From Chapter 1 -- Messengers
December 10, 1949 -- Brooklyn, New York
Shlomo Carlebach and Zalman Schachter, young rabbis in their early 20s, are standing in a dark, narrow hallway on the second floor of the three-storey headquarters of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, waiting nervously, their eyes fixed on the door in front of them.
Just the fact that they are here together is a miracle in itself, a blessing from God. They first met in Baden, back before the Nazis had taken over, when Zalman, age 11, showed up on the Carlebach's doorstep, holding a dead chicken. Zalman's father had sent him to ask Rabbi Carlebach if it was kosher. Rabbi Carlebach examined the chicken and said, yes, it was kosher. Then he introduced Zalman to his sons, Eli and Shlomo, who were 10 years old. The three boys ran off to play ping pong.
Zalman's family was unable to leave by train as the Carlebachs had. With the help of smugglers, the Schachters escaped on foot across the German border into Antwerp, Belgium. From there they fled to France and wound up at a refugee camp in Marseilles. There Zalman met a charismatic rabbi with whom he was very taken. After his family finally arrived in New York in 1941, Zalman learned that this rabbi, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was the son-in-law of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yossef Yitzchak Schneersohn, head of a great Hasidic dynasty. The Rebbe had also escaped from Europe just a few months before, arrived in New York, and has set up his home and headquarters in Brooklyn.
Zalman soon became a Hasid (student, follower) of the Rebbe. When Zalman and Shlomo found each other in New York, Zalman learned that Shlomo and his brother Eli had already been to the Rebbe.
At first Shlomo was hesitant to become a Hasid. He was studying at America's foremost Torah academy, the intellectual center of the Orthodox Jewish world, Lakewood Yeshiva, where he was recognized as an illui, a genius. It was rumored that Rabbi Aharon Kotler, the renowned head of the Yeshiva, was grooming Shlomo to succeed him. But over time Shlomo came to realize the life of the mind, even in a community of brilliant minds, would not satisfy him. He needed something more. What the Rebbe offered him was a path with heart. Shlomo left Lakewood to learn with the Rebbe.
The door opens. An older Hasid, Berel Haskin, sticks his head out. In a very soft voice, almost but not quite a whisper, he says in Yiddish: Die Rebbe ruft eich (the Rebbe’s calling you). They follow him into the Rebbe's mother’s room where he held a small farbrengen (gathering).
The Rebbe is one of the very few Hasidic masters to get out of the Holocaust alive. He is driven day and night to do what he can to rebuild in America what was decimated in Europe: the holy communities of his people. The Rebbe is a tzaddik, a righteous person, a fully realized being whose every waking minute is devoted to serving God. He is like a king who commands the allegiance, love, respect, and loyalty of those around him. Lately he has been sick, and spends much of his time in bed.
Wearing a black silk robe, the rebbe sits propped up on an upholstered chair at a small table. Standing around the room are several old men with long, white beards, whom the young men recognize as the Rebbe's closest Hasidim. The Rebbe nods, and one of the old men fills three shot glasses on the small table with vodka, passing one each to the Rebbe, Shlomo and Zalman. They make a blessing and everyone says "L'Chiam!" making a toast to long life for the Rebbe.
The Rebbe looks at Shlomo and Zalman. He takes one more sip of his vodka, and hands the glass to one of the old Hassidim, who also takes the glasses from the two young men, and puts the glasses on the dresser. The Rebbe speaks softly, in Yiddish. His voice is weak, but his eyes are filled with fire.
The time has come, the Rebbe says, looking first into Shlomo's eyes, then Zalman's. You have been chosen. God has given you both great gifts. With great gifts come great responsibilities.
The Rebbe coughs. Berel Haskin hands him a handkerchief, then a glass of water. I am sending you both as my personal emissaries, the Rebbe continues. I want you go to college campuses, many college campuses. I want you to find the Jewish students there.
The Rebbe takes a sip of water.
What do you want us to say to them? Shlomo asks.
The Rebbe looks at him. I am sending you to reach out to them, he says. God will show you what to say. He will put the words in your mouth.
Shlomo looks at the Rebbe without saying anything.
The Rebbe smiles, a little sadly. America is a wonderful place, he says. Thank God it has provided our people with a haven of comfort and security, where we can learn Torah and live our lives without fear. But we have to remember that the Messiah -- may he come soon to redeem the world -- is not here yet. America is a great home for the body but not so easy for the soul. Here they don't kill our bodies, he says with a sad little laugh. Instead they seduce us with false gods, the gods of materialism. Many will succumb. Many will lose their way.
The Rebbe looks down and notices that the glass of water is still in his hand. He lifts it up, and Beryl takes it from him.
The Rebbe sits up straight and leans forward. He locks eyes first with Zalman, then with Shlomo. What happened to the six million, he says, in barely a whisper, where are these souls?
The young men are silent. They look at each other, and then back at the Rebbe.
They are being reborn, the Rebbe says. They are being reborn here, in a new generation. The Nazis destroyed our bodies. America, he says shaking his head, America has the power to destroy our souls. You must go and find them. You must bring them back to their Creator.
The following week is Hanukah. Shlomo and Zalman get hold of a car, an old Plymouth, and drive up to Boston to visit their first college campus. When they get there in the evening, they discover a Hanukah party in the student union, where students are dancing to 1940s swing music.
The young rabbis walk in carrying the stuff they've brought with them: a tape recorder with Hasidic music, a stack of handouts with Hasidic teachings, and a bag containing tefilin (ritual objects worn during prayer). The room goes silent, and all eyes are on them. Shlomo walks over to a table on one side of the room; Zalman walks over to a table on the other side.
As curious students wander over, Shlomo begins telling stories. One student says this sounds like Hindu mysticism. Shlomo goes from story to story as more students gather. At his table where students are also gathering, Zalman talks about Kabbalah and the Upanishads. Pretty soon everyone in the room is gathered around these two tables. The stories and discussions continue late into the night.
The following month, on January 28, the Rebbe leaves this world.
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