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I read in only one source that the Bobover Rebbe, Reb Shlomo zt”l went to seek guidance from the Freidiker Rebbe, the Rayatz, post holocaust, because he didn’t want to be Rebbe. He purportedly visited the last Rebbe and was crying where the Lubavitcher Rebbe comforted his that he has a malchus awaiting him.

I never heard this story from any other source: not from outside bobov and neither from older chassidm. Can anybody corroborate or refute/modify this story and report the truth. Please respond as it’s important to me. I do not harbour any hate to Chabad but it just doesn’t fit my Rebbe. Thanks.

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  • "I read in only one source" - what is the name of this source? That may help people answer the question.
    – Eliyahu
    Dec 12, 2022 at 16:39
  • There were great Rebbeim of past generations that in fact did give up being Rebbe because it was too hard on them. I don't think anyone looks down on them even slightly. So while I have never heard this and cannot confirm it to be true or not in the possibility it is true I don't think the story should be viewed as taking away fromm his greatness.
    – Dude
    Feb 20 at 15:14

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Here is the the story. Considering the first source wasn't mentioned, I hope it is a second.

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It is extremely unlikely that the Bobover Rebbe ever had a period of seriously no longer wanting to be the Rebbe only to be convinced otherwise by the Rayatz.

Rav Moshe Sherer was not a Bobover Chosid and Bobov had little connection with Agudah but Rabbi Sherer still felt inspired by the efforts the Bobover Rebbe made from right when he came to America surrounding himself by Chasidim who with tremendous sacrifice started to rebuild

See this clip starting from 27:19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z1gSMyK8F0&t=1686s

I've heard similar things from other non-Bobovers. It took over twenty five years until Bobov was on solid ground.

While the meeting with the Rayatz and the Bobover Rebbe very likely did happen, the conversation was probably more like a famous similar conversation of that nature and circumstances between two other rebbes who also lost almost all their Chasidim and children about which the content is well known.

When the Belzer Rebbe first met the Gerrer Rebbe after holocaust one of them said to the other, when Yosef and Binyomin met in Parshas V’Yechi, Yosef cried over the future destruction of the Beis Hamakdush which was in the territory of Binyomin and Binyomin cried over the future destruction of the Miskan Shilo which was in the territory of Yosef. They didn’t cry over what was in their own territory because "for someone else’s churban you cry, for your own churban you rebuild...”.

The meeting between the Rayatz and the Bobover Rebbe probably expressed similar sentiments.

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