DUAL REPRESENTATION
In 5741, R’ Dworkin had the honor of serving both as the representative of the Rebbe to the public and as the representative of the public to the Rebbe. On the first occasion, he was sent by the Rebbe as his personal representative to the siyum of the special children’s Torah scroll in Eretz Yisroel. R’ Dworkin was received with great honor as was fitting a representative of the Rebbe.
Erev Pesach fell out on Shabbos that year. At twelve o’clock, around the time for destroying chametz, most people were at home. Suddenly there was a surprise announcement – farbrengen! The Rebbe had told the secretary earlier but had told him not to publicize it.
There were hardly any people in 770 and the farbrengen was different than usual. There was no wine, as per the Rebbe’s instructions. You could not eat chametz, nor could you eat matza. On the Rebbe’s table was a plate with some bananas and a bottle of water. Those were the refreshments.
After the first sicha the Rebbe said that at first he thought of saying that wine should be brought to the farbrengen, but the Alter Rebbe paskens in Shulchan Aruch that one should not drink wine after the tenth hour. He wanted fruits to be brought, but trusting in Hashem that there would be many fruits worked only spiritually; there weren’t enough fruits for everyone. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be polite if he was the only one who ate and drank.
Therefore, since the fruits on the plate would not be enough for everyone, even if they were cut up, the fruits would be given to the Mara d’Asra. The eating and drinking that he and his beis din did would be like everyone eating and drinking.
The Rebbe set aside some pieces of banana and then gave the plate, with everything on it, as well as the bottle of water, to the Mara d’Asra.
There were other incidents in which R’ Dworkin served both these functions. When a Tanya was published in the merit of the residents of Crown Heights, it was he who gave it to the Rebbe. And when the Rebbe said on 10 Shvat 5736 that the rabbanim should pasken that Eretz Yisroel belongs to the Jewish people, after several rabbanim paskened the Rebbe told R’ Dworkin to pasken too.
THE ADVOCATES GAINED A WEEK
A week before R’ Dworkin passed away, his nephew [R’ Dworkin did not have any children] visited him in the hospital. While R’ Dworkin was dozing, he suddenly woke up and said, “There were advocates and prosecutors. The prosecutors did not give any time, but the advocates gave a week, and they won.”
His nephew was frightened, thinking that the disease had affected his uncle’s brain, but when R’ Dworkin passed away one week later, he understood his uncle’s cryptic words.