Farbrengen of 19 Kislev 5765, Kfar Chabad

00:01 Speaker 1 Honored rabbinic leaders, mashpi’im, rabbis, dayanim, and public figures who will be joining us later; ministers who will be joining us later; distinguished guests, chassidim and people of action; the Temimim, soldiers of the House of David; the wonderful soldiers of Tzivos Hashem, sitting so beautifully and quietly; esteemed and holy gathering—shh... Here in Kfar Chabad, the center and capital of our Holy Land, we are delighted to welcome you on behalf of the Kfar Chabad committee and its chairman, Reb Binyamin Lipschitz, with a heartfelt chassidic greeting. Welcome to the grand central farbrengen in honor of the Festival of Liberation, 19 Kislev, the day of the Alter Rebbe’s liberation. We have come to rejoice, to thank Hashem for His kindnesses, and to greet one another with the traditional chassidic blessing: A gut Yom Tov! May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year in the study of Chassidus and in the ways of Chassidus.

01:32 Speaker 2 Amen.

01:32 Speaker 1 My teachers and friends, esteemed and holy gathering: “This is the day Hashem has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” On this day, the one whose celebration it is—our great Rebbe, the one who was liberated, may his merit protect us, amen—ruled and wrote in his letter: “It shall be established as a perpetual festival among the Jewish people, on which His great name will be exalted and sanctified, and thousands of Jewish hearts will be awakened to teshuvah and to the service of the heart.” Since then, the Festival of Liberation, 19 Kislev, has been celebrated throughout the Jewish world. That ruling has indeed come to pass: countless thousands of Jews have been stirred to a deep, inner awakening toward Torah, holiness, purity, and the ways of Chassidus. It is 19 Kislev that has kept the holy ember from going out. It has given strength, fortitude, and G-dly vitality in every circumstance and at every time. My friends, this year more than ever, as the Jewish people live through a difficult and fateful time, it is fitting that we sit together at a chassidic farbrengen and use this special, auspicious day for a genuine awakening, to strengthen and solidify the great and vast community of all who follow the Alter Rebbe’s light and path. As the Jewish people now face the most difficult of times, we would do well to reflect on the meaning of the Festival of Liberation, 19 Kislev, which we are celebrating at this very moment here in Kfar Chabad and throughout the Jewish world. The imprisonment of the author of the Tanya and Shulchan Aruch was one of the most difficult periods for Chabad Chassidus in particular and for the chassidic movement as a whole. The chassidic movement, then in a period of growth and increasing strength, suddenly faced an existential threat. It was clear that if, G-d forbid, the Alter Rebbe had not been acquitted, the Russian authorities would have put an end to the entire chassidic movement. After he was— We welcome our honored local rabbi, the great gaon Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi shlita. Welcome. After his release, the Alter Rebbe related that while he was in prison, his teacher, the Maggid of Mezritch, and his teacher, the Baal Shem Tov, appeared to him. As is well known, he asked them why he had been sentenced to imprisonment and what was wanted of him. The founders of Chassidus answered that a grave accusation had been raised against him Above

05:12 Speaker 1 because he was spreading and revealing the hidden wellsprings of Chassidus. The Alter Rebbe asked them whether he should stop spreading Chassidus. They replied, “Since you have begun, do not stop. On the contrary, spread it more and more and more.” Indeed, in Chabad Chassidus there is a clear distinction between the period before Petersburg, before the imprisonment, and the period after Petersburg. The Alter Rebbe’s maamarim changed fundamentally between the two periods. Before his imprisonment, his maamarim were short and concise; after his release, he began delivering long, fully explained maamarim, enabling much wider circles of people to understand the teachings of Chassidus. My friends, what happened in practice? The very imprisonment intended to destroy Chassidus became a positive turning point—not just a turning point, but a catalyst for spreading Chassidus. It was specifically after the imprisonment that Chassidus as a whole, and Chabad Chassidus in particular, grew with unparalleled strength, and its influence reached, and continues today to reach, broad circles throughout the world. In fact, the Rebbe points out that it was not only the Alter Rebbe, the first in the Chabad dynasty, who was imprisoned. All the Chabad Rebbes, apart from the Rebbe, the leader of our generation, experienced this. Each was arrested on one pretext or another, and in every case the imprisonment brought about the opposite result: an increase in their activities and influence. Clearly, the Rebbe says, this is no coincidence. There is a profound process here of descent leading to ascent—a great ascent. It is also clear that the higher the ascent to come, the harder the descent preceding it. From this perspective, we who are sitting here in this most difficult period in Jewish history can draw encouragement and hope precisely from the depth of the descent, and understand how lofty the ascent to follow will be. We have said here in Kfar Chabad several times at farbrengens: the Jewish people stand now, precisely now more than ever, on the threshold of the loftiest ascent, on the threshold of the Geulah. Over there in the government, they are making calculations and plans about how to bring people in, whom to bring in,

08:43 Speaker 1 and how to form a government. But they are making a great mistake. What awaits us is not a more right-wing or more Jewish government, but an entirely different system of government—and apparently they do not sufficiently realize that. The present system of government is about to give way to a different kind of rule, my friends: the G-dly kingship of Moshiach ben David. We are now at the point where the two systems meet, and the severe crisis we are experiencing provides the basis for receiving the higher, holy rule of Moshiach Tzidkeinu. The sense of imprisonment and siege felt by the entire public today is a preparation for the true Geulah expected soon. In a way, it prepares our hearts for the true destiny awaiting us. My brothers and friends, let us listen to the words of joy and liberation that the Alter Rebbe proclaimed: “I have made 19 Kislev like Yom Kippur: whatever a Jew asks for on this day, his request will be granted.” I repeat: “I have made 19 Kislev like Yom Kippur: whatever a Jew asks for, his prayer will be answered.” Let us offer a prayer to the Creator of the world and ask: May this hour, the hour of the chassidic farbrengen, be an hour of mercy and a favorable time before You. May the great and powerful longing for Moshiach awakened in us by the Rebbe, the leader of our generation, continue to grow, and may the journey toward the Geulah gather strength and reach its destination in the complete and true Geulah through Moshiach Tzidkeinu, very soon indeed. Amen and amen. My friends, the Rebbe says in one of his sichos that, as we know from the accounts of our Rebbeim, the Alter Rebbe’s liberation came about through the prayers of his students, his chassidim, and all who followed him. As chassidim and students of the Rebbe, the leader of our generation and successor to our Rebbeim beginning with the Alter Rebbe, let us open the central farbrengen with prayer. Psalm 103, the Rebbe’s chapter. I have the honor of inviting Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Halevi Raichik, a member of the leadership of the central Tzeirei Agudas Chabad, to lead us in Psalm 103, the Rebbe’s chapter. I ask everyone to rise

12:09 Speaker 1 and join in reciting Tehillim. Thank you, and yasher koach to Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Halevi Raichik, a member of the leadership of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad. We also warmly welcome our distinguished friend, Knesset member Rabbi Benny Elon. Welcome, and a joyous festival to you. My friends... The Alter Rebbe, the one whose liberation we celebrate, said and promised: “Whoever rejoices in my joy, I will take him from the expanse... from constraint to expansiveness.” Another version says: “Whoever rejoices in my joy, I will take him from the material to the spiritual.” A third version says: “Whoever rejoices in my joy, I will take him out of Gehinnom.” And the Rebbe says in his holy sichos that all three versions are fitting, and explains this at length. The point is: what does it mean to rejoice in the Rebbe’s joy? It means holding on to the handle—the klamke—of the Rebbe’s door. And what does it mean to hold on to the handle, the klamke? To repeat a maamar of the Rebbe, a niggun of the Rebbe, a teaching of the Rebbe. We will now open the chassidic farbrengen with words of the Rebbe: a maamar of Chassidus from the Rebbe, to be delivered by the gaon and chossid Rabbi Eliezer Brod shlita, rabbi of the community of Karmei Yosef and head of the rabbinic ordination program at the Or Simcha yeshivah in Kfar Chabad. We ask the choir and orchestra to begin with the niggun preceding the maamar, and immediately afterward we will hear the maamar from Rabbi Brod. Please.

19:40 Speaker 9 “He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me, for many were with me.” The Gemara in Berachos says of this verse that whoever engages in Torah study and acts of kindness and prays with the congregation—Hakadosh Boruch Hu says: “I regard it as though he redeemed Me and My children from among the nations of the world.” To understand the connection between these three things—Torah, acts of kindness, and communal prayer—and the verse “He redeemed my soul in peace,” we need to explain that Torah is connected with peace. As the Midrash says, when a Jew sits and studies Torah, he brings peace between the heavenly retinue and the earthly retinue. Just as Torah study brings connection and unity between the higher and lower worlds, so too, within a person himself, Torah study brings peace between his two worlds: his G-dly soul on the one hand and his animal soul on the other. Torah even brings peace into the world in the literal sense, as the Rambam writes at the end of Hilchos Chanukah: “The entire Torah was given to bring peace to the world.” And as we say every day in prayer, quoting our Sages: “Torah scholars increase peace in the world.” In other words, Torah study does not merely bring about peace in the world, but an abundance of peace—“Torah scholars increase peace in the world.” That is the connection between “He redeemed my soul in peace” and Torah study. We find the same thing with acts of kindness. As Rashi explains there in Berachos, an act of kindness creates unity and peace between the person who gives and the person who receives. In other words, acts of kindness bring about peace. Then there is communal prayer: as the Zohar says, “For many were

21:53 Speaker 9 with me”—“many” refers to praying with the congregation. Through engaging in these three paths—Torah, avodah, and acts of kindness, the three pillars on which the world stands—one brings about redemption. Hakadosh Boruch Hu says, “It is as though he redeemed Me and My children from among the nations of the world.” This means that it brings the third Geulah and the building of the third Beis Hamikdash. The connection of these things with the number three can be understood from Matan Torah, about which the Gemara in Shabbos says: “Blessed is the Merciful One, Who gave a threefold Torah to a threefold people, on the third day of the third month, through a third-born.” Torah is thus connected with the number three. The reason is that the third comes to connect two things. When there is only one thing, there is no room for disagreement. But when there are two things, disagreement can arise, and a third is needed to connect and unite them. We find something similar with a beis din: a beis din has no fewer than three judges, yet when they issue a ruling, all three become one entity. That is the power of the third: to connect and unite everyone. And speaking of a beis din and its rulings, this extends to the final halachic ruling, that the Geulah depends only on teshuvah. Teshuvah can take place in a single hour, in a single moment, and through it we bring the complete Geulah. Now, just as these three things exist in our avodah in general, there are also three levels of redemption. There is the simple, lower level of “He redeemed my soul in peace,” reflected in the plain meaning of the verses: King David said “He redeemed my soul in peace” when he was at war with his son Avshalom. And although King David said, “For many were with me”—which the Jerusalem Talmud explains to mean that even Avshalom’s men prayed for David’s welfare—David was nevertheless at war with Avshalom and had to flee Jerusalem. As a result, the Jerusalem Talmud discusses David’s status: did he still have the status of a king when he was no longer in Jerusalem? Here, then, “He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me” is literal: there is a state of war. But there is a higher level of “He redeemed my soul in peace,” the level found with David’s son, King Shlomo. In his days there was peace and tranquility; the world was, as it were, under his rule, and tribute was brought to him from all over the world. As the verses plainly describe, they brought him precious stones, gold, and silver. That is why Hakadosh Boruch Hu said that Shlomo, specifically, would build the Beis Hamikdash, and not David. Although Shlomo came from David, and a son’s strength comes from his father; although the Beis Hamikdash is associated with David, everything came from him, and he conceived the entire idea of it—nevertheless, it was King Shlomo who built it in practice. As Hakadosh Boruch Hu told David, he had been involved in wars, even though they were the wars of Hashem. But because they involved bloodshed—“for you have shed much blood”—King David would not build the Beis Hamikdash; King Shlomo would. Thus “He redeemed my soul in peace” as it applied to Shlomo was higher than it was with David: for Shlomo, it meant peace

24:10 Speaker 9 So he was at war with his son Avshalom. And although King David said, “For there were many with me,” which the Jerusalem Talmud explains to mean that even Avshalom’s men prayed for David’s well-being, David was nevertheless at war with Avshalom and had to flee Jerusalem. As a result, the Jerusalem Talmud discusses King David’s status: did he still have the status of a king during the time he was not in Jerusalem? Here, then, “He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me” is meant literally: there was a state of war. But there is a higher level of “redeemed in peace,” the level attained by David’s son, King Shlomo. In his days there was peace and tranquility, and the world was as though under his rule, with tribute brought to him from all over the world. As the verses plainly relate, they brought him precious stones, gold, and silver. That is why Hakadosh Boruch Hu said that Shlomo, specifically, would build the Beis Hamikdash, not David. Shlomo came from David, and a son’s strength comes from his father; the Beis Hamikdash is called by David’s name, everything came from David, and he was the one who conceived the entire idea of the Beis Hamikdash. Nevertheless, it was King Shlomo, specifically, who built it in practice. As Hakadosh Boruch Hu told David, he had been involved in wars—even though they were Hashem’s wars—but because they involved bloodshed, “For you have shed much blood,” King David would not build the Beis Hamikdash; King Shlomo would. So “redeemed in peace” as it was with Shlomo is higher than “redeemed in peace” as it was with David, for with Shlomo it was a matter of peace

26:03 Speaker 9 without any war at all. The ultimate fulfillment of “He redeemed my soul in peace” will come through Moshiach Tzidkeinu in the true and complete Geulah. Moshiach Tzidkeinu, too, is descended from David and Shlomo. He will fight the wars of Hashem, prevail, and bring the whole world to a state in which there is no evil at all; everything will be transformed into good. Now, just as there are these three stages in war on a general level, there are three corresponding levels in a person’s avodah. Battle in a person’s avodah relates to the statement that prayer is “the service of the heart,” and to the verse “with my sword and my bow,” which Targum Onkelos translates as referring to sword and bow. The difference between a sword and a bow is that both are weapons of war, but a bow is used more for fighting at a distance, while a sword is used for fighting up close. That is the meaning of “He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me”: “battle” also suggests closeness, with the two sides fighting in close proximity. It is therefore connected with a sword. This idea of a sword in a person’s avodah begins with the Mishnah’s question, “From when do we recite Shema in the evening?” Reciting Shema is meant to lead to the avodah of “You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart”—with both your inclinations, the good inclination and the evil inclination. But this avodah begins with a battle between the good inclination and the evil inclination. That is why the question begins, “From when do we recite Shema”—at first it is in the evening, when it is still dark and there is a need for battle. At that point, a person is on the level of iskafya: good overcomes evil. In other words, evil is still present, but good overcomes it. Afterward one reaches “From when do we recite Shema in the morning?” Morning signifies that good succeeds not only in overcoming evil, but in eliminating it altogether. As it says,

28:13 Speaker 9 “My heart is hollow within me”—he has no evil inclination at all. Then comes a higher level: not only does he have no evil inclination, but the evil inclination itself is transformed into good. At that point, “You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart” is fulfilled in the plain sense—with both your inclinations, the good inclination and the evil inclination, both of which have become good. Its ultimate fulfillment will come with Moshiach, when the avodah will be on the level of the yechidah of the soul and the level of the One. When the other levels shine forth, rather than the yechidah of the soul—even on the level of chayah, which is a transcendent level—there is no evil at that level, but the possibility of evil is still not entirely ruled out. At the level of the One, by contrast, a person is in a state in which evil cannot exist at all. As mentioned, this will be when Moshiach Tzidkeinu comes. To reach this destiny, we must begin with “From when do we recite Shema in the evening?” on the level of iskafya. We then continue and reach “From when do we recite Shema in the morning?” on the level of ishapcha. This brings the revelation of the One of the world and of the yechidah of the soul, through the yechidah—through Moshiach Tzidkeinu, in the true and complete Geulah, speedily in our days. Amen.

29:35 Speaker 10 …

30:24 Speaker 9 Thank you very much, and yasher koach to the distinguished chossid Rabbi Eliezer Brod for delivering the Chassidic maamar with such clarity and understanding. My teachers and friends, our Rebbeim often used the phrase “a chossid, a G-d-fearing person, and a scholar,” particularly the Rebbe in letters to boys celebrating their bar mitzvah. I heard that the Rebbe raises this in one of his sichos: Why does “chossid” come before “G-d-fearing person” and “scholar”? Our Sages said, “If there is no fear of Heaven, there is no wisdom.” But for there to be fear of Heaven and wisdom, there must first be bittul—the dedication of a chossid, the care to do more than is required. Then the three words form the Hebrew initials of chayal: a Chassidic soldier. It is our pleasure and honor to invite a chossid, a G-d-fearing person, and a scholar to offer a guest’s greeting: Israel’s Chief Military Rabbi, Brigadier General Rabbi Yisrael Weiss shlita. Rabbi Weiss, please share your greetings and thoughts with the farbrengen.

32:10 Speaker 11 Good evening. With the permission of the distinguished rabbis, Member of Knesset Benny Elon, and the Chief Rabbi of the Israel Police—I see him arriving. My teachers and friends, it is a genuine, moving honor for me to stand here before this holy gathering and tell you that your celebration is our celebration. As I stand here, I see before me one of the Rebbe’s letters, and I will read the following. The Rebbe writes in his letter about 19 Kislev in Kfar Chabad: “I saw excerpts from newspapers reporting that several members of the Israel Defense Forces took part in the celebration of the luminous day of 19 Kislev in Kfar Chabad. I hope that my telegram for 19 Kislev reached the village on time; it contained a special blessing for the members of the Israel Defense Forces.” And I hereby receive the Rebbe’s blessing. My teachers and friends, I travel around Eretz Yisroel and the world, and I see the esteemed shluchim everywhere. And I say: This is Judaism embodied, wherever you go in the world. Chassidim once said to the Rebbe: What is a Jew like? Like a letter written in a Torah scroll. Sometimes that letter grows faint and needs to be strengthened. The Rebbe said: That is not so. A Jew is like a letter engraved in stone; it can never be erased. Sometimes a little dust gathers on it, and our task is to remove the dust from the Jewish letter engraved in stone. My teachers and friends, the Jewish soul beats deep in the heart of every Jew. Sometimes it is covered by layers, but then a shliach comes, reaches out, takes hold of that Jew, and knows how to reconnect him with his Judaism. Wherever people think Judaism has come to an end, that faith is no longer there, suddenly, as if from nowhere, this Chassidic movement appears and brings the children home. I have a feeling, my teachers and friends, that the special bond Chabad chassidim have with Eretz Yisroel, the Jewish people, and the Torah of Israel is, in essence, the bond forged by Yaakov Avinu, our teacher and forefather, who connects us

35:54 Speaker 11 to these recent parshiyos: Vayeitzei, Vayishlach, and this week’s parsha, Vayeishev. “Yaakov left Be’er Sheva and went to Charan.” Our Sages, of blessed memory, say: He sought to pass through, and the whole world became a wall before him. You, too, go to every place in the world without asking what you will gain, without asking what you will get out of it, without asking about the conditions—as long as you can bring the word of Hashem to every place in the world. Yaakov Avinu had to flee his home and spent more than twenty years in Lavan’s house, a house full of lies, filth, and idolatry. Our Sages ask: Where did Yaakov Avinu find the strength to remain in such a house? And not only to remain there, but to leave with the Torah of Israel on his lips: “I lived with Lavan, yet I kept the 613 mitzvos.” Even in those difficult hours of trial, amid idolatry, lies, and filth, Yaakov Avinu could look one step ahead, see the whole picture, and see the blessing of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, Who told him, “You shall spread out westward, northward, and eastward”—just as you do. When Yaakov Avinu went to build his home, he was not merely going to father his twelve children. Yaakov Avinu was going to build the House of Israel. Yaakov Avinu was going to build the eternity of Israel, and that is the essential contribution of this Chassidic movement. Allow me, on this festive day, my teachers and friends, to bless you for being people who truly love every Jew. Without asking what someone believes, without asking where he came from, you know that everyone belongs to the Jewish people—the righteous, the intermediate, and even those who may be distant. You know how to gather them into one bond and reconnect them to the roots, the essence, and the tradition of the Jewish people throughout the generations. For only someone who knows where he came from will know where he is going. A joyous holiday.

38:35 Speaker 12 Thank you, and warm applause for Israel’s Chief Military Rabbi, Brigadier General Rabbi Yisrael Weiss shlita. His words gave practical expression to what the Alter Rebbe devoted himself, heart and soul, to for chassidim and Chassidus—above all, Ahavas Yisroel. What we heard from the rabbi—the dedication, the Rebbe’s imprint, and how these things are put into practice by every single chossid. Thank you, and yasher koach. My teachers and friends, in the well-known letter of the Alter Rebbe, the Rebbe mentions that the victory of the light of Chassidus was revealed, using the phrase “before the eyes of all the ministers and peoples.” Not all the government ministers have joined us here yet, but some are already with us. And in our own government here in Kfar Chabad, everyone is a minister—before the eyes of all the ministers and peoples. It is my honor to invite a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, a friend... Binyamin, chairman of the committee. So let us welcome the minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, a great friend of Chabad who does so much and fights so hard for the whole Land of Israel. From here, we wish him all the strength to continue the fight until complete victory. Welcome. And from one minister to another—perhaps a former minister there, but to us he will always be a minister: our friend and regular guest, beloved by us all, a great fighter for the whole Land of Israel. And if he was dismissed as a minister there, it was only because of the whole Land of Israel. Our friend, Member of Knesset Uzi Landau.

41:12 Speaker 13 Honored mara d’asra, honored rabbis, Members of Knesset, ministers, residents of Kfar Chabad, guests. “Yaakov settled in the land where his father had lived, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Yaakov: Yosef was seventeen years old.” On this, it is said: Yaakov sought to live in tranquility, but the troubles of Yosef sprang upon him. A government was elected in Israel nearly two years ago, with a majority for the national right. A stable government could be formed—and the government that was formed was stable. We could have addressed the economy, which requires four years of stability, and matters of education, including Jewish and Zionist education, and, of course, waged a determined fight against terrorism. But then the trouble of the Road Map sprang upon us, followed by the trouble of disengagement. Ministers were dismissed from the government, a party left the government, and yesterday ministers were dismissed from the government again. Now the government has no majority. The Likud, as the largest party, is on its knees begging Labor to come in. There is no budget, though there should have been one. The advice now being offered is to bring the Labor Party into the government so that disengagement can keep moving forward. Disengagement is a unilateral withdrawal from Eretz Yisroel. Disengagement is a withdrawal under terrorist fire, without peace, without anything, without anything in return. The issue will apparently come before the Likud Central Committee next week. And to those proposing disengagement, we will say: We know, with faith in our hearts—and you, the people of Chabad, believe this too—“Devise a plan, and it will be thwarted.” Speak of disengagement, and it will not come to pass, “for G-d is with us.” Be strong and courageous.

44:22 Speaker 14 Thank you very much, and yasher koach to Member of Knesset and former minister Uzi Landau for his words of encouragement. But encouragement comes with a response: “He redeemed [my soul] in peace”—peace twice over: shalom aleichem and aleichem shalom. From this Chassidic farbrengen, we continue to strengthen his hands. May Hashem give him the strength to press on energetically until complete victory. My teachers and friends, on 19 Kislev, “light and vitality were granted to our souls.” Vitality alone can exist in a person who is missing limbs or, G-d forbid, is not healthy. But “light and vitality were granted to our souls”—vitality filled with light. It is our honor to invite the mara d’asra of Kfar Chabad, the host of the central farbrengen, to share his thoughts on the light and vitality granted to our souls on 19 Kislev. The distinguished chossid Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi shlita, please.

45:43 Speaker 3 As is customary at a chassidic farbrengen, we’ll begin by saying l’chaim. L’chaim, l’chaim. May this be an active and successful farbrengen, with good resolutions. L’chaim, l’chaim. Honorable Chief Rabbi of the IDF, honorable Chief Rabbi of the Police, ministers, members of Knesset, former ministers, current ministers, future ministers. I think nearly the whole government is represented here at this table. Since there aren’t many ministers left in the government today, we can say that almost most of the government is sitting at this table. Who knows who will still be there tomorrow? And so, at this farbrengen, as was mentioned earlier, there is the matter of Chabad Chassidus and Ahavas Yisroel, which is, in fact, the central chapter of the holy Tanya—the chapter we began studying again today. Chapter 32: Ahavas Yisroel for each and every person, whatever their situation may be. It is known—and alluded to in the Rebbe’s holy sichos, though well known among chassidim—that the Maggid of Mezritch had three students. The first was called Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. The second was called Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli, and the third was the Alter Rebbe. Of course, he had other students as well. All three distinguished themselves in Ahavas Yisroel. All three practiced Ahavas Yisroel. But what is the difference between the Ahavas Yisroel of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, that of Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli, and that of the Alter Rebbe? Chassidim said: Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was great in Ahavas Yisroel. How did he love a fellow Jew? He saw no bad in him. When he saw some transgression, G-d forbid, he immediately spoke in the person’s defense and said it wasn’t a transgression. He saw no bad at all. In other words, he didn’t merely fail to see it; he turned the bad, the transgression, into something good. When Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli looked at a Jew, he saw only good in him. He saw no bad in him. The Alter Rebbe loved a Jew with

48:24 Speaker 3 the bad that was in him. Even though he knew there was bad in him, even though he had committed a transgression—nevertheless, Ahavas Yisroel. Why? Because he is a Jew. That is the depth of the mitzvah of Ahavas Yisroel. And so today we see what is unique about the teachings of Chabad Chassidus. As the Rebbe instructed us, and continues to instruct us, we must spread Torah and Chassidus throughout the world. This celebration of 19... this farbrengen of 19 Kislev is a day to strengthen ourselves, to intensify still more and more the Rebbe’s holy work of preparing the world for the coming of Moshiach. Whether through studying Chassidus or studying the inner dimension of Torah—as the Rebbe explained in one of his holy sichos, why were the teachings of Chassidus revealed now, during the time of exile? After all, the teachings of Chassidus themselves are more closely connected with the Torah of Moshiach. Rather, as the Rebbe explained, Chassidus is a form of “those who taste it merit life”: just as a person is meant to taste the Shabbos food on Friday, to get a taste of Shabbos, so too, in the footsteps of Moshiach, these teachings of Chassidus were revealed to us so that we could taste the Torah of Moshiach. But there is more. As the Rebbe explains elsewhere, the teachings of Chassidus are the lamp, the illumination and the light. They were given to us as the light and vitality of our souls, to enable us to stand firm in the darkness of exile and overcome its doubled and redoubled darkness. Whether it is the darkness in the world at large or the darkness each person faces in their own surroundings, it is specifically and only through the light of Chassidus, chassidic conduct and the study of Chassidus that we have the remedy and the means to reach the promised revelation of King Moshiach. So at this farbrengen, each and every one of us must strengthen ourselves: increase our study and classes in Chassidus, and spread the wellsprings of Chassidus throughout the world. Ahavas Yisroel for each and every person, whoever they may be—and specifically through

50:56 Speaker 3 this, and only through this, we have been promised that we will merit to see the fulfillment of the promise: the revelation of the Rebbe, our King Moshiach, immediately, right now.

51:16 Speaker 4 Thank you very much, and yasher koach to the mara d’asra, the great scholar and chossid, Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi shlita. From this farbrengen here in Kfar Chabad, we wish him many more years in his position, in health and joy. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to share one small part of a tremendous experience I had recently while visiting police stations in the holy city of Jerusalem. I visited all the police headquarters in the Old City and at the Russian Compound. I went with a Chabad chossid who is active there every day, helping people put on tefillin and giving Chassidus classes. We went in—and I tell you, the stories are long. I’ll mention two out of thirty. We went to see the commander at the Kosel, whose name is Roni. I needed to thank him for some assistance he had given a Tzeirei Chabad activity at the Kosel. When I knocked on the door, the commander opened it, or told [unclear] to open it, and I saw an incredibly moving sight. The commander was sitting there with a kippah on his head, and beside him was a Chabad chossid named Reb Yehuda Yaakubian—some of you know him. They were sitting together, studying a sicha of the Rebbe. I was amazed, and as I began to say so, the commander, Roni, said to me—I’d met him several times before, but I hadn’t known about this—“Why are you so moved? What are you amazed about?” He pointed to the table. “See this cell phone, which is on twenty-four hours a day? Look. When I study Chassidus with Reb Yehuda, even the phone is disconnected. The whole world is disconnected. Right now I’m studying Chassidus with Reb Yehuda.” We went into the Kishle, for those familiar with that station, where sadly they deal with a great deal of crime. The commander’s name is Dudu, and Yehuda went in to remind him that he needed to put on tefillin. Of course, he immediately took out the tefillin and put them on. When he finished, we talked, and Yehuda told me that Dudu doesn’t just put on tefillin

54:02 Speaker 4 himself; he makes sure all his colleagues put them on too. As we said goodbye and offered our blessings, I was again moved by what I had seen. Dudu said to me, “Come and look.” He showed me a shelf with a set of Maayan Chai, the Rebbe’s sichos, Likkutei Sichos in Hebrew, a Tanya and other booklets. “Here—this is the library of my headquarters.” When we left, I asked Yehuda, “What about the tefillin?” He said, “The tefillin? They aren’t mine. They belong to Dudu. They’re his own personal tefillin, and he makes sure that every day, another police officer who comes in puts on tefillin.” Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final story encompasses them all: there is hardly an office belonging to a Border Police commander, or anyone else, without a picture of the Rebbe in it. A Chabad chossid connected to the Rebbe, coming to carry out these activities, is received there with such warmth and kindness—it’s indescribable. When we gather at a farbrengen on 19 Kislev, the day of liberation, this is the time to warm our hearts and see the results of spreading the wellsprings outward. And so this is the moment, the fitting time, to invite to the microphone and the podium our distinguished friend, a great friend of Chabad, Brigadier General Rabbi Yaakov Gross, Rabbi of the Israel Police. Please.

55:50 Speaker 5 With the permission of the mara d’asra, the rabbi of Kfar Chabad, Rabbi Ashkenazi, Rabbi Argaman[?], Rabbi Ashkenazi shlita, the distinguished rabbis, members of the Knesset, and the chairman of the village and the council. I’m hesitant, because for many years I did not want to do this, but perhaps this is, after all, the place and the time. Toward the end of 5739, I was with the Rebbe. Those who know will remember that people went in in groups. I went in with a group, but perhaps I should first go back a little. Until 5739, I had never left the Holy Land, never left Eretz Yisroel. My parents lived in New York, in Crown Heights. Sadly, my father, of blessed memory, fell ill, and since he could not come here, I traveled to visit and care for him, and to do whatever the situation required. Toward the end of 5739, I joined the Israel Police part-time. Before that, I had worked in education, as a teacher. I did so only after consulting my teacher and rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, of blessed memory, and around that time I traveled to America, to the United States. I arrived at my parents’ home. On Friday, I left the house to go to the Rebbe, the seventh shepherd of Chabad. “All sevenths are cherished,” as it is said; they draw strength from all those who preceded them. Before I left the house, my father, of blessed memory, said to me: “I understand you’re going to the Rebbe. I ask you—and almost command you—don’t fool yourself. You won’t be able to speak with him. Perhaps you’ll manage to get in, but if you have the chance... you can get away. Don’t ask for anything on my behalf. What Hakadosh Boruch Hu has given me, He has given, and what He will give, He will give. You’ve taken up a position serving the Jewish people. If you have the chance to say something, ask the Rebbe for a blessing that the Shechinah and blessing should rest upon the work of your hands.” Now I’ll return to the beginning of the story. I went in to the Rebbe, and people were entering in groups. I was almost the last in my group. The Rebbe motioned with his hand for me to wait. He let everyone else leave. He sent out of the room

1:00:04 Speaker 5 even the gabbai, the person attending to him, and I remained for yechidus. I didn’t know what to do with myself. He moved the chair and motioned for me to sit down. The conversation lasted about seventeen or eighteen minutes. I’d like to quote and recount the beginning and the end, and, with your permission, skip the middle. I asked the Rebbe for permission to speak Hebrew. He told me I could speak Hebrew. I told him that... I understand Yiddish, but it’s easier for me to express myself in Hebrew. He, too, spoke Hebrew, in his own way. I told him I had a dilemma. I had come to ask for a blessing for my father. My father was ill, on his deathbed, but he had forbidden me to ask. And I did not want to disobey him, even in his absence. The Rebbe said to me, “But you know your father is right. The needs of the community come first, and that includes your father’s health.” I want to emphasize: I had not told the Rebbe a word about what I was doing at the time. I had not told him my occupation. We had never met. If I say that I am not counted among Chabad chassidim, perhaps you won’t believe me. But if a Chabad chossid had told me such a story, I don’t know what I would have said. Yet I heard it with my own ears and saw it with my own eyes. I had somehow prepared myself for questions. I asked one, and received an answer to two. But I’m going to move from the beginning of the story to its end. During the conversation, the Rebbe asked me whom I consult when I have questions of halachah. I told him: the rosh yeshivah, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, of blessed memory. The rabbi of Givatayim and member of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel, Rabbi Gliksberg, has also arrived. With your permission, I’ll return to the story. The Rebbe asked me what matters I consulted him about. This was in the middle of the conversation. I gave one example. He wasn’t satisfied; he asked for

1:03:15 Speaker 5 another example. With your permission, I’ll skip ahead. At the end, I handed him my kvittel. He looked at the kvittel and asked me, “What, you’re not asking for anything for yourself?” I told him I had not come to ask for myself. So he took the kvittel and added something in his own handwriting; he asked for my name. Then he asked whether I was a Kohen, a Levi, or a Yisroel. I told him I was a Kohen. He asked whether I duchened where I lived. During the conversation I had told him that I lived in Netanya. I said yes. He asked whether I had ever asked Rabbi Shlomo Zalman if I could duchenen in Netanya. I understood why he was asking. There is a responsum of the Tzemach Tzedek saying that where it has not been customary to duchenen, one should not establish the practice. At the time, the chief rabbi of Haifa had also asked the Rebbe about this. He wanted to establish the practice. As you all know, in the Haifa area and the north, they do not duchenen daily, only on Shabbos and at Mussaf. He wanted, it would seem, to correct this and establish that they should duchenen in the north of Eretz Yisroel every day. He asked the Rebbe shortly after taking action, and the Rebbe sent him the Tzemach Tzedek’s responsum. There are earlier discussions as well, in the Aruch Hashulchan and elsewhere. The Rebbe asked me to ask Rabbi Shlomo Zalman when I returned to Eretz Yisroel. I also told the Rebbe—excuse me—that I had not asked, because I had not established the practice in Netanya; where they duchenen, it was not I who instituted it. Since they do, I do as well, because I understood that the question concerned the Tzemach Tzedek’s ruling. The Rebbe nevertheless asked me to ask Rabbi Shlomo Zalman when I arrived home and, if I could, to let him know what he said. I had what I think was an interesting mission from the Chabad Rebbe to Rabbi Shlomo Zalman, but this was not the only thing

1:06:20 Speaker 5 between them. As soon as I returned, I went to Rabbi Shlomo Zalman. I wanted to tell him about the entire conversation first, but I saw that people were waiting, so I did not ask him. I wanted to hear Rabbi Shlomo Zalman’s reaction to the whole conversation. I went back only a few weeks later and asked Rabbi Shlomo Zalman, may the memory of the righteous be a blessing. He asked me, “Did you establish the practice in Netanya?” I said, “No. I duchenen only in places in Netanya where they already duchenen, where other Kohanim did so before me.” I also told Rabbi Shlomo Zalman that, in the places in Netanya where they do not duchenen, I do not think it is for reasons of halachah. So he said to me, “You may duchenen in Netanya, too.” I phoned Rabbi Groner and asked him to go in to the Rebbe and tell him that I had been to Rabbi Shlomo Zalman. I received a reply: a great yasher koach for waiting for the answer. Perhaps it is fitting to conclude with this. Since I have permission to give the priestly blessing even in a place where they do not duchenen every day, and Rabbi Uri HaLevi says one may bless all of Israel even outside the order of the service, I bless those present here and those who are not here, the people in the fields and all the House of Israel wherever they may be, with the priestly blessing: “May Hashem bless you... and grant you peace,” with great love.

1:08:30 Speaker 6 That was a most fascinating story we heard from the rabbi of the Israel Police, Brigadier General Rabbi Gross. It is especially fitting after his yechidus and the kvittel, to which the Rebbe added his name in the yechidus room. The whole story around it is especially fitting—the gematria. Reb Yankel Gross... what? Yes, Rabbi Yaakov Gross, with the kollel, has a gematria of seven hundred and seventy. And indeed, we heard the priestly blessing as well. Today we mentioned the Alter Rebbe’s promise: “Whoever rejoices in my joy, I will bring him from constraint to expansiveness, from the physical to the spiritual, and from Gehinnom.” And the Rebbe asks: Why doesn’t it say, “and from Gehinnom to...” as it does in the first part? The Rebbe explains that here, no letter, no tiny stroke, and no hint can describe how far someone who rejoices in the Rebbe’s joy can reach. And what better way to begin rejoicing than with the very verse the Rebbe himself said they came to announce the Geulah to him with: “He redeemed my soul in peace.” We ask the Kfar Chabad choir, the orchestra, and everyone here to rejoice in the Rebbe’s joy. “He redeemed my soul in peace.”

1:10:30 Speaker 7 He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me, me, me, me, for many were with me. He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me. For many were with me. G-d will hear and answer them, He Who dwells from of old, Selah. G-d will hear and answer them, He Who dwells from of old, Selah. For they undergo no change. For they undergo no change. For they undergo no change, and they do not fear G-d. He stretched out his hands against those at peace with him; he profaned his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. Cast your burden upon Hashem and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to falter. And You, G-d, will bring them down to the pit of destruction. And You, G-d, will bring them down to the pit of destruction. Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. And I will trust in You. And I will trust, and I will trust, and I will trust, and I will trust, and I will trust. And I will trust, and I will trust. And I will trust, and I will trust. And I will trust, and I will trust. And I will trust, and I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust, and I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. Trust, trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. And I will trust. Trust,

1:18:15 Speaker 8 The threshold, raise the threshold, raise the threshold, the threshold, the threshold!