Chabad - Rav S. Z. Auerbach's regard for the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver comment to "Chabad - Chasidim - not just Litvaks - are upset":

There is a sefer Shemen Sasson Meichaveirecha with many quotes from gedolei Yisroel about the Rebbe, that shows the ultimate mutual respect that they had for each other, in contrast to the vicious lies that are being bandied about here. I'll post some things, and hopefully Rabbi Eidensohn will see fit to turn this imp't info. into blog posts just as he turns every small comment on a topic into one.

THE MIGHTY GAON RABBI SHLOMO ZALMAN AURBACH
From Shemen Sasson Meichaveirecha
by Rabbi Shalom Dover Ha’Levi Wolpo
Translated by Alexander Zushe Kohn

The mighty gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Aurbach was born in the holy city of Yerushalayim on the holy day of Shabbos, 23 Tammuz 5670 (July 30, 1910), to his father, the gaon and kabbalist Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Yehuda Leib zatzal, and his mother the tzedeikes Tzivya, peace unto her. (Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Leib, a descendant of the holy Toldos Yaakov Yosef zatzal, was the founder and rosh yeshiva of the Kabbala yeshiva Shaar HaShamayim, and the author of Chacham Lev.)[...]

TREMENDOUS ESTEEM FOR THE REBBE FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE NESIUS

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman’s noble lineage – on his father’s side he was a descendant of the Baal Shem Tov’s great disciple, the Toldos Yaakov Yosef, and on his mother’s side he was a descendant of one of the Tzemach Tzedek’s great oral scribes – was undoubtedly a factor in his very close relationship with the chassidic Torah leaders of our generation, and in his admiration for the Rebbe.

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman’s first correspondence with the Rebbe, I found in a letter he sent the Rebbe in 5722 (1962), together with his booklet Hatzaa L’Tikunei Nashim B’Inyanei Nida. With permission from the Agudas Chassidei Chabad library, I photographed the letter. It says as follows:

“The seventeenth of Adar, 5722 (February 21, 1962). I have sent my booklet to the master and Admur shlita. I would greatly rejoice in hearing your holy opinion on this stringent matter .... I know that you are extremely busy with matters pertaining to the entire Jewish people ... the main issue, in my humble opinion, is in siman 2, and with regard to the master, your ancestor, the Rav zal. It should be immediately noticeable to Your Grand Holiness that I speak of the Rav zal with fear and trepidation. Indeed, I regard him as one of the ancient ones .... I also entreat the Admur to look at siman 4 .... I would thus greatly rejoice in hearing your opinion, the opinion of Torah, on this matter. I very much request that in your prayers you mention me for good health, nachas from my family and disciples, and [goodness] in all spiritual and physical/material matters. My [full] name is Shlomo Zalman, son of my father and teacher Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Leib Aurbach, and my mother and teacher, Tzivya, peace unto her.”

Shaarei Chesed, Yerushalayim.”

I heard from the gaon’s grandson, that it is common knowledge among the members of his family that after receiving the gaon’s letter the Rebbe expressed admiration for Rabbi Shlomo Zalman’s reverence for the Alter Rebbe’s rulings.

THE YEARS OF A KING

AND LEADER

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman’s great admiration for the Rebbe is also evident in a letter dated 5 Nissan 5732 (March 20, 1972):

“To His Grand Greatness, the majestic and honorable Admur of Lubavitch – whose name, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, is greater than the [title] Rabban – may your well-being always increase. Though it is not customary among us for lesser ones to send greetings to greater ones, I nevertheless join the masses in public prayer and blessing for one who is needed by the masses – blessing that G-d may ‘add days onto the days of the king,’ for the days of a king and leader are not merely the years of an individual, but ‘the years of all generations.’ May you reach the age of strength in blessing and joy, for [G-d’s] kindness prevails upon those who fear Him. May G-d’s desire to enhance the greatness and glory of the Torah throughout the entire world be carried out successfully through you, and may you quickly merit to gaze upon the pleasantness of G-d through the new light that [that will shine] on Tzion, and through the coming of our righteous Moshiach.”

I heard from those who were close to the gaon that after sending out this letter, he enthusiastically repeated the interpretation he had included on the verse “May You add days to the days of the king, may his years be like all generations” – i.e., that the days of the Rebbe, who is a king over Israel, are not his individual years, but the years of the entire generation.

At a family Sheva Brachos in 5752 (1991-92), I presented Rabbi Shlomo Zalman with my seifer, Yechi HaMelech. When I handed him the seifer, I said, “Who are the kings? The sages [are the kings]!” Rabbi Shlomo Zalman lifted his eyes from the seifer, and focused them sharply on me. “No,” he said. “Not just [in the sense] that the sages are the kings – [here it means] king literally!”

“THE WONDROUS AND UNIQUE ADMUR”

On the ninth of Nissan 5737 (March 28, 1977), Rabbi Shlomo Zalman sent his blessing to the Rebbe in honor of the Rebbe’s seventieth birthday:

“I, the small one, join tens of thousands of Jews in thanking G-d, and in rejoicing over the wondrous and unique Admur, the Rebbe of Lubavitch shlita, reaching the age of seventy-five. He is a tower of light for this generation, radiating and spreading luminous rays of truth and faith into the hearts of Jews everywhere, and imbuing them with the light of G-d’s Torah, and the glow of its commandments. With gratitude for the [Rebbe’s] past [activities], I join everyone in prayer and blessing that G-d should not remove his kindness from us, and G-d should lengthen [the Rebbe’s] days and the years of his reign, until ‘there will arise a Kohen to [inquire of] the Urim and the Tumim’ speedily in our days – amen!”

In a Torah essay sent for inclusion in a special compilation published in honor of the Rebbe’s birthday that year, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman opens with the following words: “I hereby join in printing words of Torah in this compilation dedicated to the great honor of the Admur, the Rebbe of Lubavitch shlita, who is wondrous and unique in our generation in Torah and piety. Indeed, ‘there is no honor other than Torah.’“ He also sent Torah insights for inclusion in the seifer, Kavod Chachamim, published in 5742 (1981/82) in honor of the Rebbe’s eightieth birthday.

ADMIRATION FOR THE REBBE’S EFFORTS TO BRING JEWS BACK TO TORAH

On 11 Nissan, 5739 (April 8, 1979), Rabbi Shlomo Zalman sent a letter to the gaon and chassid Rabbi Nachum Trebnik o.b.m., the Rabbi of Kfar Chabad at the time:

“Greetings. Since I am unable to fulfill your request of joining the farbrengen taking place today in Kfar Chabad in honor of the birthday of the honorable and holy Admur of Lubavitch shlita, I wish to express here my participation through a blessing and a prayer that G-d should lengthen the days of his reign in goodness and sweetness and G-d’s kindness should prevail upon him as on all those who fear Him, so that the power invested in his mighty actions and activities – to which their can be no comparison in terms of their effects at bringing the hearts of the Jewish people closer to our Father in Heaven – should grow stronger. May his eyes quickly behold, together with all of us, that G-d has chosen His people and His inheritance, with the coming of the righteous Redeemer – amen sela! Thus speaks Shlomo Zalman Aurbach.”

When the Rebbe launched his campaign to have every Jewish child purchase a letter in a special Torah scroll, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman purchased letters in the Torah scroll for his grandchildren.

The gaon always had high regard for the opinions and rulings the Rebbe voiced on matters concerning the Jewish masses. Thus, for example, when it came to the “Who is a Jew” issue, he joined the gaonim, Rabbis Yechezkiel Abramski zatzal, and Yosef Sholom Elyashiv shlita in issuing a proclamation, “an outcry from the holy city of Yerushalayim,” concerning the obligation to amend the law so that non-halachic conversions would not be recognized. Similarly, in the beginning of Menachem Av 5746 (August 1986), he stated his opinion that “the only solution to the “Who is a Jew” problem, is [to correct the law to say] ‘halachic conversions.’”