Thank you Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka

I just discovered something amazing, and I want to share it as gratitude to our Rebbetzin... even though it’s a bit personal.

We know that parents receive special Divine Intuition to know exactly which name to give to which child, but of course, not always do we see it or understand it right away.

For example, when Hashem blessed us with our precious princess 3 years ago, on the 21st of the Hebrew month of Teves, we named her Chaya Mushka simply because it seemed the most “logical” name to give her. 

We didn’t see that Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka had any special connection to the date that our daughter was born. (It was a month and a day before the anniversary of the Rebbetzin’s passing, and over 2 months before her birthday, while it was only 1 week before Rebbetzin Chana’s birthday, which was also a name on our dream list.)

But after some initial indecision, it still felt right to us to name for the Rebbe’s wife at the FIRST opportunity possible, as we had always planned... 

(Our first daughter is BH named after 2 of our grandmothers who had passed away that same year, so this daughter was our first opportunity for the Rebbetzin.)

But just now, as I was looking for something else on a Russian Chabad site, I suddenly saw one headline pop out at me - “21 Teves 5749/1988: The day the Rebbe finished saying Kaddish for his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka.”

I was completely shocked and overwhelmed with emotion! 

I had never realized it before, even though it’s a logical calculation - Kaddish is read for just 11 months, so a “month and a day” before the anniversary of the Rebbetzin’s passing is a day that is so clearly and powerfully connected to her soul! 

Of course I always believed that there are no coincidences in this world, and surely not in something so important like a birthday and a name! But it’s still so exciting each time that Hashem reveals His individual Divine Providence so clearly...

And then, I remembered something even more important, that I can’t believe I almost forgot about! This daughter was actually born thanks to a bracha from the Rebbetzin! 

I was at the Rebbetzin’s ohel 11 months earlier on the anniversary of her passing, and davened there for another child. If I remember correctly, I promised to give my daughter her name if I would be blessed that year, and also that I’d bring my baby back to her ohel to say thank you. (I asked the Rebbetzin for this bracha because the Rebbe once said that the Rebbetzin’s blessings are from an even higher level of light, and so they don’t even need us to prepare a vessel in order for them to come down!) Baruch HaShem, we were blessed that same year, and I actually did return with my Chaya Mushka a year and a month after her birth, to say thank you! 

I don’t know how I almost forgot about this! Maybe the reason I didn’t remember this clearly, or ever share it with anyone until now, was because I never really felt fully confident that she was really born from the Rebbetzin’s bracha...

But tonight, I feel that our daughter’s birth on exactly the 21st of Teves is a sign of her special connection to our Rebbetzin, helping me realize who to give credit to... and so I want to finally really thank Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka for her most wonderful Bracha! 

May our dear Chaya Mushka continue to bring great chassidishe nachas to her namesake - and may we all be reunited with our Rebbetzin in person, with the revelation of Moshiach NOW!!