F.R.E.E. for all

Eli Y. M. commenting to the The Rebbe�s brother Yisroel Aryeh Leib post:

This will comment on both this discussion regarding the Rebbe's brother, and also your other discussion elsewhere regarding whether the Rebbe was "introverted" and basically aloof and unapproachable; and in a way it's the same answer: The Rebbe had a very warm and caring relationship spanning many years with my esteemed late in-laws, Prof. Paul and Rivelle Rosenbloom, Z"L. At the Rebbe's behest, my mother-in-law actually founded the organization F.R.E.E.; and initially F.R.E.E. was actually "headquarted" in their apartment on 120th St. on Columbia campus in Manhattan.

My in-laws (and especially my mother-in-law) sent and received back a large volume of correspondence with the Rebbe, and in addition sent and received many messages to and from the Rebbe, principally through the Rebbe's secretary Rabbi Krinsky. And the issues discussed involved a whole range of issues, many quite personal, and the Rebbe's answers always reflected a great deal of warmth and caring, as well as deep wisdom and understanding. Did he "reveal" much about himself, per se? No. Nor would that have been at all expected. Pirke Avos is quite clear in admonishing one to not get too close to a Rebbe. And yet, through the Rebbe's instigation, my in-laws in fact did get "involved" with the Rebbe's brother and his daughter Dalia, and also (and moreso) with Barry and Mina Guary. The Rebbe certainly did (and this is actually captured on a video) ask my father-in-law, who was a Professor of Mathematics at Columbia, to look over a mathematical research paper and assess whether it might be publishable; and initially he wouldn't reveal who had written the paper. My father-in-law looked it over, and told the Rebbe about half the paper contained new research findings, and the other half contained things that had already been published by others, indicating the author was probably out of touch with the modern literature; and he initially suggested that it would be better for the author to update the paper himself. It was only then that the Rebbe revealed it was written by his brother, and that his brother was niftar, so he (the Rebbe) would appreciate my father-in-law's help. My father-in-law in fact did work on and "clean up" the paper, and then had it published under the Rebbe's brother's byline, in a mathematical research publication. And the Rebbe sent him (I have a copy) a very warm letter of appreciation.

All this is fairly well known. What is not well known is that when Dalia came to New York (and it is my understanding that she did see the Rebbe then), the Rebbe asked (through Rabbi Krinsky) that my in-laws have Dalia over for dinner; and they did. They also had an at one time close relationship with Barry and Mina; in fact, for a time, Mina was their stockbroker. I well remember speaking to them at my sister-in-law's chasseneh. That relationship ended rather abruptly after the great book episode. All of which is to say that, far from being aloof, the Rebbe was very concerned with people, per se, and certainly including members of his own family, and expended a great deal of misias nefesh in empathizing with and counseling people on a whole plethora of issues and concerns. And that is what communicated itself so vividly, the fact that he indeed did care very deeply!