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a more beautiful and meaningful way.
MY REBBE, The Toot-Toot Story
RABBI BORUCH MILIKOWSKY Rebbe entered the classroom and turned
THE TOOT-TOOT STORYby Eli W. Schlossberg off the lights. He closed the door and told
us to close our sefer for now, because to-
ho can ever forget Rab- day our learning would begin a little dif-
bi Boruch Milikowsky’s ferently. Today, Rebbe had a story to tell
holy words of mussar? us. He sat at his desk with his head in
How I cherish his kind, his hands, and he began to chant a sweet,
sad melody of old. “Ay ya yai, ay ya yai,”
W soft words of encourage- singing it over and over again. “My dear
Much of what I have accomplished in talmidim,” he chanted, “I have a story to
my own life I attribute to my wonderful tell all of you. Listen, listen carefully to
parents; our Rav, Rabbi Mendel Feldman; the story, because there is so much we
my elementary school rebbe, Mr. Kurt can learn from this beautiful story.”
Flamm; my high school rebbe, Rabbi
Milikowsky; and my very special princi- There was a captain who had a ship,
and he went to the townspeople to
ment. It was a real zechus pal, mentor, and dear friend, Dr. Gershon make them a proposition: “I know of
a place; I know of a very beautiful
(privilege) to have him as Kranzler. Each of them gave me an im- place, an island where all the sand
and stones on the island are made of
a rebbe in TA high school. portant perspective of kavod haTorah, diamonds. You are free to gather up
all the stones you can carry and load
When he gave you mussar, he made you ahavas haTorah, ahavas Hashem, aha- them on my ship to take home to
your families. This wonderful place
feel very special, even when you had vas Yisrael, and respect for all mankind. I can take you to, but there is one
important thing each of you must
done something wrong. He always gave Rabbi Milikowsky was part of an old, remember. When it is time to leave,
I will sound the ship’s horn on three
positive reinforcement and spoke directly rich Judaic world, a world destroyed by occasions. The first time is a warn-
ing toot-toot. A little later, the second
to the problem, speaking to you openly horror, and he survived, baruch Hash- toot-toot means you had better come
aboard at once. And the third toot-
as his talmid and also as his friend. He em, to transmit to us the rich European toot is my final call. Once that final
toot-toot sounds, the ship will leave
had a very warm relationship with each Jewish culture he inherited. He so me- the port moments later and return
you to your town and your homes.
dorm boy, especially, acting as a father in ticulously bridged his life to ours in the So remember the rules and take
heed of the horn.” The townspeople
many ways. modern world with love and charm and were excited, and they all agreed to
the rules. The ship left port on the
I was a Baltimore resident, and I knew keen intuition. He reached his boys with way to the beautiful island.
“Ay ya yai, ay ya yai,” over and over
Rabbi Milikowsky, whom we called Reb- a warm smile and a very special chein Rebbe sang and swayed. And we were
absolutely transfixed. Each talmid was
be, both as a talmid and as a neighbor. that endeared him to all. on that ship. We were going to wherever
Rebbe took us.
His experiences in Europe and Shanghai Most memorable was Rebbe’s inge- From the ship, after many weeks
of travel, a lookout perched high in
during the Holocaust were transmitted nious way of expressing his masterful the rafters and sails of the ship saw
a sparkle far, far away. He called
to us, his talmidim, along with the deep words of mussar. Who can forget his out to the people “Land ahoy! I see
the sparkle of the diamonds.” They
roots of his past Torah life. beautiful, meaningful, and moving de- got brighter and brighter as the ship
approached the shore. Excitement
The 1960s were difficult years for livery? My favorite memory was the
teenagers in America, but Rebbe under- “toot-toot story,” which I have repeated
stood and listened to each talmid. He time and time again to Pirchei groups,
was very much in tune with the turbu- Camp Agudah and Camp Munk groups,
lent, topsy-turvy hippie culture of the NCSY kids, and my own children and
’60s. Despite his thick accent, he spoke grandchildren. The story will always be
our language – and we listened. He spoke the same, but the delivery – only Rebbe
with love and care, and through his talks could do it the way Rebbe did it – so sim-
and his listening to his TA boys, his Torah ple, so sweet, and so perfect. He would
and mussar were absorbed by his hun- sing in his rich warm voice, eyes rolled
dreds and hundreds of students. His ad- back so that only the whites were visible,
vice and counsel have guided all of us in and swaying back and forth. We were en-
our different walks of life. tranced. No one could deliver mussar in
64 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
MY REBBE, The Toot-Toot Story
RABBI BORUCH MILIKOWSKY Rebbe entered the classroom and turned
THE TOOT-TOOT STORYby Eli W. Schlossberg off the lights. He closed the door and told
us to close our sefer for now, because to-
ho can ever forget Rab- day our learning would begin a little dif-
bi Boruch Milikowsky’s ferently. Today, Rebbe had a story to tell
holy words of mussar? us. He sat at his desk with his head in
How I cherish his kind, his hands, and he began to chant a sweet,
sad melody of old. “Ay ya yai, ay ya yai,”
W soft words of encourage- singing it over and over again. “My dear
Much of what I have accomplished in talmidim,” he chanted, “I have a story to
my own life I attribute to my wonderful tell all of you. Listen, listen carefully to
parents; our Rav, Rabbi Mendel Feldman; the story, because there is so much we
my elementary school rebbe, Mr. Kurt can learn from this beautiful story.”
Flamm; my high school rebbe, Rabbi
Milikowsky; and my very special princi- There was a captain who had a ship,
and he went to the townspeople to
ment. It was a real zechus pal, mentor, and dear friend, Dr. Gershon make them a proposition: “I know of
a place; I know of a very beautiful
(privilege) to have him as Kranzler. Each of them gave me an im- place, an island where all the sand
and stones on the island are made of
a rebbe in TA high school. portant perspective of kavod haTorah, diamonds. You are free to gather up
all the stones you can carry and load
When he gave you mussar, he made you ahavas haTorah, ahavas Hashem, aha- them on my ship to take home to
your families. This wonderful place
feel very special, even when you had vas Yisrael, and respect for all mankind. I can take you to, but there is one
important thing each of you must
done something wrong. He always gave Rabbi Milikowsky was part of an old, remember. When it is time to leave,
I will sound the ship’s horn on three
positive reinforcement and spoke directly rich Judaic world, a world destroyed by occasions. The first time is a warn-
ing toot-toot. A little later, the second
to the problem, speaking to you openly horror, and he survived, baruch Hash- toot-toot means you had better come
aboard at once. And the third toot-
as his talmid and also as his friend. He em, to transmit to us the rich European toot is my final call. Once that final
toot-toot sounds, the ship will leave
had a very warm relationship with each Jewish culture he inherited. He so me- the port moments later and return
you to your town and your homes.
dorm boy, especially, acting as a father in ticulously bridged his life to ours in the So remember the rules and take
heed of the horn.” The townspeople
many ways. modern world with love and charm and were excited, and they all agreed to
the rules. The ship left port on the
I was a Baltimore resident, and I knew keen intuition. He reached his boys with way to the beautiful island.
“Ay ya yai, ay ya yai,” over and over
Rabbi Milikowsky, whom we called Reb- a warm smile and a very special chein Rebbe sang and swayed. And we were
absolutely transfixed. Each talmid was
be, both as a talmid and as a neighbor. that endeared him to all. on that ship. We were going to wherever
Rebbe took us.
His experiences in Europe and Shanghai Most memorable was Rebbe’s inge- From the ship, after many weeks
of travel, a lookout perched high in
during the Holocaust were transmitted nious way of expressing his masterful the rafters and sails of the ship saw
a sparkle far, far away. He called
to us, his talmidim, along with the deep words of mussar. Who can forget his out to the people “Land ahoy! I see
the sparkle of the diamonds.” They
roots of his past Torah life. beautiful, meaningful, and moving de- got brighter and brighter as the ship
approached the shore. Excitement
The 1960s were difficult years for livery? My favorite memory was the
teenagers in America, but Rebbe under- “toot-toot story,” which I have repeated
stood and listened to each talmid. He time and time again to Pirchei groups,
was very much in tune with the turbu- Camp Agudah and Camp Munk groups,
lent, topsy-turvy hippie culture of the NCSY kids, and my own children and
’60s. Despite his thick accent, he spoke grandchildren. The story will always be
our language – and we listened. He spoke the same, but the delivery – only Rebbe
with love and care, and through his talks could do it the way Rebbe did it – so sim-
and his listening to his TA boys, his Torah ple, so sweet, and so perfect. He would
and mussar were absorbed by his hun- sing in his rich warm voice, eyes rolled
dreds and hundreds of students. His ad- back so that only the whites were visible,
vice and counsel have guided all of us in and swaying back and forth. We were en-
our different walks of life. tranced. No one could deliver mussar in
64 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
