Farbrengen 19 Kislev 5752, Kfar Chabad

04:02 Speaker 1 Honored rabbis and scholars, city rabbis and judges, elder chassidim and mashpi’im, ministers and members of the Knesset, mayors and IDF officers, public figures, members of the Kfar Chabad committee, elder chassidim, Chabad chassidim and their friends, friends and brothers from across the country who have come to celebrate our festival together tonight—a festival for all the Jewish people—esteemed and holy assembly. From Kfar Chabad, the center and capital of Chabad chassidim in our Holy Land, we are delighted to welcome everyone who has come, both those inside the synagogue hall and those gathered outside. We greet you all with a heartfelt chassidic welcome to the Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen, the Festival of Liberation. Welcome to the home of Chassidus and chassidim alike. Happy Yom Tov, and a gut Yom Tov! “This is the day Hashem has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Today we recite that verse for the hundred and ninety-third time. On this day, one hundred and ninety-three years ago, the founder and creator of the Chabad approach to Chassidus was set free: our teacher, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, known to all as the Alter Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe, may his soul rest in Eden. Ladies and gentlemen, the Festival of Liberation, Yud-Tes Kislev, is, in the words of our Rebbeim, the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus. As such, in recent generations it has served hundreds of thousands of Jews in every corner of the world as a day of extraordinary spiritual awakening and renewed chassidic commitment, with feelings of devotion and joy that break through all bounds. In the holy words of the Alter Rebbe, may his soul rest in Eden, written on the day of his release: “This day shall be established as an enduring festival in Israel, on which His great name will be magnified and sanctified, and thousands of hearts in Israel will be stirred to repentance and service of the heart, for the event is engraved in the heart of the supernal Israel and inscribed in the heart of Israel below.” And indeed, ladies and gentlemen, just as the Alter Rebbe, whose celebration this is, said: ever since the Festival of Liberation, Yud-Tes Kislev, began to be celebrated throughout the Jewish world, many thousands—hundreds of thousands—of Jews have been stirred on this great and holy day to repentance and inner spiritual work. Yud-Tes Kislev, the very name Yud-Tes Kislev, is what

07:52 Speaker 1 kept the sacred ember from going out, G-d forbid, even in the most remote places and in the hardest times, right up to our own generation. Our brothers who lived in those places and immigrated in these years from lands of hardship to our Holy Land can testify to this. So can our Jewish brothers in every corner of the world today: wherever a shliach of the Rebbe arrives, he brings new life and adds joy and love. And indeed, ladies and gentlemen, it is well known that what a Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen did for Jews in dire straits, no other force could do. This great Yom Tov is the day on which the chassidic movement overcame all its enemies and all who stood in its way. Since that day, ladies and gentlemen, Chassidus has continued to spread, putting down roots and casting anchor throughout the Jewish world, and kindling a flame in every center of Jewish life, wherever our people are scattered. On this day, the great need to reveal and spread the light of Chassidus was demonstrated: it could save the life of our people wherever they might be. My brothers and friends, chassidim and people of action, together as brothers, together with the many thousands of Chabad chassidim and their friends throughout the world, we stand here tonight at the central chassidic farbrengen in Kfar Chabad, a place from which the light of Chassidus is spread to all our people, wherever they may be. This is the same Kfar Chabad, ladies and gentlemen, that we mention every year, of which the Rebbe shlita testifies, in the name of his father-in-law, the Frierdiker Rebbe, may his soul rest in Eden, that the Frierdiker Rebbe arouses mercy for the residents of Kfar Chabad and their families, for all who support the village, for all who care about its development and success, for them and their families, and for all who rejoice together with them. Ladies and gentlemen, the Chassidus whose liberation we celebrate tonight has bestowed its radiance and splendor not only on the hundreds of thousands of chassidim who have sheltered in its shade, but, through its lofty spirit, on the entire Jewish people. It has given them strength to face every difficult trial that might arise, and equipped them with a spiritual weapon of unparalleled effectiveness

11:22 Speaker 1 for the spiritual struggles awaiting them in the footsteps of Moshiach. My brothers and friends, let us remember that this year was declared by the Rebbe shlita, and accepted throughout the Jewish world, as a year of wonders in every respect. We are called upon to rise and elevate ourselves higher and higher, to put into practice the values of Chassidus, whose foundation and essence are the threefold bond of love of Hashem, love of Torah, and Ahavas Yisroel. Let us increase Torah study and the spreading of Chassidus wherever we can reach. May the great merit of the one whose yahrzeit is on Yud-Tes Kislev, the holy Maggid of Mezritch, may his soul rest in Eden, and of the one whose liberation we celebrate, the Alter Rebbe, may his soul rest in Eden, protect us all and the entire Jewish people. May this be a year of complete and true Geulah. And as the Rebbe shlita has said, in his heartfelt call especially over these past months, these past weeks, and these past days: everything is already ready, everything is already revealed. All that remains for us to do, together with this entire holy assembly, with our esteemed rabbis and teachers, is to go out to welcome our righteous Moshiach, with the Rebbe shlita at our head. Amen and amen—right now! And when the Alter Rebbe sat in prison on that Tuesday, one hundred and ninety-three years ago, having risked his life for that very Chassidus, and recited the verse “He has redeemed my soul in peace,” the door opened and he received the great news of his liberation—a liberation that continues and is approaching its completion. I would like to invite the choir, conducted by Mr. Moshe Mona Rosenblum—the Kfar Chabad Chassidim’s Choir—together with the audience, to begin with the verse the Alter Rebbe recited when he received the news: “He has redeemed my soul in peace.” Please.

14:26 Speaker 2 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me, for many were with me. He has 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, forever. G-d will hear and answer them, He who sits enthroned from of old, forever. 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 has laid hands on those at peace with him; he has violated, violated, violated 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 your burden upon Hashem and He, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous, the righteous, fall. And You, G-d, will bring them down, bring them down to the pit of destruction. And You, G-d, will bring them down, bring them down to the pit of destruction. Men of bloodshed, bloodshed and deceit will not, will not live out, will not live out half their days. Men of bloodshed, 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? But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You? I will trust, I will trust in You.

19:17 Speaker 5 Where’s the singing? Hey!

19:21 Speaker 2 But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You? You, You, and so on. But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You? But I... Hey! But I will trust in You? But I will trust in You?

20:14 Speaker 5 Hey!

22:19 Speaker 6 I will trust in You, and I will trust in You, and I will trust in You. Hey. And I will trust in You, and I will trust in You, and I will trust in You. Hey. And I will trust in You, and I will trust in You, and I will trust in You. Hey, hey, hey. And I will trust in You, I will trust in You. And I will trust in You. And I will trust in You, and I will trust in You, and I will trust in You, I will trust in You, I will trust in You. And I will trust in You, and I will trust in You, and I will trus-- trust in You. And I will trust in You, and I will trust in You. Thank you to the Kfar Chabad Chassidim’s Choir, accompanied by the orchestra under the direction of Mr. Moshe Mona Rosenblum. Ladies and gentlemen, from that tremendous joy, from that deep inner joy, from that heartfelt joy, ladies and gentlemen, let us open this festive farbrengen as chassidim customarily do, now that we have warmed up and our hearts have warmed, with the telegram bearing the blessing of the Rebbe shlita. That blessing opens windows in each person’s heart to let in the light, the light of Chassidus. I have the honor of inviting the head of our host organization, the Kfar Chabad committee, someone dear to us all, Rabbi Menachem Lerer, to open the farbrengen by reading the Rebbe shlita’s telegram and blessing for this farbrengen. Please.

26:35 Speaker 7 To all the participants in the great 19 Kislev farbrengen, shlita: L’chaim, l’chaim, and blessings. Gut Yom Tov. May Kislev and the days that follow bring life, and may 19 Kislev bring a good year in the study of Chassidus and the ways of Chassidus, from the youngest to the oldest. May it be Hashem’s will that all of this be fulfilled for each and every person peacefully, completely and in full, and that they succeed in making the vessels for it. As our Sages say, this means engaging in the revealed Torah and Chassidus, in acts of kindness and in prayer. Especially since this year 19 Kislev falls on Tuesday, the day on which “it was good” was said twice: good toward Heaven and good toward people. And all this in a manner of “you shall spread out westward and eastward, northward and southward,” and so on, beginning with each of the mitzvah campaigns, with special emphasis on every matter in this leap year, which the Torah calls “a complete year.” And in the year 5752, which contains an allusion that it will be a year of wonders in every respect. From this day onward, in preparation for Chanukah and for Chanukah itself, whose content gives each person the strength to kindle at the entrance to the home “the candle of a mitzvah and the light of Torah,” adding to it day by day at the entrance to the home, so that it illuminates the outside as well, throughout the year. May there be success in all the above. These are auspicious days for hastening the fulfillment of Moshe Rabbeinu’s prayer and blessing upon each and every member of the Jewish people, shlita. At the close of the psalm of the righteous one in the book of David, the sweet singer of Israel, King Moshiach: “May the pleasantness of Hashem our G-d be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us.” May it be Hashem’s will that the Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands, “and establish the work of our hands.” And may our wish to build the third Beis Hamikdash be fulfilled speedily in our days, with the true and complete Geulah through Moshiach Tzidkeinu, immediately, right now. Place of signature. L’chaim, l’chaim! And to the blessing of the Rebbe shlita we say amen and amen. With the strength of the Rebbe’s blessing, ladies and gentlemen, we welcome our distinguished and dear guest, the Rishon LeZion, Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu shlita. Welcome in the name of Hashem.

31:39 Speaker 8 Thank you to the chairman of the Kfar Chabad committee, Rabbi Menachem Lerer. The entire telegram and all its guidance concern the coming of Moshiach, the Geulah of the Jewish people through David, the King Moshiach. It is related in the name of a student of the Chozeh of Lublin that he said: “I heard from my teacher and Rebbe that the son of David will not come until the teachings of Rabbi Schneur Zalman become widely known.” Ladies and gentlemen, in that spirit of connection, let us now turn to our host, Kfar Chabad, the village that has worked to publicize and spread the teachings of Rabbi Schneur Zalman throughout the years and generations, under the leadership and guidance of its mara d’asra. I have the honor of inviting the mara d’asra, the distinguished chossid Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi shlita, to open the farbrengen with words of blessing. Please.

33:14 Speaker 9 As is the custom of chassidim, we begin with a drink, which brings people closer, by saying l’chaim, l’chaim!

33:23 Speaker 8 L’chaim, l’chaim.

33:31 Speaker 9 Honored Chief Rabbi and Rishon LeZion, the distinguished gaon and kabbalist shlita; honored Chief Rabbi and head of the rabbinical courts of greater Tel Aviv–Jaffa, Rabbi Lau shlita; honored minister, deputy minister, future minister for a whole and united Jerusalem, our esteemed friend Rabbi Werdiger shlita; rabbis, public figures, and distinguished holy congregation. We have gathered this evening for the 193rd time for a chassidic farbrengen celebrating the festival of festivals, which, as we heard earlier in the Rebbe shlita’s telegram and blessing, is Rosh Hashanah for Chassidus. Why is the festival of 19 Kislev called Rosh Hashanah? Because on that day, all of Chassidus stood in judgment. One hundred and ninety-three years ago, in Tsarist Russia, a trial was held to decide: Had Chassidus come to bring calamity, G-d forbid, upon the Jewish people, or the opposite? And what was the opposite? Would publicizing and spreading Chassidus fulfill the promise Moshiach Tzidkeinu had made to the Baal Shem Tov decades earlier? As related in the seforim, when the Baal Shem Tov met the King Moshiach and asked him, “When will you come, Master?” Moshiach answered, “When your wellsprings spread outward.” The one whose joy and Geulah we celebrate, the author of the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch, took upon his shoulders that task and shlichus: to spread Chassidus. Opponents arose, and everyone knows and remembers the story, to the point that it became a trial on charges of rebellion against the crown, and so on. But the verdict was just the opposite: to spread Chassidus throughout the world. Ladies and gentlemen, for 193 years, chassidim and people of action here and throughout the world—in Russia under its harsh regime, under more open governments and in prosperous countries—have celebrated the festival of festivals, the festival of 19 Kislev. But this year, 5752, as the Rebbe shlita writes in his letter for this festival, 5752: “in every respect”—

36:39 Speaker 9 “in every respect” has the numerical value of “gather.” At this special time and in this special year, the joy and celebration at today’s chassidic farbrengen take on a different meaning, since the Rebbe shlita has instructed us, as a directive for this time, that each and every person must engage in the laws of Moshiach and matters concerning Moshiach. Certainly this applies to the festival of Geulah, and everyone will agree with me about the significance of 19 Kislev. The Jerusalem Talmud, in Tractate Megillah, states—and the Rambam also cites this law at the end of the Laws of Megillah—that all the festivals will cease except Purim. In one of his great maamarim, the one whose joy and Geulah we celebrate explains at length, in Torah Or’s discourses on Megillas Esther, what advantage Purim has over the other festivals. Chassidim asked and discussed at a chassidic farbrengen whether this applies only to Purim, or whether it also applies to the festival of 19 Kislev. It is clear that not only Purim, but also the festival of 19 Kislev will not cease in the days of Moshiach—quite the contrary. Why? The reason is simple: the entire festival came about and has been celebrated in order to bring and hasten Moshiach’s coming, as we mentioned: “When your wellsprings spread outward.” That was the victory. And indeed, as the Rebbe shlita has mentioned many times, including recently at his meeting with the Chief Rabbi shlita, the Jewish people have already done teshuvah. The wellsprings have spread throughout the entire world. There is no reason, no explanation, for why Moshiach has not yet come. What is our task? What is the task of each and every one of us on 19 Kislev 5752? Each of us must make resolutions concerning ourselves, our households, our families and those around us: to prepare for Moshiach’s coming. What does it mean to prepare for Moshiach’s coming? It means exactly what it says. When a Jew knows that

39:03 Speaker 9 Moshiach is coming, his life is different; his spiritual life is different. Physical, material life does not occupy such an important place. Here we are, approaching the end of our exile and our Geulah, approaching the great day when, as the Rambam writes, “delicacies will be as plentiful as dust.” What will be the task and focus of every person, every Jew? To engage only in matters of G-dliness, and “they will attain knowledge of their Creator to the extent of human capacity.” When a Jew hears the Rebbe shlita tell him that we are in this period, that we are at this time, that Moshiach is already among us, it should shake us. More than that, it should fill each and every one of us with joy that we have merited to live in this period. Let each of us make use of these great days in accordance with the Rebbe shlita’s straightforward instructions: to illuminate the home, the surroundings, the outside, and the entire people in preparation for Moshiach’s coming, by studying the inner dimension of Torah, which was revealed to us in order to hasten Moshiach’s coming. May we all merit, with the Rebbe shlita at our head, to go out to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu very soon, in this month of Geulah and on this festival of Geulah. Amen, so may it be.

40:23 Speaker 10 Many thanks and appreciation to the mara d’asra, the distinguished chossid Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi shlita, for his warm and stirring words. Following what we heard from the mara d’asra—that by spreading the inner dimension of Torah we will bring Moshiach closer and go out to greet him—a chassidic farbrengen has a soul, and that soul is the maamar of Chassidus we study at the farbrengen and continue to live with afterward. I have the honor of inviting the rabbi of Karmei Yosef, the chossid Rabbi Eliezer Brod, to present and review with us a maamar of Chassidus on the verse “He redeemed my soul in peace.” As is the custom of chassidim before a maamar, we will begin with a niggun, with the help of the orchestra and choir. Please, Rabbi Brod, please.

46:11 Speaker 11 “He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me, for many were with me.” The Mitteler Rebbe, of blessed memory, explains this in his sefer Shaarei Teshuvah, in the maamar beginning “He redeemed my soul in peace.” At first glance, we need to understand the phrase “from the battle against me.” The Hebrew word for battle, kerav, means war, but it also suggests closeness. These seem to contradict each other: when there is war, there is no closeness. The meaning, however, is that the true battle is one in which each side wants not only to overcome the other, but also to bring the other side close and incorporate it within itself, until they become one. The way to achieve this is not only to fight the side that opposes him, but also to draw close to it until they become one. Kerav also suggests drawing close; through this, only one thing remains. The same is true in a person’s avodah: prayer is a form of battle. As the Zohar says, “The time of prayer is a time of battle.” And to succeed in this battle, it is not enough for the G-dly soul to contemplate matters that concern only itself. It must draw close to the animal soul and explain and make tangible the love of Hashem in language the animal soul can understand. In this way, “You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart” will be fulfilled—with both of your inclinations. Now, the verse says, “He redeemed my soul in peace.” From the words “redeemed in peace,” we understand that the redemption here comes not through war, but through peace. The discourses of Chassidus explain that redemption in peace is brought about through the revelation of an exceedingly lofty G-dly light, as a result of which evil is nullified in its very essence. In general, this comes through the light of Torah.

48:29 Speaker 11 When the light of Torah shines, evil is nullified in its very essence; it falls away on its own, without a battle. When we speak of “He redeemed my soul in peace” in relation to prayer as well, it is through the revelation, during prayer, of the light of the levels of chayah and yechidah in a person’s soul. As a result of this lofty revelation, evil is nullified in its very essence. On a deeper level, for “redeemed in peace” to be fully realized, the revelation of the soul’s level of chayah is not enough; its level of yechidah must be revealed. This means that when the levels of nefesh, ruach, and neshamah are revealed—the avodah based on reason and understanding—good and evil engage with one another, and there is an actual battle between them. Even when the soul’s level of chayah is revealed, although evil is nullified by the power and great loftiness of that level, it is still a matter of nullification: evil exists, but is nullified. By contrast, when the soul’s level of yechidah is revealed, concerning which it is said, “They have no shadow of a shadow,” there is no place at all for evil. From the perspective of yechidah, there is no evil in the world at all. Therefore, “redeemed in peace” is fully realized specifically when the soul’s yechidah is revealed. This is what the verse says: “He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me, for many were with me.” To reach the state of “redeemed in peace” comes through “for many were with me,” through the revelation of “the many,” which refers to the revelation of the soul’s yechidah. As a result, “He redeemed my soul in peace” is brought about. But at first glance, we need to understand: since the verse speaks about the revelation of the soul’s yechidah—“He redeemed my soul in peace”—

50:48 Speaker 11 why is there any need to redeem evil? From the perspective of the soul’s yechidah, there is no evil at all. Moreover, the verse does not merely say that evil must be redeemed, but that its redemption takes place “from the battle against me”—through battle and war. Yet from the perspective of the revelation of yechidah, there is no place for redemption, much less for battle. The explanation is that these maamarim speak of a person whose soul’s yechidah is not openly revealed. Not only is the yechidah hidden within him; his entire G-dly soul is hidden. Nevertheless, because he knows that his soul’s yechidah exists, when he resolves that his day-to-day conduct will be in keeping with the level of his soul’s yechidah, then even though the yechidah itself does not shine openly within him, the very decision to act in keeping with its revelation already brings about “He redeemed my soul in peace”: evil is redeemed and incorporated into good. This can be understood from the explanation of the verse in Parshas Vayeitzei. When Yaakov Avinu went from Be’er Sheva to Charan, he prayed to Hashem, “And I return in peace to my father’s house.” The maamarim of Chassidus say that Yaakov’s descent from Be’er Sheva to Charan—a place associated with the anger of Hashem—was in order to bring back the sparks of holiness in Charan, to return them to his Father in Heaven. This was Yaakov’s prayer, “And I return in peace to my father’s house”: that he would succeed in returning the sparks of holiness in Charan to his Father in Heaven in a peaceful way. The maamarim explain that the Hebrew word for “in peace” can be read as “two kinds of peace”: peace from below upward and peace from above downward.

53:08 Speaker 11 In the same way, we can interpret the verse “He redeemed my soul in peace” as referring to two kinds of peace: peace from above downward and peace from below upward. This also explains the verse, “All your children shall be taught by Hashem, and great shall be the peace of your children.” It uses the expression “great peace,” meaning that there is more than one kind of peace—at least two: peace from below upward and peace from above downward. What do these two kinds of peace mean? Although the discourses of Chassidus generally speak of true peace as coming specifically from above downward—when a lofty G-dly light, beyond the recipient’s capacity, is revealed, so that the recipient is nullified and incorporated into what is above him—when the avodah proceeds from below upward, it is generally a form of battle. Nevertheless, these maamarim indicate that we are speaking here of a level at which peace can also be brought about from below upward. When we speak of the revelation of a lofty light from above, there are, broadly speaking, two ways this can happen. In one, the G-dly light is revealed below, and as a result evil is nullified. By contrast, when there is no revelation of light, but the G-dly soul engages with the animal soul—as it does during prayer—then even if it succeeds in bringing the animal soul to love Hashem and desire G-dliness, ultimately this happens because the G-dly soul explained these things to it. It does not mean that the animal soul has ceased to be an animal soul. Therefore, if, G-d forbid, the light of the G-dly soul departs from the animal soul,

55:20 Speaker 11 the animal soul will return to what it was: an animal soul drawn to animalistic things, even to evil. By contrast, when a lofty light is revealed—when the G-dly soul conveys a light beyond the recipient’s capacity—the animal soul is nullified. But there is a loftier form of avodah from below upward, expressed in the words “Even his enemies will make peace with him.” When the soul’s yechidah is revealed, it becomes clear that evil itself, at its root and in its innermost essence, is also good. Then “even his enemies will make peace with him.” The enemy is not merely nullified. It is not merely that he ceases to be an enemy, or that he does not actively interfere with good; he himself is transformed and becomes part of the good. This takes place through peace from below upward: “Even his enemies will make peace with him.” This is the full realization of “He redeemed my soul in peace.” There are two kinds of “redeemed in peace”: peace from above downward and peace from below upward. When these two come together, peace is complete. Thus “redeemed in peace” also means redeemed in completeness.

58:16 Speaker 12 Your placement has been made. I have no idea what the reason is—to make him free—and he finishes the meal with his team. [unclear] spontaneously, when she ran. … All right, at home, the game, the boundary—you just have to come. [unclear] on the other side, even if she sits there once. … It couldn’t have been possible to bring children to live together at all. … There’s a matter of setting the situation, like a sign for the groups. You mustn’t put it on him. [unclear] It will turn into letters of the alphabet. I know exactly how. … Someone will come; good, then even less. … Oy, oy, oy, oy, oy. [unclear] Oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy. [unclear] [unclear] All the introductions! Oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy. [unclear] Oy. … Wonderful. Hooray, hooray. …

1:01:12 Speaker 12 Oy, oy, oy. “When will the Master come? When your wellsprings spread outward.” Oy, oy, oy. “When will the Master come? When your wellsprings spread outward.” We’re going up soon, we’re going up soon. “When your wellsprings spread outward.” Oy, oy, oy. “When will the Master come? When your wellsprings spread outward.” Oy, oy, oy. “When will the Master come? When your wellsprings spread outward.” [unclear] Oy, oy, oy. [unclear] What are we doing here without that little boy? [unclear] Oy, oy, oy.

1:06:15 Speaker 3 Oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy. Oy, oy.

1:06:51 Speaker 4 With this singing and tremendous joy, ladies and gentlemen, we welcome a guest, a veteran chossid, chairman of the Union of Rabbis in the United States, rabbi of the Shaarei Zion congregation, a friend and admirer, heart and soul, of the Rishon LeZion and Chief Rabbi of Israel, whose soul is bound up with his. He represents him in the United States and is in daily contact with him, spreading Torah and teaching Chassidus throughout the world. All this, ladies and gentlemen, is only a fraction of his praise. Please greet our guest, the distinguished Rabbi Avraham, with applause. Welcome to the tent of Chassidus. A joyous holiday. Distinguished presidium, honored rabbis, ladies and gentlemen, chassidim, esteemed congregation. We are delighted to have with us a man of many talents who always encourages and strengthens us. Each time, what he brings us seems not merely fresh in our eyes, but truly new, and he brings us joy at every opportunity. He is the Rishon LeZion, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu shlita. I have the honor of inviting the Rabbi to offer his blessing to those taking part in this celebration. Rabbi, please. Honored mara d’asra, the eminent Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi, a tower of strength, a man of great accomplishments in Torah and in the life of the community, who does so much in Torah and kindness and to magnify and glorify Torah: may Hashem protect him and grant him life, and lengthen his days in goodness and pleasantness. My dear friend, the eminent rabbi, a tower of strength, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv–Jaffa and head of the rabbinical courts, who speaks with strength and understanding, with remarkable wisdom, in clear and pleasing language, whose mouth produces pearls, Rabbi Lau: may Hashem protect him and grant him life, and lengthen his days in goodness and pleasantness. Honored rabbis, heads of yeshivos, heads of kollelim, city rabbis, and dayanim. And the honored deputy minister, who is a minister of earthly Jerusalem and connected with heavenly Jerusalem, Rabbi Verdiger: may Hashem lengthen his good days and pleasant years. Honored deputy minister, the esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Mizrachi, a man of great accomplishments in Torah

1:10:33 Speaker 4 and in the life of the community: may Hashem protect him and grant him life, with long days and years of life. May he rise ever higher; may it be Hashem’s will. Our honored guest, for whom my esteem keeps growing as I see how greatly the Rebbe shlita honors and appreciates him, is the eminent Rabbi Avraham Yechezkel, a tower of strength who gathers people around Torah in the Diaspora. May Hashem protect him and grant him life, with long days and years of life. Esteemed congregation. There is the well-known verse: “He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me, for many were with me.” The verse was interrupted in the middle. The one we usually call the author of the Shulchan Aruch, Rabbeinu Zalman—that is what we call him—the author of Rabbeinu Zalman’s Shulchan Aruch, the author of the Tanya; he has many titles of “author.” When he reached this verse, in the middle of the verse, at “He redeemed my soul in peace,” that was precisely when he received the news of the redemption—not of his body, but of his soul. He was not concerned about material things; he was concerned about spiritual things. They came and informed him from Heaven that his spiritual life, too, had been redeemed. “He redeemed my soul in peace.” The Gemara says that to a living person one says, “Go to peace,” while to someone who has died one says, “Go in peace.” So what does “He redeemed my soul in peace” mean? It means that the redemption was not only here in this world, but also in the World of Truth, the place where souls and spirits, yechidos and neshamos, are reckoned with. There, too, “He redeemed my soul in peace.” But the verse continues: “From the battle against me, for many were with me.” You know the story told about the Baal Shem Tov, may his merit protect us. He was praying at length, and his students dispersed while he was still praying. Once they had dispersed, he finished his prayers. The students returned and saw that he had finished. They asked him, “Our teacher, you usually pray at length. Why did you finish so quickly this time?” He said, “I pray at length because of you, when ‘many were with me.’ When the many leave me, there is nothing to keep me there.” With the Rebbe, of blessed memory—may his merit protect us and you.

1:13:33 Speaker 4 “For many were with me”—the holy souls from the time of Avraham Avinu until the time of the author of the Tanya. All those souls were together with him: “For many were with me.” He was not alone, and because the many were with him, they continued onward with him. And how fitting is what the esteemed Rebbe shlita writes, citing the teaching of our Sages: “‘He redeemed my soul in peace.’ Hakadosh Boruch Hu said: Whoever engages in Torah study and acts of kindness and prays with the congregation, I regard it as though he redeemed Me and My children from among the nations.” The Gemara discusses and explains this at length, and concludes: On this basis, we can better understand the connection between “redeemed” and the words “my soul in peace.” Engaging in Torah study and acts of kindness and praying with the congregation relate to the redemption of the Alter Rebbe, whose purpose is the spreading of the wellsprings of Chassidus. That is redemption. My friends, Yaakov Avinu wants to bless the young men of the Jewish people. He wants to bless the entire Jewish people through Ephraim and Menashe. What does he say to them? He calls the young men over and gives them a blessing—the blessing we always give our sons. He tells them this important blessing: “May the angel who redeemed me from all evil bless the young men. May my name and the names of my fathers, Avraham and Yitzchak, be called upon them, and may they multiply abundantly throughout the land.” Yaakov Avinu says, first of all, “May the angel who redeemed me from all evil bless the young men.” Protection comes first. For the young men, for Jewish children, to grow up in Torah and mitzvos, they need excellent protection. They need angels—or rabbis who are like angels—to watch over them. And he continues, “May my name and the names of my fathers, Avraham and Yitzchak, be called upon them.” Many ask: Why did he begin with his own name? He should have said, “May the names of my fathers, Avraham and Yitzchak, be called upon them,” and only then mentioned his own name. But this is what he meant: He was not referring simply to Yaakov, Avraham and Yitzchak themselves. He meant what our holy forefathers passed down to us. Avraham Avinu instilled in the Jewish people a natural love of

1:16:30 Speaker 4 the Creator, blessed and exalted be His name, and faith in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Avraham Avinu instilled in us the instinct to go out and “proclaim the name of Hashem, G-d of the world”—to spread Torah and spread light wherever we go. Avraham Avinu instilled in us a natural love of kindness toward the entire world. Yitzchak Avinu instilled in us a nature of serving Hashem, a nature of self-sacrifice, and a natural readiness to listen to rabbis, parents and teachers.