General Assembly 5737 in Kfar Chabad

00:00 Speaker 1 After the meeting, as the Rebbe—[unclear]. But every meeting of this kind should first speak about something pure. At a yechidus around Erev Rosh Hashanah, the Rebbe issued a special booklet called Ahavas Yisroel. As those who were involved in these matters relate, the Rebbe wrote it from beginning to end, with all the letters and [unclear]. And recently the Rebbe said in a letter that Ahavas Yisroel is the first and foremost of all the mivtzoim. Let me share some points about Ahavas Yisroel from the booklet Ahavas Yisroel. The first teaching the Rebbe brings is in the name of the Baal Shem Tov. The holy Baal Shem Tov says that Ahavas Yisroel is the first gate leading into the heavenly courtyards. That is the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov. Then there is a teaching of the Maggid. The Maggid said: “The Baal Shem Tov would often say: Ahavas Yisroel is a deep love. ‘You are children to Hashem your G-d.’ If you love the father, you love the children.” That is the teaching of the Maggid. Then there is a teaching of the Alter Rebbe. The Alter Rebbe related to his sons, the Rebbes: “Our grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov, said that one must have mesirus nefesh for Ahavas Yisroel, even for Jews one has never seen.” And here the Rebbe brings, in a note, what Reb Elimelech said in the name of the Maggid. The—

01:39 Speaker 1 The Maggid once said: “Do you hear, Melech, what they say in the heavenly academy? Ahavas Yisroel means loving a complete rasha as one loves a complete tzaddik.” Then there is another teaching of the Alter Rebbe, which explains the previous teaching. It says: “There is a short teaching of the Alter Rebbe from the early years of his leadership, which he said in the name of [unclear], in the name of the Baal Shem Tov. Ahavas Yisroel means loving a Jew without any distinction, whether he is a scholar or a simple Jew. And the love in Ahavas Yisroel must be brotherly. How does that love show itself? [Unclear.] Or with a kiss, or even when it remains hidden. One rejoices when one sees the mantle of a Sefer Torah. That is how one’s love for a Jew should be. And we have a tradition in the name of the Baal Shem Tov: When you hear something bad about a Jew, even one you do not know, you should feel great pain. Why? Because either way, one of the two sides is not good. If what is being said about him is true, that is not good. And if it is not true, then the person telling it is saying something bad. So whenever one hears something bad about a Jew, one should feel pain. It is very simple. Is the—

03:07 Speaker 1 Is the bad thing they are saying true? Then that person did something bad. And if you tell me it is not true, then the person telling it is speaking lashon hara. Either way, something bad has happened, and it hurts. So whenever one hears something bad about a Jew, one should feel great pain over it. And this is a central point of the mivtza of Ahavas Yisroel, which the Rebbe speaks about so passionately. He says that it is the point of all the mivtzoim. And now, regarding this meeting. What? What were you asking? What?

04:26 Speaker 2 You’ll see that—

04:27 Speaker 1 You’ll see that, with Hashem’s help, it’s [unclear]. Hmm?

04:40 Speaker 2 I have just heard excerpts from the booklet Ahavas Yisroel. The booklet Ahavas Yisroel was published for our time, in the year 5737. And in the general letter for Tishrei, the Rebbe emphasizes Ahavas Yisroel. Clearly, Ahavas Yisroel concerns everyone. And if Chabad has a central role in the world, then Chabad certainly has a responsibility regarding Ahavas Yisroel for the Jewish people as a whole. And Kfar Chabad, whose purpose is “spreading your wellsprings outward,” certainly has a very strong responsibility regarding Ahavas Yisroel. I have been asked to chair and lead this meeting, and I hope it will proceed peacefully. On the contrary, let us listen to what people say here, always in a spirit of Ahavas Yisroel, with each person learning from the other, and not interrupting another person’s words, because that is exactly the opposite of what is intended. What is the format? [Unclear.] I heard Rabbi Ashkenazi hint at the serious matters concerning what this meeting has been called to address. That is the main point. Someone asks a question: what brought about this meeting? We have to speak explicitly about these matters. I want to state the point that prompted it. The spiritual committee and its continuation [unclear]; the hardest division is between the spiritual and the material. There is still a bit of a missing connection here, but—

06:34 Speaker 2 But from here, we need to make the distinction explicit. I want to say something about what specifically prompted this: the spiritual committee must get involved in the matter. Because of what happened, a notice was put up—I had not seen it. A notice was posted attacking the entire committee; that was what it said. Why write a notice like that? The issue itself had already been raised. Why write a notice? Posting a notice like that means taking the matter outside. The notice said things that desecrate the name of Chabad and the Rebbe, may he be well. This cannot be left as it is, and it will not be left as it is. Ultimately, such things must be stopped at the root. We cannot allow the name to be desecrated. As the Rebbe has made clear, all our affairs should be kept among ourselves. We are biting our own hand. But for it to go outside—the notice that was posted on the wall on Friday, and then [unclear]—that is what prompted the spiritual committee to get involved in these matters and put things right, so that people understand that Kfar Chabad belongs to the Rebbe. The Rebbe is the one in charge here, and we must not desecrate the Rebbe’s name or desecrate—

08:01 Speaker 2 Kfar Chabad. These notes—things the Rebbe writes explicitly—include a whole note about the seminary and these matters. He writes to us here that, G-d forbid, there should not be discord in the institutions or in any of Kfar Chabad’s affairs. [unclear] He goes into lengthy, scholarly arguments, but the point, briefly and sharply, is that we must listen to every word and every wish of the Rebbe, may he be well. [unclear] No one wants to see anger and strife. That anger, and that note—such things should not be in Chabad.

09:09 Speaker 8 [unclear] A word for the Jews who spent Tishrei with the Rebbe, and who have brought back regards from Beis Chayeinu. Reb Simcha Radetzky[?], who was surely with the Rebbe for Tishrei, will say a few words about Beis Chayeinu.

09:37 Speaker 2 What do you want? What exactly happened? [unclear] Several members of the committee were with [unclear]. We cannot repeat here what [unclear] said. [unclear] Those were his greetings, but we have to choose the words carefully. That is what was said. [unclear] He did not pass on anything more.

10:23 Speaker 8 Really?

10:23 Speaker 2 When you come to [unclear]—well, do you know what those little [unclear] are?

10:27 Speaker 8 I hope so. Moshe Rabbeinu said, “I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” [unclear] I did not understand it then. [unclear] I was with the Rebbe twice, for twenty minutes each time. He asked me what was happening in Kfar Chabad on Shabbos. I answered him: people gather, sing, take a little mashke, and afterward learn sichos on the weekly parsha. The Rebbe was sitting there, and he raised his hand toward me and said, “No, we need [unclear],” in those words. I said to the Rebbe, “[unclear] We need a mashpia. He can come [unclear]. Anyone can come [unclear].” The Rebbe said, “Well, I can only have a mashpia,” in those words. [unclear] What came out of it was that there should be a mashpia. I did not ask the Rebbe again what he meant. [unclear] I thought I would ask the Rebbe. I think the Rebbe’s question about a mashpia concerned

12:25 Speaker 8 all of Kfar Chabad. It is Kfar Chabad, and it is a center for all of Eretz Yisroel. [unclear] I think much more could come of it. [unclear] Good things, more good things. [unclear] The Rebbe’s intention, always, was that this should bring people to teshuvah. [unclear] The Rebbe wanted everyone there, under him, to be able to say that Chabad was not for outsiders. And when I look at the young people who led Chabad this year, my heart opens wide. Then someone comes along for a moment and looks in—

14:32 Speaker 8 that is Chabad. All year long, I do not know what [unclear]. Everyone has been shouting. And if we have not shouted, what are we talking about? Do you hear? [unclear] We should sometimes cry out for Chabad. These are important things. When I went in to the Rebbe—[unclear] half a mashpia, as it were; one has to say it—there was a particular moment. I went in to the Rebbe on Wednesday. The Rebbe asked, “Well, was there a mashpia?”—in those words. [unclear] I said, “I sat with him longer, much longer.” The Rebbe said to me, in these words, “Sitting, sitting—that is being a mashpia.” [unclear] I asked the Rebbe, “I told him it was half a mashpia. What does ‘half a mashpia’ mean?” I asked, and the Rebbe answered me. [unclear] Half a mashpia means that [unclear] the mashpia [unclear]. I do not know whether you [unclear].

16:24 Speaker 8 But a mashpia has many responsibilities. [unclear] First of all, a mashpia must be a mashpia. A mashpia is someone who influences others. [unclear] Learning something from the weekly parsha is good, but that is learning. [unclear] Being a Chabad chossid is not just a matter of having learned something. [unclear] In the yeshiva in Kremenchuk, there was real mesirus nefesh. [unclear] I content myself with the avodah, but only in a general way. That is the first thing. [unclear] The Rebbe sat there and said [unclear].

18:20 Speaker 8 [unclear]. We received [unclear] from Chabad. Chabad [unclear] a letter, and Chabad [unclear]. And [unclear]. A letter from Reb Yerucham Ber [unclear], or something [unclear]. Reb Yerucham Ber [unclear]. Listen, the Rebbe [unclear]. And he said [unclear]. Even before the tefillah, he said [unclear]. The Rebbe [unclear]. When the Rebbe [unclear], Reb Chaim [unclear]. All of this was according to Torah [unclear]. Don’t be alarmed by it. From Simchas Torah [unclear], you could see it plainly [unclear]. And on Simchas Torah [unclear]. You could see it plainly [unclear]. [unclear] with bitterness [unclear]. In the home, truly [unclear]. And when [unclear], he came to the Rebbe [unclear], for yechidus. And the Rebbe demanded [unclear] a mashpia. [unclear]. I’m telling you, [unclear] a mashpia, [unclear] the Temimim’s mashpia. The Rebbe [unclear].

21:38 Speaker 9 We thank the mashpia Reb Zusha Tiger[?] for the delightful words he said. Half a mashpia—by the end, he’s a whole mashpia. Half a mashpia. Three-quarters. We ask Reb Dovid Kesselman, who was with the Rebbe, to say a few words. Reb Dovid Kesselman.

22:31 Speaker 10 I once heard a story about the Rebbe Rashab. A couple wanted a divorce. The woman came from a distinguished Chabad family. She was learned and accomplished, with every virtue. The husband, though, was apparently not quite so accomplished, and he was not the kind of person she had wanted. She asked her father to go to the Rebbe Rashab and ask whether she could seek a divorce from him. The Rebbe Rashab answered, “He is her husband, and she should not think about it.” She came back, but things still did not go well. She asked her father again. Her father asked again, and the Rebbe gave the same answer. She came a third time, and her father received the same answer. She grew angry and said something like, “He isn’t my general; he isn’t my governor. I can’t go on like this.” They divorced. She married someone else. Her second husband was a fine, gentle man. His character was very good, but they had no children. The husband, who was also a Chabad chossid, went to the Rebbe Rashab and asked for children. The Rebbe Rashab answered, “I am not her general or her governor.” The husband had no idea what the Rebbe meant. He came to his father-in-law and told him what the Rebbe had said, and the father-in-law was very surprised. She understood that she was responsible for

24:39 Speaker 10 the whole affair. We must know that when the Rebbe says something—even about a shidduch, where not everyone sees things the same way, or about other matters—we must know that the Rebbe sees things we do not see. Of course, everyone understands that. Even an ordinary person hearing this recording, this tape of [unclear]’s words, will surely understand that he is saying plainly that we must not [unclear] the Rebbe’s words. But that is not what I came to speak about. I assume everyone understands it. The point is that the Rebbe means for us to do something with joy. When we know that the Rebbe wants it this way, that is a sign it is for the good. I was with a prominent man in America. His child was about five or six years old and was bleeding from the navel. They consulted doctors and went to a professor. The professor said an operation was needed. They went to another professor, who also said an operation was needed. We went to six professors, and when all of them had been consulted, we immediately told the Rebbe: “Rebbe, all six professors say an operation is needed.” The Rebbe said, “Go to another doctor.” So we went to a doctor—not a

26:15 Speaker 10 specialist. We went to an ordinary doctor, and he too said an operation was needed. When we came to the Rebbe, he said, “Find another doctor.” We went to another doctor, and that doctor said, “This?” He cauterized it, and it cleared up. It is not always necessary to go to the greatest professor. Sometimes an ordinary doctor thinks surgery will help, but the Rebbe saw that the child would be better off without that operation. We must accept it with joy, knowing that what the Rebbe says is for our good. [unclear] Even if we could see a better option, and could choose one that seemed a hundred percent better, we would soon see [unclear]. I mean, these were not merely his own words. How did he know? He was not a prophet. Clearly, he had guidance. This is something we must know when facing an operation. That was only one example. When considering a shidduch or buying a home, one asks the Rebbe. Not everyone, though, feels able to ask about every single thing. But ideally, one would ask about everything,

27:50 Speaker 10 Fortunate is the person who has a clear answer from the Rebbe. In this case, it concerns an operation. And since the Rebbe did not instruct him to have the operation, he should leave with joy, with a glad heart, and with the knowledge that this is for the best. There was another point, though, that I did not understand: why should this be different now, particularly at this time? What does “particularly at this time” mean? What is different from two years ago? What is different from four years ago? I have said this several times: it is a sign that now is not the time, and our task is still to accept this with joy. Regarding Ahavas Yisroel, in Derech Mitzvosecha the Rebbe gives two reasons why one must love fellow Jews. One is the simple explanation that all Jews are one person, and every Jew is a limb. So when you love another person, you are loving yourself; he is not really someone else. That is what it means to say that this is our nature. And the Rebbe adds another point: if all Jews love one another, then he, too, is not separate from you, because Hashem looks upon us. When we are one with Him, He will not look at our shortcomings, and He will set them aside. It works the same way here. First of all, we must know that, as the Rebbe says, this is our nature. Even if, at times, we think: perhaps in

29:20 Speaker 10 physical matters this is not so natural, but loving the Rebbe and loving spiritual matters are natural. So if I cannot go along with it in complete joy, if I am afraid—one must still know that if we are committed to loving the Rebbe, then surely the Rebbe will not leave us in his debt. Just as when I do someone a favor, the kindness I show him is certainly a favor. I wish him well, I have good intentions toward him, and Hashem will make the good come about. It is the same here. First, one must know that this is not a mistake. I have not [unclear] a mistake, and when the Rebbe says it is good, it is certainly for the best. But even if someone thinks that perhaps it could be otherwise—that physically, things might be better [unclear]—he should love the Rebbe’s spiritual matters. Must he suffer for that? One must know that if we are committed to loving the Rebbe, [unclear] even for that alone, the Rebbe is surely with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and [unclear] there will be oneness in physical and spiritual matters together. And all the sichos the Rebbe delivered on Simchas Torah, Shemini Atzeres and Sukkos were about accepting things with joy. The Rebbe also spoke about this in all his talks to the young children on Sukkos: [unclear] with joy. And after that, it is a matter of accepting it with joy. Immediately, the yetzer hara stands in the way.

30:50 Speaker 10 Everyone must know that he has the strength to accept it. That was the theme of the three sichos the Rebbe delivered to the young children on Sukkos. The first was [unclear] that one must know [unclear]. Second, one must be content. And the third sicha was that even when something stands against him, he must know he has the strength to accept it. On Simchas Torah the Rebbe delivered three sichos, and those three sichos laid the foundation. [Unclear] the three sichos delivered on Sukkos. But what one says to children can also be said to adults. [Unclear] The Rebbe spoke of three levels in the three Yom Tovim, and then he spoke about the avodah of serving with joy, as it should be. Then he spoke about how, even when there is a yetzer hara, one can still accept it. And he spoke about [unclear] putting difficult matters right. But the entire avodah was to do everything with joy. When one does something with joy, it breaks through all barriers, and one succeeds. May Hashem help us not only to carry out the Rebbe’s intention in practice, but to do so with joy and a glad heart. Then Hashem will [unclear] double the good [unclear]. As the Rebbe says, Kfar Chabad is especially dear to the Rebbe. When the message was received, the Rebbe said: “And particularly Kfar Chabad, Nachlas Har Chabad, the holy city of Tzfas, Jerusalem” [unclear] should be

32:24 Speaker 10 [Unclear] preparing to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu. So if the Rebbe explicitly says “particularly Kfar Chabad,” naming it first, there is a reason for that [unclear], and [unclear] it will certainly be good. We must indeed prepare to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu. What?

32:45 Speaker 11 There is a tape here.

32:47 Speaker 10 Should we say it? [Unclear] say it. Or simply [unclear]. What? I want to ask the rabbi’s opinion: how [unclear] one can just go in and ask. You are interested in knowing about this. [Unclear] ask.

34:18 Speaker 11 All right, may I ask everyone to sit down, so that we can continue. Ah, if we want to sum up: what has been said until now is simply how things stand. We all know that, as a rule, the Rebbe did not openly intervene from there in matters overseas; the Rebbe explained this many times. When they first came to Rabbi Hodakov and asked about the appointment of [unclear], Rabbi Hodakov said, “We do not intervene from here.” The next day, he called in the person who had made the proposal and said, “We do not intervene. But even though we do not intervene, the opinion from here must be stated clearly.” And the opinion was stated. That was one of the occasions on which he expressed it: although we do not intervene, the opinion must nevertheless be stated. This shows how serious the matter is and how much is at stake. It mattered so much that this was said there. But should that be considered intervening? It is not intervening to state the opinion, so that everyone knows it openly. And as Rabbi Hodakov explained, he knows clearly that this is not the time for it. [Unclear] He knows that this is very firmly grounded and very clear. [Unclear]

35:45 Speaker 11 Matters that the spiritual committee [unclear], or the plan written here as well, concerning the future of Kfar Chabad. What? Yes, before that, Rabbi Reuven Kaminetsky, who was [unclear], the Rebbe [unclear] about the appointment of... Oh, excuse me. Please, Reuven Kaminetsky.

36:09 Speaker 12 What?

36:13 Speaker 11 Chodakov said there were many people. There were eighteen or nineteen people at Rabbi Chodakov’s, and he asked his son to go in. But [unclear] with the Rebbe, and the very words Chodakov had said were the words the Rebbe said to me as well. The Rebbe even looked at [unclear] to see whether it was right. I had not gone in together with my wife [unclear]. Earlier, there had been private matters to discuss with the Rebbe, and we spoke about them. The Rebbe said, “I didn’t need this at all, the appointment of [unclear].” Well, whatever anyone might have wanted, the Rebbe looked into it. This is not the time for upheavals, not the time for changes. The very words Chodakov had said, the whole meaning of what Chodakov said, were the words the Rebbe said. The Rebbe spoke very clearly and at length. He spoke for about a minute. That is why the question arises for me: what did Chodakov hear from the Rebbe? The Rebbe spoke openly and at length, confirming what Chodakov says. I see no question at all. Perhaps, then, we should address what we heard and explain these very clear words—what they actually mean and how to express them. What is being proposed? What does it require in practice, and what practical work is involved? So that this can be handled in an orderly way, perhaps anyone who wants to speak should sign up, and then we can

37:40 Speaker 11 simply speak in order. Please.

37:48 Speaker 13 Gentlemen, you don’t need many—no, no tapes. It is enough, it is enough [unclear] from there, and from the Rebbe, may he be well, to Rabbi Chodakov and the others. If the Rebbe wants Shloime Ber Danzig[?] to be the person, I believe that wholeheartedly. I would not oppose Shloime Ber Danzig[?] if he says he does not want to, because this is a matter in which an individual will immediately face a test. And I know that you—you have [unclear]; this room is only a small part of the village. I would truly make a blessing over that, because if I did not follow the Rebbe, I would suffer for it every single day. Every single day. I would make a blessing—whether “Go’el Yisroel” or another of the blessings, [unclear]—over every single day. Every single day I would suffer for it. And I am sure that the Rebbe wants him to be the person. Well, [unclear] the Rebbe—that is absolutely, absolutely, absolutely certain. I want to say a few words from my own experience. The Rebbe, may he be well, told me in 5709—5707, 5707—after [unclear], the Rebbe told me [unclear]—

39:29 Speaker 14 Yes, yes.

39:30 Speaker 13 I was—

39:31 Speaker 14 Seventeen, seventeen. Just that part.

39:32 Speaker 13 Just that part. Only—but [unclear]. He said that it would be very worthwhile to bring in the entire opposition. He said to bring in the entire opposition, to bring them into the conversation. First, it will be easier for you to work, and they will not feel that they have nowhere to turn. I want to make clear what the Rebbe wants in this regard, especially when speaking about Shlomo Maidanchik—Shlomo Maidanchik in particular. I see a tendency that whenever he says a word, people want to throw him out. It turns out that he is looking for something different from what I am looking for; that has nothing to do with me. First of all, this concerns the Rebbe’s way of doing things. As I said, some crazy tape will probably reach the Rebbe, and the Rebbe surely remembers what he told me. Three years ago, in yechidus, the Rebbe said to me [unclear], but at the end he told me: “I sent [unclear], and I sent a long letter about it,” so that [unclear]. So three years ago, the Rebbe remembered the letter he had sent me in 5707. He remembered it and told me: “I sent [unclear] a long letter about [unclear].” That is why one must not

41:08 Speaker 13 disregard the words the Rebbe says here. First, the Rebbe wants the opposition to be able to say its piece. Second, nowhere in the world is someone silenced over the things he says in opposition. Of all the examples, it is enough to give two. In England, for example, the leader of the opposition receives the same salary as the prime minister. And even here in Eretz Yisroel, that great democracy, no changes are made in this regard. So, seemingly, everything should remain as it was, as it is. If he wants to speak against something, let him speak against it. On the contrary, let him speak against it—first, on [unclear]; and second, [unclear]. Then we can learn what conclusions need to be drawn. And as for you, Shalom Maidanchik[?], will you do everything yourself, entirely on your own? Chas veshalom, what will happen afterward? You will come, chas veshalom, to a point where you cannot persuade anyone—cannot persuade anyone at all—and [unclear]. What do you want from Maidanchik? And second, perhaps [unclear]. Simply give

43:19 Speaker 13 money. I have to get money for them, and [unclear]. If there is no money to give, he has not said to return the money. Chas veshalom. Chas veshalom. Chas veshalom. Then he will take on [unclear]. That would mean being in the minority. Chas veshalom.

43:43 Speaker 15 There seems to have been a misunderstanding between them, and presumably we will be able to put things in order. It should not be that I am the only one speaking about the matter of Kfar Chabad. There are other people who want to have their say. To conclude this matter, once we have heard clearly from the Rebbe what the Rebbe wants and how he wants Kfar Chabad to continue, it would only be fair for those here to make a clear list together and bring this discussion to a close, so that all these matters can simply be settled going forward. [unclear]. Please, Rabbi Brom[?].

44:37 Speaker 3 I’ve been here in the village for twenty years, and I can’t [unclear]. This is the first time [unclear]. The thing is, I have no words at all. I haven’t got a single word. Not a word. A person needs a word, and [unclear] people. People [unclear] the land, the land. Only the land. We had to [unclear] in the fields. And only [unclear] were guiding us. We learned how to make the village, to build the village. You work in the village, and [unclear] wherever you set foot. And I can’t just keep working tomorrow. I can’t. A person, I... The world has grown older. The work gets harder, not easier. What will become of the work? And how, eh? [unclear] a hundred pounds, what they give me, [unclear]. If I bring money into the village, today it’s me, tomorrow it’s someone else. What I bring, they should take and give. [unclear] And the money that comes to us, we should give. Money must not stop us. You should come and see; this goes back even further than my father and mother. [unclear] Once I was a little duke and a little [unclear]. Eh, dukes! [unclear] a person. That’s what I say.

46:33 Speaker 3 And that will go on until [unclear]. I have nothing against him, except [unclear]. I have to work; work is [unclear]. With all the [unclear] I work, work is [unclear]. But [unclear]. Shalom. Ah, [unclear].

46:48 Speaker 4 Nochum[?], are your two sons working?

47:01 Speaker 3 Nu, Binyamin, go on, start, start. Nu, what should I start?

47:07 Speaker 4 I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t on the committee.

47:15 Speaker 3 I’ve always said it.

47:17 Speaker 4 I’ve always said it.

47:29 Speaker 3 [unclear] will open their hearts. The door comes with hidden things. The other thing is [unclear], to open their hearts. Every [unclear] in the village doesn’t [unclear]. Come, speak.

47:50 Speaker 4 I want to say a few words. So far, I see that the rabbis and the entire spiritual committee have spoken in favor of the committee. Now, as far as electing the committee goes, from what I can see in this whole gathering, no one has any objection to electing it. So I have a simple proposal: just as this whole group, the spiritual committee, spoke and persuaded people to elect the committee—or, more precisely, to leave the committee in place—let that same group take the committee itself and persuade it, not the public. Because it isn’t the public here that needs to change; it’s the committee. Let them take the committee and get it to change its whole conduct. Then all these things would not have happened. That’s all I wanted to say.

48:40 Speaker 5 Well, perhaps following on from what Miami Cohen[?] said, I think—and I’m giving my personal opinion here, as everyone else has—that the audit committee has not functioned properly over the past few years. The audit committee needs to be more active. If I’m not mistaken, there was once a statement from the Rebbe concerning the audit committee. That audit committee, which is remaining in place, needs to be more active. And boruch Hashem, we have rabbis here in Kfar Chabad. So when there are problems and disputes, we really should make use of the rabbis and bring the matters before them. And as Rabbi Chadakov said at the beginning of his remarks, shortcomings really do need to be corrected; no one disputes that. One more thing I would say, speaking personally: since no other opinion was voiced here, only that of Reb Shimon Lis[?], I would propose accepting his suggestion and reelecting this committee, the existing committee, together with the audit committee. And of course, an election held here by the general assembly would be legal.

49:59 Speaker 6 Is the audit committee [unclear] like that?

50:01 Speaker 5 No, that’s in [unclear]—no, sorry, that’s...

50:07 Speaker 4 Ah, there is one point here that everyone needs to understand: if the Rebbe has made his view known that this committee should continue, then the question is not whether to elect this committee or not. Rather, if, G-d forbid, someone voices an opposing view, it is as though he is voicing a view... This is very clear. I don’t even want to put it into words. When such a clear view has been made known concerning Kfar Chabad, it would be a chillul Hashem and a great disgrace if anyone expressed a different view. It’s true that there are faults; the shortcomings need to be corrected. But as for the matter itself, the committee’s continued existence, it would simply be a great disgrace if even one person here in Kfar Chabad opposed what was openly said on behalf of the one in charge—the one in charge of Kfar Chabad. We all know that the one in charge of Kfar Chabad is the Rebbe shlita. And in all the Chabad organizations, such as Agudas Chassidei Chabad and Tzeirei Agudas Chabad, it is written into their legal documents that the Rebbe is the one in charge, and the Rebbe decides whom to choose as chairman. That is how it should have been here in Kfar Chabad too. If things were different here, perhaps there were reasons for it. But everyone must understand that the Rebbe is the one in charge of this village. And if the Rebbe shlita has made his view known in several ways recently about the committee’s continuing, then it would simply be the greatest disrespect if, G-d forbid, anyone expressed a different view from what the one in charge of the village has said.

51:49 Speaker 7 Only [unclear] about the people, about that [unclear], about democracy, about [unclear]. And the Rebbe wants you to write to him, so that he can [unclear] them. Wait a moment, you’re getting into [unclear]. [unclear]. The Rebbe [unclear] whom [unclear]; you should write in his name. So he said to me, “Do you understand what you’re saying? The Rebbe [unclear], and you won’t write in his name.”