Bidspirit auction | The Footstool of the Admor
The Footstool of the Admor the Rashab Purchased by His Son the Admor the Rayatz - Enclosed is Confirmation by His Daughter/Granddaughter the Rebbetzin Chanah Gourarie - The footstool was purchased when the Admor the Rayatz was staying in Menton, France, to ease the Rashab's back pains. The Rashab was physically fragile and suffered from varied illnesses during his lifetime. Therefore, he used to travel to varied health resorts and visit expert physicians. Among others, what caused his weak state was the passing of his father, the Admor the Maharash. The Exaltation of a Tzaddik's Possessions in Lubavitch Philosophy In his Sichot, the Rebbe frequently glorified the sanctity and spiritual significance of the possessions of a Tzaddik. The Rebbe quotes his father-in-law, the Frierdiker Rebbe: ”The place where [the Tzaddik] studied and engaged in Torah, and all the objects he used for his Avodah, [the Tzaddik's] holiness rests upon them as a result of his Beirur of the world”. The Rebbe explains: ”The life of a Tzaddik is eternal; not only in spiritual matters but also - regarding his physical location and physical possessions (his table, his chair, etc.)... for the holiness of the Tzaddik permeates all of his affairs... the sanctity of the Tzaddik's place and possessions (even after his passing) remains in the same manner as the time when the Tzaddik actually used them, like a soul within a body” . (Likutei Sichot, 32, pp. 19-27). ”Un Farnutsn Gezunterheit” - And Enjoy [Them] in Good Health In the book Bechol Beiti Ne'eman Hu (pp. 539-542), it is recounted that the Chassid Rabbi Zalman Gourarie, who was a collector of Chabad Admorim's possessions, approached the Rebbe at the height of Parashat Hasfarim (1985). When the Rebbe expressed fierce opposition to the possession of books stolen from the Library, Rabbi Zalman feared for the status of his own collection. After describing the origins of his items to the Rebbe, the Rebbe responded with a rare blessing: ”Un farnutsn gezunterheit” (And enjoy them in good health). The Rebbe’s response reflects the unique Segulah and blessing inherent in the holy possessions of the Rebbeim, and the merit of owning them. In contrast, the matter that shook the Rebbe’s soul, leading him to cry out against keeping them in one's home as a ”ticking time bomb, ” referred exclusively to the books that were stolen from the Library.