Chanukah Rally 5762, Kfar Chabad

00:03 Speaker 1 You want to make this as much like the real rally as possible—or at least try to. That was the children’s gathering held several times a year with the Rebbe at 770. Children would come from all over the area. They would bring hundreds and hundreds of children, even thousands. 770 was packed with children. The Rebbe would come in, and they would begin with Minchah. Everyone would sing Ashrei together, daven Minchah, and afterward sing Aleinu. The Rebbe would encourage the singing very, very strongly. You should know that the Rebbe had a special relationship with children—you surely know that. At all the gatherings and farbrengens, the Rebbe never encouraged the singing with his hands quite the way he encouraged the children’s singing at a rally. You could simply see it. The Rebbe took genuine pleasure in these children’s gatherings. We won’t really be able to continue unless it gets a little quieter here. Guys, we want to start the performances and all the excitement, so let’s have a little quiet and we can begin. Guys, we’re asking you to be a little more patient. Shh. Where are our counselors? We’re asking the counselors to quiet things down a little and try to keep an eye on the children. Anyway, after Minchah, the emcee would say a few words. Listen, he wasn’t a clown of an emcee like me. He was a respectable, older man. He would tell the children a little about the significance of the day, and of course they would recite the Twelve Pesukim together. That also gave the Rebbe great pleasure. The Rebbe would look at each child. They would call a child by name, say which school he was from and where he studied. He would come up and say the pesukim, and all the children would repeat after him. You could simply see

02:38 Speaker 1 the Rebbe’s delight, the satisfaction he took in the whole recitation of the Twelve Pesukim. It still isn’t quiet here, and we still can’t begin the program itself, because it isn’t completely quiet yet. After that came the highlight, the central part of the rally held at 770: the Rebbe would give a sicha to the children. Of course, the Rebbe spoke in Yiddish, and afterward the emcee translated it into English. English was the language most of them understood there. He would translate it. It was a very, very special occasion. The Rebbe spoke directly to the children, in their language and at their level. The Rebbe explained the greatest, most important and deepest ideas simply and pleasantly. Afterward, the interpreter would repeat it. The Rebbe would give several sichos, not just one or two, and of course there was also the lighting of the Chanukah candles. We’ll try to do all the things we’ve mentioned today. We’ll try to give you that. Before the Rebbe came in, there was also always a short performance of some kind for the children. With Hashem’s help, we’ll give you a generous helping of all that today. All right, we’ll begin, of course, by reciting the Rebbe’s chapter, chapter 100, Mizmor Lesodah. We’ll ask the counselors to find us a child to come up and recite the Rebbe’s chapter. I can’t see any signals. These spotlights are blinding me, so we’ll ask—send someone, send someone, Peles. Shh. Guys, everyone stand up, of course. The Rebbe’s chapter is our life and the length of our days. This is the Rebbe’s chapter. Huh? Where’s the Rebbe’s chapter? Okay. The Rebbe’s chapter—soldier Mendy Peles. We’re waiting for soldier Mendy Peles to come recite the Rebbe’s chapter. Shh. A little

05:36 Speaker 1 respect—if not for me, if not for Tzivos Hashem, then for the Rebbe’s chapter. What’s that? Fine. Okay. Do you know this chapter? While you’re doing that, could the children who were called to say pesukim come over and—okay. The children who were told they would say pesukim should come over here to the side and stand ready, so we won’t be held up by that. Go ahead. Shh. Everyone repeat after him, verse by verse. A psalm of thanksgiving: Make a joyful sound to Hashem, all the earth. Serve Hashem with joy; come before Him with song. Know that Hashem is G-d; He made us, and we are His, His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courtyards with praise; give thanks to Him, bless His name.

06:39 Speaker 2 Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

06:42 Speaker 1 For Hashem is good; His kindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness is from generation to generation. And now—guys, what’s with the applause? Sit down, sit quietly. Children! Soldier Itzik Rivkin will say the first of the Twelve Pesukim, “The Torah that Moshe commanded us.” Go ahead. The Torah!

07:04 Speaker 2 The Torah!

07:06 Speaker 1 Commanded!

07:07 Speaker 2 Commanded!

07:08 Speaker 1 Us!

07:10 Speaker 2 Us!

07:10 Speaker 1 Moshe!

07:12 Speaker 2 Moshe!

07:12 Speaker 1 An inheritance!

07:13 Speaker 2 An inheritance!

07:14 Speaker 1 For the congregation of!

07:15 Speaker 2 For the congregation of!

07:16 Speaker 1 Yaakov! Thank you to soldier Itzik Rivkin. “Hear, O Israel,” soldier Shabtai Michlashvili. Shh, guys, a little quiet. Sit down, sit down, children. Shh. We’re asking the counselors again to move among the children and bring a little order, a little quiet. It’s going to be hard for us to continue this way. Go ahead, “Hear, O Israel.”

07:50 Speaker 2 Hear!

07:51 Speaker 1 Hear!

07:52 Speaker 2 O Israel!

07:53 Speaker 1 O Israel!

07:54 Speaker 2 Hashem! Our G-d!

07:57 Speaker 1 Our G-d!

07:58 Speaker 2 Hashem!

07:59 Speaker 1 Hashem!

08:00 Speaker 2 Is One.

08:03 Speaker 1 Thank you very much to soldier Shabtai Michlashvili. And soldier Sholom Ber Feigin will say the passage “In every generation.” “In every generation.”

08:16 Speaker 2 In every generation.

08:18 Speaker 1 In every.

08:18 Speaker 2 In every.

08:20 Speaker 1 Generation.

08:22 Speaker 2 A person is obligated.

08:24 Speaker 1 A person.

08:26 Speaker 2 To see.

08:28 Speaker 1 Himself.

08:30 Speaker 2 As though.

08:32 Speaker 1 He had gone out.

08:34 Speaker 2 Of Egypt.

08:42 Speaker 1 Thank you very much to soldier Sholom Ber Feigin. Soldier Shmulik Shechter will say the passage “All Israel.” All Israel.

08:53 Speaker 2 All Israel.

08:55 Speaker 1 All Israel.

08:56 Speaker 2 Have.

08:57 Speaker 1 Have.

08:58 Speaker 2 A share.

08:59 Speaker 1 A share.

09:00 Speaker 2 In the World.

09:01 Speaker 1 In the World.

09:02 Speaker 2 to Come.

09:03 Speaker 1 to Come.

09:03 Speaker 2 As it is said.

09:04 Speaker 1 As it is said.

09:05 Speaker 2 And Your people.

09:06 Speaker 1 And Your people.

09:07 Speaker 2 All of them.

09:08 Speaker 1 All of them.

09:09 Speaker 2 Are righteous.

09:10 Speaker 1 Are righteous.

09:11 Speaker 2 Forever.

09:12 Speaker 1 Forever.

09:13 Speaker 2 They shall inherit.

09:15 Speaker 1 They shall inherit.

09:19 Speaker 2 The land. A sho— a shoot.

09:21 Speaker 1 A shoot.

09:22 Speaker 2 Of My planting.

09:23 Speaker 1 Of My planting.

09:24 Speaker 2 The work.

09:26 Speaker 1 The work.

09:26 Speaker 2 Of My hands.

09:28 Speaker 1 Of My hands.

09:28 Speaker 2 In which to take pride.

09:34 Speaker 1 Thank you very much to soldier Shmulik Shechter. And the passage “For it is very close to you”—it’s close to all of us. All of this, Chanukah, the completion of Rambam, is close to us. It’s ours, something we love and want and draw strength from. That’s what this whole rally is about. The passage “For it is close to you,” soldier Sholom Ber Kovichek. Kovichek. For it is close.

10:16 Speaker 2 For it is close.

10:18 Speaker 1 For it is close.

10:20 Speaker 2 To you.

10:21 Speaker 1 To you.

10:23 Speaker 2 The matter.

10:24 Speaker 1 The matter.

10:26 Speaker 2 Very.

10:27 Speaker 1 Very.

10:31 Speaker 2 In your mouth.

10:32 Speaker 1 In your mouth. And in your heart.

10:35 Speaker 2 And in your heart.

10:37 Speaker 1 And in your heart, to do it.

10:38 Speaker 2 To do it.

10:42 Speaker 1 Thank you very much to soldier Sholom Ber Kovichek. The last passage in this set is the sixth one. We’ll say the final six pesukim later. The passage “And behold, Hashem,” soldier Moishe Gutman. Children, a little quiet. Begin.

11:04 Speaker 2 And behold, Hashem stands.

11:12 Speaker 1 Guys, we can’t fool around, we can’t fool around. We simply won’t have the pesukim, and I don’t think we’ll have the performance either. We can’t fool around like this. Save the joking for the performance; don’t make a joke of the pesukim. Let’s say it together. And behold.

11:28 Speaker 2 And behold.

11:29 Speaker 1 And behold.

11:30 Speaker 2 Hashem.

11:31 Speaker 1 Hashem.

11:32 Speaker 2 Stands.

11:33 Speaker 1 Stands.

11:34 Speaker 2 Over him.

11:35 Speaker 1 Over him.

11:35 Speaker 2 And fills.

11:36 Speaker 1 And fills.

11:37 Speaker 2 The whole earth.

11:38 Speaker 1 The whole earth.

11:40 Speaker 2 With His glory.

11:40 Speaker 1 With His glory.

11:41 Speaker 2 And looks.

11:41 Speaker 1 And looks.

11:42 Speaker 2 At him.

11:43 Speaker 1 At him.

11:44 Speaker 2 And examines.

11:45 Speaker 1 And examines.

11:46 Speaker 2 His innermost thoughts.

11:47 Speaker 1 His innermost thoughts.

11:48 Speaker 2 And heart.

11:49 Speaker 1 And heart.

11:50 Speaker 2 To see whether he serves Him.

11:51 Speaker 1 To see whether he serves Him.

11:51 Speaker 2 As he should.

11:52 Speaker 1 As he should. There, good. Wait, I’ll teach you the words. Hold on. Thank you to soldier Moshe Gutman. To thank and praise, to thank and praise Your great name. To thank and praise, to thank and praise Your great name for Your miracles, for Your wonders and for Your salvations. And for Your salvations. To thank and praise Your great name. To thank—

13:12 Speaker 8 All the Moshiachs.

13:13 Speaker 1 To thank and praise Your great name.

13:18 Speaker 8 Everyone.

13:19 Speaker 1 For Your miracles, for Your wonders and for Your salvations. For Your miracles, for Your wonders and for Your salvations. To Your great name, to tha—

13:42 Speaker 8 All the children.

13:44 Speaker 1 To thank and praise Your grea—

13:47 Speaker 8 We’re about to start the performance.

13:49 Speaker 1 For Your miracles, for Your wonders and for Your salvations. For Your miracles—

13:58 Speaker 8 Louder. Two hours.

14:03 Speaker 1 To thank and praise You for Your salvations. For Your miracles, Your wonders, and Your salvations. Oy yoy. Where are our counselors? … Children, sit down, sit down. Children, everyone sit down. All right, we’ll have to cancel the play. If you don’t sit down, there simply won’t be a play. Guys, sit down. Everyone sit down, sit down, sit down. All right, we’d really like to start the play in about a minute. Let’s just remind everyone that we have a long, interesting program today. There’s the play, then the Grovais brothers, and we have Chanukah gelt and sufganiyos to hand out. We still have a full afternoon ahead of us, so please sit down, be patient, and keep quiet. We’re asking the counselors to cooperate a little more, walk among the children, and help quiet things down. We want to start the play. The yeshiva students prepared the play themselves. They worked very, very hard to put together something truly interesting and captivating for you. After we give them all the thanks and applause they deserve, we ask you to be patient and sit quietly. We’re starting the play.

21:00 Speaker 9 Hey, you need to be ready, guys.

21:02 Speaker 10 Come on, one, one.

21:10 Speaker 9 For a week and a half, brother, we stay onstage until the film ends. That’s eighteen minutes, and then we hold the same pose, the same pose. I want to get down. Wait, I’ll take out the key.

21:23 Speaker 10 One, one.

21:24 Speaker 9 One. Can we try again? Come on.

21:27 Speaker 10 It’s working, it’s working.

21:28 Speaker 9 In a week and a half.

21:29 Speaker 10 Let’s decide. Let’s sleep.

21:33 Speaker 9 There’s nothing I can do.

21:34 Speaker 10 Come on.

21:34 Speaker 9 Yes, but I’m not.

21:39 Speaker 10 Quiet, we won’t be able to start.

21:39 Speaker 9 Before the play, we’re asking for complete silence. Shhh. You’ll be able to hear if you’re quiet. Shhh. Please be quiet, otherwise we won’t be able to continue. Shhh.

21:54 Speaker 10 Come on.

21:57 Speaker 9 Quiet, quiet.

21:58 Speaker 10 Nu, shhh.

22:04 Speaker 9 I don’t know what.

22:05 Speaker 10 Come on. You know there were—

22:10 Speaker 9 Places around the world. Not from that. We’re starting in a second; be ready onstage.

22:37 Speaker 10 On a mission for the university.

22:39 Speaker 9 Make a little more room for me here.

22:41 Speaker 10 I recently came back from California. I’ve also been to Italy and France, and I’ve been to Harvard too.

22:49 Speaker 9 Harvard.

22:49 Speaker 10 At the university there. I had a terrible experience there.

22:54 Speaker 9 What happened?

22:55 Speaker 10 Thursday night, I finished my lecture at the university. The airline informed me that all flights to Israel had been canceled.

23:06 Speaker 9 Really? What did you do? You were stuck there for Shabbos.

23:09 Speaker 10 I was stuck there for Shabbos. But then Friday afternoon came—Friday afternoon came, Friday afternoon came.

23:15 Speaker 9 Listen carefully.

23:22 Speaker 10 Should I start all over?

23:27 Speaker 9 Okay. I don’t have it here.

23:33 Speaker 10 From the beginning. There’s a problem here.

24:02 Speaker 9 Menachem, we can’t hear.

24:03 Speaker 11 One second, I’ll go to Menachem.

24:04 Speaker 9 Come here a moment. Do you want to sit down? I’m going to Menachem.

24:08 Speaker 10 They can’t hear me.

24:09 Speaker 9 Take my handheld mic. Can you hear through my handheld? Can you hear? Can you hear?

24:13 Speaker 11 Go back; the volume’s very high. We can hear it very loudly.

24:17 Speaker 9 One, one, one. Speak. Moishe, Moishe, look at me. Never mind. Moishe, Moishe, my rabbi, you know I travel a lot on behalf of the university, to many places around the world. I only recently came back from California. I’ve also been to Paris and Italy, and I was at [unclear], at the university there. And you won’t believe the terrible experience I had there. Thursday night, after I finished my lecture, the airline informed me that all flights to Eretz Yisroel had been canceled. Really? You were stuck there for Shabbos? All the flights had been canceled because there was a snowstorm. Oy, oy, oy. I felt terrible. Then Friday afternoon came, and I was waiting. I didn’t know what to do. Wine? I couldn’t even get wine. It had to be wine that a non-Jew hadn’t touched. I couldn’t get wine, and I didn’t have bread baked by a Jew either. I didn’t know what to do. I simply started crying. It was a terrible situation; I didn’t know what to do... Suddenly, about an hour or two before Shabbos began, the Chabad shliach there called me. Yes. He invited me for a meal—for the Shabbos meal at his home. You can’t imagine how happy he made me. And you know what? This shows us that the Rebbe sent shluchim all over the world to establish model communities everywhere. How he cared for all the Jewish people. You know what? I think there’s a lot to be gained from that. People come here from Israel, mainly from Israel. A lot of people—I always hear the same point from them: that the Rebbe established communities and sent shluchim to build all kinds of communities. But the Rebbe didn’t care only for the Jewish people as a whole, for communities, shuls, and schools. The Rebbe cares for each individual Jew, like a father cares for his son. The Rebbe doesn’t care only like a rabbi, or—the Rebbe cares like a father. Shmulik,

26:42 Speaker 9 Go bring the soup in the meantime. Just bring it. Dad. Yes, my dear? Let’s sing the niggun I like. Which niggun do you like? Nu, don’t you remember? The niggun they always sing at the Kinus Hashluchim. Ah, the Rosh Chodesh Kislev niggun. Yes. … Bring that soup into the room. … Here comes the fellow with the mop, too. … Nu, why are you dancing? We’re dancing [unclear]. Do you know what [unclear] is? … Do you want to try some more? [unclear]. Do I have something to say today? Or is it just me? Quiet, quiet, quiet. Go on, go on. You can’t hear anything. You see all this? Good. That’s good too. Someone here is interested. … I’m sorry, I’m sorry. That isn’t my food. Mine. I bought all kinds of things this week. I ended up buying cookies. They’re an American kind. They’re really something. That’s fine. The first ones. Quickly, Chanukah. Yes, did you light candles? Candles—did you light candles for Chanukah? Candles, a menorah. Quickly, Chanukah.

29:55 Speaker 9 Shabbos, today is Shabbos. [unclear]. [unclear]. They did something with it. We don’t need that; leave me alone with it. Thank you very much. All right, bring it to me. Come on, let’s go. Let’s go, let’s go. Just a second, a second. Oy, oy, say a bracha. I’ll give you [unclear] in English.

30:22 Speaker 12 We’ve eaten enough.

30:23 Speaker 9 You know what? Come on, afterward—afterward, say “Brich.”

30:27 Speaker 12 Brich.

30:28 Speaker 9 Rachmana.

30:28 Speaker 12 Rachmana.

30:29 Speaker 9 Elakana.

30:29 Speaker 12 Elakana.

30:31 Speaker 9 Malka.

30:31 Speaker 12 Malka.

30:32 Speaker 9 D’alma.

30:33 Speaker 12 We’ve eaten enough.

30:34 Speaker 9 All right, I understand.

30:37 Speaker 12 Shalom.

30:38 Speaker 9 Come on, let’s keep singing.

30:39 Speaker 12 Sir.

30:40 Speaker 9 Yes.

30:41 Speaker 12 Forgive me, but I don’t understand you. Look how they behaved here, like wild animals. How can you treat them with so much respect? Look at the empty people who came here. They ran wild and knocked your son over. You treat them respectfully, and you want them to come back next time. I don’t understand you.

31:02 Speaker 9 Look, we try to welcome every person. Anyone who wants to hear about Yiddishkeit and is interested—we welcome them. Many Jews have grown closer this way, boruch Hashem. They come because they want to hear; they come to listen.

31:16 Speaker 12 But not people who behave like that.

31:18 Speaker 9 They want to hear.

31:19 Speaker 12 Look at those people.

31:19 Speaker 9 They don’t do anything. They just want to eat.

31:23 Speaker 12 They came only to eat. I don’t understand why you pay attention to them. They’re not—they’re empty people who have no connection to anything.

31:30 Speaker 9 You know what? Let’s say l’chaim. I’ll tell you a story. Not a story. You know what? You said something. Let’s hear what you’ll have to say afterward. Let’s say l’chaim. You want to say l’chaim too? But just a little. Just a little. No, otherwise we’ll have problems here later. A little, a little.

32:01 Speaker 12 Tzvika, take the waiter.

32:03 Speaker 9 L’chaim, l’chaim. L’chaim, l’chaim. Are you listening? Our story begins—actually, it didn’t begin there, but it gives us a way of looking at it. About, um—it was ten years ago. Exactly ten years ago. Yes, it was exactly ten years ago. One Friday night, at the home of a shliach in—a certain place in New Jersey, a certain town in New Jersey. Guys, get off the stage. Yes.

33:07 Speaker 13 Dad, do you know how many friends I met at the Kinus Hashluchim?

33:13 Speaker 9 Yes, Mendy, I’m really very, very glad I took you with me. I saw that you met a lot of new friends there who’ll be waiting for you next year. I’m sure you got their phone numbers, and I’m sure you’ll make a point of keeping in touch with them.

33:33 Speaker 13 I did take down phone numbers, but first of all, a friend on the phone isn’t really a friend. And second, whenever I’m talking, you need the phone in the middle of it. Even Berel, Dovid Zalman’s son, told me he has twenty-four children in his class and two teachers. Why do I have to study at home with Mom?

33:58 Speaker 9 I’ll tell you, Mendy. There was a shlucha who lived exactly as we do, in a faraway country, with no friends, no school for the children, and no kosher food. The difficulties became so great that she decided there was nothing to be done: she would leave her place of shlichus. She had already written to the Rebbe about it. In her letter, the shlucha wrote... She wrote that it wasn’t that she was looking for an easy life, or that she wanted to go somewhere else and start earning a living. She was willing to work in educational institutions. She was willing to keep investing her efforts in Yiddishkeit, but not in that country. She wanted to be somewhere with a Jewish community, like Kfar Chabad or Crown Heights. The Rebbe answered her in a letter with a very interesting parable. The Rebbe said to her—wrote to her: “It’s like a king who had several gardens. He had orchards where he grew esrogim, and he also had gardens where he grew tomatoes and cucumbers. There was great competition among the king’s servants over who would work with the esrogim and who would work with the tomatoes. Let me ask you, Mendy: do you think a servant of the king who had already been assigned to work with the esrogim would go and work with the tomatoes? And the lesson is clear,” says the Rebbe. “We don’t look down on the residents of Kfar Chabad or Crown Heights. We know that each of them tries, at his own level, to carry out the Rebbe’s wishes fully. But can they be like us—the Rebbe’s shluchim?” I hear, Mendy, that—ah, Zalman, we have a new guest. Go open the door for him. Oh, Shabbos shalom, Shabbos shalom. I’m glad you came. Come, sit with us, eat, drink. We’ll talk. We’ll continue the Shabbos meal. Come on, sing a niggun; let’s say l’chaim. Everyone, say l’chaim. Ruby, Jackie, say l’chaim. Sing a niggun in the meantime. Ruby, which niggun shall we start with?

37:15 Speaker 14 The one we start Shabbos with.

37:17 Speaker 9 Ah, “Hu Elokeinu,” the one we sing on Shabbos in shul.

37:21 Speaker 14 Yes, “Hu Elokeinu.”

37:22 Speaker 9 Let’s all start together. He is our G-d, He is our Father, our King; He will save us and redeem us. Ay, ay, ay, ay, once again.

37:41 Speaker 3 Is that—is that the Lubavitcher Rebbe?

37:43 Speaker 9 Yes, that’s the Lubavitcher Rebbe. And in His mercy He will let us hear it once again.

37:52 Speaker 3 Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad. What does he want? What does he want from me?

37:57 Speaker 9 Calm down, calm down.

37:58 Speaker 3 Let him leave me in peace.

37:59 Speaker 9 Calm down. What happened to you?

38:01 Speaker 3 Why does he care if I’m enjoying myself?

38:04 Speaker 9 Calm down, young man, calm down, calm down. Come sit down, have something to drink, calm down, and tell us what happened. Maybe we can help you. Nothing will come of carrying on like this.

38:18 Speaker 3 You should know that your Rebbe won’t leave me alone.

38:21 Speaker 9 Have something to drink.

38:24 Speaker 3 He won’t leave me alone. I was, I was, I was in India. I had it good there. I was enjoying myself, and...

44:40 Speaker 4 Why aren’t they here? Why aren’t they here at all? What does that mean? But I don’t have the check. Give me the key. Leave me in peace; I want to study. Now we’ll begin. Come on, I had the... I had a chapter. Leave me in peace; I can’t study. I feel like something is going to confuse me. But...

45:55 Speaker 5 [unclear]. What we’re seeing now is the story of that young man we saw earlier at the Shabbos table, taking the Rebbe’s picture and trying to knock it down. That young man was in a cult in India, and there he felt that... that something was pulling him home. Something was pulling him away and wouldn’t let him stay there. He doesn’t know why. Here we’re seeing what goes on in the cult—their rituals.

48:33 Speaker 6 Mendy, please calm down.

50:35 Speaker 7 I have no peace. I can’t, can’t, can’t sleep. I feel something pulling me

00:05 Speaker 1 I have everything here. I’ve finally found myself. The guru, the friends, the peace and quiet. But I feel something pulling me. I can’t—I can’t control myself. I... something, something. What is it? I’m getting out of here.

00:57 Speaker 2 Danny made up his mind. Danny decided he was running away, back home. He was going back to his parents. He didn’t know why he was doing it, but he was doing it. Something was pulling him home. Danny ran for a long, long time. He ran and ran and ran. He even hitchhiked. Without permission. Finally, after many twists and turns, Danny reached the airport. He was getting ready to catch the next plane and go home to New Jersey. Danny was very tired. He lay down to rest for a bit. The next flight was in half an hour. Danny also made some friends along the way. The flight is leaving in a minute—we have to hurry. No, I really can’t. But I can’t; it’s a lot of money. I can’t buy it. No. I’m not willing. Listen, first of all, don’t shout at me. First of all. Danny’s father is sitting in a restau—listen—and going about his usual business. I’m not willing to—I’m not willing to buy it, I’m not willing to buy it. I don’t want to buy it. But what? What did we decide? I told you last Friday. Listen, everything has changed. I can’t, I’m not willing. It’s a lot of money. No, no, no, it won’t work. I’m sorry, but it won’t work. I told you I’m not willing. That’s it. I’m not willing. I can’t. Danny’s father is a very tough businessman. Listen, you, don’t shout at me, don’t shout at me. I don’t want it, I don’t—I don’t want this. I don’t. Yes. Danny. Dad. Oh! At last, after a year, Danny and his father met again. But Danny still wasn’t happy. He told his father about it. I can’t speak. Oh. You’re not free, Danny. Danny’s father told him that a week earlier the Lubavitcher Rebbe had given him a special blessing. Danny

06:22 Speaker 2 understood that the Rebbe was actually the one who had done this for him. You don’t know what a blessing is?

06:31 Speaker 11 No, Danny. No one in this world who doesn’t come here—even I didn’t know.

06:35 Speaker 2 But three days ago, on Sunday, I went to see him, and he gave me a blessing and said, “For your younger son.” And I wanted to tell him that I hadn’t seen you for a year and three months.

06:55 Speaker 11 He understands you.

06:58 Speaker 2 He doesn’t understand.

06:59 Speaker 11 You—you’re a general.

07:04 Speaker 2 On Sunday. On Sunday, after kiddush. On Sunday. So he did this to me. I said, “That Lubavitcher—what does he want from my life? Let me live in peace. What does he want from me? Let him leave me alone.”

07:48 Speaker 11 So do you understand? For a week and a half I’ve been wandering around here in New Jersey like a madman. I have nothing to do here. I feel awful here. I can’t leave. I don’t know what the Rebbe—what my Rebbe wants from me. I haven’t done anything to him. Do me a favor: take this dollar. You’re Chabadniks—bring it to your Rebbe and tell him to leave me alone already.

08:32 Speaker 12 You just want to see that he lit a candle. Come on, you’ll see in a second.

08:37 Speaker 11 Do you want to know the rest of the story? Want to know what happened next?

08:43 Speaker 12 Yes, I do.

08:45 Speaker 11 Look at me. I—I’m that same hippie who was wandering around India. I threw the dollar in the shliach’s face. I didn’t know what the Rebbe wanted from me. But it turns out the Rebbe was thinking about me even when I was stranded there in India, busy with all sorts of nonsense, [unclear]. But the Rebbe knew how to lift a soul out of a hole. The Rebbe knew that every Jew has goodness inside. Every Jew has wells of strength. Every Jew can—every Jew has everything within him. It just needs to be revealed. That is what the Rebbe taught us. The Rebbe taught us not to look at a Jew as he appears on the outside, not to judge how he looks, whether he speaks nicely or not, whether he dresses nicely or not, whether he knows how to behave around others or [unclear] when he has to give speeches. The Rebbe taught us to see that every Jew has a soul. Our goal is to do what the Rebbe wants: to gather all the Jews and bring them closer to Torah and mitzvos. Through this, with Hashem’s help, we will merit to see the Rebbe, because that is what the Rebbe wants from us. And since you children are here, this is the time to talk about it too: the Rebbe asks us to live with Ahavas Yisroel. With Hashem’s help, we will merit the Geulah through our righteous Moshiach very soon. [unclear]

11:11 Speaker 13 Children, sit down, sit down! We want to continue. The Grovais brothers told us that if you don’t sit down, they won’t come on. They can’t come onto the stage like this. Shhh... Sit down, everyone sit down. Hello! Where are the counselors? Counselors? Shhh... Children, a little quiet. We’re asking for a little quiet. We want to continue; we still have a lot on our exciting program. But first, we’re going to invite the person who helped us see the wonderful play put on by the yeshiva boys. Let’s hear some applause for the yeshiva boys! As I said, we’d like to call to the stage someone who helps, has helped, and will help make these gatherings happen and bring us all the special and interesting things we see here. I’m honored to invite the head of the council’s Culture and Youth Department, Mr. Nissim Anavi, to say a few words in honor of Chanukah. Please be patient, children—the Grovais brothers are right after this, right after this. Please, Mr. Nissim Anavi.

12:50 Speaker 14 Happy Festival of Lights to all the children. I—I’m very happy to take part in this Tzivos Hashem gathering in Kfar Chabad for the youth of Kfar Chabad. I think that at a gathering like this, during the Festival of Lights, when we’re all looking for light, I hope the light will keep growing. Our light is the Torah, Torah study, and the study of Chassidus and everything that goes with it. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy Festival of Lights, and may you keep going. We’ve had Chanukah celebrations and parties in all the communities. And now we’re concluding here with a big Tzivos Hashem celebration in Kfar Chabad. Blessings to everyone who took on important roles here—all the friends and all the counselors. Well done, and keep up the good work.

14:16 Speaker 13 Many thanks to Mr. Anavi. On behalf of all the children in Kfar Chabad, we thank him for the help he has given, and will surely continue to give, to these wonderful gatherings. We’re now finishing the last six pesukim. Of course, we can’t stop without completing the Twelve Pesukim. And as you can see, we’re getting organized quickly, clearing the stage for the main part of today’s program: the Grovais brothers’ main performance. For the next six pesukim, the verse “Bereishis.” We invite soldier Shmulik Neperstek[?] to lead the verse “Bereishis.” Shhh, out loud.

15:12 Speaker 15 In the beginning.

15:13 Speaker 13 In the beginning.

15:14 Speaker 15 Created.

15:15 Speaker 13 Created.

15:16 Speaker 15 G-d.

15:17 Speaker 13 G-d.

15:18 Speaker 15 The heavens.

15:19 Speaker 13 The heavens.

15:20 Speaker 15 And the earth.

15:24 Speaker 13 The verse “You shall teach them.” Soldier... soldier Simcha Garfinkel. The verse “You shall teach them.” Children, a little more patience. We’ll finish the pesukim, and the Grovais brothers are right after that. “You shall teach them.”

15:43 Speaker 15 You shall teach them.

15:44 Speaker 13 You shall teach them.

15:46 Speaker 15 To your children.

15:47 Speaker 13 To your children.

15:49 Speaker 15 And you shall speak.

15:50 Speaker 13 And you shall speak.

15:51 Speaker 15 Of them.

15:52 Speaker 13 Of them.

15:52 Speaker 15 When you sit.

15:54 Speaker 13 When you sit.

15:54 Speaker 15 In your home.

15:54 Speaker 13 In your home.

15:56 Speaker 15 And when you walk.

15:58 Speaker 13 And when you walk.

15:58 Speaker 15 On the way.

16:00 Speaker 13 On the way.

16:00 Speaker 15 And when you lie down.

16:00 Speaker 13 And when you lie down.

16:02 Speaker 15 And when you rise.

16:03 Speaker 13 And when you rise. Soldier Tzvika Weisberg, the verse “I labored.”

16:09 Speaker 15 I labored.

16:10 Speaker 13 I labored.

16:11 Speaker 15 And did not find.

16:14 Speaker 13 And did not find.

16:14 Speaker 15 Do not believe it. “I did not labor and I found”—do not believe it. “I labored and I found”—believe it.

16:40 Speaker 13 Okay. The next two pesukim will be said by soldier Yosef Michlashvili: “Love your fellow,” and then “And this is the whole purpose of man.”

16:51 Speaker 15 “Love your fellow as yourself.” Rabbi Akiva says: “This is a great principle of the Torah.” And this is the whole purpose of man, and the purpose for which he and all the higher and lower worlds were created: to make a dwelling for Him, may He be blessed, in the lower realms.

17:37 Speaker 13 Thank you, Yosef Michlashvili. Shhh... Children, we’re asking for a little more quiet. Soldier Meir Goldschmidt. The verse “Yisroel shall rejoice.”

17:50 Speaker 15 “Yisroel shall rejoice in its Maker,” meaning that everyone of the seed of Yisroel should rejoice, rejoice in the joy, in the joy of Hashem, Who—Who rejoices and is glad in His dwelling in the lower realms.

18:34 Speaker 16 Shhh. Now “Yechi,” soldier Ben Tashma[?]. “Forever and ever.”

18:45 Speaker 15 Long live our master, our teacher and our Rebbe, King Moshiach, forever and ever.

18:48 Speaker 16 Long live our master, our teacher and our Rebbe, King Moshiach, forever and ever.

18:51 Speaker 15 Long live our master, our teacher and our Rebbe, King Moshiach, forever and ever.

18:54 Speaker 16 Long live our master, our teacher and our Rebbe, King Moshiach, forever and ever. Shhh, children. The Grovais brothers just asked us to say—shhh—that they’re used to all the children being seated when they enter the hall. They’ve told us that if—if they see children getting up, they’ll stop and won’t continue. Shhh. They’re asking everyone to sit down. A little patience; everyone stay seated. They’ll come onto the stage, and everyone will be able to see them. Shhh. Do you want chairs? I’ll get you chairs. Shhh. Children, everyone sit down.

20:00 Speaker 17 I brought you the concoction, but I’ve got something new here.

20:30 Speaker 18 All right, the counselors are asked to bring a little order here among the children who are standing, because we won’t be able to start unless you sit down. We simply won’t. We want to start, but we can’t. Sit down, sit down, everyone sit down. Children, we can’t start. They’re signaling to us that they don’t want to come in. We’re asking you to sit down.

24:42 Speaker 3 Dear soldiers, pay attention. One minute of quiet. We want to begin. There’s a very interesting program. Everyone sit down so you don’t block anyone’s view. As soon as it’s quiet, we’ll start. Why can’t I hear any quiet? I can’t hear any quiet. Why can’t I hear quiet here? Okay, we’re starting.

26:20 Speaker 4 He hasn’t come. He hasn’t come. He hasn’t come. What are we going to do? What are we going to do? He still hasn’t arrived. Shabbos—Shabbos is in a few minutes, and he still hasn’t come. What are we going to do? He still hasn’t arrived. This is terrible. Shabbos is in another fifteen minutes. What are we going to do?

26:54 Speaker 5 Excuse me, sir. Hello.

26:57 Speaker 4 Leave me alone, leave me alone.

26:59 Speaker 5 Can you take me to—to there?

27:00 Speaker 4 My nephew is supposed to arrive, you know?

27:03 Speaker 5 But it’s almost Shabbos.

27:04 Speaker 4 My nephew, yes, but...

27:06 Speaker 5 I’m not waiting.

27:07 Speaker 4 And he still hasn’t come.

27:09 Speaker 5 And there’s no one willing to take us there now.

27:13 Speaker 4 Sir, I’m waiting for my nephew. He’s supposed to come in any moment. Shabbos is in a few minutes.

27:18 Speaker 5 But listen, Shabbos is about to begin.

27:22 Speaker 4 Right, right, and I... Maybe you have a cellphone on you?

27:27 Speaker 5 Listen, come over there and call from your house. Why from here?

27:31 Speaker 4 What do you mean, call from home? How can I call from home? He’s supposed to arrive any moment, any second now. Oh, wonderful, wonderful.

27:40 Speaker 5 Listen.

27:41 Speaker 4 Give it, give it, give it, give it to...

27:43 Speaker 5 This is a very expensive cellphone.

27:45 Speaker 4 I know, I...

27:45 Speaker 5 It’s a special cellphone.

27:48 Speaker 4 So?

27:48 Speaker 5 It costs a lot of money. Absolutely not.

27:52 Speaker 4 But I need to find out whether he’s arrived or not. You have to understand.

27:57 Speaker 5 But listen, it costs a lot of money. I can’t.

28:02 Speaker 4 How much does it cost? How much?

28:03 Speaker 5 Listen.

28:04 Speaker 4 Whatever you want, I’ll p— My nephew! Shabbos.

28:09 Speaker 5 Listen, uh, make the call, but be quick. Don’t make it long.

28:14 Speaker 4 Give it to me, give it to me. Just a moment. It isn’t working. Fix it so it works.

28:22 Speaker 5 Listen, it’s you. You’re pressing it too hard. Just talk into it.

28:29 Speaker 4 Wait, wait. Hello, hello? Yes, what about him?

28:40 Speaker 5 Listen, that’s fifty cents. That’s a lot of money. You, you—

28:45 Speaker 4 Whatever it costs, whatever it costs you, I’ll pay you.

28:50 Speaker 5 Listen, uh—

28:52 Speaker 4 Don’t confuse me now. He’s supposed to arrive.

28:54 Speaker 5 You’re pressing on my cellphone. Don’t press it!

28:58 Speaker 4 I—

28:58 Speaker 5 You’re going to break my cellphone.

29:00 Speaker 4 A little, if I press it a little, it’s not so bad, not so bad, not so bad. The—

29:05 Speaker 5 Shhh.

29:05 Speaker 4 The child is more precious.

29:06 Speaker 6 Just a moment, just a moment. First of all, where’s the applause?

29:13 Speaker 4 The son.

29:13 Speaker 5 Hold the cellphone.

29:15 Speaker 4 Turn it off for me for at least one second. Turn it off for a second.

29:24 Speaker 6 First of all, happy Chanukah.

29:29 Speaker 4 So it doesn’t... Hey. Turn it off.

29:34 Speaker 6 Turn them off. Shhh. I didn’t stop them in the middle for no reason. I’ll tell you why. In the film we made, only a very, very small part of this scene made it into the film. In the original, there’s a very, very long scene, and they prepared it again today in your honor. Later on, we’ll show you the whole scene from beginning to end. It’s a great honor for us to be here before you, before the children of Kfar Chabad. As soon as we came in, we could see that you know us, and that’s a great honor for us. Now, we’ve come with our finest actors, and I’d like to introduce them one by one as they come up here. First and foremost, I’d like to call up my father, the president of the Grovais Brothers company, Rabbi Grovais. Please. Now I’d like to invite the other, vitally important half of the Grovais Brothers company, Avraham Grovais. We have a special surprise. He has never appeared onstage before a Charedi audience. We have the honor and pleasure of having persuaded him to come, especially for this occasion. The finest actor ever to perform for the Charedi community. Welcome him with a round of applause: Avraham Selektor[?]. Let’s welcome him. Let’s welcome Rabbi Shmuel Karmelovsky[?]. I’ll tell you, he was my teacher when I was a child, and I remember how he used to captivate us with his stories. That’s why I managed to bring him into the films, and he did the job. Welcome Rabbi Shmuel Karmelovsky[?]! And last but not least, last but not least, I’d like to call up—I don’t know what to call him: Kostatus[?], Yechezkel, Victor, Couscous—Shaul Chayun!

32:47 Speaker 7 Who’s behind me here?

32:47 Speaker 6 Come on, come on, there’s no room here.

32:48 Speaker 7 Come in, come in.

32:51 Speaker 6 One more step forward, one more step forward. Say hello, say hello.

32:59 Speaker 7 Hellooo. Is that good? Another one?

33:03 Speaker 6 Another one.

33:05 Speaker 7 So that one stays.

33:06 Speaker 6 It stays.

33:09 Speaker 7 Hellooo.

33:11 Speaker 6 I can’t hear you answering him. Come on. Once more.

33:17 Speaker 7 Tell me, why did they take him? Why isn’t Shimon working? Why isn’t he working?

33:23 Speaker 6 They fired him.

33:25 Speaker 7 I can’t hear.

33:27 Speaker 8 They fired him.

33:28 Speaker 7 They fired him.

33:31 Speaker 6 In a little while, each of these important people will have a turn to say something and tell you something. But for now, we’ll wait off to the side for our turn and let my father, Rabbi Ben Tzion Grovais, say a few words.

33:57 Speaker 9 Thank you very much, dear children. Do you remember our film, “A Spark in the Darkness”? At the beginning of the film, we wrote: “We do not intend to portray the tzaddik, but only to learn from his deeds so that we may follow in his path.” Do you remember that? Since I want to say a few words now in honor of Chanukah and in honor of the films, I’ll begin with that. I’m not a speaker, and I’m not a rabbi—I’m only a rabbi in the film. I just want to have the merit of inspiring the children, and apparently the films inspire children too. If we can inspire the children through this, that will be our reward. Before I begin, give me a moment to remind you of “A Spark in the Darkness.” In a little while, dear children, we’ll come up and reveal a secret to you: how to make a film. But you should know that it’s a secret, and you mustn’t tell anyone. We’ll tell you all the secrets of making a film, but no one should reveal them—only those who are here can know. Before that, we want to ask, briefly, in a few words, why we make films. Perhaps by understanding why we make films, we’ll understand what connection a film has with Chanukah, and particularly with today, the seventh day. It says: “Know what is above you: an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your deeds are written in a book.” When we watch a film, we all see—an eye that sees. We hear the sounds, and we see all your deeds written in a book. But dear children, you need to know another secret. When a child does a mitzvah and knows that all his deeds are written in a book in Heaven, he needs to pay close attention to how he does it. When we make a film, we take care with every movement, every blink of an eye, because we know everyone will see it—and that’s in this world. Imagine a Jew doing a mitzvah, knowing that he’s being filmed in Heaven and that the image will last

37:19 Speaker 9 for all eternity. How carefully must he make sure the mitzvah is perfect? How carefully must he make sure his emunas chachamim is perfect—especially us, Chassidic children. How... What does he say there? “How fortunate you Jews are to have tzaddikim like these.” And what’s the connection to Chanukah? Chassidic books say that Chanukah is the end of the judgment, the end of the Days of Judgment. Zos Chanukah, tomorrow, is the end of the Days of Judgment. Today is the seventh day. The seventh day corresponds to King David. After all, every day we wait for Moshiach to be revealed speedily in our days. Today is the seventh day, a day corresponding to King Moshiach. Today is a preparation for tomorrow, Zos Chanukah, when the judgment is finalized. May we all be blessed with a good year, and may we all merit an end to the terrible things that, Heaven forbid, are happening to the Jewish people. May we all merit that very soon it will stop... Heaven forbid, this week—we mustn’t mourn, either—but Heaven forbid, what happened in Emanuel. I still remember when I was a child like you, a little child like you. I remember the uproar, the pain and the anguish here in Kfar Chabad because of those wicked people. I still remember. I was a small child, smaller than you are today. I remember how the whole country was shaken. Master of the Universe, how much longer? When will it finally stop? When will we finally have a joyous holiday? When will it happen? When will we soon merit the coming of our righteous Moshiach? Master of the Universe, let us ask You for one small thing: a joyous holiday. And before I finish, I just want to reveal one secret from the films. Do you remember that in “A Spark in the Darkness” there’s also an orchestra? And do you remember the well-known tune we sing there, called Napoleon’s March? There’s a part we repeat. How do we do that? Who knows how we do it? On an organ? On a piano? On a flute? Let me tell you—but don’t tell anyone how we do it.

41:06 Speaker 9 That’s it. Thank you very much. Where’s the applause? That’s all? That’s pretty weak. Pretty weak. Abba, Abba, Abba. And now for a surprise. Shhh. For the first time, we’ve managed to get him to appear before children from the charedi community. We invited him to come and share his personal impressions of what he himself experienced while making the films. And I’ll let you in on a secret, too—maybe some of you already know. We’ve just come back from Kyiv, Ukraine, where we were guests of Chabad chassidim. Yes, just now—we got back last Friday, and Avraham Selektor was with us. He’ll tell us a little about his own experiences, and you children will have a chance to ask him questions. So let’s call him to the stage. Avraham Selektor, please.

43:14 Speaker 10 Hello, dear children. Forgive me, I have a bit of a cold. I’m still cold from Ukraine. It was minus fifteen degrees there, and we made two films. What, is this better? And we made two wonderful films for you, really lovely ones. I want to tell you a little about my work with the Grovais brothers. One day Yehuda called me and said, “Hello, you don’t know me. I’ve seen you in films. I’d like you to come see me. I’m a charedi from Bnei Brak.” I said, “All right, why not?” I went there. I wanted to see the professional standard of these fellows, the Grovais brothers, and I was very pleasantly surprised. I watched their films and said, “There’s excellent technical ability here and a high artistic standard. It would be an honor.” We’ve worked together ever since, and I see the Grovais brothers as a kind of bridge that brings the different parts of our people closer together. There’s so much division among us—religious, secular, charedi—and within those groups there are more groups. One group can’t stand another, and instead of love, we sow division, discord and hatred. Then I saw that the Grovais brothers were willing to accept someone different just as he is. I liked that, and I must say I’ve grown very close to them. Wonderful. Now, if you have questions about the filmmaking, about the characters, or about anything related—or anything at all—I’m happy to answer. No, no, not everyone at once. Yes. I heard you ask where we get the costumes. These days, getting costumes isn’t a problem. The Grovais brothers find wonderful period costumes. For example, when we were in Ukraine, we needed Russian army uniforms and clothes for members of the nobility, and

46:21 Speaker 10 the theater had all of it. The Grovais brothers did a wonderful job arranging everything; it was ready for us before we arrived. What? How do you make tears? Well, there are a few answers to that—a few ways. First of all, if a scene is moving and the actor gets into it, real tears come. He cries. Sometimes a young actor—or actors in general—don’t really know how to do that. So there’s something like glycerin, drops that you put in your eyes, and your eyes start watering. More questions? No, it’s very hard for me like this. Yes, you, standing up. Excuse me? Tears—whether my tears were real? I think so. I’ve never used anything to bring on tears. There’s someone here who can back me up: the director. Did we film in a real courtroom? Absolutely. In Tel Aviv, yes. What interesting things they’re curious about—technical things. Yes? Did we make “Mima’amakim”? That wasn’t me. Oh, the one with the plane. What? Shhh. I want you to ask him questions about himself and his acting. All the questions so far have been about how the plane fell, how that magician threw the bottles in “Ein Le’an Livroach” and they landed right on the windowsill. I’ll reveal all those secrets to you later. Right now you have a chance to ask him personally about himself and his acting. I’ll tell you something personal: thanks to the Grovais brothers, I’ve grown closer to Jewish tradition. I suddenly remembered that my grandfather was a cantor and my grandmother was a very religious, modest woman, [unclear], and a very honest person.

50:02 Speaker 10 You can ask me personal questions too. I’m happy to answer. I’ve been acting for thirty-five years, abroad as well. I know how a—oh, that’s a question. I’ll answer in general terms. What you’re really asking me is, “How do you get into a character?” I’ll give you the example of a judge. How do I know how to play a judge? From life experience, and from going to courtrooms and seeing how a judge behaves. That gives me an idea of what it’s like. Or, for example, how do I play bad people?