Gathering
More And More Talmidim To Greet Moshiach
By
Shalom Dov Ber Cohen
Eight
years have passed since the Rebbe MH”M said that the great
spiritual revolution in France (Sichos VaYishlach-VaYeishev 5752),
a country that used to be a symbol of heresy and is now a Torah
center, reached a state of completion in our generation. The Rebbe
indicated that this alludes to the refinement of the world in
general. Rabbi Pinchas Gedalya Pashtar, menahel of Hadar Torah in
Paris, tells of his role in this revolution, and about the dozens
of baalei teshuva who are still making their way towards
Yiddishkeit.
I
chased after Rabbi Pashtar for weeks, wanting to hear about the
history of his work and its projected future. I gave up trying to
reach the busy man by telephone, and determined to meet him in
person. On my first attempt in the offices of Yeshiva Hadar Torah,
they told me that he hadn’t yet returned from Belgium. He had
gone there with a group of talmidim for them to experience
Shabbos in religious Antwerp.
My
second attempt at meeting him did indeed result in seeing him, but
only for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he said, peering at me over
the glasses perched on the end of his nose, “I must finish
writing the weekly bulletin.” He smiled apologetically and went
back to the sfarim and papers spread out over his desk.
On
my third attempt, his assistant, Dovid Barda, told me that he was
in Belgium giving a class for Jewish students in Brussels.
“Don’t worry,” said Dovid, “he only went for a few
hours.”
The
fourth time, I was determined to speak to him no matter what!
Although I arrived just as he was to deliver a lecture to thirty
people (topic: the Rebbe’s view of the situation in Eretz
Yisroel), I knew patience would be a virtue.
While
waiting, a distinguished older fellow approached me and whispered,
“Can I get the back issues that discuss evolution?” Seeing my
look of surprise, he pulled out a folded paper in French entitled
“Le Courier De La Geula.”
He opened it and showed me an article about Torah vs. the theory
of evolution. “It’s fantastic,” he whispered. “It’s
written on a high academic level, yet it’s so clear. Thanks to
reading this, I have become an ardent believer in the Rebbe’s
prophecies.”
The
lecture was over. There were another twenty minutes of questions
and answers. The man who had approached me sat down to listen.
Then he spoke at length with the lecturer. Finally, he went to the
office, got the issues he was missing, and left. Now it was my
turn.
“Thanks
for coming,” said Rabbi Pinchas Pashtar while shaking my hand
warmly. We clarified the misunderstanding that occurred during my
first attempt to meet him. I had identified myself from Beis
Moshiach, but he thought I was from the Parisian organization
called Beis Moshiach. This is the center directing all the
Moshiach activities in France and distributing material on inyanei
Moshiach and Geula, material he would want to include
in his newspaper. They also publish a pamphlet by that name. He
didn’t realize I had wanted to interview him for the
international Beis Moshiach magazine.
“Ah,
you mean the Shofar Ha’olami,” referring to the
magazine you now hold in your hands. “You want to write an
article about our paper?” Now I had to use all my persuasive
abilities to convince him that I was not merely interested in the
paper, but that I really wanted to interview him; he doubted that
anybody would find it interesting!
I
reminded him that the Rebbe said that the refinement of France,
particularly the spiritual revolution that has taken place there,
alludes to the refinement of the entire world. We wanted to hear
about someone actively involved in hafatza who had joined
Lubavitch in the early years of Chabad’s work in France.
Apparently
I succeeded in convincing him. For Rabbi Pashtar added,
“Especially, the most important work, the work of actually
greeting Moshiach Tzidkeinu!”
***
Tell
us about your childhood. Were you born in France?
I
was born in Paris, a year after the outbreak of World War II. I
grew up in Paris with my parents, as well as my brother and
sister, both born during the war years.
Were
you forced to go into hiding?
Maybe
we should have hid, but my parents were so naive that they
didn’t realize how dangerous the situation was. When they
finally caught on, they had no idea how to flee or where to go.
Throughout the war we remained in the same apartment, and my
father, R’ Shimon Pashtar, a’h, continued his religious
way of life. He continued going to shul and doing all of
his regular activities.
What
about kosher food?
My
mother, Duba Bina, a’h, took care of that. She was a wise
woman, who did all she could to bring food to her family, while
raising three little ones in such terrible times. She was from a
very illustrious family. Her grandfather, R’ Moshe Reuven
Goldberg, was the dayan of Grodna. He raised his orphaned
nephew, who later became famous as the Beis HaLevi of Brisk.
Do
you remember the war years?
Generally.
I was just a little boy, but you would be surprised – I remember
certain incidents in detail. I remember being with my mother
before going down to the metro of Paris on our way back from the
market with kosher food. Naturally, it was the black market.
Suddenly we were stopped by policemen who noticed the merchandise
in our bags.
We
were taken to the police station for questioning. I remember
sitting in the long corridor, near an “aunt” who volunteered
to watch me until my mother would come out and take me home.
Later, my mother told me that she had written our address on a
scrap of paper and had asked the gentile cleaning lady to take me
home, in case (G-d forbid) she wouldn’t be released.
She
was released without any problems?
It
was really miraculous. My mother said that the officer accused her
of wanting to buy even more “incriminating” goods than the
ones found on us, i.e., meat. My mother told him quite innocently
that she would not buy non-kosher meat for all the money in the
world, since she was Jewish.
The
officer was amazed. He asked her to sit down and began questioning
her on the laws of kashrus. Finally, he pointed at the door
and ordered, “Go home and don’t tell anyone that you were
arrested and released.”
And
after the
war?
Life
went on and we grew up. I finished my religious studies at the
Yavne School, continuing at the yeshiva of R’ Eliyahu
Munk, z’l, and received my smicha for rabbanus from
the Beis Din of Paris. I had independently finished
my secular studies too, in science, philosophy, languages, etc.
And
then?
That’s
when my life changed. In 5720 (1960), a Lubavitcher Chassid came
to the neighborhood shul to serve as shaliach tzibur.
I had previously known nothing about Chabad, except that my mother
always praised Lubavitchers as being “fine people.” In shul
I first began to get acquainted with this Chassid, and was invited
to his home for Shabbos. It opened up a new world for me.
The
Chassid was R’ Tzvi Leib Levin, a’h. He had been the
Rebbe’s shaliach in Morocco, and when he had to leave
that post due to pressure from the Moroccan government, he and his
family moved to France to continue his shlichus.
R’
Leib Levin was a Chassidishe man. His good heart and shining
countenance captivated everyone. He became the central Jewish
figure in the area. He explained and guided, encouraged and
strengthened. He was an outstanding educator, who personally
instructed young children, and his students were admired by all.
His daughter is the wife of Rabbi Yaakov Blum, one of the
directors of Beis Moshiach in Paris.
I
was one of his first mekuravim in his new location, and
through him I came to know the wondrous world of Chabad. R’ Leib
saw that I was attracted to the intellectual aspects of Chassidus
Chabad. I loved to learn and delve into the sfarim he
gave me. He asked me to accompany him to Aubervilliers, a suburb
of Paris, where over ten Lubavitcher families, who had emigrated
from Russia, lived (e.g., Eidelman, Belinow, Horowitz, Levin,
Kalmanson, etc.).
As
a guest from the big city, I was greeted with exceptional warmth.
Even emotionally, not my strong point at that time, I felt a
change. I experienced Chassidishe farbrengens,
learned how to daven, and learned what is real ahavas
Yisroel and what is true simcha. Of course, I also
learned about Yud-Tes Kislev, Purim, and Simchas Torah, when the
Chassidim of Aubervilliers went all out in their celebration.
I
progressed in learning, mostly influenced by R’ Aryeh Leib
Eidelman, a’h. He was an example of an elder Chassid from
the remnants of the talmidim of Tomchei Tmimim in
Lubavitch. The image of him standing and davening is
engraved in my mind. I learned for ten years with him, studying
the basic works of Chabad Chassidus. I rented an apartment in
Brunoy near the yeshiva for the summer months, so that I
could listen to the shiurim of the famous mashpia,
R’ Nissan Nemenov, a’h.
I
learned from these teachers and mashpiim that I could not
remain satisfied with my own avoda. If I knew and
understood something, I had a duty to share my knowledge with
others. Thus, in 5724, I organized a new series of Chassidus
classes in the old shul in Paris, which was named after its
address, Rue de Jacque #5.
My
father, father-in-law, grandfather, and before the war, my
grandfather’s father, davened in this shul. The
latter gave shiurim there when he came to France. The shul
was active even during the reign of the Nazis, and at least two minyanim
davened there. I remember how my father took me there on
Friday nights. We davened quietly in the basement. The
gentile neighbors knew about this, but, thank G-d, nobody informed
on us.
You
opened your center for the study of Chassidus in this very shul?
Yes,
indeed. As a result of this work, a large group of baalei
teshuva and mekuravim formed. After some time, I
discovered that R’ Shmuel Azimov (R’ Mulleh, may he have a
complete and speedy recovery), who was a bachur at that
time, had been doing similar work in Brunoy and Paris. Naturally
we joined forces. That is how a branch of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad of
Paris was founded.
Then
what?
After
a while I had a strong desire to see the Rebbe. I was married, and
traveling in those days was not what it is today. But I decided
that nothing would stand in the way of seeing the Rebbe. I was
determined to go.
I
had written the Rebbe a few times, but had never received a
response. The interesting thing is that the very day I was ready
to leave for New York, I found a letter from the Rebbe in the
mailbox, my first letter from the Rebbe. The Rebbe wrote that he
had read about my work in the de Jacque Shul, which had caused him
nachas ruach.
My
emotions during this trip, as well as my first meeting with the
Rebbe, participating in the farbrengens, and the yechidus,
are hard to describe. However, it all contributed to increasing my
efforts in my work when I returned to Paris.
At
that time, I organized a new group in Orly, near the airport in
Paris. I continued giving classes for adults, and set up Talmud
Torahs in a number of places for younger people, where they
studied twice a week.
Were
you associated with any mosad?
At
first I was not, and I didn’t see anything wrong with that. The
Chassidim and mashpiim who were mekarev me, did so
as a matter of course, simply because they were Lubavitcher
Chassidim. However, after a number of years of successful work,
some people felt I was trespassing on territory that did not
belong to me. I was extremely affronted. Was I supposed to stop
giving shiurim? I decided to ask the Rebbe.
In
5731 (1971) I received the Rebbe’s response, which he had
handwritten at the end of a personal letter: “With blessings for
success in disseminating Yiddishkeit and the wellsprings in
particular (certainly you will continue doing so – the question
is surprising), especially the new classes you mentioned.” The
Rebbe puts vowels under the word yamshich (continue),
perhaps so that I would not err by pronouncing the word
differently to mean I should stop what I was doing. However, the
story wasn’t over yet...
Why,
weren’t you satisfied with this clear answer?
(Smiling)
I was certainly satisfied, which is why I expanded my
classes, etc., but maybe it led to additional disagreements.
I
was unsure of myself again. Perhaps I was supposed to continue my shiurim
but under another person’s authority? On the other hand, the
Rebbe hadn’t said so. All he had said was that I should continue
my work. After giving it a lot of thought, I decided I had to hear
the Rebbe’s answer from the Rebbe himself. I flew to New York at
the beginning of Elul 5732.
The
Rebbe had heard the details of what was going on from R’
Binyamin Gorodetzky, a’h, the one in charge of the
“Bureau” in Paris, and who was well acquainted with my work.
When I entered the Rebbe’s room for yechidus, the
Rebbe’s face glowed. This is what he said: “There are enough
Jewish souls in Paris for him, for you, and for others! You must
open your own mosad, and report about your activities. If
the shul is too small, move to larger quarters!”
I
remember being very surprised by the Rebbe’s sharp directives,
and I mustered the courage to say, “They won’t believe me in
Paris.” The Rebbe responded decisively: “You will get it in
writing!”
Indeed,
before leaving for home, I received a long letter from the Rebbe
wherein he explained that my work had to be independent. A copy of
this letter was sent to R’ Binyamin Gorodetzky as well, and I
used to consult with him when questions about my autonomy would
come up. The Rebbe also mentioned this in one of his letters to me
in 5743: “In all matters, as I answered then, speak with
R’ Binyamin Gorodetzky shlita.”
If
you want, I can show you the letter…
You
want to publicize it? What are you talking about! I was
embarrassed to show it to the people in Paris. [Author: In the
end, I managed to get a copy of the letter.]
What
activities can you tell us about after this yechidus?
After
a few months, I was able to write to the Rebbe about the opening
of a new mosad called Hadar Torah (similar to Hadar Hatorah
in New York), and about the new students, who were doing well.
With the help of these students and mekuravim, other
important projects were initiated, such as the first mivtza
tank of Paris, the first mobile succa, Mivtza Chanuka in
public places, etc.
Shortly
afterwards, I arrived in New York with the first group of talmidim,
and after that I brought many other groups from France, each
consisting of fifty-sixty people.
How
did the Rebbe relate to these groups?
The
Rebbe gave them special attention. On the day we would leave, the
Rebbe would stand at the doorway of 770 to bless the group, and
encourage their singing and dancing before boarding the bus. We
had the Rebbe’s warm attention during farbrengens, when
the Rebbe would give us a bottle of wine, a full plate of mezonos,
etc.
In
those years, 5732-5740, the Rebbe would look for me between sichos
in order for me to say l’chaim with the talmidim,
calling out: “Ha’kohen ha’gadol mei’echav”
(“the kohen that is greater than his brethren,” a verse
referring to the Kohen Gadol). Occasionally he told
us to start singing “HaAderes v’ha’Emuna” to
the tune of the French national anthem.
This
kind of special attention everybody saw, but there is a private
aspect as well. I have a letter from R’ Binyamin Gorodetzky,
dated the 26th of Adar 5734, in which he writes:
“Make
a list of those going to the Rebbe for Purim, and those who learn
at Hadar Torah will have half of their expenses paid for by the
Rebbe. Those who don’t come to learn, if there are people like
that among your travelers, will receive 36 sh’kalim each.
Make a list and give it to R’ Levin at the lishka, and he
will give you the money. I wrote to him about this.”
The
same letter also says, “Regarding the letterhead of the mosad
Hadar Torah, write in a way that makes it clear that it is
Lubavitch, so that nobody can say that the mosad has no
connection to the Rebbe, because it will say Lubavitch explicitly.
That is what the Rebbe shlita told me, which means you have
permission to use the name Lubavitch.”
In
the Sichos Kodesh, it says that there was a rav
from France, and the Rebbe was surprised that he hesitated to sing
“HaAderes v’ha’Emuna.” Was that you?
[From
the farbrengen of the eve of Yud-Beis Sivan 5740,
Vol. 3, p. 1770: At the end of the farbrengen, the Rebbe
asked one of the rabbanim from France to sing “HaAderes
V’ha’Emuna” to the tune of the French national
anthem. When some time passed and he had not yet appeared, the
Rebbe said: “He should hurry up and sing; Moshiach is already
prepared to come and there is no time!” Finally, when the rav
arrived and began to sing, the Rebbe encouraged the singing with
both his hands and clapped vigorously.]
How
did you know? Listen to what happened. At the end of the farbrengen,
the Rebbe said that since a large group of guests from France
would be leaving, they should sing their niggun. Then the
Rebbe called out, “Pashtar, where are you?”
I
was in the building next door to 770 at that time, translating the
Rebbe’s Yiddish into French. That way, all members of the group,
as well as other people, could hear the farbrengen
translated simultaneously through a small transistor with an
earphone. It was part of a whole operation of producing a
multilingual simulcast of the Rebbe’s address. I had been chosen
at that time to translate into French.
So
there I was, sitting and participating in the farbrengen by
watching it on a video screen and listening through special
headphones, and the Rebbe was looking for me! I quickly removed
the headset, but it got caught in my beard and I was trapped. I
tried unsuccessfully to extricate myself from the tangle, while I
still heard and saw the Rebbe looking for me.
“Where
is he?” the Rebbe asked my group in French, and then he smiled,
“Birchas Kohanim is not done at night!” The talmidim
told the Rebbe that I was translating, and the Rebbe, with a
smile, asked again, “Here, or in Paris?” There was an entire
dialogue in French, including “Moshiach is already prepared to
come and there is no time!”
Finally
I tore myself loose, and surprised even myself by how fast I
dashed down the dark spiral staircase of that building. I arrived
at the hall and somehow managed to make my way through the crowd
to the Rebbe’s bima, where the Rebbe was still waiting. A
full cup of mashke awaited me, and I burst into song.
What
else can you tell us about yechiduyos you had with the
Rebbe?
At
my yechiduyos I was able to receive answers to my personal
questions, as well as advice, explanations and words of
encouragement. For example, in 5736 I remember that the Rebbe
said, “Lubavitch is not afraid of competition. On the contrary,
Lubavitch is interested in competition, that others should also do
mivtzaim, etc. That’s the whole point, that even Jews of
other groups should do mivtzaim. You will see,” said the
Rebbe, “that other rabbis in Paris will do as you do. Rabbi___
and Rabbi___ and Rabbi___ will also do mivtzaim.”
On
another occasion, the Rebbe told me in yechidus to visit
Machon Chana in Crown Heights, where baalos teshuva study.
The Rebbe said he was interested in having a similar institution
in Paris, and he wanted me to see how one operates.
Some
of the directives I received from the Rebbe were in writing. For
example, in 5735 I wrote to the Rebbe that I had the opportunity
to work with varied segments of the population, e.g., students,
older men, etc. I asked whether I should customize my activities
to each group, despite the fact that other people concentrated on
only one type of person. The Rebbe answered: “Naturally the
nature of the publicity and the work in each country and place is
according to the conditions of the place and the people, who are
not like one another.”
With
the Rebbe’s encouragement, I began writing and editing articles
in French, which were printed and widely disseminated. Many issues
of “Thought of the Week” were published, which the Rebbe
greatly encouraged. There were also separate pamphlets that
explained the ten mivtza campaigns, Shabbos and other
special mitzvos.
I
should point out that I received a lot of help from my students in
this work, who are today distinguished members of Anash,
and continue to be active in Paris. Some of them live in Eretz
Yisroel, where they work with French speaking people. I will
mention R’ Dovid Bukobuza who is a shochet in Kfar
Chabad, R’ Chai Berkatz who runs Or Gavriel in Yerushalayim,
R’ Yehoshua Taib, a sofer in Teveria, and R’ Moshe
Lokshinsky.
Any
special answers or encounters with the Rebbe?
Every
directive and answer from the Rebbe is special, but from my
personal perspective there are some that stand out. I attribute my
role and work in Paris today to two answers I received from the
Rebbe ten years ago, when I had various offers to work elsewhere.
The first offer in 5748 involved work outside of France, about
which the Rebbe said: “Regarding settling down, etc., since you
are in France and have been all your life, etc., obviously you
should make efforts regarding France, and by consulting with
knowledgeable friends in France.”
Later
on in 5750, I was offered the position of principal of a school in
Marseille in southern France. I asked the Rebbe about it, and that
same day the secretary called me and said, “If by doing so, his
influence will not decrease in Paris. He should consult with
knowledgeable friends.” For ten months I worked in Marseille,
and flew back to Paris in order to give my regular classes.
What
does your work focus on today?
Starting
in 5751, when we heard the Rebbe’s amazing sichos about
the uniqueness of this most recent time, the work focuses on
disseminating the Rebbe’s prophecies, what the Rebbe said about
Moshiach’s imminent arrival, and the fact that he is Moshiach.
After Chaf-Zayin Adar I 5752, when we urgently needed to
strengthen our emuna and bitachon, we published a
series of booklets on this topic. Over the past four years, we
have been publishing a weekly called “The Letter of Geula,”
which is very attractive and enjoys great success.
The
articles are all in French, but we are greatly aided by articles
printed by others in Hebrew. R’ Shalom Dov Ber Volpe’s books
are excellent, as is the terrific material printed in your Beis
Moshiach magazine, and the weekly publications produced by
R’ Zimroni Tzik’s organization.
I
went to the Rebbe for Shavuos 5753, and received his blessing to
buy a beautiful venue for Hadar Torah. We offer evening classes,
lectures, and kinusim. Starting in 5755, as a result of the
excitement that began in Eretz Yisroel, we started arranging mass
gatherings for Moshiach and Geula. We get a huge number of
people, and you can really see how the Jewish heart is awake to
hear about the besuras ha’Geula. We fully cooperate with
the important work being done by Beis Moshiach here in Paris,
which is directed by the dedicated shluchim, R’ Yaakov
Blum and R’ Reuven Matusof.
As
much as possible, we help with lectures and material, written for shluchim
in other districts of Paris. We also have strong ties with those
working in neighboring French-speaking countries, like Matteh
Moshiach of Antwerp and Brussels in Belgium.
We
still organize group trips to 770, for the Moshiach Congress, etc.
The work doesn’t stop there either, because we translate the
speeches into French, and we learn and farbreng.
In
conclusion?
Twenty
years ago, I traveled with a group of mekuravim for Shavuos
5740. We passed by the Rebbe for kos shel bracha, and I was
last. I heard the Rebbe express this promise: “You will go to
greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu, with your wife and your children and
your students.” All I have to do is gather more and more talmidim!