Editing Chaim Mordechai Isaac Hodakov (section)

== Director of Agudas Chassidei Chabad ==
Rabbi Chodakov and his wife escaped from burning Europe during the Holocaust, as the Rebbe Rayatz included them in his journey to the United States in Adar II 5700 (1940). To this day, it is not known why Rabbi Chodakov was included in the Rebbe Rayatz's journey.

In the United States, he was appointed by the Rebbe Rayatz as director of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, Machne Israel, and Kehot in 5702 (1942). All this was under the chairmanship of the institutions, the son-in-law of the Rebbe Rayatz - the Rebbe. When the Rebbe accepted the leadership, Rabbi Chodakov was appointed as head of the secretariat, and later as chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad, and he performed all his duties faithfully according to the Rebbe's instructions and guidance.

==== Establishment of Beis Rivkah ====
In 5702 (1942), Rabbi Chodakov proposed to the Rebbe Rayatz to establish a Jewish neighborhood on Eastern Parkway. Alongside the neighborhood, he also proposed establishing a school for girls and kindergartens. He received a positive response for one initiative - to establish a school for girls. Thus began the establishment of Beis Rivkah institutions in the United States, with the establishment managed by the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe, and the practical management carried out by Rabbi Chodakov. After the establishment of Beis Rivkah in the United States, the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe, through Rabbi Chodakov and others, ensured the establishment of Beis Rivkah institutions worldwide.

==== The Rebbe on the Line ====
In the book "Stories from the Rebbe's Room," it is told that there were instances when Rabbi Chodakov would call Chassidim and suddenly the Rebbe's voice would be heard, which was considered rare and unusual because the Rebbe rarely spoke on the phone. The Rebbe generally spoke quietly, and Rabbi Chodakov would repeat the Rebbe's words verbatim.

==== The Rebbe's Instructions for Eretz Hakodesh ====
A great privilege fell to Rabbi Chodakov - being the constant communication channel between the Rebbe and the heads of Chabad in the Holy Land: Rabbi Efraim Wolf and Rabbi Shlomo Maidanchik. For many years, he used to call them with particularly high frequency and convey specific, public, and detailed instructions from the Rebbe. In the book "Stories from the Rebbe's Room," there is a description by Rabbi Efraim Wolf about the instructions he received from Rabbi Chodakov in the Rebbe's name: "I had conversations with him for hours as he conveyed various instructions from the Rebbe to me over the years."

The Rebbe's instructions dealt with educational and charitable institutions, outreach, campaigns, and many diverse topics. However, this involved conveying instructions, not managing institutions as he did among important shluchim in the United States.

==== Guidance for Shluchim and Educators ====
In the early years, there were cases where the Rebbe instructed Rabbi Chodakov to inquire with young married men if they were interested in shlichus in general and in specific places in particular. Initially, Anash thought these were personal initiatives, but over time everyone knew that such inquiries were the fruit of the Rebbe's initiative and instruction.

Shluchim and educators received managerial and educational guidance from Rabbi Chodakov, either in phone conversations or in personal conversations during visits to Beis Chayeinu. It was clear to everyone that the basis for Rabbi Chodakov's words was the Rebbe's words to him on these topics. Rabbi Chodakov was engaged in guiding shluchim, mainly in the United States, on how to manage and develop institutions. The shluchim Rabbi Leibel Alevsky and Rabbi Shimon Lazarov from the United States, as well as Rabbi Nachman Sudak, elaborated on the guidance they received from Rabbi Chodakov in implementing the Rebbe's instructions, management, and development.

Rabbi Yechiel Malov, supervisor of the Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak network, recalled in an interview with Beis Moshiach about Rabbi Chodakov's conversations: "Every year I would travel to the Rebbe around Purim, and during the short period I was there, I would enter the small room of the secretary Rabbi Chodakov, and for hours I would report to him about the activities of the network and mine as the network supervisor during the past year. Rabbi Chodakov was a wise Jew with extensive background in education since being a young married man in Latvia. During the reports, I would receive instructions from him to implement during the coming year. Before my return trip to Eretz Yisrael, I would enter his office again and hear additional things from him, which he apparently received from the Rebbe after he delivered my report to him. In addition to that, I maintained telephone contact with him on necessary matters that required immediate decision, when sometimes the Rebbe himself was also on the line."

Beis Moshiach published a detailed list of guidance that Rabbi Malov received from Rabbi Chodakov.

Rabbi Yechiel Malov also published guidance he received from the Rebbe's secretariat: a collection of instructions that arrived in recent years from the secretariat of the Rebbe to the Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak network. In the preface, he clarifies that these were instructions that came through Rabbi Chodakov: "A great privilege fell to us, directors and teachers of the Chabad school network, to receive from time to time from the secretariat of the Rebbe through Rabbi Chodakov an abundance of guidelines, suggestions, and ideas in education, guidance, and curriculum design," and he received all these by phone, in writing, and in conversations when they came to Beis Chayeinu. Rabbi Malov collected all of these into a booklet containing Rabbi Chodakov's guidance by topics.

Rabbi Chodakov's guidance and conversations were also compiled into the book "The Education and the Educator." The collection work was done by Rabbi Chaim Meir Dayan, an educator residing in Kfar Chabad, who merited to receive many guidance from Rabbi Chodakov, and the editing stage was performed by Rabbi Alter Eliyahu Friedman.

==== Vaad HaMosifin ====
Rabbi Chodakov was among the directors of 'Vaad HaMosifin' - a committee established by the Rebbe in the summer of 5748 (1988) with the aim that each and every person should increase in mitzvos and good deeds. For this purpose, a global committee was established to coordinate the activity on the subject. The members of the committee were Rabbi Chodakov and Rabbi Nissan Mindel. Local committees were also established in every Chabad institution or Chabad concentration in the world. With the beginning of Vaad HaMosifin's activity, Rabbi Chodakov began to manage the subject, and alongside him worked his son Rabbi Shalom Yisrael Chodakov who managed the technical side. The heads of the committees in each place sent reports and updates to the general committee headed by Rabbi Chodakov and Rabbi Mindel, and they would pass everything in an orderly manner to the Rebbe. About a year after work began, the central committee ceased to function. Two years later - in the month of Menachem Av 5750 (1990), Rabbi Chodakov wrote a review of the activities of the central committee of Vaad HaMosifin, and added about the cessation of activity and asked if they should continue to manage Vaad HaMosifin. The Rebbe replied: "Ascending in holiness. To hurry and strive to participate in the great and holy campaign." Following the special response, Rabbi Chodakov approached Rabbi Mindel and explained to him that both of them were returning to manage Vaad HaMosifin.

==== Character and Conduct ====
Sometimes the Rebbe would send people to him with questions about education. In 5755 (1995), a book called "The Education and the Educator" was published, containing a collection of instructions on matters of education from Rabbi Chodakov.

In his capacity as secretary, Rabbi Chodakov was responsible for the order of yechidus with the Rebbe. He never conveyed an answer from the Rebbe to anyone other than the writer, not even to a son or spouse.

Rabbi Chodakov was a blend of qualities; a leader yet yielding, connected yet using his straight intellect, creative yet a loyal soldier, meticulous and enhancing in halacha, assisting others, guiding beginning shluchim regarding their role in shlichus with dedication, and more. He was a living and exemplary example of true hiskashrus and bitul.

==== Sefer HaShanah ====
Sefer HaShanah was published on the initiative of Rabbi Chodakov in 5699 (1939). The book collected articles for youth according to the weekly Torah portions, from the "HaAch" journal published by Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch in the years 5671-5674 (1911-1914). The book was actually edited by Z.Z. Wasserman and A. Tachrav, and was distributed among Jewish students in Latvia.

Additional editions of the book were published in the years 5702 (1942) and 5715 (1955) by Rabbi Chodakov in the publication of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch which was under his management, and these editions were distributed mainly in the United States. In the introduction to the second edition of Sefer HaShanah, Rabbi Chodakov explained the importance of reading the articles collected from the "HaAch" newspaper: "HaAch is different from other newspapers for children, which even if their articles interest you, you will not want to return to them many times, because you will not find anything new in them, and your soul will tire of reading them. Not so are the articles of HaAch, which each time you read them, will please you as at first, and will awaken within you holy aspirations to rise to a higher spiritual level than the one you are already standing on." In the continuation of the introduction, he explains that he wanted to reprint all the articles of the 'HaAch' journal, but in practice collected articles only on the weekly Torah portions and they would serve not only as reading material for youth but would also be an aid to teachers who recognize their role, to guide their students in the way of Torah and therefore find it appropriate to have sacred conversations with the students from time to time that will influence their spiritual direction.

==== Complete Faith in the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach ====
In the winter of 5753 (1993), he would participate every Friday night in prayer in the Rebbe's minyan and at its conclusion would go out together with the other secretaries to the balcony behind the Rebbe, standing out among the secretaries themselves in singing and dancing to "Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu V'Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach L'olam Va'ed" according to the rhythm of the tune and the Rebbe's encouragement. This was also the case on rare occasions during the week, such as on Purim.

Until the last moment of his life, he maintained his famous clear-mindedness. Three days before his passing, he signed the salaries of the members of the Kollel Avreichim under the Rebbe's secretariat and the workers under him, and did not leave one thing unfinished. Also, about a month before his passing, he was the mesader kiddushin at his granddaughter's wedding.

He passed away on Friday night, 3 Iyar 5753 (1993), at the age of 91, and was buried in Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, New York.

==== Documentation of His Life and Work ====

* "Stories from the Rebbe's Room" by Rabbi Menachem Ziegelboim. The Rabbi Chodakov chapter includes dozens of pages containing Rabbi Chodakov's biography, combining well-known stories with revelations and exposures - his work as secretary and director of Chabad organizations, stories about the Rebbe as told by Rabbi Chodakov.
* "Yemei Temimim" by Rabbi Zusha Wolf. The book revealed thousands of documentations over thousands of pages, instructions from the Rebbe, which Rabbi Chodakov conveyed to Chabad in the Holy Land, through Rabbi Efraim Wolf.
* "Otzar HaChassidim" (book), by Rabbi Yosef Ashkenazi, United States section. The Rabbi Chodakov chapter contains dozens of pages. Documentation of his work and description of his roles as secretary and director of Chabad organizations, including stories in first publication about Rabbi Chodakov's connection with matters of the settlement of Kfar Chabad and Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi.
* Anash website. The site's editorial team according to information received from Rabbi Chodakov's descendants. Article on the occasion of the yahrzeit 3 Iyar 5781 (2021). Detailed article including rare pictures and documents about Rabbi Chodakov.
* "The Secretary Part 1," the biography of the secretary Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner - unknown stories about Rabbi Chodakov are scattered throughout all parts of the book.
* "In All My House He is Faithful" - the biography of Rabbi Zalman Gourary - stories about Rabbi Chodakov are scattered throughout all parts of the book.
* "The Rebbe's Locomotive" - the biography of Rabbi Shlomo Maidanchik, chairman of the Kfar Chabad committee and chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad - tells about dozens of hours of conversations between Rabbi Chodakov and Rabbi Shlomo Maidanchik.
* Teshuros for weddings of the Chodakov and Kramer families - stories, responses, and documents related to Rabbi Chodakov - most of them in first publication.
* The Chodakov family published in 5761 (2001) the booklet 'Ateres Zekenim' containing exposures and discoveries from the archive of Rabbi Shalom Yisrael Chodakov, who has a particularly rich Chabad archive. The booklet reveals special documents and descriptions about the connection between Rabbi Chodakov and the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe in the 1930s alongside the exposure of a diary documenting the first buds for the development of Chabad institutions for girls and young women - Beis Rivkah. Additional chapters also reveal personal notes and diaries of Rabbi Chodakov.
* Kfar Chabad 1504 Iyar 5773 (2013), his biography and activities from an interview given to his grandchildren.
* Hitkashrus, Nitzutzei Rebbe, Mordechai Menashe Laufer issue 977. Wonderful references by Rabbi Chodakov to the Rebbe's words and instructions.
* Michael Aharon Zeligson, a Chabad writer and historian, published in 5768 (2008) on the Crown Heights Info website, a detailed biography by topics since Rabbi Chodakov's childhood, public work in Riga, his roles in key Chabad organizations, head of the secretariat, and also insights and anecdotes about his additional activity for the benefit of his former students and detailed descriptions of his public work style and unique character: Rabbi Chodakov detailed biography by Rabbi Zeligson.
* Kfar Chabad weekly magazine supplement 11 Nissan 5783 (2023), Mendi Kurtz - from a book about to be published. Dozens of pages containing three biographical chapters along the stations of his life in Riga and New York and documentation by topics: By the Power of the Sender - a significant and central partner in establishing the shluchim enterprise, A Rare Partner in the Revolution - establishing Chabad Chassidus in the lower hemisphere, Hand in Hand with the Rebbes - a central side of Chabad activity in Europe (in the 1930s) and more.
* Rabbi Chodakov biography books. In 5768 (2008), it was published on the Shtorem website that a new book on Rabbi Chodakov's biography was published. But the book details are not available in libraries or on the Internet. And in the publication accompanying the "Rabbi Chodakov" supplement, it was briefly mentioned that "the supplement will become a book." And it was not explained whether the author of the supplement is providing a glimpse of the book, or if the grandchildren being interviewed for the supplement are the authors of the book.