5 months ago

Ten Facts About Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka

Where was the Rebbetzin born, and who chose her name? What did the Rebbetzin do when her father, the Frierdiker Rebbe, was arrested? What did the Rebbetzin request moments before returning her pure soul to her Creator? • Ten facts about Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson A”H, in honor of Chof Beis Shevat • Read More

By Rabbi Shalom Yaakov Chazan, Beis Moshiach

Her Birth, Near Lubavitch

The righteous Rebbetzin, Mrs. Chaya Mushka Schneerson, was born on Shabbos Kodesh, 25 Adar 5661 (1901), in the town of Babinovitch, near the town of Lubavitch in White Russia.
Her Grandfather Chooses Her Name

In an unusual step, the Rebbe Rashab personally expressed his opinion regarding the name that should be given to the newborn daughter. In a telegram to his son, the Frierdiker Rebbe, he wrote: “…If a name has not yet been given, call her Chaya Mushka, for that is the proper name in my opinion.”
A Series of Telegrams

The Rebbe Rashab, who was abroad at the time, sent a series of telegrams and letters during the first week after her birth, in which he hinted to the child’s future. She was named after his grandmother, the wife of the Tzemach Tzedek, and he blessed her: “That she should be a woman who truly fears Hashem and that she should resemble my righteous great-grandmother in all details, whose name she bears…”
Delivering the News of the Arrest

At the time of the Frierdiker Rebbe’s arrest, the Rebbetzin was the one who conveyed the news. She returned from a meeting with The Rebbe, then her chosson, and after entering the house and noticing secret police agents, she looked out the window and told the Rebbe, “We have guests.” Thanks to this quick warning, the Rebbe was able to alert the Frierdiker Rebbe’s secretary and conceal sensitive documents, and immediately began rescue efforts.
At Her Father’s Side in Exile

On Gimmel Tammuz 5687 (1927), when the Frierdiker Rebbe was exiled to Kostroma, he took his daughter, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, with him. She remained with him until his release and was the one who telephoned the Rebbe’s home in Leningrad with the news of the liberation.
The Shidduch and the Wedding

The shidduch between the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin began in the summer of 5683 (1923). The tena’im were held on 6 Kislev 5689 (1928) in Riga, and on 14 Kislev 5689, the Rebbetzin married the Rebbe at Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Warsaw.
The Decisive Testimony

During the “Seforim Trial,” the Rebbetzin was asked to whom the books in the library belonged. The Rebbetzin answered, “They belonged to the Chassidim, because my father belonged to the Chassidim.” The Rebbe later stated in a sicha that this testimony carried decisive weight in the judge’s ruling that the library belongs to Agudas Chassidei Chabad.
Mesirus Nefesh for the Chassidim

Two days before her histalkus, her personal physician requested to convene a conference of doctors to determine a course of treatment. Despite her serious medical condition, the Rebbetzin requested that the meeting be postponed by a day so as not to interfere with the Yechidus Klalis scheduled for that day. At the rescheduled meeting, the doctors decided to rush her to the hospital, but it was too late, and she passed away just hours after arriving there.
A Cup of Water Before Her Histalkus

It is told about several Rebbetzins in Lubavitch that before their histalkus they requested a cup of water. The Rebbetzin also asked for a cup of water, recited the brocha of Shehakol, drank the water, and moments later, she passed away. May her merit protect us.
The Beginning of a New Era

The Rebbe noted that on Chof Beis Shevat 5748, the day of the Rebbetzin’s histalkus, a new era began in the Nesius of the Nasi HaDor, as “we are already holding at the completion of the avodah of birurim, and have already ‘polished the buttons,’ and all that remains is to be ready to receive Moshiach Tzidkeinu.”