A repeat, abridged broadcast of the funeral procession; a repeat broadcast of memories about the Rebbetzin; recordings from the Anash gathering in Kfar Chabad; another description of the passing; an announcement about a women's gathering in the village

00:00 Speaker 1 Good week. In place of the regular program, we’ll bring you a recap of the past few days. We’ll hear excerpts from a gathering of the residents of Kfar Chabad on Wednesday, as well as a description of the funeral. It is worth noting that on Thursday, the Rebbe shlita edited the weekly selection, the sicha for Parshas Mishpatim. The sicha was printed with a dedication in memory of the Rebbetzin, a”h, and the Rebbe shlita edited the dedication. This is what it says: “In memory of the righteous Rebbetzin, Mrs. Chaya Mushka, daughter of His Holiness the Rebbe, light of the world, crown and glory of Israel, who performed the righteousness of Hashem and His judgments with Israel and turned many away from sin, our master and teacher”—the name of the Frierdiker Rebbe—“and daughter of the righteous Rebbetzin, Mrs. Nechama Dina, a”h, of blessed memory. She passed away on Wednesday of Parshas Mishpatim, 22 Shvat 5748. May her soul be bound in the bond of life. Wife of His Holiness the Rebbe shlita, may he be distinguished for a long and good life.” We have been asked to announce on behalf of the Kfar Chabad office that at eight-thirty, a gathering will be held in the central synagogue to study Mishnayos and share words in memory of the Rebbetzin, a”h. Please bring coins for tzedakah.

01:17 Speaker 2 We’re about five meters from the Rebbe. Uh, the Rebbe is walking slowly, very slowly. Bochurim are surrounding him. Mendel Groner is beside him, Binyamin Klein, Meir Harel. They’re really surrounding him on all sides. The Rebbe is limping a little. The Rebbe is limping slightly. Uh, they’ve opened the route now. He’s right below us now, below the crane. Uh, behind the Rebbe—behind him is a group of bochurim. A group of bochurim, then the Rebbe’s car with Yirmiyah Krinsky inside it. Then there’s a large gap between him and the crowd. The coffin is covered with a black cloth.

02:11 Speaker 3 Who’s carrying the coffin?

02:13 Speaker 2 Two bochurim. The Rebbe is standing now, and the coffin has stopped. The Rebbe is standing behind it, about two meters away. The police are around him too. The Rebbe lowers his head and looks, apparently to see what’s happening behind him, why things aren’t moving. Okay, they’re moving again. The Rebbe is walking. There’s tremendous pressure from the crowd. They’re almost, really almost pushing the Rebbe. The police in particular. The Rebbe is standing in the middle now; the coffin is moving forward, but the Rebbe is standing still. They’re really pushing him. The Rebbe is standing in the middle and not moving. The Rebbe is standing there, not moving until they clear a space for him. This is a bit out of hand. People behind simply don’t know what’s happening and are pushing forward. The Rebbe is moving. The Rebbe has started walking. The Rebbe is moving forward in a very tight crowd. The coffin is waiting for the Rebbe to move forward. They’re clearing a space for the Rebbe. There’s tremendous pressure. Right now they’re trying to hold back the crowd so it won’t move toward Eastern Parkway. The Rebbe is walking more freely now; they’ve managed to hold back the crowd. There’s just a group of police officers.

04:00 Speaker 3 Nu, what do you want in life?

04:01 Speaker 2 The Rebbe is looking toward 770 now. The Rebbe is walking; he’s almost at the corner of Eastern Parkway. The coffin is turning toward Albany. The coffin is turning toward Albany, not toward Eastern Parkway. Hello. Hello?

04:24 Speaker 3 Yes, I’m on the line. Yes, yes. Go on.

04:30 Speaker 2 The coffin is being brought to the chevra kadisha’s vehicle, which, as I said earlier, is parked opposite—it’s roughly opposite the entrance, past the second subway entrance, not beside 770. The Rebbe is turning in that direction. The Rebbe is walking with only, I’d say, about fifty people in front of him, taking up that whole area. The coffin is already facing the vehicle. The whole crowd is pushing forward; there isn’t enough room to make space. The whole crowd is moving closer and closer to Eastern Parkway. I can see the Rebbe making motions with his hand, apparently signaling them to put the coffin in. They’re putting the coffin in now. They’re putting the coffin into the vehicle now. The Rebbe is standing. The Rebbe is standing now about, I’d say, fifteen meters from the vehicle. The Rebbe is standing. There’s a large crowd between Eastern Parkway and Union, all the way to Kingston. Violent pushing. The Rebbe’s car has now come out of the crowd and is turning toward the service lane of Eastern Parkway. The car is turning; the Rebbe turns around, the Rebbe turns around. Beside him is—I can see Menashe Klein here, Rabbi Menashe Klein. The Rebbe is speaking with Leibel Groner. The Rebbe is speaking with Leibel Groner now. They’re clearing a space, clearing a space. The Rebbe is apparently saying that he wants to go over to the vehicle. The Rebbe approaches the vehicle. They’re clearing a space, clearing a space for the Rebbe to reach the vehicle. The Rebbe approaches the vehicle. The Rebbe approaches the vehicle. The Rebbe approaches. The Rebbe approaches the vehicle. The Rebbe is now facing the van. Apparently he’s speaking with—speaking with Leibel Groner. The Rebbe approaches. The Rebbe is standing beside the vehicle, looking into it, but turns his face away. The Rebbe is standing and looking at the coffin inside the vehicle. Uh, people are getting in to sit inside. Members of the chevra kadisha. The Rebbe is standing almost alone now between his car and the chevra kadisha’s vehicle. The Rebbe approaches. He saw Groner just now; he, he signaled that he’s going to the car. Yes, he’s approaching his car. The Rebbe

07:21 Speaker 2 approaches the car. Eli Krinsky opens the door. Eli Krinsky—the Rebbe gets into the car. The Rebbe is getting into the car now, getting into the car now. Eli closes the door, runs around, and as I understand it, the funeral procession is leaving now. The chevra kadisha asked that bochurim not enter the cemetery and that women not enter. Uh, the women are walking, I can see, toward Albany, along Eastern Parkway, on the main boulevard. Only the women are walking. The crowd has now really pulled away—torn out the barriers. They’re clearing them away now, and the crowd is heading toward the buses.

08:10 Speaker 4 It would be very hard for me to say that I knew the Rebbetzin, but I did meet her many, many times. It is very hard to speak about this at a time like this. But we need to remember what was here and is no longer here—people you were so close to who are suddenly gone, and you have to speak about them in the past tense. That is very hard. Of course, I cannot presume to describe the Rebbetzin’s character, may her soul rest in Gan Eden. I simply want to recall things I witnessed, to remember my meetings with her and share the experiences and feelings I had at those meetings, and to return to those memories again and again. Of course, a feeling is very hard to convey to someone else. It has no fixed form, and everyone feels things differently. Everyone looks at things from a different angle. So what I say is, of course, only what I felt. May my words and feelings therefore be a light for her pure and innocent soul, as I saw things and as I felt them then. I remember our first meeting after we arrived from France. It was in 5714, nineteen fifty-four, and that was the first time we met the Rebbetzin. I remember the affection, the warmth she showed my mother, a”h, and us children. How she took an interest in us and asked us about every little detail, because it was our first meeting. That was still in the Rebbe’s first apartment. Those who know will remember that he lived then on New York Avenue, in a small apartment. Since then I met her many, many times. Once I had the privilege of coming in with our children. Of course, there were refreshments on the table every time. This was during Sukkos. The children were still under bar mitzvah age, and she prepared the refreshments and asked them to go into the sukkah and have some there. I also had the privilege of having the Rebbe

10:59 Speaker 4 He moved from the small apartment to the apartment on President Street, the house everyone knows today. I had the privilege of building the Rebbe’s first sukkah on the second floor. When we met, I would tell her about the Rebbe’s campaigns to bring her a little joy, because I knew those things would give her satisfaction. I told her about the chassidim in all the different places and about their connection to the Rebbe. On the one hand, she was always so happy. On the other hand, she always concealed her feelings. She never showed them, but she was always happy. She always asked about each and every person. She was always interested in what was happening in the family and with acquaintances. The last time I had the privilege of seeing her was on 11 Nissan a year ago. I had come for three days and called her. I didn’t know whether she would receive me or not. I said I had come for the Rebbe’s birthday and would be very happy if she could spare me a few minutes. She said she would be very happy to see me. I came to her with our daughter and our youngest child. At home, of course, everything was already ready for Pesach. From the kitchen I could smell the fish; everything had been prepared and cooked for the holiday. Even so, she found those few minutes for me, and of course I thanked her. It is not customary among chassidim to speak about the private lives of the Rebbes, but it is worth mentioning—and perhaps one can put it this way—that she was the Rebbe’s greatest chossid. She sacrificed her life. She had neither day nor night to herself. We still remember the days when the Rebbe would receive people for yechidus several times a week, and the yechidus often continued until daybreak, while she remained at home alone, with no one there. One could also say that she was the only person in the world with whom the Rebbe shlita shared all his concerns and all his affairs, telling her what was going on. Several times she mentioned the

13:31 Speaker 4 distress the Rebbe felt over things that were not to his liking, particularly when the terrible decree concerning “Who Is a Jew” arose. The Rebbe did not sleep at night, and it truly affected his health; she mentioned that. She bore it all proudly and courageously and never complained—never complained that it was hard for her or spoke about how she felt. It is said that when the Tzemach Tzedek’s Rebbetzin passed away, he said, “My world has been destroyed.” Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, the father of the Rebbe shlita, wrote in one of his letters to the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin, a”h, that their names were the same as those of the Tzemach Tzedek and his Rebbetzin. At this hour we pray that Hakadosh Boruch Hu strengthen the health of the Rebbe shlita, that he be healthy, and that very soon we all merit the coming of Moshiach, speedily in our days, amen.

14:43 Speaker 5 As the Gemara says in Tractate Sanhedrin, it discusses eulogies: Is a eulogy an honor for the living or an honor for the deceased? What is the purpose of a eulogy? In practice, as halachah states, a eulogy concerns both: the deceased and the honor of the living. How much more so when we are speaking of the wife of the Rebbe shlita, the leader of our generation. We have gathered for three things: Torah, prayer, and tzedakah. For Torah, to study chapters of Mishnah for the elevation of her soul. As is brought in the Siddur Torah Or—I think it is cited there in the name of the Komarna—and as is brought in a letter of the Alter Rebbe, the practice is to give tzedakah when studying Mishnah: before the study, afterward, and during the study itself. If possible, it should be in small coins, as the Alter Rebbe called them, copper coins. And we have gathered for prayer: to ask Hashem to strengthen the health of the Rebbe shlita and lead us toward Moshiach Tzidkeinu with joy and gladness of heart, very soon. And for tzedakah, which is a means to both of these things together. As the Rebbe also brings in the customs, the practice is to study the Mishnayos of all six orders and finish them during the shivah, then study from after the shivah until the thirtieth day, and then throughout the twelve months. That is also what happened in 5725, when the Rebbe shlita was sitting shivah for his mother. They immediately divided up the Mishnayos, and the Rebbe went over the list of those who had undertaken portions. He asked whether they would indeed study and finish by the end of the shivah. That is how I remember it. In other words, now that we have gathered, each person should undertake, without a vow, a chapter, a tractate or two or three, an order, half an order, or half a tractate, so that together we will manage to study

17:35 Speaker 5 all six orders of Mishnah. My second suggestion—although we have not had time to prepare a form here—is that everyone should offer condolences to the Rebbe shlita. As I understand it, and as the halachah says in the Shulchan Aruch, “Love your fellow as yourself”; how much more so when it concerns the leader of the generation. Anyone thinking of traveling there should certainly do so, but anyone who cannot travel should send a letter. I think it will reach the Rebbe and that he will now go through all the letters. It would be worthwhile to write a collective message of condolence and have everyone in Kfar Chabad sign it, men separately and women separately, and send it by air or with those traveling there. In that way we can fulfill the mitzvah of comforting mourners. Regarding [unclear], what is needed is to do something practical. One of the things decided over the past few hours, which we want to announce here in the presence of all the residents of Kfar Chabad, concerns 770. As is known, the instruction was to establish a library there to serve anyone who wishes to come in and look at a book. Those involved in running the building at 770 have decided that, with Hashem’s help, the library will be established and operating by the end of the thirty days—actually operating. The library will be named for Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka a”h. It would be right and fitting for every resident of Kfar Chabad to contribute toward establishing the library. That way, each person will have a share in what is being built in Kfar Chabad, especially at 770. The Rebbe placed particular emphasis on everyone having an actual share in this. This is especially connected with books, since one of the Rebbe shlita’s most recent instructions concerned

20:21 Speaker 5 establishing the library there. Presumably the intention applies not only there but here as well. So the plan, the wish, and the decision are that the library be named for the Rebbetzin, and that everyone contribute as much as they can, and more than they can, so that it will actually be established. Those responsible have undertaken that, with Hashem’s help, the library will be operating by the end of the thirty days. We intend, with Hashem’s help, to inform the Rebbe and thereby give him satisfaction. Another piece of news I received this evening is that a group of young married men announced the establishment of a gemach in Kfar Chabad in the Rebbetzin’s name.

21:16 Speaker 6 Throughout her life, the Rebbetzin did not want publicity. She lived modestly, and very few Chabad chassidim knew her at all; very few had even seen her. She carried herself like a queen. I had the privilege of being invited to the Rebbe’s home a number of times. The Rebbetzin invited me, and each time, for an hour or an hour and a half, she asked about everything happening in Eretz Yisroel, particularly among the chassidim and in Kfar Chabad. Usually, when I came to the house, she would come to the door. The last time I visited, after Shavuos, she no longer came to the door. The person who served in the house opened it, and she received us warmly. She asked all sorts of questions: What was new? I’m speaking about the last time. What was happening in Eretz Yisroel? I remember we spoke about three things that particularly interested her, one of them Kfar Chabad. She wanted to know whether the residents of Kfar Chabad had a livelihood. She wanted to know about the activities there. She asked about the families, the children, and the schools, and also about the shluchim in Eretz Yisroel and how they were doing. From her questions, I could see that she knew everything. Every question she asked had a purpose. She knew—she knew, and she wanted to hear. She wanted to know whether we were happy. She asked me whether the shluchim the Rebbe had sent to Eretz Yisroel were truly happy and felt they were carrying out their shlichus. Later, the last time we spoke by phone, it was clear that she had conveyed all of this to the Rebbe, so that the Rebbe knew what we had discussed. We spoke by phone around Rosh Chodesh Kislev and Didan Notzach. She said these words: “We are very pleased.” She meant also

24:16 Speaker 6 About the Rebbe: “Mir zaynen zeyer tzufriden vos gekumen aher mishtatef zayn in unzer simchah”—“We are very pleased that you came here to take part in our celebration.” We were very happy, and she meant the Rebbe as well: people had come from Eretz Yisroel and all over the world to share in our celebration. It was the celebration of Didan Notzach. I have nothing to add. I’ll just say one thing: I knew her and saw her, and she had a noble face. She spoke with genuine nobility, just like a queen, with all the dignity and splendor of a royal home. She truly was a partner to her husband, someone who knew what was going on. The Rebbe would tell her what was happening—not every last detail, but many things—about the chassidim, both happy things and the opposite. Several times she even told me things she had heard from the Rebbe, things people had reported to him and that he had then told her. So today is truly a day of mourning for the whole world, and particularly for us Chabad chassidim. She was a true partner to her husband, and the Rebbe’s leadership was shared with her. May she truly be an advocate on high, so that the Rebbe will be healthy and have the strength to lead the community of chassidim and the whole world through his shluchim, and [unclear]. This was during the court case. The case concerning the seforim had begun. As is known, they came to her home and questioned her, because in preparation for a trial there are lawyers for both sides. They put very difficult questions to her. I don’t remember all the questions now; as they say here, they backed her against the wall. “Tell us, who do the seforim belong to? Did the seforim belong to your father, or—” In any event, in the course of the conversation they asked her plainly: “Who did the seforim belong to—your father or the chassidim?”

26:46 Speaker 6 “To the Rebbe or to the chassidim?” She answered: “The Rebbe, too, belongs to the chassidim.” That was her statement. “The Rebbe, too, belongs to the chassidim,” and with that she silenced them. In other words, when you think about what lies beneath those words, this is something we never merited to hear from great chassidim, great scholars, or great ovdim. That statement expresses it: “The Rebbe, too, belongs to the chassidim.” I don’t know whether she said “too.” I may have added that word. The Rebbe—what is a Rebbe? He belongs to the chassidim; he is the chassidim’s treasure. So how can you separate the seforim from the Rebbe and from the chassidim? The three bonds are bound to one another. In other words, it also expresses what we have, what our treasure is. And it explains to us what she sacrificed for the chassidim. The Rebbe belongs to the chassidim, but she was not the Rebbe. She sacrificed her entire life, her whole family life, for the sake of the chassidim. This week in the annals of Chabad.

28:12 Speaker 7 Hayom Yom, 30 Shvat. A number of chassidim regarded the day they first came to Lubavitch as their birthday. My teacher, the Rashbatz, first came to Lubavitch on the night before Friday, Parshas Mishpatim, 5608. Every year he would stay awake that entire night, making sure to put on tefillin at the very hour he had first entered the presence of the Tzemach Tzedek. That concludes the passage from Hayom Yom. The Rashbatz was the chossid Rabbi Shmuel Betzalel Sheftel, who came to be known permanently among chassidim by the name Rashbatz. He was one of those chassidim whose lives are inseparably bound up with the history of Chassidus. In every generation, exceptional individuals arose among the chassidim who devoted their souls, hearts, and resources to the teachings of Chassidus and its paths of avodah. For this they earned an enduring name of honor and distinction for generations. The Rashbatz was one of them. His life is a glorious chapter in the history of Chassidus. In honor of his spiritual birthday, 30 Shvat, we present a few passages from the life of this remarkable chossid, who merited to be the Frierdiker Rebbe’s teacher from 5654 to 5660. The Rashbatz’s life story was written down by one of his students among the Temimim, who heard it from him while in Lubavitch. The Rashbatz was born in the town of Sventsyan, in the Vilna province. His father spent his time in the beis midrash and did not engage in commerce at all. His mother alone ran the household and provided its income. His father was deeply G-d-fearing, of distinguished lineage, and a misnaged. Yet he never spoke ill of the chassidim, because of the prohibition against lashon hara; he refrained from all such talk. He died when he was nearly fifty, leaving the Rashbatz an orphan. When his mother remarried, it was stipulated that he would only be given food: he would spend the whole day in the beis midrash and sleep there too. After a short time, his stepfather saw that he was a gentle boy who did not quarrel with him and was diligent in his studies. He drew him close and lifted

30:59 Speaker 7 the condition, allowing him to sleep at home. He also arranged a study companion for him, and so on. Nearly four years passed. One summer day, circumstances brought him past the chassidim’s beis midrash. There were about three minyanim of the Alter Rebbe’s chassidim in Sventsyan. When the Rashbatz entered the beis midrash, between Minchah and Maariv, he saw a group of men sitting and studying from a small book. Each held a copy and was examining it. He very much wanted to stay a little while and hear what they were discussing. He approached one of the men, looked into his book, and listened to what they were studying. One of those present noticed that a stranger from among their bitter opponents had come close and began to shout: “What are you doing here? You will never be a chossid! You were raised on the misnagdim’s hatred of us. What are you doing here?” And he drove him out. Being driven out deeply stirred him. As he walked away, he began to reflect on those words. He understood that what the chossid who had expelled him said was not merely an outburst of anger. They were considered words, spoken without anger or force, sincerely, from deep within his heart. What drew him even more were two fine qualities he found among the chassidim. First, their great humility, their sensitivity, and the closeness between them: they were all like one person. Not one of them exalted himself or claimed that he should be the leader or the chief; they were all as one. Second, their bond and attachment to the blessed Creator and to our holy Torah at all times, even while occupied with their work. Reb Yitzchak the tailor, for example, would speak words of Torah as he worked. Even the merchants, whose business took them to the marketplace, would speak words of Torah at every opportunity. All this affected him greatly. By contrast, he saw the shortcomings of the misnagdim, especially how each tried to elevate himself above the others. They accorded one another honor, but secretly, in their hearts, each

33:37 Speaker 7 thought differently of the other. As he walked, he recalled several instances in which he had seen Rabbi Hershele’s self-importance. Rabbi Hershele was accustomed to saying that Rashi had not understood a particular passage of Gemara and that Tosafos had missed the point. The Rashbatz therefore decided to examine the chassidim, their virtues and shortcomings, and the misnagdim as well, and then decide which path to choose. Deep in his heart he was drawn to the chassidim, but he feared for himself: was it truly the right path? He would begin his investigation by going to hear how the chassidim davened, since he had heard that davening was the mainstay of their avodah. A few days later, he went to visit the chassidim’s minyan. He wanted to see them during davening. He hid behind the window and stood there for a long time, his heart melting within him. The chassidim davened with fervor: one cried out, “Yours, Hashem, is the greatness!” and, overcome with emotion, struck his forehead with his fist. Another wept quietly, and all of them davened with vitality. There, on the spot, the Rashbatz decided that the chassidim’s path was a good one. It pained him to see how briefly they davened in the misnagdim’s shul, especially Rabbi Hershele, the rabbi of Sventsyan, who davened very quickly. When he finished, his face showed the pleasure of a man who had cast off a heavy burden. Once, while the Rashbatz was studying with Rabbi Hershele, their discussion turned to davening. The Rashbatz asked his teacher, “What does it mean to daven with contemplation?” Rabbi Hershele answered that this was not a path for people like them, but only for the great men of Israel. The Rashbatz said to him, “But my teacher and rabbi is a great man and a leader in Israel. Why, then, does he not spend a long time davening? Why does he make it so short?” Rabbi Hershele replied, “In Torah study, thank G-d, I am a great man in Israel, one of a kind in this generation. But I have no connection at all to these matters.” He added, “Those members of the sect are liars and hypocrites. They behave strangely and prolong their davening. May Hashem protect us from them.” This answer stirred the Rashbatz even more,

36:20 Speaker 7 And he asked his teacher: Had he ever spoken with members of the sect? Had he ever examined their conduct? Or was this hatred simply passed down from one person to the next? At that point, Rabbi Hershele began telling him disgraceful things about the chassidim and their Rebbe, and he went on telling stories about the chassidim for days. Once he even boasted that he had had the privilege of eating with one of the informers who had denounced the Alter Rebbe. At the end, he warned him not even to look at them, and certainly not to join their company, for their path tended toward heresy and denial, G-d forbid. He warned him again and again. This conversation opened the Rashbatz’s eyes. He saw that the misnagdim’s hatred arose from a deep-seated animosity built on flimsy foundations, and his esteem for the chassidim grew. He decided to visit them, but was afraid they would drive him away as they had before. So he made contact with one chossid and began visiting his home discreetly. From that chossid he heard about the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid, and the Alter Rebbe. He would sit for hours, thirstily drinking in the chossid’s words about the essence of Chassidus. In time, the chossid began studying Tanya with the Rashbatz, and his longing to join the chassidim grew stronger. One night, as he sat alone in the beis midrash reviewing what he had learned in Tanya, one of the misnagdim came in and saw a young man studying intently and diligently. The sight gave him great pleasure. Coming closer, he saw that the young man was studying a small book. He sat down beside him and listened, and liked what he heard. The Rashbatz did not notice him come in and went on studying. Then he looked up and saw a man sitting opposite him. He was terribly frightened and shaken, and in his confusion cried out, “Oy, oy!” For now, G-d forbid, his secret would be discovered, and his fate would be bitter. He snatched up the book and hid it in a pocket of his clothing. His fright aroused the man’s suspicion, and the man asked what he had been studying. He began telling him that what he had heard sounded good

38:56 Speaker 7 and that the teaching seemed good to him. But the Rashbatz thought the misnaged was pretending in order to trick him into admitting it, and refused to tell him. Finally, the man overpowered him, forcibly took the book, and looked at it. He did not know what it was until he saw references inside to the tzaddik, the rasha, and the beinoni, and understood that it was a book of the chassidim. Then he understood why the Rashbatz had been so frightened and shaken, and why he had refused to show it to him. The next day, the man went and told Rabbi Hershele that early in the morning, at three or four o’clock, he had found the young man studying one of the sect’s books diligently and intently. “When I came to the beis midrash,” the man related, “before the sun had risen, I saw the young man studying with great diligence and concentration. I caught only a few words: even in matters between one person and another, one should cast aside all resentment, anger, and grievance; not only should he put up with the other person, but he should do him a kindness. I was happy to hear a young man studying so diligently at such an early hour. But then he saw me, became flustered, cried out, snatched up the book, and hid it in a pocket of his clothing. I understood then that he had surely fallen into heresy and was studying the sect’s books. For the sake of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, I summoned all my strength and struggled with him until I took the book from him, and then I left.” “The Creator, blessed be He, has granted you a great merit,” Rabbi Hershele said, “to save a Jewish soul. We must show the book to his uncle, so he can see for himself what he is raising in his home. And when someone begins a mitzvah, we tell him to finish it. Go quickly and ask his uncle to come to me at once.” When his uncle came to Rabbi Hershele, the rabbi told him everything the man had seen with his own eyes and showed him the sect’s book that had been found in the young man’s possession. Rabbi Hershele warned the uncle that studying such a book could lead to heresy, G-d forbid. The Rashbatz was afraid to remain in the beis midrash. At first he wanted to go to the chassidim’s minyan, but he was afraid to do that too,

41:19 Speaker 7 so he hid in the synagogue attic. There was a hole there through which he could hear everything going on in the beis midrash. When he saw that those who prayed at sunrise had gone on their way, he came down into the synagogue to daven. He was very glad that no one spoke about what had happened, and decided to stay. After davening, he went home to eat breakfast, but when he entered the house, his uncle met him and struck him hard without a word. When his mother saw that her son had fainted, his uncle shouted at her: “Am I to keep a heretic in my home? It would be better for you if he died. I would have left him lying there unconscious—better that he die now while he is still an observant Jew.” A few days passed. He regained his strength and came to the beis midrash as he had always done. But instead of studying with him, the rabbi began speaking to him about his terrible sin, and how he had been caught in a trap and, G-d forbid, would fall into their hands. He spoke at great length about it, while the Rashbatz remained silent and gave no answer. When the rabbi pressed him to respond—“Will you return to your folly, or will you undertake never again to join their company and have pity on your soul?”—he still did not answer directly. Instead, he began refuting the rabbi’s arguments, saying that the chassidim’s path was indeed a straight one and the misnagdim were simply mistaken. Once they realized their great error, they too would regret it. Seeing that the Rashbatz knew more than he did about the whole course of events, the rabbi understood that he would not be able to persuade him. He told the uncle that all their efforts had been in vain and that the young man had been caught in a snare. When the uncle heard this, he swore that he would not keep him in his home for even a moment and would drive him out. The rabbi informed all the householders in town that the young man had joined the sect and that they should beware of him. They caused him great distress, thinking that perhaps this would bring him back to them. When his uncle drove him from the house, he went to the beis midrash. Though they did not drive him away from there, everyone picked on him, calling him a heretic and other

44:13 Speaker 7 insulting names. He was hungry for bread even on the first day, and two or three days passed without his getting the food he needed. Only his mother brought him a piece of dry bread to ease his hunger. This continued through Shabbos as well. On Shabbos, after davening, he went outside the town and began to cry. He said, “Master of the Universe, I want to follow the true holy path. If the way of the misnagdim is the true way, I will follow it and never depart from it. And if the way of the chassidim is true, I will join them and follow their path.” He wept bitterly. He made a sign for himself: when he returned to town, he would join whichever group the first person he met belonged to—if the person was a chossid, he would join the chassidim, and if a misnaged, he would join them. He fixed this sign firmly in his mind and entreated Hashem, the Father of orphans, to have mercy on him and set the good and true path before him. On his way back into town, he entered the first street and met no one, for most of the townspeople were asleep. Those who devoted themselves to Torah were sitting and studying in their homes or in the batei midrash. As he went farther, he saw Rabbi Hershele in the distance, walking with two other men. His heart sank, for deep down he had already resolved to become a chossid and join the chassidim. And now he could see Rabbi Hershele approaching in the distance. But he still had hope: the road was long, and perhaps he would meet a chossid first. He kept walking. Then he saw several chassidim coming out of their beis midrash, and his heart rejoiced. To his dismay, however, they turned and went the other way, so he did not meet them. But fortunately, a moment later, two more chassidim came out of the beis midrash. One of them was the chossid he had first approached, as mentioned earlier. When he saw them, his soul exulted. They were walking toward him, and from their hand gestures he understood that they were talking about him. The chossid pointed him out to his friend. By then, word had already spread through the town that the young man whom the rabbi

46:53 Speaker 7 He devoted himself to the boy, who studied diligently and displayed remarkable talents. But the boy was caught in the sect’s trap and was found poring over their books, so his uncle beat him and drove him from his home. The next day, the rabbi and his uncle learned that he had stayed among the chassidim. His uncle then began harassing the boy’s mother, causing her suffering and anguish. But she was an intelligent woman. She called her son, spoke with him, and came to understand the matter as a whole. She, too, acknowledged that his path was good and upright, and that he should continue along it. The chossid studied Chassidus with him every day, beginning with Tanya. He would study each chapter with him four hundred times. After Tanya, he studied Shaarei Orah by the Mitteler Rebbe with him. He studied it with great eagerness and persistence, reviewing everything they learned many times. There were times when he reviewed a lesson twenty or thirty times. At one of Rashbatz’s farbrengens with the chassidic students in Lubavitch, he said: “When we were young, if we heard something from the chassidim, we would kiss the soles of their feet. You are being fattened like calves in a stall, yet you do not even prick up your ears to listen.” “Had I not seen it with my own eyes,” Rashbatz recounted, “and heard it with my own ears, I would not have believed that the chassidim study Gemara in depth, and that they can reason and offer original Torah insights. How astonished I was when I first sat in on the in-depth study session the chassidim held three times a week! It was then that I learned that the Alter Rebbe had instructed every community of chassidim, in every town and settlement, to study the entire Shas over the course of the year. Each person therefore studied a particular tractate on his own, so that together they would complete the whole Shas. Every time I heard the lesson in Tanya, my understanding grew. Chapter 5 of Tanya, in particular, gave me a far greater desire to study Torah than I had ever had before.” Once, while walking in the street, Rashbatz met Reb Hershele.

49:49 Speaker 7 Rashbatz greeted him first. At first Reb Hershele turned away, but a moment later he turned back and asked whether Rashbatz regretted his misdeed. Rashbatz began explaining the nature of Chassidus to him, and how one cannot properly observe Torah and mitzvos without knowing Chassidus. Before he had finished speaking to Reb Hershele, his head suddenly swung from right to left and left to right, and his whole body shook from a crushing blow dealt by one of the members of the opposition. Before he could pick up the hat that had fallen from his head when he was struck, blood was flowing from his mouth and nose. He immediately lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was lying in the chassidim’s shul. They told him that while he was unconscious, he had been beaten without mercy, and some had wanted to beat him to death. Reb Hershele and several respected Torah scholars had opposed this, but they could not stand against the crowd. They notified the chassidim, who came as one man, and with the help of Reb Hershele and the respected men, rescued him and brought him to the chassidim’s shul. With great effort they revived him from his deep faint, but he lay motionless as a stone, his whole body burning like a raging fire, his eyes closed and his mouth open. The doctor said that, G-d forbid, he had inflammation of the brain and pneumonia. They tried various remedies and treatments, and he lay there for about three weeks before he opened his eyes and began to recognize people he knew. One day, the chassidim in Shvintzian held a meeting to discuss the committees’ proposals and the state of Chassidus and the chassidim in their communities. The question of where the young Rashbatz should study was also on the agenda. After carefully considering all the proposals, they decided to send him to Rabbi Michael Pozner, one of the most distinguished chassidim of the Alter Rebbe and a man with ruach hakodesh. With him, Rashbatz would quickly gain knowledge of Chassidus and train himself in the service of the heart, in prayer. Reb Michael would study with him and prepare him to be ready to travel to Lubavitch. Before leaving Shvintzian, Rashbatz went to receive a blessing for his journey

52:33 Speaker 7 from his rabbi. His rabbi began discussing a Talmudic topic with him in depth, and saw that his student’s spiritual state was not so bad after all. Rashbatz told him that he was going to study with a chossid who was among the Alter Rebbe’s great disciples, in preparation for his journey to the Rebbe in Lubavitch. When his rabbi heard this, he became very emotional. He said, “Although I have heard that the Rebbe in Lubavitch is a great genius, I suggest that you remain in Shvintzian. I will study the revealed dimension of Torah with you for another two or three years, and only then should you go on your way.” Rashbatz replied that his chassidic teachers and mentors feared that without studying the hidden dimension of Torah, a person might, G-d forbid, forget the Giver of the Torah. That was why they had chosen for him to leave, and the chossid to whom they were sending him would set him on a sound foundation. When he finished speaking, he began to take leave of his rabbi and ask for his blessing. Tears streamed from the rabbi’s eyes, and he blessed him that he should remain a Jew who holds fast to Hashem’s Torah. That blessing deeply moved Rashbatz. He then saw that the chassidim were right when they said that the misnagdim still clung to their mistaken notion that studying Chassidus harms one’s study of the revealed dimension of Torah. No discerning person would say such a thing; on the contrary, he would understand and know that Chassidus strengthens Torah study. Several days passed, and the time came for him to travel with the chossid Reb Michal of Potsk. The chassidim of Shvintzian gathered and blessed him for the journey, with joy and tears mingled together. And so Rashbatz traveled with Reb Michal of Potsk. Rashbatz stayed with him for a year and a half, diligently studying Torah, both its revealed dimension and Chassidus. One day Reb Michal told him that he no longer wanted him to stay, and advised him to travel to Lubavitch. He explained that Rashbatz had already achieved the purpose for which he had come, and that remaining any longer would add nothing. When he heard Reb Michal’s advice,

55:25 Speaker 7 tears of joy appeared in Rashbatz’s eyes, and he agreed. He asked only one thing of Reb Michal: to show him and help him understand what he should ask of the Rebbe. Reb Michal answered all his questions and explained what one should ask of the Rebbe. He spent the High Holidays with Reb Michal, and after Yom Tov began preparing for the journey. He had walked from Shvintzian to Potsk, and he walked from Potsk to Lubavitch. On Friday, Parshas Mishpatim, the eve of Rosh Chodesh Adar, 5608, he arrived in Lubavitch, the place he had long yearned and longed to reach. When they parted, Reb Michael gave him a note for the Tzemach Tzedek and warned him not to read it. Naturally, out of respect, and even more out of awe, he did not at first dare to read the note. But he could not restrain himself. He opened it and saw that the paper was blank, with nothing written on it. This astonished him. When he arrived in Lubavitch on Rosh Chodesh Adar, he entered the shul and found young men sitting and studying. They greeted him and asked where he had come from, but he said nothing. He sat down by the stove and fell asleep. Hearing the name of the chossid Reb Michael of Potsk woke him. He heard one of the elders calling out, “Who came with a note from the chossid Reb Michael of Potsk?” He approached the elder and said, “I brought a note from the chossid Reb Michael.” The elder shouted at him, “Why didn’t you answer the first time? I’ve called out three times, and you didn’t respond. Follow me—the Rebbe is calling you into his room.” Dread and fear fell upon him, and all his bones trembled as he entered the Tzemach Tzedek’s room. The Tzemach Tzedek rebuked him for disobeying Reb Michael’s instruction not to read the note he had sent. Whenever Rashbatz recalled the words the

58:07 Speaker 7 Tzemach Tzedek had said to him, he would weep bitterly and say of himself, “Born among misnagdim, a person needs an entirely different kind of refinement.” Rashbatz was about eighteen years old when he arrived in Lubavitch, and his desire to study both the revealed dimension of Torah and Chassidus grew stronger. He studied this way for many years, until he became one of the great chassidim of Lubavitch. In 5653, the Rebbe Rashab asked him to study with his son, the Frierdiker Rebbe. He arrived for Rosh Hashanah 5654 and studied with him until 5658, devoting great attention to those studies. In 5658, the Rebbe Rashab appointed him head mashpia for the study of Chassidus at the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Lubavitch. He remained in that position until the end of his life. He passed away on Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Naso, at about a quarter to twelve at night, the beginning of Sunday, 27 Sivan 5665. At his request, he was buried within fifty cubits of the sacred resting places of the Tzemach Tzedek and the Rebbe Maharash.

59:43 Speaker 8 In connection with the Mishnayos, I’ll learn the chapter about substances that count toward a mikveh, which is especially connected with the subject of the soul and the mikveh. The Mishnah says: “Some substances count toward the required volume of a mikveh but do not disqualify it.” A mikveh needs forty se’ah of water. If it did not have the full forty se’ah, and other liquids were brought to complete the forty se’ah, not all liquids are treated alike. Some count toward the forty se’ah, and, on the other hand, if they were drawn into a vessel, they do not disqualify the mikveh. As is well known, when is water valid for a mikveh? When it has not been in a vessel. If the water was in a vessel, it becomes invalid. Furthermore, the Sages added a ruling: if three log of water that had been in a vessel fell into a mikveh before it contained forty se’ah, they disqualify the mikveh. If more water is then added—even more than forty se’ah, even ten times forty se’ah—the mikveh remains invalid. Those three log of water that fell in before it had forty se’ah disqualify the mikveh even if many times the required volume of a mikveh is subsequently added. So there are liquids that disqualify a mikveh: if they were drawn into a vessel, they disqualify it. And there are liquids that do not disqualify a mikveh when drawn into a vessel. Some liquids count toward the required volume of a mikveh even though they are not water, while others do not. So the Mishnah begins by saying: Some count toward the required volume of a mikveh, but if they were drawn into a vessel, they do not disqualify it. Some disqualify but do not count toward the required volume: if they were drawn into a vessel, they disqualify the mikveh, but on the other hand, even if they were not drawn into a vessel, they do not

1:01:47 Speaker 8 complete the forty se’ah. Some neither count toward the required volume nor disqualify: they do not complete the required volume of a mikveh, and if they were drawn into a vessel, they do not disqualify it. The Mishnah goes on to explain: “Which substances count toward the required volume but do not disqualify?” Which substances complete the required volume of a mikveh but, on the other hand, do not disqualify it if they were in a vessel? Snow, hail, frost, ice, salt, and fluid mud. These six substances—snow, hail, frost, ice, salt, and fluid mud—what is their nature? They originate in water, but their form has changed from that of water because they have become frozen. So now, in their frozen state, in one sense they are water and in another sense they are not. They count toward the required volume of a mikveh, but if they were in a vessel, they are not considered drawn water. And if they fell into a mikveh before it contained forty se’ah, they do not disqualify it. Rabbi Akiva said: “Rabbi Yishmael used to argue against me, saying that snow does not count toward the required volume of a mikveh.” Rabbi Yishmael used to say that snow does not complete the required volume. “But the people of Medva testified in his name that he told them: ‘Go, bring snow, and make a mikveh with it from the outset.’” Although that earlier view was attributed to Rabbi Yishmael, the people of Medva testified that Rabbi Yishmael himself said not only that snow completes the required volume, but that even a mikveh made entirely of snow is valid from the outset. Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri says: “Hailstones are like water.” Hailstones have the same status as water: they count toward the required volume and also disqualify. In other words, if they had been in a vessel, they disqualify the mikveh. “How do these substances count toward the required volume but not disqualify?” What does “count toward the required volume but not disqualify” mean? If a mikveh contains forty se’ah

1:03:41 Speaker 8 less one—if it contains thirty-nine se’ah of water—and one se’ah of these substances falls into it, it brings it up to the required volume. If one se’ah of these substances falls in, it completes the forty se’ah. Thus, they count toward the required volume but do not disqualify. The commentator says: “Count toward the required volume” means complete the forty se’ah, “but do not disqualify” means they do not disqualify it as three log of drawn water would. The Mishnah later explains what this means. “Frost” is water that fell and froze. “Ice” is water that froze on the surface of the ground or on the surface of water. “Fluid mud” is soft mud that flows and becomes like spittle. Why is it called fluid mud? On the one hand it is mud and has some thickness, but it is not very thick; it is like spittle. “Hailstones are like water”—like drawn water, since we treat them as water: they disqualify and do not count toward the required volume. The halachah does not follow Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri. What is the halachah? It follows the testimony of the people of Medva: one may make a mikveh out of snow, even from the outset. The commentator says that the halachah permits making a mikveh entirely out of snow, even from the outset. “Thus, they count toward the required volume”—what does that mean? They complete the required volume of the mikveh. “But do not disqualify” as three log of drawn water would. Even a se’ah is much more than three log, yet it does not disqualify the mikveh. In other words, not only three log: even if a whole se’ah, which is much more than three log, was in a vessel and became drawn water, then fell into the mikveh, it would not disqualify it. Why? Because these substances do not have the full status of water. “These disqualify but do not count toward the required volume.” These are liquids that disqualify the mikveh if they were drawn into a vessel, or by changing its appearance, as we will learn. But they do not count toward the required volume; they do not complete the mikveh. Water, whether ritually impure or pure; water used for pickling; water used for cooking vegetables; and grape-water before it ferments. These liquids disqualify but do not count toward the required volume.

1:05:33 Speaker 8 How do they disqualify but not count toward the required volume? If a mikveh contains forty se’ah less a kortov—that is, just a little less than forty se’ah, so it does not have the full forty se’ah—and a kortov of these liquids falls into it, it does not bring it up to the required volume. They also disqualify it in a quantity of three log. So they do not complete the required volume of a mikveh, and they also disqualify it in a quantity of three log. “But other liquids, fruit juices, brine, fish brine, and grape-water after it has fermented sometimes count toward the required volume and sometimes do not.” All these liquids we have now listed sometimes count toward the required volume of a mikveh and sometimes do not. How? If a mikveh contains forty se’ah less one se’ah, and one se’ah of these liquids falls into it, it does not bring it up to the required volume. They have not completed the required volume. But if it contained forty se’ah and he added a se’ah and removed a se’ah, it remains valid. For example, if the mikveh already contained forty se’ah, and he removed one se’ah and added one se’ah of these liquids, and then did so again, the ruling is that they do not disqualify the mikveh. Why? Since the mikveh once contained a full forty se’ah, the Sages did not decree that three log of these liquids would disqualify it. When do liquids disqualify it? Only when the mikveh has never contained forty se’ah. But if it once contained forty se’ah, and then a se’ah of these liquids was added and another se’ah removed, and this happened again—another se’ah added and another removed—then, considering what went out and what came in, the original forty se’ah are no longer there. These liquids now make up part of the required volume. Nevertheless, the halachah says they do not disqualify the mikveh. Why? Because it once contained forty valid se’ah, they never disqualify it. The commentator explains: “Drawn water, whether ritually impure or pure;”

1:07:21 Speaker 8 Water used to pickle olives, various vegetables, and cooked vegetables; and water in which vegetables were cooked—that is, boiled. And grape seeds and skins to which water was added before they fermented; if they fermented, they are treated as fruit juice. Why does it say “before they fermented”? Because once they ferment, they are not like the fruit juice we learned about earlier, which invalidates and counts toward the required measure. A kortov is one sixty-fourth of a log. What does “kortov” mean? It means one sixty-fourth of a log. “And counts toward the required measure”—as explained: if a mikveh contains forty se’ah of valid water, and one adds a se’ah of fruit juice, then removes a se’ah of the mixture of water and fruit juice—a full se’ah—the fruit juice remaining in the mikveh counts toward the required measure. If we calculate what went in and what came out, it turns out that fruit juice is making up part of the mikveh’s required measure. Nevertheless, it is valid. And the statement that it “counts toward the required measure” refers to a mikveh that is one se’ah short of forty. If he rinsed baskets of olives and baskets of grapes in it and they changed its appearance, it is valid. If the mikveh had forty se’ah, and afterward he rinsed baskets of olives in it or washed utensils in the mikveh, and the washing changed the appearance of the mikveh water, it is nevertheless valid. Rabbi Yosei said: Dyed water invalidates it when there are three log, but does not invalidate it by changing its appearance. If dyed water fell into the mikveh and that water was drawn water, it invalidates the mikveh under the rule of three log of drawn water. In other words, if there were not yet forty se’ah and this dyed water brought it up to forty se’ah, it invalidates the mikveh because it is drawn water. But if it was not drawn water, and it simply fell into the mikveh and changed the water’s appearance, Rabbi Yosei says that a change of appearance caused by dyed water does not invalidate the mikveh. If wine or mochal fell into it

1:09:12 Speaker 8 and changed its appearance, it is invalid. But if wine or mochal fell into it and changed its appearance, they invalidate the mikveh through that change of appearance. What should he do? How can he make the mikveh valid again? If a mikveh was invalidated by a change of appearance, he should wait until rain falls and its appearance returns to that of water. A mikveh whose appearance changed—the Mishnah is explaining something here. Earlier we learned that a mikveh invalidated by three log has no remedy: even if one adds all the mikveh water in the world, it will never become valid. But when is a mikveh invalidated by a change of appearance invalid? Only as long as its appearance remains changed. If more rainwater is added afterward and restores its appearance, so that the water once again looks like valid water, the mikveh becomes valid again. “Or he may fill a vessel, carry it on his shoulder, and pour it in until its appearance returns to that of water.” Rabbi Yosei says something further: Since there were already forty se’ah of valid water here, and wine or mochal subsequently fell in and changed its appearance, the mikveh became invalid. But he does not have to wait for rain. He can even fill a vessel and carry it on his shoulder—that is, take drawn water and keep adding it to the mikveh until the water’s appearance returns to normal. Drawn water may be added here because the original forty se’ah were rainwater. The Rabbi says: The change of appearance is not considered a change of appearance for them, because it has no substance. Dyed water does not invalidate through a change of appearance, because the dye has no substance in it. Why does dyed water not invalidate through a change of appearance? Because it is not the dye itself, but water in which dye was soaked. So the dye has no substance in it, and it does not invalidate through a change of appearance. Mochal is the liquid that comes out of olives. So

1:11:07 Speaker 8 because it does have substance, it invalidates through a change of appearance. “He should wait until rain falls”—because he cannot fill a vessel and carry water on his shoulder, since we are dealing with a mikveh that is short of the required measure. If three log fell into it, adding drawn water before it reaches a full forty se’ah would invalidate it. The Rabbi says: What is the difference between the two laws here in the Mishnah? First Rabbi Yosei says to wait until rain falls, and afterward he says that one may even fill a vessel and carry water on his shoulder. That is because the first case concerns a mikveh that did not yet have forty se’ah. If it did not yet have forty se’ah, he has to wait for rainwater. Now, dyed water fell in here, but we learned that this dyed water does not invalidate it as three log of drawn water. It invalidates through a change of appearance, but to make the mikveh valid again, he has to wait for rainwater. If there were already forty se’ah, however, he does not have to wait for rainwater. He may even fill a vessel and carry water on his shoulder, making the mikveh valid again when the appearance of its water returns to that of water. If wine or mochal fell into it and changed the appearance of only part of it, and there are not forty se’ah of water that still looks like water, one may not immerse in it. In other words, the wine or mochal did not spread throughout the mikveh, but fell on one side. On that side, the water no longer looks like water; its appearance has changed. Now he wants to immerse on the other side of the mikveh. We have to see: if there are forty se’ah on that other side, he may immerse there, even though the other side of the mikveh is invalid. But if the side where he

1:12:49 Speaker 8 immerses does not contain forty se’ah, he cannot immerse anywhere in the mikveh. “If there are not forty se’ah that have the appearance of water”—if the mikveh does not contain forty se’ah that look like water—he may not immerse in that mikveh, even on a side that looks like water. “And if he immersed, the immersion is not effective.” Three log of water into which a kortov of wine fell. First, we said that a mikveh is invalidated by three log. Three log of water that were in a vessel have that required quantity, and if they fall into a mikveh that does not yet contain forty se’ah, they invalidate it. “Three log of water into which a kortov of wine fell, so that they looked like wine: if they fell into a mikveh, they did not invalidate it.” The Mishnah now teaches us something further. When we said that three log of water invalidate a mikveh, when does that apply? Specifically when those three log look like water. But if the appearance of those three log changed—even if only a kortov of wine fell into them, just a small amount of wine—and that wine was apparently very dark and changed the appearance of the three log, then if those three log now fall into a mikveh that does not contain forty se’ah, they do not invalidate it. Why? When did the Sages decree that three log invalidate a mikveh? Only when they are water. But if the water’s appearance has changed, that liquid—the water whose appearance changed—does not invalidate the mikveh. “Three log of water into which a kortov of wine fell, so that they looked like wine: if they fell into a mikveh, they did not invalidate it. Three log of water less a kortov, into which a kortov of milk—not wine, but milk—fell, so that they looked like water: if they fell into a mikveh, they did not invalidate it.” Why? Because the milk did not change the appearance of

1:14:39 Speaker 8 the water. So the law says, “They looked like water, and if they fell into a mikveh, they did not invalidate it.” Why did they not invalidate it? Not because of a change of appearance. Rather, they did not invalidate it because there are not three log of water here. When did the Sages say that three log of water invalidate a mikveh? Specifically when all three log consist of water. Here there were three log less a kortov, and milk fell into them. The milk brought the total up to three log. In other words, we do not have three log of water alone. If there are not three log of water alone, they do not invalidate the mikveh. The Sages decreed that three log invalidate a mikveh only if they are water. But if milk is needed to bring them up to that quantity, they do not invalidate it. Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri says: “Everything follows the appearance.” Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri disagrees and says that although the milk did not invalidate the mikveh by changing its appearance, it does, on the other hand, count toward the quantity. “If they fell into a mikveh, they did not invalidate it, since it looked like wine; or, according to the explanation, they did invalidate it as three log. Everything follows the appearance: although the milk is present, there is a quantity of three log that looks like water. We therefore regard it as though all of it were water, and it invalidates the mikveh. The halachah does not follow Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri.” In other words, there is a dispute between the first Tanna and Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri about what we said—that three log invalidate a mikveh. Must all three log consist of water, or do they also invalidate the mikveh if they are not entirely water but look like water? The first Tanna says: When do we say that three log invalidate the mikveh?

1:16:22 Speaker 8 Only if they are water. If they are not water, even though they look like water—for example, a tenth of the required amount of water was missing, and milk was added. The milk does not change the appearance of the water at all. So the Tanna Kamma says that they do not invalidate the mikveh, because they are not water. There are not three log of water here. Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri says we do not look at the substance itself, at whether it is water or not. We look at whether it has the appearance of water. If there are three log that look like water, they invalidate the mikveh. A mikveh containing exactly forty se’ah: a mikveh that had precisely forty se’ah, no more and no less. Two people went down and immersed one after the other. They did not go down and immerse at the same time; one went down and came up, and immediately afterward the second went down. The first is pure and the second is impure. The first immersed in forty se’ah. After all, whenever a person comes out of a mikveh, he takes a little water with him, and here there were only exactly forty se’ah. So when he came out, he took some water with him. When the second immersed, he did not immerse in forty se’ah, because the mikveh no longer contained forty se’ah. Rabbi Yehudah says: If the first person’s feet were still touching the water, the second is also pure. If the first had not come completely out of the mikveh, and his feet were still touching the water, and the second immersed at that moment, while the first person’s feet were still touching the water—if the second immersed completely, he too is pure. Why? Because Rabbi Yehudah says there is a principle of gud achis, by which all the water is joined together. The water is on the body of the person who immersed, and his feet are touching the water. So all the water on his body joins the water in the mikveh, and consequently the second person

1:18:12 Speaker 8 immersing below has forty se’ah, counting the water remaining in the mikveh together with the water on the first person’s body, beard, and head. If one immersed a sagos in it and raised it out—a sagos is a woolen garment that absorbs a great deal of water—if part of it is still touching the water, he is pure. A leather pillow or cushion: once their openings have been raised above the water, the water inside them is considered drawn water. What should he do? Immerse them and raise them out bottom-first. The Rash says this applies only to impurity by rabbinic law. For the mikveh remains valid for the immersion of the first and second people, since we apply gud achis: it is as though the water on the first person’s body is connected to the water of the mikveh, so nothing has been lost from the required measure. The explanation is that, as the Gemara says, Rabbi Yehudah permitted this only in cases of rabbinically instituted levels of purity, such as someone who was pure for ordinary food and immersed to become pure for maaser. When did Rabbi Yehudah declare someone pure in such a case? Not when the person was impure by Torah law, but in a case of rabbinic impurity, or where immersion was required for a higher level of purity. By Torah law the person was already pure, but the Sages imposed additional requirements for maaser and consecrated food, requiring immersion. For these immersions Rabbi Yehudah was lenient and said that the water on the person’s body can be counted. Or, for example, someone who was pure for maaser and immersed to become pure for terumah. But where a person is going from actual impurity to purity, this does not apply, and the halachah does not follow Rabbi Yehudah. A sagos is a thick woolen garment, like a burnus, and it absorbs a great deal of water. If part of it is touching the water, he is pure. The Rabbi says: What case are we discussing here? A mikveh containing exactly forty se’ah. This is like the mikveh we learned about in the previous Mishnah, containing precisely forty se’ah. If a person immersed in it after a sagos had been immersed in it, the person is pure, even though the immersion of the sagos reduced

1:20:15 Speaker 8 the mikveh below the required measure, because part of the sagos is still touching the water. Rabbi Yehudah holds that we apply gud achis. In other words, what is the Mishnah teaching us here? Earlier we learned this case with a person. Then this Mishnah comes and Rabbi Yehudah teaches something new: it applies not only to a person, but also to an article. An article absorbs a great deal of water, and then a person comes and immerses. Even though the mikveh itself now contains less than forty se’ah, if the edge of the article is still touching the water, the water absorbed in the article is counted. What is new about that? With a person, it is understandable that the water is counted. But an article can render water invalid; water in a vessel has the status of drawn water. Nevertheless, here we say that because this water remains connected to the mikveh, not only does it not invalidate the mikveh, it counts toward completing the required forty se’ah. The water inside them is drawn water, and if three log of it falls back into the mikveh, it invalidates it. Why? Because the mikveh contained exactly forty se’ah and was reduced when the water was taken out. If he took these leather articles and lifted them out of the mikveh with their openings facing upward, then, once he has taken them out, they are vessels. The water inside them is considered water contained in a vessel, and if it subsequently falls back into the mikveh, it invalidates it. For we learned earlier that when a mikveh has less than forty se’ah, three log of drawn water invalidate it. So what should he do? Raise them out bottom-first, so the water inside them will pour into the mikveh without invalidating all its water. In other words, what do we learn from this? Suppose someone has a mikveh containing exactly forty se’ah. He takes a pot and immerses it in the mikveh. When he takes it out,

1:22:04 Speaker 8 he should not take it out with the opening facing upward. If he does, and then pours some of the water from the pot back into the mikveh, he will invalidate the mikveh. Why? Because the water in the pot—assuming the pot holds three log—has become drawn water, and it invalidates the mikveh. Instead, he should raise it out bottom-first. Even bundles of wood or bundles of reeds may be placed in it so that the water rises, and then a person can go down and immerse. In other words, even though the needle was not immersed inside the mikveh, but the water of the mikveh was brought over it, it too becomes pure. And it is impossible to immerse the whole body at once in such a small mikveh, whose measure is exact, unless the feet sink into the mud [unclear]. One does not immerse in it [unclear] the feet sink into the mud [unclear], and even though it contains forty se’ah, the whole body is not covered by the water at once. He pressed down one side of the mikveh, even with bundles of wood or reeds. And although it looks as though the entire mikveh is filled with vessels, the water can still enter between them, so it is different. The wood and reeds float on the surface of the water, so stones must be placed on them to raise the water level. And regarding the needle: when a wave of water from the mikveh passes over a needle lying there, the water of that wave purifies the needle. Why? Although the needle is thin and small, and the usual way would be to immerse it in water—what is he saying? Because he is afraid that if he immerses the needle in the water, it might fall, it is preferable for him to bring the mikveh water over

1:24:11 Speaker 8 the needle. Kaddish.

1:24:30 Speaker 9 On Sunday, she wasn’t feeling well. There was a little blood. On Monday it was a little worse; there was more blood. There was more blood, and she vomited a little. On Tuesday she vomited many times throughout the day, and lost a great deal of blood, a tremendous amount of blood. Tuesday night they called the doctor, Saldman. Saldman came to the door, examined her, and concluded that she had an ulcer—a bleeding ulcer—and said she was losing blood. That night she didn’t want to go by ambulance, so arrangements were made for her to go by car with Krinsky. That night Sharon Gansburg and Krinsky drove, and she was admitted to the hospital. Her daughter came to the hospital with her. They brought her into a room there. In the hospital she began losing a great deal of blood. Because of the blood loss—I don’t know—she had a heart attack. They worked on her for several minutes, but she did not survive. It was sometime between five and two [unclear]. That night Saldman and Sharon Gansburg came back here. From outside, Feldman telephoned the Rebbe and told him. Late that night the Rebbe came out and spoke with Reb Leibel about getting a minyan to say Tehillim. I saw them bring him some twelve thousand [unclear] and a few other things, and he came back.

1:26:41 Speaker 9 That night Leibel left with Gansburg to go to Feldman’s office and make calls to various places. Meanwhile, the Rebbe came out. I went over and asked him where the things from the hospital were. He said they were with Ber Gansburg, and he wondered about the other things Gansburg had said he would bring back. That night he asked whether they had already brought back the things from the hospital. I said they should be coming shortly. They went back into the house. Half an hour later the Rebbe came out again and asked, “What’s happening? Where are they? It’s strange—where are they? I need them to come. Come on, let them come already.” He asked where he could get a car; in short, at that hour of the night he needed one immediately. “I need the other things. I have to look into the arrangements for the deceased first.” That night he said that if all those telephone calls weren’t going through, he needed the things. Then he was told, “They’re here.” I said, “I hear from the chevra kadisha that they should be coming shortly.” Then I told him that Lipsky was handling [unclear]. He said that he was a Chabad chossid. Afterward he told me that he could take just one car to go, and they would bring him the things. But

1:28:22 Speaker 9 then it didn’t work out: they couldn’t find the key to lock the front door. Afterward he went into the room. He told me to have a car brought around downstairs so he could leave from there. There he tried to see whether he had locked the door. He didn’t have the key. They said that if he stayed, she could have gone in, since there was no key [unclear]. A little later the Rebbe arrived. He brought all the things a few minutes later. After that the Rebbe went upstairs to his room. I was waiting for a letter from the hospital doctor [unclear]. The Rebbe went up the stairs, almost halfway. Afterward he went into [unclear], and they put the things in the kitchen. The Rebbe said to take the tachrichim there. No, and he also said [unclear], and he gave Lipsky money. He told him, “You have the full amount for everything; whatever needs to be provided tomorrow, give it there.” He also told him to put the things in with the tachrichim—to open them and put them in with the tachrichim. He also said that in the morning, with five men and the chevra kadisha, they should give notice at the Ohel and write on a note that the Rebbetzin had passed away, and work out the time of her levayah, and write down in a book whatever needed to be entered.

1:30:14 Speaker 9 That night he went upstairs to his room and stayed there until midnight. At midnight he came down. He stood with the chevra kadisha and said two Kaddishes, [unclear] Kaddish, Kaddish Shalem. Afterward he went back upstairs. It was after twelve when he went up. He went in and asked her forgiveness. That night only two [unclear] for her.