Ep. 39: The Process of Documenting the Rebbe's Words with Rabbi Hirshel Notik

In this episode, Reb Hirshel Notik of Crown Heights, who came to the Rebbe from France in 1974 and has devoted his life to transcribing and editing the Rebbe’s talks ever since, takes us behind the scenes of what it takes- and continues to take- to produce the Hanachos of the Rebbe’s Sichos. He shares numerous specific examples, offering an extraordinary deep dive into how this meticulous work was carried out and preserved. Editor's note: As can be seen, Reb Tzvi Hirsh, may he live and be well, Notik hesitates in several places, because he was not comfortable speaking about these things in general, and certainly not in a clear-cut manner, etc. Below are a few corrections that the above-mentioned Reb Tzvi Hirsh sent me after we recorded the interview with him: At minute 58: - Regarding what was said about copying and translating into Hebrew ('loshon hakodesh') - on another occasion the Rebbe wrote, in these words: "It should be a *free* translation in practice (and therefore) easy to read. I only read two pages and noted some of what needs to be changed, and another expert in translation should also be brought in to translate." At minute 2:01 - Rabbi Leibel Groner continued as the acting editor for the General Letters (as much as his time allowed) also from the end of 5736 onward. At minute 2:22 - Regarding "Chasal Siddur Pesach K'hilchaso," the reference is to the letter of Rosh Chodesh Nissan 5746, in which the Rebbe added a note stating, in these words: *Siddur*: That's how it appears in all the siddurim, etc., and it requires further study why the wording is "siddur" and not "seder," as is printed "seder korban Pesach" and the like. [end quote] At minute 2:24 - The last General Letter, in Yiddish, written by Reb Nissan Mindel, is, as far as I recall, *11 Nissan 5749*, and not 5748 as I said. Of course, Reb Nissan Mindel continued to prepare the English translation of the General Letters even afterward. At minute 2:33 - The reference is to the telegram of 19 Kislev 5752 (and not Chanukah 5752).