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By Rabbi Sholom Yaakov Chazan, Beis Moshiach Magazine

1) Who did the Rebbe send to?

Every year, Purim morning, the Rebbe had his secretary, Rabbi Leibel Groner, give three mishloach manos for him, to a kohen, levi and yisrael.

Kohen: the secretary, R’ Eliyahu Quint. After he passed away, to the scribe R’ Yeshaya Matlin, and after him, to R’ Mordechai Rivkin.

Levi: R’ Shmuel Levitin and after he passed away, to R’ Shmuel Dovid Raitchik.

Yisrael: the secretary, R’ Chaim Mordechai Isaac Chodakov.

2) Mishloach Manos to Admorim

In the early years, the Rebbe also sent mishloach manos to some Admorim and relatives who lived in New York. When the Rebbe’s messengers returned, the Rebbe thanked them and blessed them with the blessing of the day and to merit to send mishloach manos in Yemos HaMoshiach too or, an another occasion, that the following year they should send mishloach manos to Moshiach.

3) What did it contain?

The manos that the Rebbe sent included a bottle of mashke (in the early years it was Benedictine and later it was Smirnoff) and baked goods (hamantashen) and in later years a fruit too. The Rebbe put the manos in a paper bag and raised each bag (like a kinyan) and gave it to R’ Groner and said: This is for the kohen, this is for the levi, this is for the yisrael. Sometimes he added: It makes no difference which bag you give; they are all the same.

4) Bottles of mashke from Shazar

There were times that the Rebbe sent mishloach manos to public figures who were in the area on Purim. On Purim 5731, the Rebbe sent mishloach manos to Mr. Shneur Zalman Shazar. Shazar sent back eighteen bottles of whiskey of various kinds and the Rebbe said to set aside terumos and maasros from those bottles that were products of Israel and to bring one bottle of each type to his room.

5) Mishloach manos to Iranian boys and girls

On Purim 5739, the Rebbe gave R’ JJ Hecht money to buy mishloach manos for the youth who came from Iran, in the Rebbe’s name. Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka sent mishloach manos to the Iranian girls.

6) Handwritten note

A photocopy of what the Rebbe sent to those involved in Mivtza Purim with Israeli soldiers in 5732:

Together with the mishloach manos – to send my wishes that, among all Jews, each one should have ora v’simcha v’sasson v’yekar in the literal sense and as per the words of Chazal, and in a manner of – as per the request of Dovid Melech Yisrael – Elokim hurry to me… Hashem do not delay. M.S.

7) Sending sefarim

R’ Sholom Hecht gave the Rebbe a unique sort of mishloach manos for decades: dozens of new sefarim that were not yet in the Rebbe’s library.

R’ Zev Katz had the merit to bring “mishloach manos” in the form of manuscripts from the Rebbeim that were not previously known.

8) The king’s table

The family of the scribe, R’ Eliezer Tzvi Zev Zirkind (who was known to not eat anything prepared outside the home and only ate from his own shechita), would bring a special mishloach manos every year to the Rebbe’s house: an entire Purim seuda, meat and fish etc. In addition, R’ Zirkind enclosed two blank checks for the Rebbe to decide which fund to give to and in what amount.

9) Half-dollar to the young delivery messengers

R’ Chesed Halberstam said every year, the Rebbetzin sent him to the bank to get half-dollar coins which she would give to children who brought mishloach manos.

10) Original Mishloach Manos

R’ Leibel Bistritzky would give original mishloach manos to the Rebbe. In 5728, when the Rebbe spoke about mivtza tefillin, he brought a cake in the shape of tefillin. In 5729, when the Rebbe spoke about prazos teishev Yerushalayim the cake was in the shape of the Kosel. In 5732, when the Rebbe spoke about seventy mosdos, the cake was decorated with little houses. 5743 began with “l’chatchile ariber” and in the center of the cake was a fence with Chassidic Jews jumping over it on one foot.

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