Farbrengen 11 Nissan 5762, Kfar Chabad

00:03 Speaker 1 First of all, with the permission of the mara d’asra, the rabbis, the heads of the yeshivos, the dayanim, and the moderator. And truly, yasher koach. I think I speak for everyone in thanking my colleague Professor Shaki for his fascinating and moving words, with all their details and fine points. In those days, more than thirty years ago, he had the privilege of leading, together with his colleagues, a struggle that has not ended and, in fact, continues to this very day. So on behalf of everyone, I say to you now: yasher koach. Ladies and gentlemen, last Shabbos we read Parshas Tzav, and on the Shabbos after Pesach we will read Parshas Shemini. There is a verse there that says: “Moshe diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned; and he was angry with Elazar and Isamar, the surviving sons of Aharon, saying...” After the words “about the goat of the sin offering, inquired,” a note in parentheses says, “Half the Torah in words.” The verse then continues, “Moshe diligently inquired, and behold, it had been burned,” and so on, as I quoted. The author of the Yismach Moshe made a very interesting observation: Why does the halfway point of the Torah, counted by words, fall precisely between the two words “darosh darash”—“diligently inquired”? He said this teaches every one of us that despite all the teachings Moshe Rabbeinu taught, despite everything he learned—and as we know, Moshe Rabbeinu learned the entire Torah from the mouth of the Almighty—after all those teachings, he was still only halfway, at the midpoint of the Torah. He added that this also explains the Gemara’s statement: “The conversation of Torah scholars requires study,” because a true Torah scholar knows that he has still attained nothing. He has still learned nothing, because the Torah requires study. Why am I bringing this interpretation of this verse? Because if we have gathered this evening to mark one hundred years since the Rebbe’s birth, here in Kfar Chabad, among hundreds and thousands of the Rebbe’s chassidim and admirers, it seems to me—and I hope no one will take offense if I say this—that the Rebbe, who gave

03:11 Speaker 1 so many instructions, launched so many campaigns, and asked and demanded that so many missions be carried out—who are we to come and ask Chabad chassidim to do more? We are now in the centenary year and entering the hundred-and-first year. Who are we to ask Chabad chassidim: Do even more, fulfill more, carry out more, accomplish more in following the Rebbe’s instructions? After all, there is no more devoted movement. There is no movement that has done so much. There is no movement that is so active, that fulfills and carries out and lives with the Rebbe’s instructions as Chabad chassidim do. Yet we see from the verse I quoted earlier that a person must know that, after everything he has done, taught, learned and accomplished, he has still reached only the halfway point. There is more to do. And if I cite this verse and the Yismach Moshe’s interpretation—that a person must know that, despite all he has done, he has not yet finished; he has reached only halfway—I permit myself to say to Chabad chassidim: Though they do so much, though they have accomplished so much, and though they devote themselves so fully to carrying out the Rebbe’s instructions, we have still not merited to see it. “Behold, your Geulah is coming.” And what did the Rebbe want? The Rebbe wanted people to act, to spread the wellsprings outward, and to do more and more to bring the Jewish people closer to their Father in Heaven. And if we have still not merited to see it, apparently an obligation rests upon us. So I permit myself to say this evening, as the hundred-and-first year begins: Let us take it upon ourselves to do more and more and more, and to carry out the Rebbe’s instructions more and more. Perhaps through this we will merit the coming of our righteous Moshiach speedily in our days, amen.

05:40 Speaker 2 Yasher koach.

05:40 Speaker 7 Yasher koach to Deputy Minister Rabbi Porush. Not “perhaps,” but most certainly. As we enter the new period of the hundred-and-first year, our righteous Moshiach will most certainly come immediately and redeem us. We wish a safe departure to His Holiness the Rebbe of Machnovka, who joins us every year on 11 Nissan. May he enjoy long years of leadership. We heard from Rabbi Porush that there is a pause between “darosh” and “darash.” We will ask Leibele, together with the chassidic singer Mendy Jerufi, to delight us with their songs. Please, Mendy, please.

07:28 Speaker 8 What could be more fitting on the Rebbe’s birthday than to play the niggun the Rebbe taught: “My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You, in a dry and weary land without water.” Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay, ra-ray ra-ray tiridimay. Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay, ra-ray ra-ray tiridimoy. “So I have beheld You in the Sanctuary, to see Your strength and Your glory.” Oh, “so I have beheld You in the Sanctuary, to see Your strength and Your glory.” Oh, “so I have beheld You in the Sanctuary, to see Your strength and Your glory.”

09:33 Speaker 9 Everyone together.

09:35 Speaker 8 Ay ay ay ay ay. Ay ay ra-ray ra-ray tiridimon. Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay, ra-ray ra-ray tiridimon. “So I have beheld You in the Sanctuary, to see Your strength and Your glory.” Oh, “so I have beheld You in the Sanctuary, to see Your strength and Your glory.” Oh, “so I have beheld You in the Sanctuary, to see Your strength and Your glory.” Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay, ra-ray ra-ray ay tiriri moy. Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay, ra-ray ra-ray tiriri moy. Yi di yi yi yi yi ya ba hey yi yi di day. Hey di day yi yi yi yi ya ba hey yi yim. Hey di day yim ay day yim yim ma hey yi yi di dam. Hey di day yim ay day yim yim ha hey yi yi yi. Di day di day yim ay yi tiridi ma yi ya tirida yi dam. Hey di day yim ay yi tiridi tirida yi yim. Hey di day yim ay yi tiridi ha hey tirida yi dam. Hey di day yim ay yi tiridi ma yi yi yi yi. Yi di day yim ay yi yi yim ma yi ya tirida yi dam. Hey di day yim ay yi yi

14:15 Speaker 10 Ay yay yay. Ay yay. Tiriday ray, yay tiridim, ay ya tiriday ram. Ay dray, ay yay tiridim tirido. Ay dray, ay yay tiridim, ay tiriday ram. Ay dray, ay yay tiridim, ay yay ay yay yay. “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from the house of bondage.” “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt. Oy, “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt. Oy, “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt. Oy, “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt. Oy, “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt. Oy, “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt. Oy, “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt. Oy! Oy, “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt. Oy, “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt. Oy, “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt. Oy, “You redeemed us from Egypt; You delivered us from servitude.” From Egypt, oy, from Egypt.

15:59 Speaker 11 Thank you very much to Leibele Lipsker for the niggun. Thank you. We will hear more from them later. We are pleased to welcome our distinguished friend, who joins us every year at the 11 Nissan farbrengen: member of the Council of Torah Sages and head of the Ruzhin Yeshiva, the esteemed Rabbi Efraim Fishel Rabinowitz shlita. Welcome. We have with us a Jew for whom the Rebbe had special affection. If I am not mistaken, he truly has the power to bless the Jewish people, and a kohen blesses with love. How much we all need blessings today—the entire Jewish people, both individually and collectively. I would therefore like to invite our distinguished friend, the Chief Rabbi and head of the rabbinical courts of Haifa, member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, the esteemed Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen shlita.

17:35 Speaker 12 With the permission of the local rabbinic authority, the eminent Rabbi Ashkenazi shlita; with the permission of the rabbi leading this farbrengen, whose self-sacrifice on the matter of saving lives in Eretz Yisroel is known throughout the world today, the eminent Rabbi Gerlitzky shlita; the honorable Knesset member and Deputy Minister of Housing, Rabbi Porush, who carries on the wonderful tradition of his distinguished family, leaders of Chareidi Jewry for generations; all the honored rabbis and Rebbes gracing the head table; my brothers and friends, my teachers and gentlemen. I do not know whether we grasp the depth of this farbrengen’s value and importance. We are at a decisive moment for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. “They plot in secret against Your people and conspire against those You protect.” I do not want to continue the verse, and I fear very much that among those who want to gather in Beirut in a few days are some whom King David, the sweet singer of Israel, meant in Tehillim: “They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more,’ G-d forbid.” This farbrengen, on this auspicious day, the Rebbe’s birthday—may his merit protect all Israel—has the power, through the joy of a farbrengen, to nullify all decrees against the Jewish people and pave the way for the complete Geulah, speedily in our days, amen. The tremendous growth of the Chabad movement throughout the world, in Eretz Yisroel and across the diaspora, and its vast endeavors that bring hundreds and thousands closer to the path of faith, to the way of Torah and reverence for Hashem—one might say that, on the face of it, it all seems to happen by natural means. The shluchim devote themselves with self-sacrifice to the mission they received from the Rebbe and carry on his path throughout the world. Each one, with self-sacrifice, establishes Torah schools, yeshivos, shuls and mikvaos, and brings Jews closer to teshuvah. On the face of it, everything seems natural. But the fact is that there is no other movement anywhere in the Jewish world like Chabad, which has succeeded so greatly, boruch Hashem, in bringing Jews closer and proclaiming, at the top of its voice

20:42 Speaker 12 in every public square around the world, “Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One.” This tremendous success surely flows from the great power of the influence they drew from the Rebbe, for whose hundredth birthday we have gathered here today. Surely this is something beyond the natural order, not something natural, and it is one of the signs of the Geulah. There is a well-known dispute among our Sages over which comes first: teshuvah and then Geulah, or Geulah and then teshuvah. “A redeemer shall come to Zion and to those in Yaakov who turn from transgression, declares Hashem.” Our Sages differed over the order of the Geulah: whether all Israel will first return in teshuvah or the Geulah will come first. And as the Rambam says, the matter cannot be settled until we see how it unfolds in reality, for “no one will know how these things will be until they happen.” Those are the Rambam’s words. The Rambam whom the Rebbe instructed us to study in a daily cycle, completing it through the different study tracks—every year, every three years, every seven years, each person according to his ability. Now, it seems that the prophet Yechezkel already foretold this in the haftorah we read for Parshas Parah. That haftorah describes the path of the Geulah: first, Jews are gathered from all over the world, the ingathering of the exiles, and they come with all the impurities, all the abominations, all the troubles of exile, with all forty-nine gates of impurity. Just as they were redeemed from Egypt, they are redeemed now in the final Geulah and come to Eretz Yisroel. Then the verse promises us—what I would call the first open-heart surgery mentioned in Scripture. The prophet Yechezkel foretells: “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh, and I will pour My spirit upon you and cause you to follow My statutes, to keep My commandments and do them.” So we see that the ingathering of the exiles precedes teshuvah, but the complete Geulah comes after teshuvah. Anyone who remembers the beginning of the movement

23:06 Speaker 12 when the Frierdiker Rebbe issued that wonderful call, “Immediate teshuvah, immediate Geulah,” and sees how events have unfolded in stages—from the terrible catastrophe of the Holocaust, its victims and the birth pangs of Moshiach, about which it was said, “May he come, but may I not see it,” to the open miracles we have experienced here in Eretz Yisroel and throughout the Jewish world. To begin with, the German enemy was practically at the gates of Eretz Yisroel, yet did not cross that border and did not succeed in reaching here. That, of course, was no coincidence. I heard from my teacher and mentor, the righteous Rabbi Herzog, of blessed memory, that he had been in Washington working to save Jews. The British ambassador approached him and suggested that he not return to Eretz Yisroel until it became clear who would win the war—German Field Marshal Rommel or British Field Marshal Montgomery. “Wait,” he told him. “Do not return into such danger.” Rabbi Herzog said, “I told him, and I say again: ‘He will revive us after two days; on the third day we will live.’ That is, to our great sorrow, we have suffered two destructions. There will not be a third, and I am returning to Eretz Yisroel.” And we saw plainly that this was so: Hakadosh Boruch Hu saved us from their hands. “It is this that has stood by our ancestors and by us: in every generation they rise against us to destroy us, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu saves us from their hands.” Boruch Hashem, I had the privilege of hearing these matters in depth and breadth at a number of farbrengens and in several conversations during yechidus with the Rebbe. I was privileged to receive special closeness—not through any merit of my own, but through the merit of my ancestors, boruch Hashem. And I say to everyone gathered here: Go forth with this strength you received from the Rebbe and save Israel. Of the three areas of wholeness, the wholeness of the Jewish people is in danger over the question of “Who is a Jew?”—following the ruling you have surely heard about, to accept converts who will not convert according to halachah and register them as Jews. This... We see that the Rebbe raised his voice on the question of “Who is a Jew?” decades ago, and the issue continues to this day. The banner of the wholeness of the Jewish people—that no one who has not converted according to halachah should be called a member of the House of Israel—

25:24 Speaker 12 was raised by the Rebbe some thirty-five years ago, and you must stand at the forefront of this campaign. Under no circumstances may we agree to blur the identity of the Jewish people and the integrity of Jewish identity. This is the wholeness of Judaism, the wholeness of the Jewish people. The second is the wholeness of the Torah. We cannot accept the various approaches of those who want to accept one part of the Torah, G-d forbid, or some other part. The Torah is a complete Torah. If even one letter is missing from a Torah scroll, the entire scroll is invalid. The wholeness of the Torah is a principle for which we must be prepared to give our lives. And the third, of course, is the wholeness of Eretz Yisroel. In fact, I heard that at a gathering following the decision by the League of Nations and the British government, close to seventy years ago—sixty-five years ago—to divide Eretz Yisroel into two states, the eminent Rabbi Menachem Ziemba, may Hashem avenge his blood, rose at a large assembly of rabbis at Agudas Yisroel’s great convention and said: “My teachers and gentlemen, just as a Torah scroll is invalid if even one letter is missing, so Eretz Yisroel cannot be missing even four cubits. Even four cubits of Eretz Yisroel—if they are missing, it is invalid. No one in the world can change that. Hakadosh Boruch Hu promised us this land in its entirety, and the Chabad movement stands at the forefront of this campaign because it acts not for political or partisan reasons, but for the sake of Heaven.” With the strength of the banner the Rebbe raised—the wholeness of the Torah, the wholeness of the people and the wholeness of the land—go forth and save the House of Israel. In the merit of this renewed resolve and this joy, may we soon merit to see with our own eyes, our physical eyes, our righteous redeemer leading the Jewish people to the complete Geulah, speedily in our days. Amen, so may it be His will.

27:45 Speaker 13 Yasher koach to the eminent Rabbi She’ar Yashuv Cohen shlita for his inspiring words. I will just mention that Tosafos says in Berachos that a blessing must include “King of the universe.” Tosafos asks: What about “Blessed are You, Hashem, our G-d and G-d of our fathers, G-d of Avraham”—where “King of the universe” is not mentioned? Tosafos answers that mentioning Avraham is itself equivalent to “King of the universe,” because Avraham our forefather made Hashem’s kingship known in the world. That was Avraham’s mission: to make known that there is a Creator who governs the world. And we saw this in the Rebbe. When we speak of the Rebbe, his entire being was devoted to making the kingship of Hakadosh Boruch Hu known in the world. This applies to all three areas of wholeness. And with Hashem’s help, as we now enter a new period, the Rebbe’s hundred-and-first year, may we merit to see all three in their fullest, most literal sense—and above all, the coming of our righteous Moshiach, immediately, truly. I would like to invite the head of the Ruzhin Yeshiva, a member of the Council of Torah Sages, the eminent Rabbi Ephraim Fishel Rabinowitz shlita, to bless this gathering.

29:20 Speaker 14 Torah scholars, Amoraim, Tannaim, rabbis, roshei yeshivah, communal activists, all the honored guests. Everyone has gathered here to mark the hundredth birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt"l. Tosafos already addresses the fact that, generally speaking, they took a vote and concluded that it would have been better for a person not to have been created than to have been created. But Tosafos explains that the main thing is this: if a person does what Hakadosh Boruch Hu assigned him to do in this world, then being created and passing through this world is a great privilege. At the outset, though, it is a risky undertaking. But someone who has passed through the... through this world and done as Hakadosh Boruch Hu asked and wanted of him—fortunate is he, and fortunate is his generation. He brings merit to his entire generation and lifts them up with him. And even after 120 years, after he has passed away, we say in the name of the holy Ruzhiner, “G-d placed them in the firmament of the heavens,” but they continue “to shine upon the earth.” The main thing, though, is the task he placed upon people: to spread Hashem’s name and sanctify His name in public. So on my way here, I thought about a significant distinction in the account of building the Mishkan. The Torah calls the work of the Mishkan avodah, service: “And the service of the Mishkan was completed.” When Moshe saw what the Children of Israel had done, it says, “And Moshe saw all the melachah, the work, that they had done.” It does not call it avodah; it calls it melachah. Why this change? What they did is called avodah, but when Moshe Rabbeinu sees it, he sees melachah. So I thought perhaps we could say this: the commentators ask, what is the difference between melachah and avodah? Avodah is what a person does for others, when he has no use for the product of the work itself. He benefits because he is paid to make a table, but he does not need the table himself. That is called avodah, a form of service. Melachah is what a person does

32:19 Speaker 14 for himself. He makes a table for himself, a cupboard for himself, washes his own clothes. That is called melachah. He does it all for himself. Of course, it is well known that the Mishkan was the greatest possible benefit in the world for the Children of Israel. After all, our Sages say that if even the nations had known the importance of the Mishkan, of the Beis Hamikdash, for them, they would have stopped its destruction. If it benefited the nations so much, imagine what it meant for the Jewish people, who benefited from it materially and spiritually, in every respect. So if the Children of Israel had fully understood how much the Mishkan benefited them, that would mean they were doing something for themselves. It should have been called melachah, not avodah. Yet the Torah says they did it as avodah. This can be understood in two ways. One possibility, as we said, is that the Children of Israel did not properly understand the importance of the Mishkan, so in their eyes it was avodah. But there is an entirely different possibility: they knew perfectly well that it was melachah, that it was for their own good, but they rose above themselves and did it not for their own sake, but solely because Hashem commanded it. So the Torah calls it avodah, because for them it was avodah. But “Moshe saw all the melachah”—because it truly was melachah for them; they had simply done it as Hashem commanded Moshe. Therefore, “Moshe blessed them: May it be Hashem’s will that the Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands.” They say that he cannot have meant only the Mishkan, since Hashem had already promised that the Shechinah would dwell there. He blessed them that in everything they would do, the Shechinah would rest upon the work of their hands as well. So the shluchim who spread Hashem’s name and spread the Torah must know that this is melachah. It is the greatest benefit for them, that they have the privilege of bringing merit to others. They can then work at it. The point is that although it is

34:51 Speaker 14 melachah for them, they should do it as avodah, to fulfill Hashem’s will. And I hope, with Hashem’s help, that they will receive assistance and continue along this path, carrying on their holy work with greater strength and greater vigor and bringing the Geulah closer. May we merit the complete Geulah speedily in our days, amen.

35:24 Speaker 3 Yasher koach to the gaon Rabbi Ephraim Fishel[?] shlita. And let us continue with Rashi. He mentioned in his remarks, “May the pleasantness of Hashem our G-d be upon them—upon you.” But Rashi says, and quotes the verse, “May it be Hashem’s will that the Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands, and may the pleasantness of Hashem our G-d be upon us.” Moshe Rabbeinu includes himself with the Jewish people, and then the Shechinah will rest upon the work of our hands. With us is one of Chabad’s distinguished rabbis, who does much to spread Judaism and Chassidus: the gaon who serves as rabbi of Mateh Binyamin and heads the Oz Meir institutions. We ask Rabbi Shimon Elituv, please, to say a few words.

36:30 Speaker 4 L’chaim, l’chaim, dear brothers. Ah. I will never forget. The first time I had the privilege of entering yechidus with the Rebbe, it was... it was Thursday night, at four in the morning. I was filled with fear and awe, but then I saw the Rebbe’s smile and how warmly he put me at ease. The Rebbe asked me, “In Yiddish or in Lashon Kodesh?” Now, if the Rebbe had asked me, “In Lashon Kodesh or in Yiddish?” I would have answered, “In Lashon Kodesh.” But the Rebbe began, “Shall our conversation be in Yiddish?” I said, “In Yiddish.” That reminds me of something. A professor asked the Rebbe: Here we are approaching the days of Moshiach, the Beis Hamikdash, and we are in the era—we are in the era of “I will restore your judges as at first.” But I ask your pardon; I have simply had a little mashke—with the permission of the dear rabbis, with the permission of the esteemed rabbis, with the permission of Rabbi Mor Desseri[?], and the distinguished presidium. One more of those. L’chaim, l’chaim, dear brothers. The professor asked him, “Rebbe, if so, a Jew who becomes liable for lashes, and he is a bank manager—will they have to summon him to be lashed? And he cannot receive all the lashes at once, because a doctor would examine him to determine how many he could bear. They would divide them into portions. So where did this manager go? He went to get a round of blows, and they were severe. How can the concept of lashes fit into the modern age, here in our time, Rebbe?” So the Rebbe told him, “In your field, consider a satellite—a satellite in which billions of dollars have been invested, and which is now about to take off. It is connected to a great many extremely delicate and expensive instruments. It communicates across vast distances and brings enormous benefit to the world. And then, just minutes before launch, one of the scientists acts recklessly and breaks and smashes the instruments there. Tell me,” the Rebbe asked the professor, “what should happen to that man?” He said, “Rebbe, they’ll lynch him, lynch him, beat him up.

39:48 Speaker 4 What won’t they do to him?” The Rebbe said, “Then you can understand: for such a precise and sophisticated instrument, in which billions have been invested, you say they would lynch him. A Jew connects with all the worlds. A Jew channels life to all the worlds. A Jew has a connection with Hashem’s very Essence. Is there a more sophisticated instrument than that? And if he misses the mark and spoils an opportunity to fulfill a mitzvah, or, G-d forbid, commits a transgression, then lashes would be too little.” Dear brothers. An elderly Jewish woman asked the Rebbe, “Rebbe, I’ve been standing for two hours, and I see the Rebbe, who is older than I am, standing for so many hours. How is that possible?” The Rebbe told her, “When you count diamonds, you don’t get tired.” Every Jew is a diamond. You count another Jew—that is another diamond, another diamond, another diamond. Dear brothers, as the rabbi of Mateh Binyamin, the regional rabbi of Mateh Binyamin, I wanted to conclude with a few words. Dear brothers, it says of Binyamin: “Hashem’s beloved shall dwell securely beside Him; He shelters him all day long, and He dwells between his shoulders.” All his life, Binyamin longed for the Beis Hamikdash to be built in his portion. Binyamin is mentioned in the Talmud six times as Binyamin the righteous. Yosef the righteous is mentioned only once, at the end of Sotah. Another Binyamin the righteous appears in Bava Basra, where he was a charity administrator. But Binyamin, the son of Yaakov, is called righteous six times, and many ask: where do we see his righteousness? The remarkable thing is: where do we find the diamond in him specifically? He has a mouth, but he does not speak. He knew about the sale of Yosef, but he knew that his brothers were so good, so very, very precious. If they had acted cruelly and sold Yosef, it must have been a step directed from Heaven. So he did not interfere in the matter, and he kept his mouth shut for more than twenty years. Dear brothers, Binyamin did not speak, but here I wanted to say

42:47 Speaker 4 In those words, how did our Sages know that Binyamin longed all his life for the Beis Hamikdash to be built in his portion? Who told the Sages? Dear brothers, if he merited it, if he merited it, it was because he longed for it. If you don’t long for something, you don’t receive it. The Rebbe said that already as a child, the idea of the revelation of the Divine Presence, of the Geulah of the Jewish people, began to stir within him. Binyamin longed for the Beis Hamikdash to be built in his portion; the Rebbe fought for the Beis Hamikdash to be built, for the holiness of Hakadosh Boruch Hu to spread throughout the world. And we can see it: we have just been to several places and seen so many new communities, more and more of them, through the Rebbe’s strength. And I’ll conclude: I met someone while speaking with one of the shluchim, and he told me, “I’m not a Chabad chossid. I travel year after year to raise money, but every year I see more communities, so many more Jews joining the banner of Judaism through Chabad.” I see here this tremendous movement of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to bring the word of Hashem to the people, to Hashem’s people, as it says of Binyamin: “The beloved of Hashem—He shelters him all day long.” All of us, all of us are awaiting the complete Geulah, the complete Geulah, may it come speedily in our days, truly. Amen.

45:10 Speaker 5 Words that come from the heart have power. We’ll take a short break for those who haven’t yet heard the new niggun, “Chessed U’Mishpat.” Rabbi Yitzchak, together with Leibele and Menachem Gerofi. Please, Yitzchak Lieberman.

46:02 Speaker 6 Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praise. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praise. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praise. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praise. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praise. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praise. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praise. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praise. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praise. Of kindness and justice...

00:01 Speaker 1 Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing. To You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing. To You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Oy, oy, oy. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Oy, of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Oy, of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises, oy, oy, oy. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises, of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises, oy, oy, oy. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness

04:05 Speaker 1 and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises, hey! Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Of kindness and justice I will sing; to You, Hashem, I will sing praises. Yasher koach! To the chossid and composer Reb Yitzchak Lieberman, Mendy Jerufi, and last but not least, Leibele Lipsker. I remember that for many years the distinguished Rabbi Yaakov Shemarya Deitsch z"l joined us each year, and today I have the pleasure and privilege of inviting the distinguished Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Deitsch, rabbi of the Chasam Sofer community in Petach Tikvah, to offer words of greeting.

06:35 Speaker 2 Honored rabbis and teachers, distinguished rabbis shlita, esteemed audience. The Gemara in Menachos, page 43, teaches: Rabbi Meir says that a person must recite one hundred blessings every day, as it says, “And now, Israel, what does Hashem your G-d ask of you?” Do not read it as “what,” but as “one hundred.” It seems to me that on this day, the Rebbe’s hundredth birthday, there is an obligation for every person to recite the hundred blessings each day. The Rebbe enabled tens of thousands of Jews around the world to recite those hundred blessings every day. Today, a baal teshuvah is no longer a rare sight. But the first to bring Jews throughout the world back to Torah, on such a public scale, was the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He enabled Jews everywhere—men, women and children—to recite one hundred blessings every day. On this hundredth birthday, how many merits and how much life are added to him on this day. It was mentioned here that Chabad is all over the world. This past summer I had the opportunity to be one of the rabbis in a delegation that went to Romania on a mission concerning its Jewish cemeteries. Well, Jewish life in Bucharest is like a candle going out. Yet there is a Chabad shliach there who runs a kindergarten and organizes activities. We truly enjoyed visiting and experiencing the warm home of this chossid, who needs to come to Eretz Yisroel for practically everything. It is hard to believe, but he does his work faithfully, with sincerity and fear of Heaven, hoping that there will yet be some light, a point of Jewish light, in Romania. Fortunate is he and fortunate is his lot. This, too, is one of the Rebbe’s strengths. It says in chapter 100 of Tehillim, the psalm of Dovid, King of Israel: “Give thanks to Him; bless His name. For Hashem is good; His kindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness endures from generation to generation.” The faith the Rebbe instilled among the Jewish people through the hundred blessings—that is “His faithfulness from generation to generation,” faith for generations to come.

09:37 Speaker 2 And through that merit, without any doubt, may we merit, still this year, the hundredth year, the Resurrection of the Dead, and may we merit to see, through the Rebbe’s merit together with all the merits of the Jewish people, Moshiach, with mercy. Amen and amen. Even today, when there are so many baalei teshuvah, I think every baal teshuvah is precious and rare. It is well known that the Baal Shem Tov drew ordinary people, simple Jews, close, and a wise man once said that it is not so simple to be a simple Jew. Yasher koach to the distinguished Rabbi Deitsch shlita. I want to mention and bless, on my behalf and on behalf of us all, the well-known emcee Rabbi Naftali Roth shlita: may he soon be able to dance on both feet and continue to host Chabad events with joy and good health. A complete recovery to Naftali HaKohen. I don’t know his mother’s name. Wishing you a safe journey for the coming Pesach, and greetings to the distinguished Rabbi Sheish HaKohen; may he long preside over his community. And now I would like to invite the distinguished rabbi of Shikun Hei, Rabbi Yosef Dov Stein shlita. Honored Rabbi Bunim Agronom shlita, honored organizers of this wonderful farbrengen, and this entire holy gathering. Our Sages say that when our rabbis entered the vineyard in Yavneh, they all began by honoring their hosts. So let us, too, begin by honoring our hosts. In the weekly parsha it says, “And the congregation assembled at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,” and “Moshe said to them: This is the thing that Hashem commanded.” Rashi there asks: What was the thing Hashem commanded? But we can offer a simple explanation: the thing was that the entire congregation had assembled; they had gathered, and there was unity among them all. That unity found favor in Moshe Rabbeinu’s eyes. Moshe Rabbeinu said, “This is the thing that Hashem commanded.” This is what Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants above all: that there should be a farbrengen, a gathering and unity among the Jewish people. We are approaching Pesach, so let us begin. Our Sages say in Tractate Shabbos that before Rabbah sat down to teach his students a subject, he would first say something humorous. Afterward, he would begin the lesson with awe and reverence. Listen to this. When I first came abroad, to South America, Pesach was approaching. What were we going to do about matzos? People would get them from one place, bring them from here, bring them from there. In short, I put together a team to bake matzos, we bought an oven, and I sat in the office watching on a closed-circuit television system, supervising everything to make sure it was done properly. Suddenly, an ordinary Jew came running to me—a sincere, simple Jew of the old generation. He said to me, “Rabbi, Rabbi, there’s actual chametz here! Actual chametz!” He practically had tears in his eyes. “Please, sit down, calm down. What happened? What is it? What did you see?” “Rabbi,” he said to me in Yiddish—and I’ll translate it into Hebrew in a moment—“Rabbi, I saw—I saw with my own eyes how they poured water into the flour!” I said to him, “Reb Yid, what did you think? How do you bake matzos—with saliva?” According to the Gemara in Pesachim, and according to halachah, saliva causes leavening faster than water. But I explained to him, “Look, it’s true that they take flour, pour water into it and make the dough. But you have to make sure it doesn’t take more than eighteen minutes.” And then a possible answer occurred to me to a question posed by the Radbaz. Tell me, how long can I speak? Until morning? No. So the Radbaz’s question—the Radbaz asks about something we say at Pesach: Our Sages say of the verse “And you shall guard the matzos,” do not read it as “matzos” but as “mitzvos.” In other words, when a mitzvah comes your way, do not let it become chametz. That means doing the mitzvah promptly, not waiting. If a mitzvah comes your way, don’t say, “In another moment, in another moment. First let me rest. First let me sleep.” Don’t let it become chametz; do it immediately. The Radbaz asks: There are 613 mitzvos, so why did the Torah allude to this idea of promptness

13:52 Speaker 2 Before teaching the students the subject, he would say something humorous, and afterward he would begin with awe and reverence and teach the subject. Listen. When I first came abroad, to South America, it was just before Pesach. What would we do about matzos? People got them from somewhere else, brought them from here, brought them from there. In short, I organized a team to bake matzos, we bought an oven, and I sat in the office watching on closed-circuit television, overseeing everything to make sure it was done properly. Suddenly, a simple Jew came running to me—an earnest, simple Jew, like someone from a previous generation. He said, “Rabbi, Rabbi, there’s actual chametz here! Actual chametz!” He had tears in his eyes. “Please sit down, calm down. What happened? What is it? What did you see?” “Rabbi,” he said to me in Yiddish—and I’ll translate it into Hebrew in a moment—“Rabbi, I saw—I saw with my own eyes how they pour water into the flour!” I said to him, “Rabbi, what did you think? How do you bake matzos? With saliva?” According to the Gemara in tractate Pesachim, according to halacha, saliva causes leavening faster than water. But I explained to him, I explained: “Look, it’s true that they take flour, put it in, pour water into the flour, and make the dough. But you have to make sure it doesn’t take more than eighteen minutes.” And then a resolution to the Radbaz’s question occurred to me. Tell me, how long can I speak? Until morning? No. So the Radbaz’s question—the Radbaz asks: In the plain meaning of Pesach, as we’re saying now on Pesach, the Sages say about the verse “And you shall guard the matzos”: Do not read it as “matzos,” but as “mitzvos.” In other words, when a mitzvah comes your way, do not let it become chametz. That means doing the mitzvah promptly, not waiting. If a mitzvah comes your way, don’t say, “Just a moment, just a moment. First I’ll sleep, first I’ll…” Don’t let it become chametz; do it right away. The Radbaz asks: Why? There are 613 mitzvos, so why did the Torah allude to this idea of acting promptly

16:52 Speaker 2 Why specifically here, with the mitzvah of matzos? I gave a simple answer—actually, I gave two answers. My simple answer was based on what Rashi says on the first verse of Bereishis. At the very beginning of the Torah, Rashi says: “Rabbi Yitzchak said: The Torah should have begun only with ‘This month shall be for you.’” Why? Because that was the first mitzvah the Jewish people were commanded. So now the Torah comes and says: Here is the first mitzvah; you are going to receive 613 mitzvos. Know that mitzvos must be done with alacrity—do not let them become chametz. That was my simple answer. But this Jew revealed a new answer to me. Precisely in this mitzvah of matzah, the idea of letting a mitzvah become chametz is plain to see. Why? If we take the dough and seventeen minutes and fifty-nine seconds pass, it is still perfectly fine. One more second, and it is outright chametz, as he shouted: “Outright chametz!” You see how much that second matters—certainly a moment matters. And there are many Jews who, when a mitzvah comes along, say, “Fine, first I’ll rest, and afterward I’ll get to work.” Why am I saying this now? Because we begin by honoring our hosts: how quickly they arranged this whole farbrengen, and so on. And, of course, everyone knows how swiftly Chabad matzos are made, with the utmost care. To the point. How much time do I have? All right, I’ll shorten it. To the point: We have gathered for a farbrengen here, and as we said earlier, our Sages say—and the Tur cites their words—that the three pilgrimage festivals correspond to the three Patriarchs, just as we take three matzos corresponding to the three Patriarchs. The Tur says that the first festival, Pesach, corresponds to Avraham Avinu. What was Avraham Avinu’s essential mission? He made G-dliness known throughout the world: that there is one G-d, that this world has a Master. As

20:12 Speaker 2 Rabbeinu Bachya says about the verse, “And Avraham called there.” Several times in the Torah it says that Avraham “called there in the name of Hashem.” There are other explanations of “called,” but Rabbeinu Bachya explains that he would call people over, gather people—hundreds of people, thousands of people—and speak to them, explaining the oneness of the Creator. He made the G-dliness of Hakadosh Boruch Hu known. So too the Rebbe, a great tzaddik among giants. I have been to many countries around the world, and I can tell you, as the verse says, “Even if your dispersed are at the ends of the heavens, from there Hashem your G-d will gather you”—from one end of the heavens to the other. In every remote corner I have visited, Chabad is there on the Rebbe’s shlichus. I meet someone and ask, “What are you doing here?” I myself have been sent on many educational missions. “What are you doing here?” “The Rebbe sent me.” Our Sages say something interesting in Maseches Sofrim. In Yehoshua, too, the verse says that they came to Chevron, and there was “the greatest man among the giants.” Our Sages ask: Who was the greatest man among the giants? Avraham Avinu, whose eating and drinking equaled that of seventy-four people. If we understand that literally, there is no sense in it. What would Avraham Avinu’s distinction be—that he ate ducks like seventy-four people? That cannot be the meaning. Rather, the meaning is this. It says, “Moshe and Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel ascended; they beheld G-d, and they ate and drank.” Our Sages explain what “they ate” means there. “They beheld G-d, and they ate and drank”—they enjoyed the radiance of the Shechinah; they partook of something spiritual. How many people were there? Seventy-four: Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, and seventy elders of Israel. And Avraham Avinu’s experience of the radiance of the Shechinah perhaps reached the level of all seventy-four of those people. That is what it means.

22:44 Speaker 2 The same can be said of the Rebbe: his experience of the radiance of the Shechinah was like that of the greatest of giants, like Avraham Avinu, whose influence reached the ends of the earth. My teachers and friends, there are geniuses and tzaddikim of all kinds. There is a genius and a tzaddik who is especially great at ruling on halachic questions, but he could not be a rosh yeshivah. To delve into a sugya with students—that is not his area. There are those who can be a rosh yeshivah but cannot rule on halachic questions. There are geniuses who are strong in the revealed parts of Torah but do not know Kabbalah, the hidden parts. And there is the reverse. The Rebbe encompassed every field. I do not need to describe to you his genius, his righteousness, or his holy work. And there are tzaddikim, Rebbes, whose influence extends to their own circle. Some influence their entire city; some, their entire country. But the Rebbe’s influence was not over one country—not even one country—but over all countries, over the entire world. And since we are in such a difficult situation in every respect, to the point that they no longer have any idea how to manage, they fail to realize that it is because they departed from the path of Torah. They did not listen to the Rebbe when he told them back then, already in ’67: “Keep it. Do not leave there. Do not call them ‘territories.’” In short, we will not get into these matters here. We are in such great trouble. But regarding the Rebbe, it says: “Hashem said to me, ‘You are My son; today I have begotten you. Ask of Me, and I will give nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession.’” The holy books say, particularly the writings of the Baal Shem Tov and his disciples, that on a person’s birthday he can accomplish great and wondrous things. This is alluded to in the verse, “Today I have begotten you”: on your birthday, “ask of Me”—ask means to make a request—“and I will give”; ask Me, and I will give it to you. And since the Rebbe’s reach extends across the entire world, as alluded to by “the ends of the earth as your possession,” he can influence us now as well. And why is it called Pesach? Rashi gives two explanations. One explanation is that Pesach means “passing over”: on the night of the plague of the firstborn, Hakadosh Boruch Hu passed over the homes of the Jewish people. He did not allow the destroyer to enter their homes, but passed over them. That is one explanation. Rashi’s second explanation is that “Hashem passed over the homes of the Jewish people” means that He spared them; He had mercy. Right now we need both explanations: even if the appointed time for the end has not been set for today, we ask Hakadosh Boruch Hu to skip over the time appointed for it and bring it today, and to have mercy on us in the Rebbe’s merit. May the complete Geulah come speedily in our days, amen.

25:51 Speaker 2 Very soon indeed. Very soon indeed, amen and amen. I would like to welcome the Kopishnitzer Rebbe shlita, who is joining us, as well as the distinguished rabbis Rabbi Moshe Yankele Weiss shlita, Rabbi Moshe Ashkenazi shlita, Rabbi Aharon Shapira shlita, Rabbi Baruch Boaz Yurkowitz shlita, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky shlita, and Rabbi Eliezer Brod. Now—

27:04 Speaker 3 Very soon indeed. And very soon indeed, amen and amen. I would like to welcome the Kopishnitz Rebbe shlita, who is joining us, as well as the distinguished rabbis Rabbi Moshe Yankele Weiss shlita, Rabbi Moshe Ashkenazi shlita, Rabbi Aharon Shapiro shlita, Rabbi Boruch Boaz Yurkowitz shlita, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky shlita, and Rabbi Eliezer Brod. Now.

27:48 Speaker 2 And Rabbi Dubrovski shlita from Rishon LeZion. Now, last but not least—but before that final item—it is known that the main thing at a chassidic farbrengen is… yes, action is the main thing. I saw the first account of a yechidus that the Rebbe edited. It was on Rosh Chodesh Tammuz 5710. A young man went in for yechidus then—today he is a mashpia and co-director with Rabbi Dovid Druskin. He wrote it up and gave it to the Rebbe to edit, and apparently on 7 Tammuz the Rebbe edited the account of the yechidus and gave it back to him. There is something very interesting there. He writes that they spoke about preparing for davening by learning Chassidus. The Rebbe told him that when you want to penetrate a garment, a piece of fabric, or even a person’s body when necessary, you do not do it with your finger, but with a needle. It is precisely something fine, narrow, small that penetrates deep into the fabric, and sometimes, when necessary, into a person’s body. The Rebbe told him that before davening, one should not contemplate long, grand ideas, but rather one particular point of understanding or avodah, in a passage of a maamar. And I think this is a lesson for all of us. Sometimes a day like today comes along—“This is the day Hashem has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it”—11 Nissan. There are great things, so many things, and precisely here we need to bring it down to a needle, to the tip of a needle, to its point: to make a good resolution. Perhaps not something that will change the world, but something practical that each person undertakes. As the Rebbe mentioned on 12 Tammuz 5740, when it was the Frierdiker Rebbe’s hundredth birthday: three good resolutions concerning Torah study, particularly public Torah study, and supporting Torah study. And surely all the good resolutions will hasten even further the revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, immediately. Last but not least, before the niggunim, I would like to invite

27:49 Speaker 3 And Rabbi Dubrovsky shlita from Rishon LeZion. Now, last but not least—but before we get to the last speaker—we know that at a chassidic farbrengen, the main thing is that “action is what matters most.” I saw the first account of a yechidus that the Rebbe edited. It was on Rosh Chodesh Tammuz 5710. A young man went in for yechidus then—today he is a mashpia and co-director with Rabbi Dovid Druskin. He wrote it up and gave it to the Rebbe to edit, and apparently on 7 Tammuz the Rebbe edited the account and returned it to him. There is something very interesting there. He writes that they spoke about preparing for davening by studying Chassidus. The Rebbe told him that when you want to pierce a garment, a piece of fabric, or even a person’s body when necessary, you don’t do it with your finger, but with a needle. It is specifically something fine, something narrow, something short. The needle is what penetrates deep into the fabric, and sometimes, when necessary, into a person’s body as well. The Rebbe told him that before davening, one should not contemplate long, sweeping ideas, but rather a specific point of understanding or avodah in a passage of a maamar. I think this is a lesson for all of us. Sometimes a day like today arrives—“This is the day Hashem has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it”—11 Nissan. There are great things, so many things, and precisely here we need to bring it down to the point of a needle, the tip of a needle: a good resolution. Perhaps not something that will conquer the world, but something practical that each person takes upon himself. As the Rebbe mentioned on 12 Tammuz 5740, the Frierdiker Rebbe’s hundredth birthday: three good resolutions concerning Torah study, especially studying Torah with others, and supporting Torah study. Surely all these good resolutions will hasten still further the revelation of our righteous Moshiach, immediately. Last but not least, before the niggunim, I would like to invite

30:29 Speaker 3 Our friend, the distinguished Rabbi Moshe Yankele Weiss shlita, rabbi of the Achiezer neighborhood, please say a few words of blessing.

30:51 Speaker 4 I’m really not allowed to give a speech, but I do want to wish everyone a happy, kosher and joyous Pesach, together with the complete Geulah. May we merit to see it even before the holiday, and may we all offer the Pesach sacrifice together in the holy city of Jerusalem, speedily in our days. Amen.

31:23 Speaker 3 Short and to the point. Amen and amen. Now, please, let’s all turn off our phones, take our seats, and sing the Rebbeim’s niggunim together. Niggun Shalosh Tenuos.

32:51 Speaker 5 You can take your seats and join in.

34:41 Speaker 6 A niggun of the Alter Rebbe, “You are my G-d and I will thank You.” “You are my G-d and I will thank You; my G-d, I will exalt You; You are my G-d and I will thank You.” They’ve asked us to sing Niggun Daled Bavos. Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya. Yaya, ya, ya, ya. Ay dai dai dai dai dai. Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya. Yaya, ya, ya, ya. Ay dai dai dai dai dai. Ya,

41:10 Speaker 7 [unclear]. Don’t worry, boys, about what will become of us. [unclear]. Don’t worry, boys, about what will become of us. [unclear]. Ay yay yay yay, didi di di di di di di.