Tonight is the 21st day of Shevat, and tomorrow, the 22nd day of Shevat, is the Yahrtzeit of the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. We all know the name Chaya Mushka—there’s a joke that when a teacher in a certain class says, "Chaya Mushka, stand up," the whole class gets up because they are all named after her.
One of the most remarkable things about the Rebbetzin was that, while she was the wife of a great, famous leader who had a tremendous impact on the world and the entire Jewish community, she maintained an incredibly low profile. We know very little about her life, and in many ways, that represents her greatness. She was right there alongside the greatest leader of our time, yet she remained totally inconspicuous.
The Rebbe and the Rebbetzin did not have any children. There is a story about a little boy who visited her and asked, "Where are your children?" She replied, "All the Chassidim are the Rebbe’s children." We don’t always understand the ways of Hashem, but it means we are all with the Rebbe until the coming of Moshiach.
Because she had no physical children, she technically might have needed more of her husband’s time. Yet, she gave all of that up. The Rebbe taught by example and demanded a lot from the Chassidim, but he also worked tirelessly. As the Chabad community and its outreach grew, more and more people demanded the Rebbe’s time, which meant the Rebbetzin had to sacrifice that time. To the Rebbe, the little time they had in quantity was made into high-quality, set time. She sacrificed so much so the Rebbe could be there for the Chassidim.
We see her character clearly in the court case regarding the Sefarim (books). The question before the court was whether these books were personal belongings—which would mean other family members were entitled to a share—or if they belonged to the organization, Chabad. When the Rebbetzin was deposed, they asked for her opinion on who the books belonged to. She answered, "The Rebbe himself belongs to the Chassidim." To her, there was no separate entity; the Rebbe and everything he had was for the community.
The Rebbetzin lived through a very difficult life. As a young girl and teenager, she lived through the era of Stalin. Her family had to move from Lubavitch to Rostov, and eventually fled to Leningrad during World War I as the Germans approached. During that time, the Rebbe was engaged to the Rebbetzin. When the authorities came to arrest the previous Rebbe, she saw them coming and shouted through the window, "We have guests over here!" This warned the Rebbe, allowing him to quickly destroy documentation regarding the yeshivas and donations, which essentially saved the Rebbe from the government.
They eventually left Russia and were married in Warsaw in 1929. The troubles continued in 1939 when the Germans attacked Poland. The previous Rebbe narrowly escaped to the United States, but the Rebbe was studying at a university in Berlin and got stuck. He and the Rebbetzin moved to France, eventually fleeing south as the Vichy regime took over. Miraculously, they arrived in the United States in 1941.
There is a short story from when they were fleeing the Germans in France. During a devastating bombardment, the Rebbetzin noticed an exploding shell heading toward a man standing next to her. She pushed him out of the way and saved his life. Characteristically, she later said, "True, I saved his life, but for pushing a Jew, you have to do Teshuva (repentance)." Even in a life-saving moment, she was concerned with the dignity of another person.
The greatest thing we learn from her is that one can do so much for Yiddishkeit and the Jewish people without wanting any recognition. Today, we often see the opposite: people do a little and want a lot of credit. As the Mishna says, "Emor me’at ve’asei harbe"—say little and do much. She embodied this.
Turning to the Parsha, we ask: What did Jethro (Yitro) hear that made him come? Jethro was the father-in-law of Moshe. The Torah describes him as the Kohen Midyan (Priest of Midian). In those days, priests were great intellectuals with a deep understanding of spiritual matters. However, their mistake was attributing independent power to "tools" like the sun or moon, rather than to Hashem.
Jethro was a brilliant man, both a philosopher and a leader. He heard about the miracles Hashem performed for Israel—the plagues, the splitting of the sea, and the war with Amalek. Specifically, Rashi notes he heard about the Splitting of the Sea and the war with Amalek. While the miracles convinced him to convert, Rashi’s question is: What specifically made him come to the desert? He could have converted and stayed in the comfort of Midian.
Jethro had seven names, including Yeter and Yitro. Yeter means "extra," because he added a portion to the Torah through his advice to Moshe. Moshe was judging the people alone, and Jethro told him, "You can't do this by yourself; you will wear yourself out." He advised Moshe to appoint judges of high character. This entire section was added to the Torah because of Jethro.
There is a concept that the average height of a person is three amot (cubits). However, the Torah defines a person's personal space as four amot. Why? Because when a person reaches their hands upward, they add another cubit. This symbolizes that a human being should always strive to go higher than their natural state. Our actions (represented by hands) should raise us to a higher spiritual level.
Jethro’s transformation represents reaching that high intellectual level and bringing it down into action. He was a priest and a governor who turned toward the Torah. He was concerned not just with the present, but with the future of the community. While Moshe believed he could lift everyone to his level, Jethro argued that they needed a sustainable system of judges for when Moshe was not there.
Today, we no longer have our 'Moshe' physically with us. On the Rebbetzin’s Yartzeit, we remember that being with her and the Rebbe wasn't just a lesson in Torah—it was a life-altering experience where every word lifted the soul. Though we miss them every day, we carry on their legacy through our study, trusting that Hashem will send Moshiach immediately so we can be together again.