The Yud-Ches Nissan 5732 gathering in Kfar Chabad

00:01 Chassidim traveling to the Rebbe is nothing new. For hundreds of years, chassidim have traveled to the Rebbe. They travel for Rosh Hashanah, to crown the King of Kings, Hashem; for Shavuos, to receive the Torah. That feeling of vitality—“I’m going to the Rebbe”—was there for 11 Nissan too, for the Rebbe’s seventieth birthday. Everyone who came felt something within themselves, a love that filled them completely. And they all said one thing: “Boruch Hashem, we’re here in 770.” The first group arrived from Eretz Yisroel on Shabbos morning, Rosh Chodesh Nissan. That stirred up not only 770, but the entire surrounding area and various countries as well. They were the first pioneers, bringing the news from Kfar Chabad. For 11 Nissan there were thousands upon thousands of chassidim, and delegations came from different parts of the world. Such a scene, such joy—I don’t know if I have ever seen anything like it among chassidim. For the last three or four days, everyone has been in an atmosphere of joy. That joy expressed itself among us in every way: in the dancing, in the freshness, in the feelings, and from the heart. And boruch Hashem, the strength of chassidim, of the Temimim, is this feeling for the nasi, for the Rebbe, for the leader of the generation. This is the strength, this is the strength of chassidim,

02:34 true chassidim. This is what it really means: the bond with all of the Jewish people and with every individual. We see the Chabad connection to the faithful shepherd, as with Moshe Rabbeinu. He was a shepherd—excuse me, one moment. We see that the faithful shepherd was a shepherd, like Moshe Rabbeinu, the first [unclear] of the Jewish people. That began with the generation of the desert and has remained throughout the generations. Moshe did not seek anything for his own ego; he devoted himself to the entire Jewish people. Yes, that bond exists in every generation, sustaining the entire Jewish people. And in particular, we see with our own eyes the Rebbe’s great mesirus nefesh, may he be well, for the entire Jewish people, for Eretz Yisroel, for women in particular, and for every individual—for their life and well-being. I can still picture it: “As water reflects a face to a face,” so is the Rebbe’s essential love for his chassidim and for the Jewish people, and the love of the Jewish people for the Rebbe, may he be well. This was especially evident around 11 Nissan. On the first Shabbos, when the first guests arrived, the Rebbe spoke in the sicha about the month and about “This month shall be for you the first of the months.” The Rebbe said that a month means renewal: it refreshes one’s strength. And he spoke in the

04:49 sicha about how renewal must never be lacking. A month means renewal, a constant refreshing of one’s strength. “We ascend in holiness,” he said in the sicha. Our Sages tell us that we ascend in holiness: in matters of holiness, one must rise higher and higher. The sicha also spoke about Moshiach [unclear]. That is to say, whatever level a person is on, whatever his present position, he must always seek renewal, ascent, and the desire to rise higher in holiness. This was especially evident that Shabbos, when the Rebbe spoke in the sicha, and on 11 Nissan—a day when thousands of Jews came, leaving their families and their homes to take part in the farbrengen. Dozens, hundreds, left their homes. [unclear] The Rebbe’s concern for the entire Jewish people [unclear]. [unclear] At the very least, [unclear]. [unclear] The Rebbe and the entire Jewish people [unclear]. [unclear]

07:31 [unclear] He told me: “What I said was seventy-one girls. That is the minimum.” Perhaps that still needs to be written down again. And with the chassidim’s reverence and dedication, Anash should join in this and devote themselves to it. The Rebbe instructed that this gathering be held. There was an opportunity here to hold a gathering. The Rebbe held the gathering for the Georgian Jews, and he instructed that one be held for Anash as well. So the Rebbe is telling us to hold a gathering; everything is contained in that. We came to this gathering with the hope and the mesirus nefesh [unclear]. So let us all wish one another [unclear]. May this gathering of Anash stir us in all the matters the Rebbe asks of us: effort in Torah, refinement of our character traits, and so on, as the Rebbe demands, and all the mivtzoim. Above all, there is the Rebbe’s call [unclear] to draw in more chassidim, and for more chassidim to reach others. As

09:45 for the seventy-one girls, and all the boys: you know that at the Exodus from Egypt, Jews were called “armies”—“the armies of the Children of Israel.” When they left Egypt, the Jews bore that name. What defines a soldier is [unclear]. Above all, the soldier goes with mesirus nefesh, carrying out the command of the king, of the commander. [unclear]

00:00 But the whole matter of establishing institutions—that is what is needed from people. Here in Orange, at the gathering now, there is a sizable group of young men, may their numbers increase—more than a minyan. Most of those sitting here are capable of establishing institutions, running institutions, and taking part in them. It is just that, because of the various circumstances that arose, each person went off to his own business. May the Rebbe help them have success, blessing, and a livelihood. But to carry out the Rebbe’s intention, one has to understand that one must set oneself aside. Each person should examine himself and consider what the intention is and why we came here. In the Rebbe’s first letter, he said that every person should be “a lamp to illuminate.” That is demanded of every one of us. We must understand that this is not a question of yes or no, whether we want to or not. The Rebbe, may he be well, demands that each of us devote himself to the institutions. Incidentally, when the Rebbe [unclear] the institutions, he placed his holy hand on them and said—I don’t remember the exact wording or how he put it—but the Rebbe said that these were the institutions he wanted to see. The Rebbe, may he be well, has a connection to them; they are his institutions. And the institutions here need

01:22 a great many people. Furthermore, the Rebbe, may he be well, instructed us, demanded of us, pleaded with us to establish new institutions. That takes people. I do not want anyone to leave here thinking about whether this gathering was good or not, whether it was joyful, more or less [unclear]. Rather, leave knowing that this is demanded of us and that we cannot evade it. Each person understands what that means. And if not, then form that resolve within yourself right now: from today onward, take up communal work. If someone can leave his job entirely and devote himself to communal work, very good. If someone can do so only part-time, that is good too. And each person should write the Rebbe a letter for himself: “Rebbe, from today onward I want to take up your work. I want to be your soldier.” Then, of course, the Rebbe will expect much more of us. The doors are open to us; everything is ready. We only need to be ready for it. And so may the Rebbe lead us to Moshiach very soon indeed. You know? [unclear]