Farbrengen 19 Kislev 5746, Kfar Chabad

12:41 Speaker 1 Distinguished audience, before we begin, I ask everyone standing at the entrance to find a seat. There is plenty of room, and I especially ask the children to make room for the adults. I repeat: everyone standing at the entrance is welcome to come inside. There are empty seats, and we ask the children to make room for the adults. To the women’s section: I have been asked to issue the most serious warning. Standing where you are is a danger to life! Please do not lean on the railing, and be careful. So that we can begin, I ask the children once again to make room for the adults, and the adults to please come inside; there are empty seats. Our esteemed local rabbi, shlita; rabbis of cities, mayors, members of the Knesset, IDF officers, public figures, chassidim and friends of Chabad from throughout the country, distinguished and holy audience. From Kfar Chabad, the center and capital of Chabad chassidim in our Holy Land, we are delighted... From Kfar Chabad, the center and capital of Chabad chassidim in our Holy Land, we are delighted to welcome everyone who has come to celebrate with us at the great, traditional farbrengen for the Festival of Liberation, 19 Kislev. Welcome to the tent of Chassidus. “This is the day Hashem has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” On this day, 19 Kislev, 187 years ago, the founder and creator of the Chabad Chassidic movement, our master Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the Alter Rebbe, of blessed memory, was set free. This is the day of the Festival of Liberation, 19 Kislev, when the Chassidic movement triumphed over all its enemies and accusers. On this day, the Chassidic movement was assured that it would spread ever farther, overcome its enemies and prevail over those who sought to harm it. My brothers and friends, great and holy audience, together with tens of thousands of Chabad chassidim and their friends throughout the world, we gather for the central Chassidic farbrengen here in Kfar Chabad. This is the very Kfar Chabad of which the Rebbe shlita has testified, saying that the Frierdiker Rebbe said and wrote that he arouses abundant mercy for its residents and their families, for all who support the village and all who care for its development and success, for them and their families. Let us therefore open

16:40 Speaker 1 this Chassidic farbrengen with the verses the Alter Rebbe was saying when he received the news of his liberation. As is known, the Alter Rebbe would recite the daily portion of Tehillim each day. It is told that when he reached chapter 55, in the Tehillim for the third day, and the verse “He redeemed my soul in peace,” he received the news of his liberation. We are pleased to invite Moshe Mona Rosenblum’s orchestra and the choir to open with “He Redeemed My Soul in Peace.”

17:33 Speaker 2 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 has dwelt from of old, Selah; for many were with me. G-d will hear and answer them, He who has dwelt from of old, Selah. G-d will hear and answer them, He who has dwelt 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 broke, broke, broke 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, they were drawn swords. Cast, cast your burden upon Hashem, and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous be shaken. But You, G-d, will bring them down to the pit of destruction. But 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.

21:38 Speaker 6 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, and I

24:21 Speaker 7 will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You.

25:28 Speaker 8 Thank you, thank you, and well done to the choir and Moshe Mona Rosenblum’s orchestra for that beautiful, wonderful opening. They will accompany us throughout this evening’s farbrengen. And at this Chassidic farbrengen, distinguished audience, ladies and gentlemen, we will hear the voices of our teachers and Rebbes, engraved in our hearts, from the Alter Rebbe through the entire line of the Chabad leaders down to our own generation. Our generation has merited a magnificent heir and successor: the Rebbe shlita, who carries on with strength and proudly upholds the line of Chabad leaders, the mighty shepherds of every generation. And the voice of the Rebbe shlita, as it were, beats within us, echoing between the walls of our hearts. Let us therefore open this festive farbrengen, as chassidim customarily do, with the Rebbe shlita’s holy blessing—a blessing that opens the windows of every heart to let in the light of Chassidus. We are pleased to invite the energetic and tireless chairman of Kfar Chabad, Rabbi Menachem Lerner, to begin the farbrengen by reading the Rebbe shlita’s telegram, his blessing for this Chassidic farbrengen. Rabbi Lerner, please.

27:30 Speaker 9 To all the participants in the large farbrengens on 19 Kislev, shlita: L’chaim, l’chaim, and blessings. May it be Hashem’s will that for each and every person, “He redeemed in peace,” and so on, be fulfilled in its entirety, and that they succeed in making the vessels for this. As our Sages and the verse explain, this means engaging in the revealed Torah and Chassidus, acts of kindness, and prayer. And all this in a manner of “Ufaratzta,” and so on, beginning with the campaigns, each and every one of them; and from this day into the days of preparation for Chanukah and Chanukah itself, auspicious days, to hasten the fulfillment of the promise in the book of the sweet singer of Israel, David, the King Moshiach: “They shall go from strength to strength; each will appear before G-d in Zion,” with the true and complete Geulah through our righteous Moshiach. Place of signature. L’chaim, l’chaim.

42:15 Speaker 10 Moshe, Moshe, Moshe, Moshe. Well done! Hey, hey, hey. Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Moshe, Moshe, Moshe, Moshe, Moshe. Yes, they will spread forth, Moshe, Moshe, Moshe, Moshe. Yes, they will spread forth.

43:43 Speaker 11 Yes, after that tremendous joy, distinguished audience, I think that any words one could say—any word at all—would be ordinary by comparison. So allow me to repeat the line the Rebbe said in his telegram: “And all this, everything said earlier about the large farbrengens, in a manner of Ufaratzta.” That was the beginning. Any other word here would only be ordinary by comparison. And we heard the Rebbe say that from Rosh Chodesh until 19 Kislev, we must have tremendous joy that keeps growing. I have to pause for a moment to ask once again that everyone standing at the entrance please come inside. There are still seats available. And you young people have a fine opportunity to fulfill “Rise before the aged and honor the elderly.” Please make room for the adults. And to the Rebbe’s blessing, which we heard from the chairman, Reb Menachem Lerner, chairman of the Kfar Chabad committee, let us say amen and amen. Let us also say l’chaim, l’chaim, and blessings. L’chaim—to live so as to be a chossid of the Rebbe. Ladies and gentlemen, this impressive and moving gathering here in Kfar Chabad is one of thousands upon thousands of living, decisive testimonies, time and again, to the promise given to the Chassidic movement: that it would triumph, spread, and succeed. Kfar Chabad today serves as a beacon for spreading Torah and Jewi— As is the way at a Chassidic farbrengen, we begin by saying l’chaim, l’chaim, l’chaim, l’chaim. Let us all say l’chaim together and wish the Rebbe shlita many long and good years. L’chaim, l’chaim! Tonight we rejoice at the farbrengen for the Festival of Liberation, 19 Kislev, for the 187th time. One hundred and eighty-seven years have passed since the great day when our great master, the founder of the Chabad approach and of Chabad Chassidus, went from imprisonment to freedom. And not only from imprisonment to freedom: a judge who was not a Jew, and perhaps was even the opposite, ruled and said, “Go and spread your teachings, your wellsprings outward.” This was, in a sense, a continuation of the promise made to the Baal Shem Tov several decades

47:39 Speaker 11 Years before that—and this is the famous saying whose words we were singing and dancing to so enthusiastically just a few minutes ago: “When your wellsprings spread outward.” “When will the Master come?” “When your wellsprings spread outward.” This was the Baal Shem Tov’s question to Moshiach himself, quite literally, as the story is told. The Baal Shem Tov asked him: “When will the Master come?” When will our true Geulah arrive? When will we attain the true freedom promised to us by the prophets? He answered: “When your wellsprings spread outward.” There had been many wellsprings before the Baal Shem Tov, but it is specifically the spread of the Baal Shem Tov’s wellsprings that brings the Geulah near and brings it about. What are the Baal Shem Tov’s wellsprings? As established by the one whose celebration and liberation we mark, they are the teachings of Chabad Chassidus, the inner dimension of Torah, the soul of Torah. Just as a person is made up of body and soul, so too the Torah has a body and a soul. The body is the revealed dimension of Torah, its laws, its definitive rulings, which might perhaps seem a little dry. The soul is a person’s vitality, the life within him. A person may appear whole, with all 248 of his limbs, but without a soul he is not alive. He does not move; he cannot move. He is the opposite of living. When we describe a person as alive, we mean that his soul shines within him. So too, the Torah of Israel has a body and a soul. Its body is the revealed dimension of Torah. But to observe mitzvos and live by the laws of Torah, a person needs life; he needs joy. And that joy will rouse and awaken him to rise from strength to strength, as we heard in the Rebbe’s telegram, until he appears before G-d in Zion. For this purpose, the Baal Shem Tov opened the new wellspring called the inner dimension of Torah, the soul of Torah: the teachings of Chassidus. And when these teachings were revealed, there was a great accusation in Heaven: How could such great and

50:40 Speaker 11 exalted secrets be revealed to every ordinary Jew? That is why the accusation and the denunciation came, and so on. Until, on this day 187 years ago, a court of the non-Jewish authorities ruled the opposite: the Jewish people need these teachings. A non-Jew does not have free choice, as explained in Chassidus. He has a spiritual source above. When Yaakov overcomes the angel of Esav, the angel must do what Yaakov wants. To such an extent that the nations of the world said: The Jewish people and the Torah of Israel need the teachings of Chassidus to spread. As is known, in recent years the Rebbe shlita announced a campaign embracing all the Jewish people, a campaign especially connected with Torah study, as we heard in the Rebbe shlita’s telegram. It is for all of us to unite in one course of study: the definitive laws accepted by all Jews, of every affiliation, through studying the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, which encompasses all 613 mitzvos of the Torah. In these days close to the festival of 19 Kislev, we studied in the laws of mikvaos about the great power of a spring. As is known, under the laws of ritual impurity and purity, when a person becomes impure, he has a way to purify himself. But there are two kinds of purification, two kinds of water that purify: rainwater and spring water. The law establishes that both do indeed purify, but there is a major difference between them. For rainwater to purify, it must be collected in one place. If it is flowing, it does not purify, even if there is enough to fill a sea. A spring purifies even while its waters flow, as it goes on spreading. If a person immerses in it, he becomes pure. But there is one condition: When does a spring purify? When does spring water purify? When the spring is still connected to its source. It may be flowing and may already have grown as large as the Volga, but it must still be connected to its source, the place where it emerges

53:25 Speaker 11 from the depths of the earth. If there is no break at all, it can go on spreading and encircle the world from one end to the other. It is still called a spring; it purifies, and it is called living water. The Rebbe shlita, in one of his holy sichos, emphasizes and explains the meaning of the saying we mentioned earlier: “Your wellsprings will spread outward.” It does not say, “Your waters will spread outward.” It says, “Your wellsprings will spread outward.” This teaches us something special about us chassidim, and how fortunate we are to have merited it. We go out and spread the Torah of Israel like a spring, from one end of the world to the other. But where does our strength come from? What have we done to merit this? It is because we are connected to the source from which the spring flows. We are connected to the source at 770 Eastern Parkway, from where the living waters flow. We can go out, spread, and bring purity to every place. May it be Hashem’s will that on this day of liberation we merit the true and complete Geulah, and go to greet Moshiach with the Rebbe shlita at our head. L’chaim, l’chaim.

55:01 Speaker 12 Thank you very much, and yasher koach to the local rabbi, the distinguished Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi. May he go from strength to strength. The orchestra.

1:10:35 Speaker 13 And once again, yasher koach and thank you to Moshe Mona Rosenblum’s orchestra. Esteemed audience, a heartfelt request. The Alter Rebbe—one of his famous sayings—but this time, please allow me to address those who hear only this saying. Please, I repeat. A famous saying of the Alter Rebbe: “Who is a chossid? One who is a chossid twenty-four hours a day—in the way he walks, the way he looks, the way he eats.” Why did I bring up this saying? For those who are still talking. If you are a chossid when singing, a chossid when saying l’chaim, then please, esteemed audience, to give this moving occasion, this great farbrengen, the respect it deserves, let us all remain quiet throughout the farbrengen. And I again ask everyone who is talking: if you absolutely must, please speak in a whisper so that we can continue the program. There is a child here, beside the stage, near the microphone, who is looking for his father or mother or brother. Please pay attention here beside the stage. We have with us on the stage an honored and distinguished guest, an outstanding educator and a friend and supporter of Chabad: the mayor of Ashdod, Mr. Azulai. We are honored to invite him for Parshas Vezos Haberachah—the blessing from the mayor of Ashdod. Please.

1:12:51 Speaker 3 With the permission of the distinguished presidium, each person according to his name, position and standing, and the very distinguished guests, holy assembly: As mayor of Ashdod, a city twenty-nine years old, I have the great honor of standing here on its behalf at this holy farbrengen marking 187 years since imprisonment gave way to liberation. May a farbrengen like this enable all the Jewish people to emerge from every hardship and spread northward and southward, westward and in every direction, so that the Jewish people can spread the wellsprings of Torah and love. I have been privileged to welcome among us a true friend of Israel, the mayor of Berlin-Spandau, Mr. Solomon, who came today from Berlin, Germany, for this farbrengen. Let us welcome him and his deputy. May their presence here among us be a symbol of love, of the unity of the Jewish people, and of the nations’ recognition not only of the truth of the teachings of the Rebbe of Liadi, but also of the just path of the State of Israel. May all the Jewish people be blessed and united in joy and song. Thank you very much.

1:15:25 Speaker 4 And truly, in joy and song, as the mayor of Ashdod concluded. He came from the south and began with “westward, northward and southward.” May we merit “you shall spread forth” in every blessing. Esteemed audience, I repeat my request, and I hope we will not need to make it again. A chossid is a chossid twenty-four hours a day; this time, for at least the three or four hours of the farbrengen, let us all listen attentively to everything said here tonight. We all know the story: On the day of liberation, when the good news arrived, the chassidim wanted to write a scroll for 19 Kislev, like the Megillah of Esther. But when they told the one whose liberation we celebrate, the Alter Rebbe, he did not permit it. He said—and I quote the Alter Rebbe’s words: “This day will be established as a perpetual festival among Israel. On it, His great Name will be magnified and sanctified, and thousands of hearts among Israel will be awakened to teshuvah and service of the heart, for the event is engraved in the heart of Israel above and written in the heart of Israel below.” Written in the heart of Israel below. The Rebbe shlita says that when we go toward G-d, we should not go alone; take all of creation with you, and all created beings. We have merited to come together and gather on this great and holy day, which is written in the heart of Israel below. We must reveal what this day is about, what is meant by “This day will be established as a perpetual festival among Israel.” We will now hear from Rabbi Shmuel Hefer, director of the Beis Rivkah institutions and chairman of the Committee for the Integrity of the Jewish People. Rabbi Hefer will speak about the meaning of the day. Please.

1:17:32 Speaker 5 “Shira Sharona” one more time, and then we’ll begin.

1:17:51 Speaker 4 Could we ask the girls there to sit down? It’s dangerous to stand like that. One of the foundations of Chassidus is that the mind rules the heart. Even in moments of spiritual elevation and joy, we need to remain in a state where the mind rules the heart. I’m asking everyone at the farbrengen, and the students of Beis Rivkah upstairs as well, to keep completely quiet. Your noise is disrupting the farbrengen. 19 Kislev is called by chassidim the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus, and on this day they offer and receive blessings, as they do on Rosh Hashanah. On this day, the ultimate purpose of the Divine intention was revealed, as the Midrash says: “Hakadosh Boruch Hu desired a dwelling specifically here in the lower worlds.” In this place, in our world, the Divine revelation will be complete. And the process of revealing this—the inner purpose of creation—began on 19 Kislev. Chassidus is also called the inner dimension of the Torah. It comes to reveal the inner Divine dimension of creation through the inner dimension of Jewish souls. The revealed dimension of Torah deals with the natural world around us, our external world, and classifies things: forbidden or permitted. Forbidden things are rejected; permitted things are brought close. But the revealed dimension of Torah classifies the outward aspects of the natural world. Chassidus deals with the inner essence—of Divinity, of the world, and of Jewish souls. The main innovation is in the manner of “your wellsprings shall spread outward”: literally, spreading the wellsprings of Chassidus outward, so that the spring reaches every single place outside. Even before 19 Kislev, there were great Torah scholars who studied both the revealed dimension and the secrets of the Torah, but they treated each as a separate area. Their union and integration began specifically on 19 Kislev. The Frierdiker Rebbe once gave an analogy to explain the nature of Chabad Chassidus. He spoke of two kinds of people at work. The first are coal miners—people who descend deep into the earth and work

1:22:25 Speaker 4 to mine coal, so it can later be used as fuel, as coals for warmth, and also to provide light. The procedure is that the workers who descend into the depths of the earth receive instructions from an engineer, a geologist who specializes in the ground. He points out the particular place where the coal is found, but he only shows them where it is. Each of them must be connected to an oxygen tank or to pipes that bring air down from above ground. Otherwise, they will certainly collapse; without oxygen, they will be unable to continue, their health will suffer, and perhaps something even more serious will happen. The second kind are those who search for pearls in the depths of the sea, on the seabed. They too dive deep into the sea and search for pearls there. But for them too, the essential thing is to remain connected to the surface by means of a mask and a tube that supply them with what they need to live: air. Chassidus explains the difference between land and sea. Land is called alma d’isgalya, the revealed world. All the creatures on the land are visible and familiar to us, while their connection to the land is not apparent. We cannot see or perceive that they derive their life from the land. Each creature appears to exist in its own right. By contrast, the creatures of the sea are submerged in their source. As soon as a fish leaves the sea, it dies. The creatures of the sea are submerged in their source, and therefore the sea is called alma d’iskasya, the concealed world, the hidden world. The same applies to the created worlds. The higher worlds are called the hidden worlds. In the higher worlds, Divinity is revealed. The concealment implied by the word “world” is not felt. All the higher beings, both created and emanated, are submerged in their source; the moment they separate from it, their independent existence is immediately nullified. They sense the life they receive and their connection to their Divine source at every moment, and so they are truly submerged in their source. Our world, this world, is called alma

1:25:51 Speaker 4 d’isgalya, the revealed world. Every creature appears to exist in its own right and does not sense the source from which it receives life. It imagines that it exists independently, and that is why the world is called a place of concealment. In this world, Divinity is concealed and separate existence is openly apparent. In the higher worlds, by contrast, Divinity is revealed and the world is in a state of concealment. The application of the analogy is clear, both for the coal miners and for the pearl divers. These two dimensions are found in the Jewish soul as well. Every Jew has a revealed dimension and a hidden dimension. This explanation will also help us understand another very important matter connected with this day and with Chassidus. Over the years, many have asked: Why were we, the generation of ikvesa d’Meshicha, privileged to have this Torah—the inner dimension of Torah, the soul of Torah—revealed specifically to us? Why were earlier generations, greater and better than ours, not privileged to receive it? There are two answers to this question, from opposite ends of the spectrum. One answer is that this generation is the generation of ikvesa d’Meshicha. The word ikvesa comes from eikev, “heel.” The heel is the part of the human body where vitality is least felt—to the point that when its thick skin is cut, one feels no pain. Vitality is so limited there that it feels nothing even when that skin is separated from the body. The later generations have descended lower and lower, and the light is so diminished that only a supreme light of tremendous power, coming from the highest sources, can lift this generation, give it inner strength, and reveal the inner dimension of the soul, the very essence of the soul, as it is connected with the very essence of Divinity. In the words of the holy Zohar, “Three bonds are bound to one another”: the Jewish people and the Torah—the Jewish people are bound to the Torah, and the Torah to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The inner dimension of Torah reveals the inner dimension of the soul, the Divine soul within a Jew, and draws down the revelation of the inner dimension of Divinity into the worlds. Therefore, only this supreme power

1:29:08 Speaker 4 can raise us from our lowly state. That is one side of the answer. The other is based on an established halachah in the Shulchan Aruch: On Friday afternoon, after midday, as Shabbos approaches, it is a mitzvah to taste the Shabbos food. As the Shulchan Aruch puts it, “Those who taste it merit life.” We taste something of Shabbos to help prepare ourselves inwardly to enter Shabbos, ready in both body and soul. We are in the sixth millennium, on Friday afternoon after midday, just moments before the future Geulah, may it come speedily in our days. There is a mitzvah to taste something of the World to Come, to taste the Divine revelation that will one day shine forth and fill the entire reality of all the worlds—to give us a taste of it even now. As one of the great figures of Chassidus said about the teaching of our Sages, “There is no difference between this world and the days of Moshiach except subjugation to the kingdoms.” That chossid explained its meaning: “Here is this world; here is Moshiach. All that stands between them is subjugation to the kingdoms.” The Hebrew word melech, “king,” is an acronym for moach, lev, kaved—brain, heart, and liver. These are the centers of a person’s faculties: intellect, emotion, and the powers that put things into action. When a Jew submits his own “king” to Divinity with kabbolas ol of the Kingdom of Heaven, that is Moshiach. It is not as people generally think about Moshiach—though that too will happen, and naturally one must resolve

00:02 Speaker 1 From Poltava, Reb Zalman, please.

04:15 Speaker 2 …

05:08 Speaker 3 Reb Zalman, Reb Zalman. I won’t begin with words of thanks for a niggun like the one we just heard from you. It was a niggun without words, and we have no words either. We can only long to hear you once more. And from song, distinguished audience, we return to speech. I am honored to invite to the stage our esteemed friend, Mr. Matityahu Drobless, seated here to my left, chairman of the Jewish Agency’s Settlement Department and a friend of Chabad, to offer his greetings. Mr. Drobless, please.

06:01 Speaker 4 Honorable Sephardic Chief Rabbi, honorable rabbis, distinguished guests, distinguished audience. On behalf of the leadership of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency, I would like to bring our greetings to this great farbrengen. But first, I want to thank the chairman of Kfar Chabad for the great honor he has given me: the privilege of being here with you this evening. I have had many experiences in my life, but I have never had one like this evening’s, and for that I thank you. Here I can understand and feel how good it is to be a Jew. Truly. Being a Jew comes from the heart and enters the heart. I thought that, as a public figure, I was immune to being moved, but I was mistaken. This evening I was moved. And allow me, ladies and gentlemen, a few minutes on a personal note, because I cannot keep from sharing with you what the Jewish people mean to me. I was born in exile, in Warsaw, Poland, in 1931. During the Second World War, I was put into the Warsaw Ghetto along with the other Jews. After a short time, of a family numbering more than two hundred souls, only three siblings remained: my sister, two years older than I was; myself; and my brother, two years younger than I was. He was nine then. The year was 1943, when the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising broke out. After we were left alone in the world, we somehow made our way out of the ghetto and headed for the forests and villages, in winter temperatures of fifteen to eighteen degrees below zero. We were convinced there were no Jews left anywhere in the world, because we had seen what the Germans, may their names be erased, had done to us in the ghetto. As we wandered from village to village, we would sometimes meet Polish farmers. They would tell one another, with such joy, that the Germans had already wiped out all the Jews and that no Jews remained in the world. In those terrible days, when death seemed preferable to life, I would ask my sister, because she was the oldest—she was very grown up, already almost

10:01 Speaker 4 thirteen—“What will happen when the war ends? And if we survive? We’re the only Jews left in the world. How will we rebuild the Jewish people?” My sister was wise, and in those difficult days she would tell me, “It’s all right. Don’t worry, my brother. When the war ends, if we survive, there is a place called Palestine. We will go to Palestine, where there are Jews, and we will live as Jews among Jews.” Indeed, if there was a reason to endure those terrible days in the village, without clothes, without any hygiene, without food—I wonder today how it was possible to live like that—it was for one purpose: to reach that Palestine, which is the Land of Israel. And now, with Hashem’s help, we have been privileged to live in our own Land of Israel, here among our people. But in these days we must remember that only a quarter of our people live in the Land of Israel, while seventy-five percent still live abroad. Many of our fellow Jews are behind the Iron Curtain and in Arab countries, prevented from living as Jews and from rejoicing and singing as we do on an evening like this. May it be Hashem’s will—and let us hope, as we are now on the eve of the Festival of Miracles, the Festival of Lights—that the day is not far off when most of our people will be gathered in the Land of Israel. May we continue to settle our land, every part of the Land of Israel. And you, Chabad chassidim, who love our people and our land: I invite you to continue this beautiful tradition. So far, not many underground natural resources have been discovered, but the greatest natural treasure our people has is this community. In this way, on your path, which is our path, we will prevail and bring closer the day when Moshiach comes. And Moshiach will come if we all understand this and act on it. I invite everyone to follow those who have gone to settle the parts of the Land of Israel where they are needed: in Judea and Samaria, in the Galilee and the Negev, and throughout the Land of Israel

13:38 Speaker 4 . Let us send our blessings to our brethren who are not yet free. May it be Hashem’s will that next year they can be here with us and rejoice together with us. And again, my thanks to all those who gave me this opportunity. L’chaim, l’chaim.

14:25 Speaker 5 We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, Moshiach now! Oy! I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. Hey! We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, Moshiach now! Oy! I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. Hey! We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, Moshiach now! Oy! I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. Hey! I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. Hey! We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, Moshiach now! Hey! I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. Hey! We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach— We want Moshiach,

20:26 Speaker 6 Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Hey! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim, Moshiach, Moshiach! Chaim,

24:15 Speaker 7 now. We want Moshiach, Moshiach now! I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, Moshiach now! I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, Moshiach now! I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, I believe. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach, we want Moshiach now. We want Moshiach...

26:14 Speaker 8 “A constant fire shall burn on the altar; it shall not go out.” The Alter Rebbe said that the Maggid told him: “A constant fire shall burn on the altar so that the ‘no’ will be extinguished.” He explained it to him in these words: “You, Schneur Zalman, will need such a constant fire so that the fire will extinguish the ‘no’ of your opponents.” Distinguished audience, such a constant fire really can extinguish the opponents’ “no.” To you, Mr. Matityahu, we must first of all... Let me start again. To you, Mr. Matityahu, chairman of the Jewish Agency’s Settlement Department, we owe thanks and a blessing for your moving words. Dear Mr. Matityahu, when you spoke with such emotion, we immediately thought of Matityahu and the approaching days of light, the days of Chanukah. That Matityahu merited to purify Eretz Yisroel spiritually. We wish you, Matityahu, that in your role as chairman of the Settlement Department of the Jewish Agency, you merit to settle Eretz Yisroel physically as well: a whole land, the wholeness of the Land, together with Torah and mitzvos. My brothers and friends, holy congregation: One who sees a sage recites the blessing, “Blessed is He Who has apportioned His wisdom to flesh and blood.” The blessing is addressed to the Giver of wisdom, the One from Whose bounty we have eaten. But sometimes, distinguished audience, we long to express our own thanks and blessing to the man whom Divine Providence chose to be elevated above others, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, the Rishon LeZion. Now is the time to express our deep thanks to the great Rishon LeZion, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, a friend and companion of Chabad, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, who has graciously honored us by being our principal guest at this Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen celebrating the Festival of Liberation, in the year of Moshiach, certainly. We are honored to invite the esteemed Rishon LeZion, the Chief Rabbi, to deliver his blessing.

29:49 Speaker 9 My esteemed friend and colleague, the great Rabbi, a stronghold and tower, the local rabbi, Rabbi Ashkenazi, may Hashem protect him and grant him life. Esteemed rabbis, heads of the yeshiva and the yeshiva’s mashpia; rabbis of cities, great sages of the generation, and community leaders. With the permission of my dear friend Mr. Matityahu Drobless, whom I have met more than once at joyous occasions marking Jewish settlement and the dedication of synagogues, and who does so much, and inspires others to do so much, to expand and strengthen Eretz Yisroel physically and spiritually. L’chaim, everyone. In the parsha we read the prayer of our forefather Yaakov: “And You said, ‘I will surely do good to you, and I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted for multitude.’” Rashi asks: Where do we find that Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Yaakov, “Your descendants will be like the sand of the sea”? After all, it says, “Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth.” That is Rashi’s question. Rashi answers that since Hakadosh Boruch Hu told our forefather Avraham, “Like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore,” Yaakov invoked that blessing, for Avraham’s blessing extends to Yaakov and his descendants as well. What does Yaakov want? Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s blessing, “like the dust of the earth,” also means a vast multitude. But dust is a symbol of humility. We say in our prayers, “Let my soul be like dust to all.” Our forefather Yaakov says: “There are times in the life of the Jewish people when humility is good. And there are times when ‘his heart was raised in the ways of Hashem.’ There are times when the Jewish people are content to be like dust, but there are times when they must be like the sand of the sea”—sand beside the water, beside the waters of Torah. That radiant era is like the sand on the seashore, sand that draws from the water: not merely like the dust of the earth, but with a heart raised in the ways of Hashem. That wondrous era is the era of the Alter Rebbe, whose Festival of Liberation we celebrate tonight. The Gemara says that although the festival of Purim is not written in the Torah, it will remain even when Moshiach comes, as it says, “Their remembrance shall not cease from their descendants,”

33:26 Speaker 9 “their descendants.” Why? Of Purim it says, “They fulfilled and accepted”—they fulfilled what they had already accepted. The “We will do and we will listen” spoken in the time of Moshe Rabbeinu was a commitment, but it had not yet been fully accepted and carried out. In the time of Mordechai the righteous, they fulfilled and accepted what had already been undertaken. And because they accepted the Torah with joy on Purim, its remembrance will not cease from their descendants. It seems to me that the same can be said of the splendor of Chassidus, that beauty of holiness, that majesty and glory which the Alter Rebbe bequeathed to the Jewish people: this Festival of Liberation, too, will never depart from the Jewish people, even when Moshiach comes. “And You said, ‘I will surely do good to you.’” Yaakov is not content with one good thing: good, and then more good. And there is no “good” but Torah, as it says, “For I have given you a good teaching; do not forsake My Torah.” On this evening, it is a sacred duty to say: If there is a remote place in the world where there is Torah, if there is a remote place in the world where there is Jewish life, know that Chabad is there. They do not stand in the breach in the physical realm; they stand in the breach in the spiritual realm. In Eretz Yisroel, beyond the Suez Canal, who is there? Chabad chassidim. In the Golan and in Lebanon, who is there? Chabad chassidim. They bring holiness, fear of Heaven, and a love of holiness among the Jewish people. Ladies and gentlemen, the Gemara says: “Rabbi Yochanan said: ‘For the lips of a kohen shall guard knowledge, and they shall seek Torah from his mouth, for he is an angel of Hashem of Hosts.’” If a rabbi resembles an angel, they should seek Torah from his mouth; if not, they should not learn Torah from him. What is Rabbi Yochanan teaching us here? “For the lips of a kohen shall guard knowledge, and they shall seek Torah from his mouth.” You want to seek Torah? You want to learn Torah? Go to a rabbi who resembles an angel of Hashem of Hosts. I said here once, two years ago: I had heard about the Rebbe shlita. I had heard much about him, but when I met him, when I saw him, I said, “This man is an angel.” Today I say something different. True, the Gemara says, “For he is an angel of Hashem of Hosts.” That is when people come to seek Torah

36:53 Speaker 9 from his mouth. But if he does not sit and wait for people to come to him to learn Torah, and instead spreads Torah and teaches it to others, he is above an angel. This week, in the parsha, we will read about our forefather Yaakov. It says, “And Yisroel loved Yosef more than all his sons, because he was a son of his old age.” The Targum says, “Because he was a wise son to him.”

37:25 Speaker 10 Women’s section, please, quiet.

37:27 Speaker 9 Yisroel is equal. What is asked of you? Not to stand still, not to remain at the same level. “And Yisroel loved Yosef more than all his sons”: to add more holiness and purity, more holiness and fear of Heaven. That is what the Rebbe shlita does every day and every hour, every minute and every moment: he adds more Torah for us, more holiness, more mitzvos, more good deeds. “And Yisroel loved Yosef more than all his sons”—an increase in fear of Heaven. And the Gemara ruled that the halacha follows Beis Hillel because they were humble. Hillel keeps adding more each day. My blessing to Chabad chassidim in Eretz Yisroel and throughout the world—Chabad being the initials of Chochmah, Binah, and Daas—is this: Know that everything you do, you do out of love for Eretz Yisroel, love for Torah, and love for the Jewish people. If the Rebbe shlita, with all the Jewish people rallying behind him, calls for the amendment of the “Who Is a Jew” law, what is his aim? What is his intention? To love all the Jewish people, so that the Jewish people remain Jews according to Torah and halacha. That is the Rebbe’s aim. And from this holy place, on this holy evening, I appeal to all those sitting in the Knesset who have the power to amend the law. Know this: You are not doing us a favor. You are doing yourselves a favor, and doing a favor for the entire Jewish people, so that they will not assimilate. “Who knows whether it was for a time such as this that you attained a position of royalty?” Let every member of the Knesset search his soul, remember his holy ancestors, remember our forebears who gave their lives for the name “Jew.” Perhaps it was for this very moment that you attained your position—for that instant when you must vote on the law. Let each one reflect and think what his father would have said to him, and what his grandfather would have said. “I will surely do good to you.” Know that everyone who votes for a law amending “Who Is a Jew” will receive good from Hakadosh Boruch Hu, Who will continue to do good to him. It is written in the book Zeh Eliyahu, by Rabbi Eliyahu Chazan, peace be upon him, and he writes, he

40:56 Speaker 9 He writes that while he was in prison, the emperor entered dressed as an ordinary man. He looked at him and said, “You are the emperor.” The emperor asked, “How do you know?” He answered, “I see an angel of royalty upon you.” He writes there that when the Rebbe was released from prison, they told him, “You should know: this person informed on you, that person spoke lashon hara about you, and another turned you in.” He said, “What? Do you want to create strife among the Jewish people? I instruct you not to touch any Jew, not to harm any Jew—not even the one who harmed me.” See how deep his love for the Jewish people was. And when he was imprisoned, what was it for? It was for the Torah of Israel, the holiness of Israel, and the Land of Israel. The charge against him, in quotation marks, was that he helped and supported those living in the Land. That was the charge. His soul was bound up with the Land of Israel. My blessing to you, Chabad chassidim here and throughout the world, and my blessing to the entire Jewish people: May it be Hashem’s will that your wellsprings spread outward, and that those who are far away be drawn close and blessed with every blessing. “And You said, ‘I will surely do good with you.’” May that goodness, that blessing with which Hakadosh Boruch Hu blessed our forefathers, rest upon you. And may it be Hashem’s will that, in the merit of holiness, fear of Heaven, Ahavas Yisroel, love of the Jewish people, and love of the Torah of Israel, we all merit the coming of the Redeemer speedily in our days, amen. Our righteous redeemer and the redeemer of our generation—and for our salvation, arise and give thanks. Our righteous redeemer and the redeemer of our generation—and for our salvation, arise and give thanks. Our righteous redeemer and the redeemer of our generation—and for our salvation, arise and give thanks. Our righteous redeemer and the redeemer of our generation—and for our salvation, arise and give thanks. Our righteous redeemer and the redeemer of our generation—and for our salvation, arise and give thanks. Our righteous redeemer and the redeemer of our generation—and for our salvation.

02:22 Speaker 1 That was a song of praise and thanksgiving, with blessings for the heartfelt words that blazed like fire, which we heard from the Chief Rabbi of Israel, the Rishon LeZion. Blessings, thanks, and heartfelt applause. We saw the Rishon LeZion dancing with a man from Russia, a chossid from Russia who returned from there after living with mesirus nefesh. It reminded us of something the Frierdiker Rebbe would say at a farbrengen: “We must go out and dance together with every Jew in Russia, including those who are not here with us. Those who are not here with us are absent only on the level of memalei; on the level of sovev, they are here with us.” And he said, “Together, together, together we will dance with the Jews of Russia.” That dance was a symbol of togetherness. Together, may we merit to dance with all the Jews of Russia and with all those in exile. Distinguished audience, these days are remembered and relived. When are they remembered? When they are relived. As we reach the closing moments, before the maamar of Chassidus, and wish to hear some words of conclusion, let us recall that every voice has an echo; so too, every name has one who bears that name. The most distinguished of them all is here with us. He is not merely remembered; he is engraved in the heart, engraved in everyone’s hearts. A devoted friend of our House of Life. Open a gate for us, the gaon Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Rabbi of Netanya. Open a gate for us as the gates close. Please.

04:42 Speaker 2 Yisrael Meir. Shalom aleichem. Yes. Thank you very much. Mazel tov. Honored Rishon LeZion, Chief Rabbi of Israel; honored local rabbi; honored rabbis and roshei yeshivah; Mr. Drobless; my teachers and rabbis, holy congregation. The Jewish people, the Torah of Israel, and the Land of Israel have been mentioned here many times. What is this name, Israel? When was it born? It was born yesterday, when we read Parshas Vayishlach on Shabbos: “Your name shall no longer be called Yaakov, but Israel.” What is hinted at in this name that bestows upon us all these forms of holiness? Israel teaches our attachment to our roots, our loyalty to our sources, our closeness to the glorious past of the Jewish people, founded by our fathers and mothers. Have you noticed that the word Yisroel is made up of five letters: yud, shin, reish, alef, lamed? Those five letters allude to all three forefathers and four foremothers of our people. The yud of Yisroel stands for Yitzchak and Yaakov; the shin for Sarah; the reish for Rivkah and Rachel; the alef for Avraham; and the lamed for Leah. That is Yisroel: three forefathers and four foremothers. They are the pillars, the foundations on which the House of Israel rests. “Your name shall no longer be called Yaakov, but Israel,” when he returns after twenty years in Lavan’s house, having taken Rachel and Leah, who together built the House of Israel. The circle was complete, and it was finally established who a Jew is: one who remains faithful and is descended from those three forefathers and four foremothers, all seven of whom are embodied and hinted at in the name Yisroel. What is Chabad’s role within the House of Israel? Chabad is the doctor. Chabad is the— the great doctor. What kind? I would say the great orthopedist, perhaps the great surgeon. Following the Chief Rabbi’s words: yesterday, when the name Yisroel was born, how was it born? In the turmoil of battle, in a stubborn, uncompromising stand against Eisav’s angel, in a battle that lasted all night. Exile, too, has been compared to a night—a night that has

08:45 Speaker 2 no end, like waters without end. “Yaakov remained alone”; “a people that dwells alone.” And facing him, “a man wrestled with him until dawn broke.” That is the dawn we still await, hope for, and long for: that a new light shine upon Zion. Yaakov stands amid the turmoil of battle and does not yield. In that battle for Yaakov’s very existence, he receives the certificate entitling him to be called Yisroel: “for you have struggled.” But the battle is not only over Yaakov’s physical survival. Even more, it is over his spiritual survival, for Eisav’s angel seeks to harm not only Yaakov’s body but also his soul. And what does it say there? “He saw that he could not prevail against him, so he touched the socket of his thigh; and the socket of Yaakov’s thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him.” Later it says that he limped on his thigh. Eisav’s angel is the force of the left, the Satan, the evil inclination. When he sees that he cannot prevail against Yaakov, he cannot move him. He cannot bend him, subdue him, crush him, defeat him, or humiliate him. In Yaakov we saw here the figure of a Jew who represents that Yaakov who comes out of exile, steadfast in his tallis and tefillin, his Shabbos and Yom Tov, the purity of his family life and his kosher table. This destructive Satan sees that he cannot prevail against Yaakov. Yaakov remains a Jew who davens Minchah and Maariv. Yaakov remains a Jew who studies Daf Yomi, the daily Mishnah, and a passage in Tanya. He cannot be moved. “So he touched the socket of his thigh.” The thigh means the children. The thigh means the younger generation. “A son is an extension of his father.” A son is his father’s thigh. It is no accident that in the book of Shemos, of those who came to Egypt, it says, “those who came forth from Yaakov’s thigh.” Those who came forth from Yaakov’s thigh are the descendants of Yaakov our father. And

11:46 Speaker 2 that cunning, devious one, Eisav’s angel, sees that he cannot succeed against Yaakov. This Jew, Yaakov, who spent fourteen years studying with Shem and Ever and another twenty years in Lavan’s house, was hardened by his own Russia. That was the house of Lavan the Aramean: “I lived with the wicked Lavan, yet I kept all 613 mitzvos and did not learn from his evil deeds.” Faced with a Jew who has such defenses, Eisav’s angel throws up his hands. He is defeated; he cannot prevail against him. But he does not give up. “He touched the socket of Yaakov’s thigh as he wrestled with him.” If he cannot harm the father, he tries to harm the children, the younger generation. Ah, “the socket of Yaakov’s thigh was dislocated”—dislocated, knocked out of place. The links in the chain of generations were almost loosened. There arose, for example, the Hellenizers of the period we will mark after Shabbos. And 250 years ago there arose those who destroyed, uprooted, and damaged the vineyard of the House of Israel—those in whose name people now seek recognition for conversions not performed according to halachah. Those whom the Minister of Communications is about to honor with a postage stamp. Their spiritual father, 250 years ago, the founder of today’s Reform movement—I will not mention his name in this holy hall—wrote, among other things, “Jerusalem is dead.” That is what the father of this movement wrote. “Jerusalem is dead. Pay her the respect accorded to a great person who has passed away, who had a past but has no future ahead.” Following his declaration that “Jerusalem is dead,” they removed every mention of Zion and Jerusalem from their prayer books some 250 years ago. They, too, come forth from Yaakov’s thigh. But Yaakov limps on his thigh, because that thigh has been dislocated. It has strayed somewhat from the path, and we must do everything we can to be the orthopedists, the surgeons—the doctors of the younger generation—who bring back the dispersed of Israel. And I asked, who is Chabad within the House of Israel? The doctors, the orthopedists, and the surgeons. As the Chief Rabbi mentioned, go to Melbourne, go to Sydney, go to New Zealand, reach Glasgow or Buffalo, stop in Atlanta

15:36 Speaker 2 or Denver, Colorado; go to Memphis, go to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Whom do you meet in Leningrad or Kiev, in Tangier or Marrakesh or Meknes? There they heal the afflictions of the vineyard of the House of Israel and bring back its dispersed with unparalleled mesirus nefesh. This is the movement of the Rebbe, of the Alter Rebbe, whose liberation 187 years ago we mark today—the liberation of Chabad Chassidus in particular, of Chassidus in general, and of the House of Israel. From the school of the Alter Rebbe and, may he be distinguished for long life—from one living person to another—from the school of the Rebbe shlita, come those expert orthopedic doctors and outstanding surgeons who set these dislocations right, heal these links, bring healing to the brokenness of my people, and repair the ruined altar of Hashem. First of all, may this celebration of liberation from there, from what is today beyond the Iron Curtain, be a sign and a symbol for all of us of the coming Geulah, soon and speedily, for all the Jews, the Prisoners of Zion and all those still in the Soviet Union and its satellite countries, who yearn to live as Jews in the Land of Israel. Just as he came out of his prison on 19 Kislev, so may freedom be proclaimed to the prisoners, and may the wandering poor be brought into the home—bringing the dispersed of Israel home in the merit of this celebration of liberation, today, 19 Kislev. And we are charged with continuing to tend that ember: healing the fractures, mending the tears, and returning to the roots of the true Israel—the forefathers and foremothers. There was much debate about what to call this state thirty-seven and a half years ago. Zion, Judah—various names. They decided to call it Israel. Perhaps a spirit moved them to call the state Israel, to express its duty to remain faithful to its roots. Our roots are the mountains and hills—the forefathers and foremothers. And next week, with Hashem’s help, as was mentioned here, when an amendment to the law is brought before the Knesset again, this time with a large majority

19:25 Speaker 2 The responses—may the words of the prophet Obadiah, which we read yesterday in the weekly haftarah, stand before our elected representatives and before all of the Jewish people. With this I will conclude: “The house of Jacob shall be fire, and the house of Joseph a flame,” and so on. The Radbaz asked: Which is stronger? Fire and water are two eternal adversaries. Which is stronger, fire or water? At first you answer: Water, of course. When a fire breaks out, what do you do? You bring water to put it out. Today there is chemical foam and other means, but the basic principle is that water comes and extinguishes fire. So water is stronger than fire; it puts it out. On the other hand, put water in a kettle or a pot, light the fire, place the water over it, and forget what you’ve done for a while. When you return to the stove, you’ll be lucky if you find the kettle. Sometimes it’s a miracle if you find the stove. You probably won’t find any water. What happened? The fire overcame the water; the water evaporated and vanished. So which is stronger? Fire evaporates water, and water puts out fire. There is a very simple difference between the two situations. If fire and water touch with no barrier between them, in direct contact, the water puts out the fire. But when a substantial barrier of iron, metal, aluminum, nickel, stainless steel, or Pyrex separates them—when there is a pot or a kettle—not only does the water fail to put out the fire, but the fire overcomes the water and evaporates it. Ladies and gentlemen, the nations of the world are compared to water. The prophet Isaiah says, “Ah, the tumult of many peoples, who roar like the roaring of seas”; “All Your waves and breakers have passed over me.” They are the water, like waters without end. And what are we? Yesterday we read in the haftarah: “The house of Jacob shall be fire.” We are the lamp of Israel; we are commanded to be an everlasting fire. If, G-d forbid, “they mingled with the nations and learned their ways,” if, G-d

22:51 Speaker 2 forbid, fire and water come into direct contact, if, G-d forbid, the Jewish people try to be like all the nations, there is a terrible danger that the mighty waters will extinguish this fire. But if we preserve our barriers—our pure table and pure spring, our tallis and tefillin—if we preserve the Written Torah together with the Oral Torah, if we do not compromise, yield, or bend even on the tip of a yud, if we guard the glowing ember, that is an iron barrier. Not only will the waters not extinguish us; we will absorb them, we will evaporate them. We will bring about the time when “saviors shall ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau, and the kingdom shall be Hashem’s.” And that long-awaited day will come: “A shoot shall come forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow from his roots.” Then, indeed, “the mountain of Hashem’s house shall be established at the head of the mountains,” and everyone will come and say, “For Torah shall go forth from Zion, and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem,” and “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea.” Amen. Yes, and to conclude with those words, we should say... we should say the three words we customarily say at the end: “Chazak, chazak, venischazek”—be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another. Thank you, and thank you so much for the alef—for the fire, which before, without the alef, was golah, exile. The moment we put the alef into golah, it became Geulah. Thank you, thank you, Rabbi Lau. And at a chassidic farbrengen, the Rebbe instituted Torah, prayer, and charity. For prayer, we will hear the chassidic cantor Rabbi Menachem Fleishman sing “May it be Your will that the Beis Hamikdash be rebuilt.”

26:27 Speaker 3 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, Hashem our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that the Beis Hamikdash be rebuilt speedily in our days, and grant us our portion in Your Torah. That the Beis Hamikdash be rebuilt speedily in our days, and grant us our portion in Your Torah. That the Beis Hamikdash be rebuilt...

30:15 Speaker 4 Much better. Of my friends, but he calls me. I am loved much better. Of my friends, but he calls me. I am loved much better. Of my friends, but he calls me. I am loved much better. Of my friends, but he calls me. I am loved much better. Of my friends, but he calls me. I am loved much better. Of my friends.

31:48 Speaker 5 Thank you, thank you. We ask the audience to be seated. And now, distinguished audience, we take leave of the esteemed Rishon LeZion. And now, ladies and gentlemen, the audience is asked to sit down. After saying “Chazak,” we finish the parsha with the maftir. Among chassidim, there is a chassidic kiss. Whoever merits—whoever wishes to merit a chassidic kiss, please be seated. It is told of the Rebbe Rashab that he was sitting and studying with a friend, while his son, the previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, lay asleep in bed. He was a beautiful child, and out of love the Rebbe wanted to kiss him. He thought it over and said, “The best kiss will be a maamar of Chassidus that I say for him.” And that—that was the chassidic kiss the Rebbe gave his son. Now, to conclude, as our maftir, we will begin with a niggun before the maamar. The niggun’s purpose is to open the heart and calm the soul. Let us all join in the niggun before the maamar, followed by a maamar from the mashpia at the yeshivah in Kfar Chabad, Rabbi Dov Kesselman. Please: a niggun, a maamar, and a maamar.

38:40 Speaker 6 Please, the orchestra and the audience.