Testament to the way the eight new rebbes view themselves, and each other

It is a picture that tells the story, which is an ironic twist, since the rebbes themselves do not allow their faces to be photographed.

On the third yahrtzeit of the Toras Mordechai — Rav Mottele of Monsey-Vizhnitz — the eight sons who succeeded him all gathered in Monsey last Shabbos.

Each of the rebbes — from Monsey, Kiamesha Lake, Williamsburg, Yerushalayim-Lakewood, London, Montreal, Beit Shemesh, and Boro Park — has a flourishing tzibbur of his own, but they chose to join for a shared tish in memory of their father, underscoring the achdus he demanded from them before his passing.

The picture that tells the story of the previous Rebbe’s wish — and what it has spawned in the wider chassidishe world, where other leaders have followed the path of appointing their sons during their own lifetimes — is the line-up of chairs, precisely the same size and color, testament to the way the eight new rebbes view themselves, and each other.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 853)