When Malach Michoel isn't doing his job...

I was in Crown Heights over Shabbos.

It was lots of fun, and there were three highlights.

1 - I found a copy of the Iggeres of Rav Sherira Gaon in English, and bought it for 15 dollars. It's a book I've been looking for.

2 - I met some old Ottawa boys that I haven't seen in around 8 years such as Nissen Lewis, Gav Cohen and Avi Mogilevsky.

3 - The best highlight - my brother-in-laws ufruf (calling to the Torah the Shabbos before his wedding, followed by a kiddush and farbrengen of epic proportions).

I davened in the Rebbe's room, which meant that I was able to concentrate and didn't bump into all my friends downstairs which would have kept me from getting any praying done.

Anyway, at the kiddush, Mr. Russ (Dovid's father) stood up and shushed everyone, and then put me on the spot by telling me to give over my story from Russia.

I looked around the room. It was packed. At least 50 people inside, many of them respected, elderly Chassidim who have probably been to Siberia.

But I had no choice, so I told them all what happened.

To my surprise, when I finished, everyone lifted their plastic cups of scotch (or vodka), and made Lechaim's that I should very quikly return to Stavropol.

There is a Chassidic saying that a farbrengen can accomplish more than Malach Michoel (the angel Michael).

I hope this is one of those cases.

I have seen that saying at work. Only once, though.

It was back when I was in Yeshiva in Montreal. One of the teachers was farbrenging with the boys, and he started crying and told us all that he had been married for over 10 years, yet still had no children.

A very good friend of mine jumped up on the table and made a big Lechaim, then got everyone else to join him in toasting the Rabbi that he should have children.

That summer he had a son. And I think now he has 3 kids.

Now we'll see what 50 Lechaims do for a young Rabbi who just wants to continue his work...