Shepherd of Faith - The One Who Cared for Every Single Person

A secular couple from Israel who were for all intents and purposes disconnected from any ostensive
Jewish life. Professor Hasofer and his wife. Professor Hasofer and his wife Atera moved to
Tazmania as he was offered a top job as head of the department in his area of expertise. The place
was devoid of any Jewish life. There was just about 10 Jewish men in the entire area and noone
there had any idea how to run any service. They gathered every Friday night to eat a meal together
but didnt have any idea what to do or the prayers to recite.
When Professor Hasofer moved there they realised that he was Israeli. The community were very
thankful that now they had someone who could read the prayers had turned up in their
community. They asked him to please lead the congregation in prayers that Friday night. Professor
Hasofer told them that while he was Israeli he was not in any way religious and had no idea about
anything to do with praying. They told him that in any event he knew more than they did he could at
least read the prayers in Hebrew and asked again that he lead them. With reluctance he accepted.
Every Friday night Professor Hasofer would lead the prayers. He had no idea what he was reading
but he just read and read. He would read all the prayers, including all the kaddishes (mourners and
readers), including kedusha. He would just read the Hebrew. The congregation knew no better and
this continued for quite a while. Eventually people asked him if he would daven more frequent prayer
services, sometimes during the week. He agreed and without realising it, had become the leading
Jew practically speaking of the town!
Being from a generation of Israeli Jews who grew up with a basic Jewish education and knowledge of
Tenach he and his wife were familiar with the happenings found in Tenach.
One day Professor Hasofer and his wife were sitting in their kitchen late one evening and were
contemplating their new life in Tazmania and the new direction their life was heading in. The hidden
light in their souls had now been awakened from its previous slumber and they were at the point of
wanting to connect to G-d in open and revealed ways. They wanted to buy mezuzot for their doors,
holy Jewish books, have a tzedakah box in their home, keep kosher and Shabbat and so on. They
had no idea though to practically go about this; there was noone around to ask they were the
leaders! Professor Hasofers wife asked her husband, In all of Tenach there is always a leader. First
of all we had Moshe Rabbeinu. Then we had Yehoshua. Then the Judges. There was always a
leader responsible for the Jewish people. Devorah. Othniel. Gideon. Shimshon. Who is todays
leader who is responsible for the Jewish people? There must be some way we can contact
him? Professor Hasofers wife prayed that somehow G-d who runs the world would find some way
to connect her family up with whoever the shepherd in her generation was; the one who would
somehow be able to help them.
Some time later they saw a Jew dressed in chassidic garb with a full beard wandering around
Tazmania! What a sight! They had never seen anything like this since they had stumbled into
Jerusalem occasionally when they had lived in Israel all that time ago. Professor Hasofers wife ran
up to this man and said, Wow, what a surprise to see you here. We never have anyone like you in
these parts. Would you mind coming into our home? My husband and I have so many questions we
need to ask you and we want to discuss how we may go about obtaining some Jewish items. The

rabbinic-looking man answered, of course I can. How does tonight sound? Professor Hasofers
wife was very happy and replied that that would be perfect.
They discussed Jewish matters together all evening. The Rabbi arranged to have Jewish items they
required to be sent to the family.
After some time, the family who were now growing in their Judaism moved to Eastern Kilburn on the
same street as a renowned rabbi, Rabbi Moshe New (now leader of the Montreal Jewish community
and world renowned speaker). They moved in order that their children should avail themselves of a
traditional Jewish education, learning Torah. One day their little girl came home from school and told
her mother that her friend had asked her how she ended up living in Eastern Kilburn and how they
had become more religious. She told her mum that she had replied that a Rabbi had come round our
house one night and stayed really late and then soon after that we got more religious and then
needed to move so we could be schooled in a religious place. She continued to tell her mother, the
girl (who later turned out to be a girl Chana Herzog /nee Gutnick who I know - told me that the Rabbi
who must have come round our house that time in Tazmania was Rabbi Gutnick. Her mother was
delighted as they had been trying to track down this rabbi to say thank you for kindly arranging the
Jewish items to be sent to them. They opened up the phone book and realised that under Gutnick
there were two names: Shalom and Chaim. In the end they realised that it was Chaim Gutnick who
they subsequently arranged to meet. During the meeting they thanked him very much. They
explained to Rabbi Gutnick that they had moved to Melbourne because of his influence and that he
met them there at that time at the beginning of their journey towards their souls. The Hasofers asked
the Rabbi what he had been doing there in the middle of Tazmania.
The Rabbis reply to them was astonishing:
My dear friends. I have in my hand today a letter. This letter is written by the Lubavitcher
Rebbe. He read them the letter. The letters contents gave the Rabbi a blessing that he should
continue his efforts and should have the strength and determination to enable the community in
Melbourne to grow in Torah and mitzvot. Rabbi Gutnick then showed then the postscript at the
bottom of the Rebbes letter:ps. Although as a Rabbi in Melbourne the Melbourne community are your main concern,
nevertheless it will be appropriate to visit other communities from time to time and help to
increase Torah and mitzvot there, for example the community in Tazmania.
The Rabbi continued. That is why I was wandering around Tazmania that day you found me. I had
no idea what I was doing there and I had no idea where any Jews even were in Tazmania. I was
simply following the directives of the Rebbes letter to me."
In shock, the family proceeded to take a closer look at the letter. They observed the date at the top of
the letter. They realised that the date the Rebbe had written the letter to Rabbi Gutnick on exactly the
same date they had been sitting in the kitchen praying that the leader of the generation should find
them!
The Rebbe cares for every single person.