אות - קנו

The Rebbe’s lodgings in Uman overlooked the old cemetery ( Tzaddik #114) and he could hear the people who customarily came to cry and pray at their parents’ graves.

Once he heard a woman standing by her father’s grave and crying in a bitter voice, “Father! Father!”

The Rebbe’s daughter was standing next to him at the time and he remarked to her, “This woman is crying, 'Father! Father!’ with the best of intentions, but her father is not there at all.”

The Rebbe explained, “When you visit your parents’ graves, it is best to ask those who are buried nearby to inform your parents that you are there. [Though most souls depart to their destiny,] not all souls ascend to their intended place and many remain near their graves. Therefore, it is best to tell these other souls to inform your parents.

“But when you visit a tzaddik, you need not worry that he is not there. For the death of a tzaddik is like going from one room to another.” 265 The Baal Shem Tov made exactly the same statement ( Shevachey HaBaal Shem Tov , p. 161).

The Rebbe then told his daughter, “Take me as an example. Right now I am in this room. I can then go to the next room and close the door. If you stand by the door and cry, 'Father! Father!’ will I not hear you?”

We heard similar things from the Rebbe’s holy lips many times. He suggested to each one of us in many ways the great importance of visiting his grave. He promised that he would certainly hear what we said and save us in any way possible.

It was the Rebbe’s holy way to speak with such wondrous wisdom that often we did not immediately grasp the full meaning of his words. Often it would be a long time before we understood their significance. This was especially true of his wish for us to visit his grave. He alluded to this many times and also spoke of it openly, as, for example, when he set aside two witnesses (see “ His Wisdom ” #141; Yemey Moharnat #67) .