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alls from excited chassanim are no novelty for wedding singers — a lot of young men take the musical arrangements for their big night extremely seriously. As musical tastes cross continents easily, Rabbi Shloime Taussig once received several urgent messages from one determined chassan in Antwerp, Belgium, who wanted the chassidic singer’s warm and leibedig style to grace his wedding. There was just one problem: Reb Shloime’s wife was due to give birth to their first child during that month.

“We had waited seven and a half years for children, and I wasn’t going to miss it. Initially, I said I wouldn’t be available for the wedding, but the chassan just wouldn’t take no for an answer and kept calling. This was in the summer, and the wedding was set for after Chanukah. I was scheduled to visit Eretz Yisrael shortly, so after my wife and I discussed it, we decided that I would ask my rebbe, the Amshinover Rebbe who lives in Bayit Vegan, whether I should attend the wedding in Antwerp or not. I told the chassan that I’d give him an answer in a few weeks.

“I told the Rebbe all the details, he asked me a few questions, then pronounced ‘You can go, don’t worry, even if you arrive a few hours later.’ I didn’t understand what the Rebbe meant, but I took him at his word. The client rejoiced and I booked my ticket, together with Motti Ilowitz, who would be the badchan at this wedding.

“All went well, until we arrived in Brussels Airport for our return trip, and heard that flights to New York were canceled because of a major snowstorm. My wife was due any time, I had a wedding booked in Boro Park that night, and I was stuck in Europe. I started to panic — even though the Rebbe had said I shouldn’t worry.

“Finally, we got on a flight to Atlanta, and after another delay, we flew from Atlanta to New York. Someone was waiting at the airport to take me straight to sing at Ateres Chaya. And when I left there, it was time to go straight to the hospital. The Rebbe was right — nothing to worry about!”  (Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 715)