REBBETZIN CHAYA MUSHKA SCHNEERSON

Share this: Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka By Sara Esther Crispe

Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of righteous memory (1901-1988) The year was 1994. I had recently moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn after graduating from college in San Diego,  California. It was quite a change for me, the geographical  shift from the beaches of La Jolla to the noise and cold  of New York being the least of it. More so, I had left  my politically correct, and extremely liberal college  environment to immerse myself in intensive Judaic  studies and try to get a glimpse of understanding  into the life long question, "Who am I?" I had left my politically correct, and extremely  liberal college environment Although spiritual knowledge was something I was  seeking, eating was also one of my needs, so  I immediately started to look for a job. I soon heard that  a woman was in need of a gymnastic teacher. Having  done gymnastics for years and coached during college, I was thrilled to discover that there was a small gym  program being held in this woman's basement for  little five year old Chassidic girls. I was ecstatic.  Granted, it was not a gym like I was used to, but I knew I could improvise, and just wanted an  opportunity to work with children and teach them  the very things I loved so much. Little did I know who would be teaching whom. My first day teaching I was a bit nervous.  I had never lived in an "Orthodox" community before  and was quite new to such a lifestyle. But having  just spent a year in Israel and learning in yeshiva  there, I felt like I had a pretty good idea as to what  I was in for, until I started roll call. There were twelve girls registered in my class. I began to read the names: Mushka, Chaya Mushka,  Mushkie, Moussia, Chaya Moussia, Mussie…I kid  you not, all twelve girls had different versions of t he same name. At first I thought that perhaps there  was some law or rule I hadn't yet learned about.  I couldn't possibly fathom how every single girl  had the same name. (And, needless to say, we immediately decided to call the girls by their  last names…) When I asked them what their name meant, why they had been given those names, they all  excitedly explained that they were named  after the RebbetzinRebbe's wife. Even though  they were only five, they were filled with  beautiful stories of who this woman was and  why they were so proud to carry her name.  As I watched these little kindergartners speak,  there was a pride and power that they had when  talking about her, and it was immediately  clear that this was a very special woman. Chaya Mushka, the These girls were of the first of thousands of  Çgirls to be named after her. Rebbetzin Chaya  Mushka had passed away the twenty second of  the month of the Hebrew month of Shevat, in  1988. My little group of Chaya Mushka's would be the beginning of my learning process I was awe struck. I had heard little of the  "Rebbetzin," as she was called, but clearly  she was a woman whose influence and spirit permeated all who knew her or knew of her. While I hadn't been fortunate enough to meet her in her life, I knew that my little group of Chaya  Mushka's would be the beginning of my learning  process of discovering who she was and what  she embodied. The first thing I was shown was her picture.  Unquestionably, she was a very beautiful woman.  She was stunning. And yet, there was something  about her that was so graceful, so royal, so holy.  It spoke to me through the photograph as I stared  at her face and looked into her eyes. She  embodied the concept that is often attributed  to her, Kol Kevuda Bat Melech Penima, "All the  honor of the daughter of the King is within."  This is not to say that externally she was not also  beautiful, but that true beauty shines from  within and illuminates all that is outside of itself.  Furthermore, those who don't deserve honor  often seek it. Those who are truly honorable in the recesses of their souls, need nothing external to validate that. The Rebbetzin did not have an easy life and  yet she was not known to complain about it.  Being married to the Rebbe, the spiritual  leader of hundreds of thousands of Jews  throughout the world, meant that her husband  did not belong to her alone. Sharing the man you love is never easy, and yet  it was something she chose to do and encouraged.  She recognized his potential, his role, his ability  and the way his Chassidim needed him, and made  that her focus. For many, when they spoke with  her or met her, they were completely unaware  of who she was. She wanted it that way. She was also extremely intelligent, cultured and  well read. She studied literature in university  after she married, at the same time when the  Rebbe was studying. And she was an avid reader.  To her many friends she was Chaya Mushka.  To the rest of the world, she was the Rebbetzin, the Lubavitcher Rebbe's wife. And yet, she was careful not to abuse the power  that title gave her. It was not flaunted.  She did not seek special privileges or treatment.  Rather, she was a very private and unassuming  woman, never desiring to draw attention to  herself. When she would identify who she was,  it was always as "Mrs. Schneersohn from  President Street." She allowed the Rebbe to be Rebbe--someone  who influenced and changed world Jewry She would avoid shopping or going to public places. It is understandable given the reputation and  status that she had. Yet what is most fascinating,  most powerful, was her reason for not going.  Unlike the common situation where one would  not want to deal with the attention and people  pestering, for Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka the  reason was quite the opposite. She didn't want  to make other people uncomfortable. She knew  that people would want to please her and give  her special attention, and not only didn't she  want or need that, she didn't want anyone else  to feel the need to attend to her. Though she didn't want respect and  acknowledgement, she most certainly received it.  For all who knew her and knew of her, knew how much she deserved the utmost treatment.  She allowed the Rebbe to be Rebbe--someone  who influenced and changed world Jewry on  a scale that we cannot possibly measure.  The Rebbe was able to be who he was because  of who the Rebbetzin truly was. And while she endured the test of biological  childlessness, she most certainly had and has  countless children who consider her their mother  in so many ways. Not only those named in her  memory and honor, but the numerous  educational institutions around the world that  proudly bear her name. It was known that when  she would be asked if she had any children,  she would respond, "The Chassidim are my  children." Not only was this true then, but i n some ways it is even more true now. Almost thirteen years have passed since  I taught that gymnastics class. And I am still  seeking to understand on a deeper level,  "Who am I?" I hope to spend my life trying  to know the answer. And those twelve little  Chaya Mushkas are not little girls anymore.  They are now nineteen year old young women who are entering their adult lives as powerful women who can make a difference in this world. Young women who carry the  responsibility of a name and the legacy  of a woman who has helped me understand  how I want to answer my question. For the  Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka taught me, taught  us all, that true beauty stems from within, and  that those most worthy of respect, honor,  acknowledgement and awe, are those that do  not seek it nor want it. By Sara Esther Crispe   More articles...  |    Sara Esther Crispe, a writer, inspirational speaker and mother of four, is the editor of TheJewishWoman.org. She is also the editor of the Society and Living section of Chabad.org. To book Sara Esther for a speaking engagement, please click here.