Farbrengen 19 Kislev 5745, Kfar Chabad

00:11 Speaker 1 [unclear] [unclear] Yissachar, Yissachar, and Yosef [unclear], Yissachar, Yissachar, and Yosef [unclear]. [unclear] They will come and tell, they will come and tell. [unclear] Hallel, Hallel, Hallel [unclear]. [unclear] Fire, fire, for the honor of Hashem. [unclear] And I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, and I will sit here, I will sit here, I will sit—

15:00 Speaker 2 We open every chassidic farbrengen by saying l’chaim, l’chaim, and with the traditional blessing passed down through the generations—the blessing particular to this day, the Festival of Liberation: May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year in the study of Chassidus and in the ways of Chassidus. When the Alter Rebbe, whose liberation and joy we celebrate, left his imprisonment, he said to his chassidim—as the wording has been passed by word of mouth among Chabad chassidim for 186 years, and will continue to be passed down until the coming of the righteous Redeemer and afterward—he said this: “This day shall be established as a permanent festival among the Jewish people. On it, thousands and tens of thousands of Jewish hearts will be stirred to teshuvah and to the service of the heart, for the event—the story of the imprisonment and liberation—is inscribed and engraved in the heart of the Jewish people above and written in the heart of the Jewish people below.” And ever since, for 186 years, the entire Jewish people have celebrated the Festival of Liberation in every place and at every time. Wherever they found themselves—in straits or in spacious circumstances, behind lock and key or in lands of comfort—this day was always a day for chassidim to gather. And what was the purpose of the gathering? First, as it says in the prophecy of Yeshayahu—and we, too, are here on the night when the festival is sanctified—the prophet Yeshayahu said, “You shall have a song as on the night when the festival is sanctified.” The joy that came to him came to us as well, thanks to the liberation. And the main thing is not only the great physical miracle that happened to him, that he was saved from certain death and given life. It is also the clear ruling issued by a court of ordinary non-Jewish judges, who told him: Go, expand and spread the wellsprings of Chassidus for generations to come, wherever your hand can reach. Even the non-Jew recognized it. He did not understand it, but as the Gemara says, “Though he does not see it, his mazal sees it.” The non-Jew’s mazal recognized and appreciated that the Jewish people’s future existence depends solely on the spread of the teachings of Chassidus. We are instructed to live with the times, and as has already been mentioned, the Rebbe shlita has issued a call and a request

18:54 Speaker 2 to each and every person to devote this year, beginning with this year, to studying Rambam. He divided Rambam into a schedule of three chapters a day, and he asked everyone who can to take part in this study—whether in a group, with the community, or on their own. So it is obvious that this festival, too, and this joy of the new year for the study of Chassidus, are connected to the Rambam we are studying these days. We have been learning—we are now studying the laws of purity, the laws of impurity and purity that applied in the time of the Beis Hamikdash and, G-d willing, will apply again when Moshiach, our righteous Redeemer, comes. We are learning the order of purity and the degrees of impurity. As anyone who has learned Chumash knows, there is an av, a primary source of impurity, then a first degree and a second degree of impurity. That is as far as impurity extends. Then our Sages came and said that there is also a third degree of impurity. Afterward, our Sages added that with regard to sacred things, there is even a fourth degree of impurity. What does that mean? It means that for holiness and sacred things, our Sages required a greater degree of purity and greater care. That is why they imposed further stringencies and added safeguards and restrictions, to increase purity among the Jewish people. In one of his holy letters written many years ago, the Rebbe shlita notes the special connection of this fourth degree in sacred things, the particular standard our Sages established for them. He connects the fourth degree in sacred things with the revelation of Chassidus. As is well known, one of the foundations of the teachings of Chassidus, and earlier of Kabbalah—as explained at length and in detail in Chabad Chassidus—is the order of the worlds’ descent: Atzilus, the world of Atzilus; the world of Beriah; the world of Yetzirah; and the world of Asiyah. Just as these four levels unfold on the side of holiness, so too there is a corresponding order on the opposite side, the opposite of holiness. The fourth degree in sacred things therefore corresponds to the world of Atzilus. And as is well known, and as explained in Tanya, in Igeres Hakodesh, the source of the teachings of Kabbalah and Chassidus is the world of Atzilus. That is why a fourth degree was added for sacred things, corresponding to the world of Atzilus. There is no—there is no

22:13 Speaker 2 greater connection than on this day, the new year for the study of Chassidus. We are engaged in studying the fourth degree in sacred things, the greater holiness and the particular order of descent that begins in the world of Atzilus and ends—and finds its main purpose—in the lowest world, called the world of Asiyah. This is one of the deepest subjects in the teachings of Chassidus. I have mentioned it only briefly, but neither the place nor the time allows me to elaborate. Let the wise hear and increase in wisdom. But the main thing, as at every chassidic farbrengen, is the demand for action in practice. A chassidic farbrengen has the power both to bring a person to make good resolutions and to give him the strength to put those resolutions into practice throughout the year. This is especially so at a time when the Rebbe shlita has been stirring the world since the beginning of this year, since Rosh Hashanah. He asks and pleads, and says that the time has come for every Jew, whatever his situation—whether he observes more mitzvos or fewer mitzvos, even if today he has not yet put on tefillin—to set aside a little time, preferably together with a friend, to study a chapter of Torah. Whether it is the revealed dimension of Torah or Chassidus, we have been promised that through Torah study and through spreading the wellsprings of Chassidus, whose center in our Holy Land is in Kfar Chabad, we will merit to hasten the complete Geulah. And the Rebbe shlita will lead us to greet Moshiach, our righteous Redeemer, very soon indeed. L’chaim, l’chaim.

28:34 Speaker 3 Ya Mama Rina, Ya Mama Rina. Ya Mama Rina, Ya Mama Rina. It is customary among chassidim, when...

00:05 Speaker 1 Honored rabbis. Honored rabbis, dear chassidim. We have come to pay tribute to you and to say yasher koach to you, to the Chabad community in Israel and throughout the Diaspora. The fact that this evening, at this very hour, chassidim are holding farbrengens throughout the Diaspora—that such a large community, which keeps growing and does so much, exists—makes it fitting for us to come, with or without rank, and say yasher koach. Yasher koach for the tremendous, devoted work you do everywhere. But I would like to say a few words that you surely know very well. We are in a very, very difficult situation, and I ask you to pray for us and for Israel everywhere. Pray for Israel and Jerusalem, for its strength, its economy, its integrity, the unity of the people, and its borders. Pray and stand guard with your physical strength, with your eyes of flesh and your spiritual eyes, and above all with your hearts, because you are a community distinguished by its heart, by what it sees with physical and spiritual eyes. Pray and act for Israel, for Jerusalem, for the integrity of its borders and its economic and spiritual strength. May you be blessed.

02:06 Speaker 2 Thank you. One who blesses others is blessed. We join in those good wishes, and now we ask Minister Moshe Katzav, the Minister of Welfare, to— to address us. Please.

02:33 Speaker 4 Honored rabbis, my fellow ministers, members of the Knesset, members of the head table, Chabad chassidim, dear guests. I was taught that three—three foundations characterize and distinguish the Chabad chassidic movement: joy and enthusiasm, self-sacrifice, brotherhood and unity. It seems to me that at this hour the Jewish people need these foundations more than ever, precisely when we all understand the gravity of the situation and are doing everything we can to emerge from it successfully. Self-sacrifice has become a hallmark of your work in the Diaspora and here in Israel. We, too, need a great deal of self-sacrifice to succeed in the difficult tasks before us. Brotherhood and unity—and I would add solidarity. Together, these are among our most important assets these days, and that is why everyone is lending a hand. I hope you will also succeed in spreading to the entire Jewish people the joy and enthusiasm whose power and intensity we saw just a few minutes ago. May they radiate and create a somewhat more pleasant atmosphere, making it easier for all of us to get through this transitional period—and it is a transitional period—this difficult interim, until we all emerge from it stronger, with Hashem’s help. And in response to Rabbi Hefer’s remarks, I want to say something about the “Who Is a Jew” law. I do not know whether the present Knesset will pass the “Who Is a Jew” law, but I know with absolute certainty that, just as it stands to reason that the sun will rise tomorrow morning, so too reason and justice demand that the law requiring conversion according to halachah be passed by the legislature of the State of Israel. All those—with Hashem’s help—all those who raise the specter that a law requiring conversion according to halachah might, in their view, cause division within the Jewish people must remember that assimilation is increasing. We are being told that by the year 2025, in forty years’ time, the Jewish communities of the Diaspora will number only five million Jews, and there is a direct connection between assimilation and intermarriage and the absence

07:21 Speaker 4 of a law requiring conversion according to halachah. The conclusion is that conversion according to halachah is what will lead to internal solidarity, Jewish unity, and an end to the process of assimilation. Be blessed. Minister Katzav is barred from revealing secrets as a member of the cabinet. That is why he said he was not sure the law would indeed be amended by the present Knesset. I am not a member of the government. I am under no such obligation. I promise you that the law will be amended during the present Knesset’s term. Now we ask our friend Rabbi Reb Zalman Bronstein to sing a chassidic niggun for us, a niggun of dveikus, the niggun from Poltava.

12:15 Speaker 5 Aya, aya, aya, aya, am hm hm hm hm hu, aya, hoy, ahoy, aya, aya, aya, am hm hm ya madoy. Adoy, ahhh, yada madoy.

12:52 Speaker 6 And now we ask Knesset member Rafi Edri, the coalition coordinator, to give his commitment and his blessing.

13:22 Speaker 7 Ladies and gentlemen. I am deeply moved, excited, and impressed by the way you celebrate and by the spirit of holiness that fills this sacred place. One thing I can tell you: you have a friend. I have always followed the blessed work of Chabad chassidim, not only in Israel but abroad as well, and so I offer you my blessing. I join in the blessing that we merit the complete and true Geulah through Moshiach Tzidkeinu. Amen, may it be so, speedily in our days. And as for the questions, and the question, I have said it: you have a friend. Thank you very much, and be blessed.

18:55 Speaker 8 And now we ask the one member of the Knesset who is truly exceptional, who contributed not only fine words—though words have great value—but did not stop at words, and above all contributed deeds. And not only deeds: he also made a sacrifice. Knesset member Professor Shaki was among the few members of the Knesset who, at the time, sacrificed a political career, giving up his position as deputy minister of education and all that entailed because he believed in the path he was following. I think I will not be betraying a confidence if I reveal tonight what the Rebbe shlita said to him after Knesset member Shaki left the government and visited the Rebbe shlita at his court in the United States. The Rebbe spoke with him about it and said: “You are like an athlete. Before an athlete starts running, he builds momentum. He takes a few steps back to get the right acceleration, the right momentum, and then he moves forward. Right now you have taken two steps back so that you can stride forward with even greater momentum.” And indeed, we hope and are confident that Professor Shaki is now moving forward with momentum. Many more high-ranking roles await him in the Knesset, in the government, and beyond, and we ask him this evening to bless the participants in the farbrengen and address us.

21:44 Speaker 9 My friends the rabbis, my friends the ministers and members of the Knesset, dear and holy gathering. I feel a special pleasure at every Chabad gathering, and I had the privilege, as my friend Rabbi Hefer said—a truly rare privilege—of sitting at a farbrengen three times with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, may he live for many good years, amen, at his court in New York. Each time, it was for several hours straight, into the small hours of the night. I came to know his extraordinary qualities as the leader of the generation, a leader who, without a shadow of a doubt, radiates and bestows true and wholehearted Ahavas Yisroel upon the entire Jewish people, wherever they may be. To my mind, that is the Chabad movement’s greatest asset, from its founding until today. Our Sages said: “Whoever has not seen the rejoicing of the Beis Hashoeivah has never seen joy in his life.” And indeed, if we give this saying a chassidic interpretation—and this is a chassidic evening—what could be more drawing, more compelling, more magnetic than warm, heartening, genuine, profound, down-to-earth chassidic farbrengens like the one we have just seen? Anyone who was here this evening, anyone who took part in the wonderful dancing and the heartwarming, electrifying Chabad chassidic singing, cannot fail to understand the depth of the saying: “Whoever has not seen the rejoicing of the Beis Hashoeivah has never seen joy in his life.” And why is that? What makes this movement great? I say: Fortunate is the people that has a movement like Chabad. Fortunate is the Chabad movement to have such a warm, unifying, Jewish outlook. Fortunate is the movement to have a leader distinguished above multitudes, like the Lubavitcher Rebbe. And fortunate are we all to have the privilege of gathering in the shadow of the author of the Tanya, who was released from prison on this evening 186 years ago. But as we have seen in Chassidus, this Geulah is rightly understood to have a far broader meaning than a personal liberation. Ladies and gentlemen, my friends, the Jewish people are, sadly, torn, divided, wounded. Many blows and wounds have come upon them from outside. Much blood has been shed in order to

24:42 Speaker 9 To have the privilege of seeing the beginning of this state’s establishment and the beginning of the Jewish people gathering here. And now, sadly—tragically—the leading sociologists and researchers tell us that by the end of this century, or perhaps ten or twenty years later... I was shaken when, on television a few days ago, the debate was whether we would lose only two million, or three million, or four million. A people whose blood has been spilled as our people’s blood has been spilled—every Jewish soul is an entire world. Whoever saves one life is considered to have sustained an entire world. So when, before our eyes and within our hearing, serious, objective people using scientific tools tell us that, G-d forbid, a spiritual catastrophe is on its way unless we come to our senses in time, unless we understand what makes us unique, unless we return to our sources, unless we place the Torah of Israel, the wholeness of Israel, and the wholeness of our people as a whole at the center of our spiritual life... A few years ago, our television showed an intermarriage ceremony in which a “rabbi”—a man who apparently has no shame about taking the title of rabbi—married a Jewish man to a Christian woman and said to her, “Behold, you are betrothed to me with this ring according to the law of Moshe and Israel.” Anyone who saw those scenes, anyone who sees how our people in the Diaspora are falling away, dwindling, growing more distant, becoming alienated from themselves, from their very being and from their Jewish identity, cannot fail to understand that this is the greatest problem facing the Jewish people in our generation, in our time, today and here, today and everywhere. That is why, for years, I have made this my goal together with dear friends, and G-d forbid, I do not want this to be a personal crown for me or anyone else. Let us all take up the wonderful crown of restoring our own identity, our Jewish pride, and our devotion to our Judaism. Hakadosh Boruch Hu chose us as His people, but we, too, are commanded, if we are to bear this wonderful crown, to persevere in this and ensure

27:40 Speaker 9 the wholeness of the people. Sadly, conversions that are not in accordance with halachah are a danger to the nation, a danger to its life, a danger to its character, a danger to its future. Anyone who does not understand this must have it explained to him gently and lovingly—only gently and lovingly. I am not impressed by threats that Jews will supposedly stop donating to this people if the Knesset adopts this law, which we cannot do without. Ladies and gentlemen, the holy Rebbe told me that evening: In the end, this law will pass. And with the words of such a holy man, and the efforts of Knesset members who want it—all the religious Knesset members and a large portion of the traditional ones in every party want to make this correction—I am full of faith and confidence. I fully expect that, with Hashem’s help, in the coming weeks, close to Chanukah, we will merit this miracle, and the law will be corrected, with Hashem’s help. Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, in Parshas Vayeishev, which we have just finished as we enter Parshas Mikeitz, Yosef is the central figure across four parshiyos. Yosef is the central figure in Vayeishev, Mikeitz, Vayigash, and Vayechi. And Yosef is the only one among all the patriarchs and all of Yaakov’s sons to have earned the title “Yosef the Tzaddik.” I asked myself why Yosef, more than any of his brothers, earned this extraordinary title. In my humble opinion, the main reason is that when Yosef was in prison, it was said of him: “A Hebrew youth was with us, a servant of the captain of the guard.” A Hebrew youth. How did they know in prison that he was a Hebrew youth? He did not speak Hebrew with anyone. How did they know that this youth, Yosef, was Hebrew? There is only one answer. Elementary human logic demands it. They knew Yosef was Hebrew because he came and said, “I am a Hebrew; I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews.” There is no doubt that this was Yosef’s greatness. And our Sages give, as one explanation for why Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, did not merit to enter the Land, beyond what is written

30:54 Speaker 9 in the Torah—that Hashem told him to speak to the rock, and he struck the rock. That is the clear reason stated explicitly in the Torah. But the Midrash sought another reason and found it in the fact that when the girls at the well asked Moshe to help them against the shepherds, they said, “An Egyptian man rescued us from the shepherds.” From this our Sages learned that the girls apparently took Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, for an Egyptian, and he did not tell them he was a Hebrew. Yosef, by contrast, said in prison that he was a Hebrew. From this we learn: There is no greatness greater than a person taking pride in his Judaism and standing firmly in it. Assimilation means fleeing from Judaism. Intermarriage means fleeing from Judaism. A deep-rooted Jewish education is the one and only decisive answer. There is no other answer to assimilation and intermarriage. Let me tell you something that happened. Ladies and gentlemen, I was in Miami Beach, and while there I went to visit the Chabad institutions. There I heard the following authentic story firsthand. There was a highly assimilated Jew there. One day his son came home from university. This was a Jew who had not donated a penny to the Zionist movement, to Jewish funds, to a synagogue, to an orphanage, to a home for the elderly—to any Jewish institution. He had distanced himself from his Judaism, like the thousands and tens of thousands who, sadly, leave it in droves each year. One day his son came to him and said, “Dad, give me your blessing. I’m going to get married.” Then he revealed that he was going to marry a non-Jewish woman. The father said, “You’re doing this to me? How can you do this to me?” The son answered, “You sent me to kindergarten with non-Jews, with Christians. You sent me to elementary school with Christians. You sent me to high school with Christians. You sent me to university with other non-Jewish students. You never spoke about Judaism. You never took me to a synagogue. You never told me a word about

33:24 Speaker 9 my Torah or my heritage. Now, at this stage, you suddenly remember that this isn’t right? I’m getting married.” The son was going to get married; he had already set a date a month or two from then. Bitterly distressed, this man, one of the wealthiest Jews there, went around asking, “Who can help me?” People told him, “There’s a Jew here who arrived from New York about a year ago. They’re called Lubavitchers. They know something about this sort of thing. A kind of doctor—a doctor for situations like this. Go to the doctor.” They gave him the doctor’s address. He went to the man. This really happened; I heard it from the man it happened to. He told him the whole story and asked, “Can you help me?” The man said, “First of all, I invite you to have a real conversation.” The father began coming to classes on Judaism, and then the man told him, “Bring your son.” The son did not want to come. He came once, then twice. Slowly, he became interested, but the father still did not know how to stop the wedding. That young rabbi, whom the Rebbe had sent to Miami Beach to establish the Chabad institutions, spoke to him. And how right Rabbi Hefer[?] was when he said that the Rebbe sends them like soldiers to every corner of the world. No difficulty, no obstacle. The Rebbe said there would be a blessing; they set out, and there is a blessing, thank Hashem. The man went and tried. He spoke with the son, and then he told the father, “Say to him: ‘For thousands of years, I, at least, have been a Jew. I preserved my Judaism, my connection with my parents, my grandparents, and my ancestors. When you marry this woman, you will sever that connection completely, and G-d forbid, nothing of it will remain.’” Within two months, two and a half months, the father grew enthusiastic, the son grew stronger, and both became fired up about Judaism. No more than two or three months had passed when the son came to his father and said, “The plan is off. I

35:33 Speaker 9 Here.” The father goes over to that young rabbi and says, “What can I do for you now?” He tells him, “For myself, I’m not asking for anything. I want you to help me establish a school here, a yeshiva, a kindergarten—everything needed to sustain a community.” The man went and made an extraordinary donation, and everything you see in Miami Beach when you visit is the gift of that dear man. What this means is that there is no better way than through Jewish identity, through a return to our roots. Only in this way will we ensure the unity of our people and prevent the shedding of our own blood. Our enemies have shed our blood; let us not shed it with our own hands. And, G-d forbid, we are shedding our blood with our own hands when we fail to place authentic Torah-based Jewish education at the center of our world. This is Chabad’s contribution to the Jewish people and to the eternity of Israel: its Ahavas Yisroel, its unconditional love, its wonderful approach to every Jew simply because he is a Jew—without condescension, without arrogance, without, G-d forbid, trying to dictate, but rather offering guidance and encouragement, healing and strengthening weak and faltering hands. This is the path that has brought Chabad this far, and this is the path that, with Hashem’s help, will help everyone—the entire people—emerge from this narrow place. We are approaching the Festival of Lights, and I will conclude with the words of the Rambam. Some time ago, the holy Rebbe asked us to study the Rambam. My friends, it is no accident that the Rambam is a giant of Israel, the eagle of Israel, the greatest of the halachic authorities, the greatest of the philosophers. His titles are endless. But if I had to say in a few sentences what makes him unique, I could find no better answer than to direct you to the Rambam’s Laws of Megillah and Chanukah. The Rambam concludes the Laws of Megillah and Chanukah with the following ruling. He says: If a poor Jew has enough money to buy either a Chanukah candle or wine for Shabbos Kiddush,

38:08 Speaker 9 he should choose the Chanukah candle over Shabbos Kiddush. But if he has enough money to buy either a Shabbos candle or a Chanukah candle, even though Chanukah candles are lit only once a year and Shabbos candles every week, he should choose the Shabbos candle. How can that be? The Rambam answers: The Shabbos candle symbolizes peace in the home, and through this the Rambam wanted to instill in us the value of peace. That wonderful thing for which we all pray today, which we long for, yearn for and dream of. And there is no people in the world, my friends, that loves peace as we do. There is no people in the world for whom the concept of peace is so much a part of its Torah and its spirit. There is no people in the world whose sages have excelled in pursuing peace as the sages of Israel have. The Rambam says: The Shabbos candle is a candle of peace, and it takes precedence. To my mind, Chabad’s greatness lies in the peace it fosters. It increases Ahavas Yisroel; it treats all members of our people equally. May it be Hashem’s will that, in the merit of this holy evening and this wonderful path of Ahavas Yisroel and unconditional love, this house will stand firm. With Hashem’s help, we will also see the passage of the Who Is a Jew law and the full realization of the Torah of Israel among our people. It all depends on effort; it all depends on perseverance. And that is one of Chabad’s qualities: self-sacrifice and enthusiasm. With that dedication, with that enthusiasm, we have come this far, and with Hashem’s help we will reach our destination. Thank you very much.

40:21 Speaker 10 Ah, I’d like to stop the applause. We’ll ask the orchestra and choir to perform “Padah Veshalom Nafshi” for us again. This time we’re departing from our usual practice. We’re doing this for the television crew, who weren’t able to record the melody earlier. We’re repeating it so they can include the melody in their coverage of the evening. Please.

41:21 Speaker 3 He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me, for many were with me. He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me, for many were with me. G-d will hear and answer them, He Who sits enthroned from of old, Selah. G-d will hear and answer them, He Who sits enthroned from of old, Selah. For they do not change. For they do not change. And they do not fear G-d. And they do not fear G-d. He stretched out his hands against those at peace with him; he profaned, profaned, profaned his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. Cast, cast your burden upon Hashem. And He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous falter, the righteous falter. And You, G-d, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; and You, G-d, will bring them down to the pit of destruction. Men of bloodshed and deceit will not, will not live out, will not live out half their days. Men of bloodshed and deceit will not, will not live out, will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You, but I will trust in You. But I will trust in You, but I will trust in You. I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, trust, trust in You. I will trust

00:26 Speaker 1 Please sit down, children. “Greater than the title Rabban is one’s name.” Sometimes titles do not add anything; they only detract, while a name expresses the person’s essence. The name Yoske Shapira is familiar to far more people than Minister Yosef Shapira. So we ask Minister Yoske Shapira to come and offer a blessing for the farbrengen.

01:18 Speaker 2 Ladies and gentlemen, I am deeply moved to speak before you. I am not an outsider. I was privileged to be the son of holy people, a great-grandson and grandson of the Rebbe of Lizhensk and the Maggid of Kozhnitz, after whom I am also named. My name is Yisroel Yosef. The Rebbe of Grodzisk was actually my grandfather, my father’s father, of blessed memory. My father, the Rebbe Rabbi Yeshayahu Shapira, of righteous memory, came to the Land of Israel in the year of “He looks at the earth and it trembles,” and was among the pioneers of religious settlement here. My holy brother was the Rebbe of Piaseczno, author of Chovas Hatalmidim and Eish Kodesh. I may look a little different, but I hope that a spark of their souls and spirit is in me too. Perhaps it is on that account that I have merited to speak before you here—not as an outside guest who has come to bless the farbrengen, but as one of the group. I want to say that I am sorry the previous speakers are not here. I understand that the order of speakers follows the principle of increasing in holiness, as with the approaching Chanukah—by the merit of my holy parents. The question of “Who is a Jew?” has troubled us since Morasha was founded, and I know that many Chabad chassidim supported that list because of its character and because of this issue. Today there are sixty people in the Knesset prepared to vote for the “Who is a Jew?” law. I would put one very simple question to those who came here to offer their blessings. Among them were people prepared to vote in favor. There was Katzav, a Likud member whose sons study at the Or Etzion yeshiva under Rabbi Chaim Druckman. There were other members here who do not even need to vote for the law. It is enough for them to abstain. It is enough for them to see to it that their party allows a free vote on the “Who is a Jew?” law. If Likud fulfills its commitment and the Alignment gives its members a free vote, the law can pass. I say this to the friends who came from the nonreligious lists—and I do not call them secular, because there is a spark of holiness in every one of them. Perhaps today there are no

04:06 Speaker 2 secular Jews? Hardly any. And to the members of the religious parties I wanted to say: If all the religious parties unite and say today that, unless the “Who is a Jew?” law passes in the Knesset, they will leave the unity government, the law will pass, because... But our strength lies in unity—at least the strength of the religious public, of the religious parties. When we united on the day the government was formed against the attempt to prevent the bill from being introduced, we initiated a meeting of all the religious parties, and that proposal was thwarted. Today the way is open to introduce the bill. If the religious parties come together with one heart, sincerely and without any maneuvering, and tell the two major parties that they will leave the coalition if the law does not pass, there will be no national unity government without a single religious party. It may be your duty and your privilege to bring the religious parties to make that commitment. I want to add one more thing. I think it is possible. That is why what Rabbi Shmuel Hefer, whom I have known for many years, said is true, and this blessing really can... It is a matter of fear of Heaven, and everything is in the hands of Heaven except fear of Heaven. That is in our hands. I want to say one more thing. First of all, I ask each of you who speaks with the Rebbe or meets with the Rebbe to mention me to him, so that I may succeed in being your faithful emissary. My name is Yisroel Yosef ben Chaya Sarah. Second, I ask that we remember here the captives, the detainees and the missing: those who are alive, may we merit to hear from them; those who, G-d forbid, have passed away, may they be brought to Jewish burial; and the detainees and captives, may they be freed and live among us. Let us remember them at this farbrengen. With the help of the holiness that flows from this farbrengen, may we merit to see them soon, in our days, as part of the Geulah of all the Jewish people, speedily in our days. L’chaim, l’chaim. L’chaim,

06:43 Speaker 2 l’chaim. L’chaim.

15:02 Speaker 3 Before the farbrengen ends, I must thank everyone who spoke and offered blessings. More than that, I thank all those who did not speak, though they should have, and showed real mesirus nefesh by giving up their chance to speak. Among them is Professor Branover, who was supposed to speak about the mesirus nefesh of the Jews behind the Iron Curtain. He gave us an example and a powerful lesson in mesirus nefesh. Rabbi Hecht, the Rebbe shlita’s shliach in Eilat and the rabbi of Eilat, was also supposed to speak about shlichus. G-d willing, another time. As the farbrengen concludes, we all send a blessing to the Rebbe shlita: May Hakadosh Boruch Hu grant him long years in good health and pleasantness, and grant him success in his holy work, to fulfill the mission and the calling of leading us upright to our land speedily. And now we ask the choir members to conclude the farbrengen as we do: first, “May the Beis Hamikdash Be Rebuilt,” and then the Alter Rebbe’s Four-Stanza Niggun. Please. Please sit down and keep quiet. Please keep quiet. Sit down.

16:59 Speaker 4 May it be Your will, may it be Your will, may it be Your will, may it be Your will before You, before You. May it be Your will before You, [unclear]. [unclear], that the Beis Hamikdash be rebuilt speedily in our days, [unclear]. That the Beis Hamikdash be rebuilt speedily in our days, [unclear].

19:14 Speaker 5 The Alter Rebbe’s Four-Stanza Niggun.

28:04 Speaker 6 Those who need to say an after-blessing, please do not forget. Special thanks and blessings to the Rishon LeZion police, to all the officers and police who took part in the farbrengen, kept order, worked hard, and gave of their energy and time. Thanks and blessings on behalf of the entire audience. Happy holiday, and see you again.