapidated. In the winter, the rain leaks in; in the summer it is more of a furnace. This year, the Rebbe reached a decision: No more! “My wonderful children” deserve better! A new campus is being built on Kedushas Levi Street in the heart of Beitar Eilit. The campus will include spacious classrooms, computer and game rooms, a fully equipped dormitory, and a modern kitchen, for the welfare of the students for whom the building is home.

In addition to the above, a huge chesed center is being built on Daf Hayomi St. The Rebbe is renowned for his acts of chesed. He is the first address which needy widows and orphans turn to. Truckloads containing everything possible are sent on every erev chag to provide the needy with everything they need for yom tov. Clothing, shoes, fish, meat, chicken, goodies, and a hefty check to lighten their sorrow-filled hearts. Very often the Rebbe takes part in weddings where he acts as the “father” on both sides.

Coronavirus Routine

Caring for widows and orphans before the Passover holidays is standard procedure for the Rebbe. However, this year with the outbreak of COVID-19 the Rebbe added more families experiencing financial stress. Despite the economic crisis and the financial difficulties his institutions in Israel are currently experiencing, the Rebbe gave strict instructions to take special care of each of the many families in distress who the Rebbe takes care of every year. Despite the logistic hardships the situation has created, each of the families received a complete delivery containing all of their holiday needs, including meat, chicken, fish, goodies, and gift certificates to buy clothing, shoes, and toys. After all, who will take care of these poor orphans if not for the Rebbe of Biale?! As the crisis in Israel increases, the Rebbe continues to distribute vouchers although Passover is long gone by. The Rebbe also continues to keep track of all of their spiritual and material needs.

Around the Clock

As day turns to dusk in New York, the phones in Israel become alive! Now it is the Jews’ of Israel’s turn. They call nonstop asking the Rebbe for blessings and advice. The Yidden in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and New Jersey are calling. It makes no difference, they are all his children. Hundreds of e-mails are sent to the Rebbe’s office daily, and the Rebbe devotes precious hours to answer them personally. He carries these requests with him and remembers them in his daily prayers. The burden becomes his own. He is with them in their sorrow and delights in their happiness. Seven gabbaim are employed throughout the day to provide immediate response to the thousands calling the Rebbe. How happy are the gabbaim when they can inform the Rebbe of another baby born, a couple engaged, or yet another miraculous turn of events!

Education and Marital Happiness

Amongst his other vast talents is the Rebbe’s deep understanding in matters of education. Parents worldwide call him for advice in education dilemmas. Often the Rebbe’s advice leaves the parents surprised. Yet it is this unique approach that eventually brings about a positive change to the entire family. Homes that were full of strife and angst are now happy, warm nests. So too, many issues of marital distress were solved by applying the Rebbe’s insightful advice. Restoring peace at home is high on the Rebbe’s list of priorities. Many hopeless couples who were already applying for divorce had a miraculous turnabout enabling the holy Shechinah to dwell in yet another Jewish home.

The Rebbe Knows

A couple entered the Rebbe’s chambers, The Rebbe looked at the kvittel and told the husband, “You have to honor your wife! If you will respect your wife, your problems will be solved. The woman burst out crying. This was the first time they met the Rebbe, and he was aware of everything going on between the couple. During this time, the Rebbe does not focus on the tens of people waiting outside. He patiently expounds on the importance of domestic peace. The Rebbe gave them detailed instructions how to bring their hearts closer. The Rebbe told them that the key to happiness and success as well as nachas from their children lies in the respect shown between the parents. And so, another couple exits with a happy smile on their faces. After a while the Rebbe’s secretary received a note from the wife saying: “The Rebbe saved our marriage!”

The Rebbe’s Lodging

These days are happy days for the residents of Five Towns as they are anxiously preparing to meet once again with their beloved Rebbe. The Rebbe will be staying in the Five Towns from Tuesday, August 4 at the house of the honorable host Mr. and Mrs. David and Chani Zwibel, 114 Lakeside Drive East in Lawrence.

Oneg Shabbat and Tish Friday Night

Many are expected to join and enjoy the amazing Oneg Shabbos tisch that the Rebbe will hold Friday night. The great Shabbos will take place on Parashas Eikev on August 7 in the Zwibels’ backyard, 114 Lakeside Drive East in Lawrence at 9:30 p.m.

Due to the current situation all gatherings and meetings will, be’H, be held outdoors. The crowd is being asked to follow all the rules of the health department.

The most special part of the tisch is during the famous Kiddush which the Rebbe performs. It is well known that the Rebbe’s Kiddush is capable of bringing about great miracles. The emotive singing and dancing at the Rebbe’s tischim elevates its participants to a standard of “maeyn oilam habah!” An abundance of divrei Torah and hashkafa follow.

A special occasion will be held, be’H, on Motzaei Shabbos at Havdalah. People come from far and wide to join this special moment when the Rebbe shares his insights on the Shabbos that left us and for the beginning of a new week, with singing and holiness. After the crowd has the merit to get wine from the Havdalah cup that is a segulah for a blessed week, players of musical instruments are invited to bring their instruments.

The Havdalah will be held, be’H, at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Elliot and Chavi Mandelbaum, 94 Harborview West in Lawrence at 10 p.m.

Now the residents of Five Towns have this unique opportunity. If you have not yet had the merit of meeting the Rebbe and would like to book an appointment for a personal consultation, a blessing, or advice, call the Rebbe’s private secretary now! Rabbi Moshe Friedman (English speaking) can be reached at 917-272-4045 or by email bialebneibrak@gmail.com. Don’t miss this opportunity.

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