"The Lithuanian Mashgiach and the Lubavitcher Rebbe" – A Remarkable Letter by Rabbi Chaim Walkin, Author of Daas Chaim Zt"l.
An extraordinary letter handwritten and signed by the esteemed Mashgiach Rabbi Chaim Walkin, author of Daas Chaim zt"l, containing remarkable stories about his relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
"…Wednesday, Rosh Chodesh Iyar 2011.. I received your letter, and I am quick to respond. First, we must understand that debates with the Chabad movement are not new… there has always been mutual respect and proper conduct between the different groups.
To the extent that Rabbi Dessler z"l traveled to Rostov to meet with one of the great Chabad rabbis—if I recall correctly, it was Rabbi Yitzchak Itche the ‘Masmid’—in order to clarify the difference between the teachings of the Alter Rebbe and those of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin… and he later said that those were the happiest days of his life.
And who knows this better than I, having grown up in Crown Heights, and having attended the Rebbe’s monthly farbrengens? I can fully appreciate his holiness and his influence. I personally had a private audience with the Rebbe z"l before my wedding. They are great and important people, and although I was very, very close to Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach z"l, I still understand that the debates and disagreements were never meant to cause division within the Jewish people. It is neither their way nor ours… and with that, I sign… and let us continue to add love and respect among the Jewish people."
The Gaon & Tzadik Rabbi Chaim Walkin (1946–2023), known as the Mashgiach, was one of the foremost disseminators of mussar in our generation. He was born in Shanghai, Japan, at the end of World War II. At a young age, his family emigrated to the United States. In his youth, he studied at Yeshiva Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn. In 1967, after his marriage, he moved to Israel and settled at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. During his 15 years of study at the yeshiva, he developed a close relationship with the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz zt"l, who, on Yom Kippur 1969 (when Rabbi Walkin was only 23 years old), gave him the Maftir aliyah, typically reserved for the heads and rabbis of the yeshiva. He later served as Mashgiach at Yeshivat Or Yisrael in Petah Tikva, and after the passing of Rabbi Meir Chodosh zt"l, he was appointed Mashgiach of Yeshivat Ateret Yisrael in Jerusalem. He was known for his deep teachings and discourses and was a sought-after figure for advice and blessings. He also served as the president of the global educational network Shuvu. His works, Daas Chaim in two volumes, delve into ethics and the Jewish festivals.
1 page, in very good condition, with folding marks.
