Tomorrow is the anniversary of the passing of the Rebbe's mother, Rebbetzin Chana. The Rebbe's honor for his mother was unsurpassed. Despite his impossibly jam-packed schedule, he visited her every day and showed her great respect.
Levi Bukiet relates:
Every Passover after concluding the second Seder, at around 1 a.m., the Rebbe would walk his mother to her apartment at 1418 President Street. After she was settled at home, the Rebbe would return to 770 for a chassidic gathering scheduled for 1:30 a.m.
Crowds of chassidim would trail behind the Rebbe and his mother to observe their every move. One year, the Rebbe insisted that no one follow him, and from then on no one did.
But our family lived in East Flatbush, a neighborhood approximately a half-hour's walk from Crown Heights, and after finishing our Seder, we would convene with the other families who lived there to walk together to the gathering.
On the way, if we planned our schedule properly, we would sometimes meet the Rebbe walking down Kingston Avenue with his mother.
In 1963 and 1964, the last two years of Rebbetzin Chana's life, I was privileged to watch the Rebbe walking and talking with his mother, and it made an everlasting impression on me.
Our group from East Flatbush would hide in the alcove of a grocery store on Kingston Avenue so we could see the Rebbe escorting his mother. As the Rebbe passed us across the street, he would nod his head slightly towards us in greeting.
The Rebbe and his mother would talk casually, with the Rebbe slightly bent over to listen to her. Rebbetzin Chana was very frail and every step was difficult for her. Periodically, she had to stop and catch her breath. The Rebbe, very patiently and with concern, was responsive to his mother's every move.
When they would reach a curb, the Rebbe would first step down onto the street and then gently hold his mother's arms and carefully help her down from the curb. Similarly, when they stepped up onto the sidewalk, the Rebbe would first step up onto the sidewalk, then turn and face his mother, gently holding her arms and delicately raising her onto the sidewalk.
Once, as the Rebbe and his mother were walking down Kingston Avenue, Rebbetzin Chana stumbled on the broken sidewalk and lost her balance. The Rebbe quickly embraced her, and did to let go until he was sure she had regained her balance. Rebbetzin Chana was visibly shaken and breathing very hard. They remained standing there until she had relaxed and regained her composure. The Rebbe asked his mother something that we could not hear, she nodded, and they continued.
When the Rebbetzin started to walk again, the Rebbe slipped his arm under her arm. She immediately stopped walking, releasing the Rebbe's hold, and we saw a joyful discussion develop between them. Shortly after that, they continued walking, with the Rebbe's arm under his mother's arm, as the Rebbe guided her every step until they reached her apartment.
