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Transforming Rutgers University Hillel for one afternoon into more of a bais medrash from the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, a world-famous Hassidic rabbi gave students and other community members personal blessings they won't soon forget.

Grand Rabbi of Kaalov Moses Taub (known as the Kalover Rebbe), a direct descendant of the students of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidic Judaism, travels all over the world sharing his wisdom and advice with other Jews and made his latest stop at Hillel in New Brunswick Nov. 19.

Students filled out forms with information about themselves, their parents, and their siblings before one-on-one meetings with the Kalover Rebbe, who leads a synagogue in Williamsburg and is originally from the Hungarian town of Kaalov. But a number of students said that somehow, before they even opened their mouths, the rebbe was already diagnosing their dilemmas.

"I didn't say anything, he said everything about me," Rutgers freshman Reggie Viezel said. "It was amazing."

Rabbi Shmuel Abraham, one of the rebbe's secretaries at the event, said the rebbe recently made other trips to Columbia University, George Washington University, Queens College, Touro College, and San Diego State University. Describing the rebbe's talent in abstract terms, he explained how "people that they themselves don't get it, the rebbe tells them and they get it."

But from where exactly does the rebbe derive this ability? Rabbi Yossi Sirote, who heads the non-profit Abraham's Tent in Highland Park, explained the phenomenon through a concept of Chazal, the Jewish sages, that says if someone dedicates his entire life to Torah, God rewards him with extra insight.

"He has a sense of people from his Torah," Sirote said.

Rabbi Gedaliah Jaffe of Congregation Ahavas Yisrael in Edison, Rabbi Meir Goldberg of the Rutgers Jewish Experience, and Andrew Getraer, executive director of Hillel, were all involved in bringing the rebbe to Rutgers, Shmuel Abraham said. After Getraer had been trying to secure the rebbe's visit to Rutgers for several years now, he was finally able to do so with the help of graduate student Binyomin Berke, who for the last few months worked with Hillel officials and the rebbe's secretaries to find an appropriate date.

Berke, who studies material science engineering at Rutgers, said his grandfather's family is from Sighet, in the former Czechoslovakia, the same town as the grandfather of the Kalover Rebbe. So when Berke had nothing to do on one Sunday morning in August, he decided to drive to Williamsburg to meet the rebbe for the first time.

Then, when Berke read an article about the rebbe's visit to George Washington University, and heard that Rutgers Hillel had tried to bring in the rebbe before, he took it upon himself to make the event happen.

"It was a very special opportunity for all the students," Berke said.

By meeting the rebbe, Rutgers students had the chance to have a spiritual experience they otherwise wouldn't have and look deep within themselves to determine what they should ask the rebbe, Getraer said. Judging by their preparation, Getraer said, it was clear that students took their five minutes with the rebbe very seriously.

"Just that experience of seeing and feeling his presence and seeing his secretaries that come with him, just that experience is a unique Jewish experience, which I think every student should take advantage of," Getraer said.

After meeting with community members for about four hours, the rebbe gave Hillel's weekly Thursday night mishmar address and held a tisch party with singing. There were about 200 people who showed up to meet the rebbe throughout the day, Berke said, in addition to about 80 people at mishmar, up from Hillel's usual crowd of around 30.

Shmuel Abraham said the rebbe is always open to visiting different communities. For more information, contact mail@kaalov.org.