Educating Children for the Month of Tishrei - Rabbi Yosef Avraham Pizam shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to the “Lema’an Yishme’u” podcast from Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 6 Tishrei. 6 Tishrei 5725 is the day of the passing of the righteous Rebbetzin Chana, the mother of our Rebbe. 6 Tishrei. Rebbetzin Chana was born on 28 Teves 5640 in the city of Nikolayev, to her father, the brilliant chossid Reb Meir Shlomo Yanovsky, who was the rabbi of Nikolayev, and her mother, Rebbetzin Rochel. The Rebbe’s mother was a remarkable woman. She stood beside the holy scholar and kabbalist Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, rabbi of Yekaterinoslav, who had a very strong influence in Russia as a rabbi of a city and region, and as a continuation of our Rebbeim who had been in Russia until the Frierdiker Rebbe left Russia to work throughout the world to hasten the Geulah. In any case, Rebbetzin Chana stood beside Levik as his helpmate. She was well versed in Torah and learned, had an excellent command of the local language, and was educated and pleasant with people. This certainly contributed greatly to her husband’s success and influence as rabbi over the very diverse Jewish community of Yekaterinoslav at the time. Today that city is called Dnipro. When Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was imprisoned, the Rebbetzin constantly helped find special ink, making ink from plants so that he could continue writing his Torah teachings. Thanks to her, we have several wonderful books of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s teachings, the brilliant Torah insights that he wrote from his extraordinary memory, with almost no books available to him. In 5707, her suffering and wanderings came to an end when she made her way out of Russia by an unconventional route and arrived in Paris. There she met her eldest son, our Rebbe, whom she had not seen for some twenty years. From Paris, the two traveled to New York, where a new period began for the Rebbetzin—a radiant time of happiness and honor, with her son, the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, assuming the leadership in 5710. The Rebbe shlita treated her with great respect. He visited her every single day, on Shabbos as on weekdays,

03:23 Speaker 2 And at a farbrengen on 6 Tishrei 5746, the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, said: “Despite all the difficulties and the many worries of daily life, the Rebbetzin took on an additional concern: to make it possible to publish the Torah teachings of my father, my teacher, so that many Jews would begin studying his explanations of the inner dimensions of Torah according to Chabad Chassidus. All this was to bring closer the true and complete Geulah through our righteous Moshiach, which depends on spreading the wellsprings outward.” In Brooklyn, America, Rebbetzin Chana lived her final seventeen years, until her passing in the middle of the holy day of Shabbos, on 6 Tishrei, Shabbos Shuvah 5725. Beis Chana institutions have been established around the world in Rebbetzin Chana’s name. She is laid to rest in New York, near the resting places of her son’s father-in-law, the Frierdiker Rebbe, his wife, Rebbetzin Nechama Dina, and the Frierdiker Rebbe’s mother, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah, and so on. May Hashem help us merit to see her resurrection very soon, in the true and complete Geulah, which is so close at hand. It is noted that the Rebbe established funds in her memory, including Keren Chana, whose main purpose is to help, including in the area alluded to by the initials of Chana: challah, niddah, and lighting Shabbos candles. This strengthens the mitzvos especially associated with women, all for the elevation of her soul by following in her ways. 13 Tishrei is the yahrzeit of the Rebbe Maharash. At a farbrengen on 13 Tishrei 5752, the Rebbe spoke about the Rebbe Maharash. His Holiness the Rebbe Maharash endured great suffering. Even during the lifetime of his father, His Holiness the Tzemach Tzedek, the Rebbe Maharash was very ill. When His Holiness the Tzemach Tzedek learned of this, he said that had he known in time, he could have drawn down life for the Rebbe Maharash for at least hundreds of years, like Shmuel the Prophet. In practice, he lived forty-eight and a half years. Although he endured great suffering, there was always a smile on the holy face of the Rebbe Maharash.

06:34 Speaker 2 At another farbrengen, the Rebbe related: Among our earlier Rebbeim, the custom was to go in to their Rebbetzin on Erev Rosh Hashanah and say a few words to her. On Erev Rosh Hashanah 5643, before his passing, the Rebbe Maharash went in to Rebbetzin Rivkah and said a few words to her. From those words, the Rebbetzin understood that he would pass away that year. The Rebbetzin asked him, “But there are young children still at home.” The Rebbe Maharash did not answer her question. He only told her, “I will ascend thirty-two steps above, and you will descend thirty-two steps below.” When my father-in-law, the Frierdiker Rebbe, told the story, he explained that the thirty-two steps above were the thirty-two discourses in Likkutei Torah on three parshiyos that were printed then. And the thirty-two steps below referred to the thirty-two years that Rebbetzin Rivkah continued to live after the passing of His Holiness the Rebbe Maharash, until 5674. She is laid to rest in Lubavitch. So, the yahrzeit of the Rebbe Maharash. The Rebbe Maharash—first of all, read the Sefer Hatoldos on the Rebbe Maharash; read the book Raboseinu about the Rebbe Rashab. Again, as educators, let children read, or read to them, each according to their capacity [?], according to their age. But it is very important to engage with the stories. I’ll tell you from my own experience. Once, many years ago, I went into a classroom, told a story about a Rebbe, and asked, “What’s the lesson?” In Chassidic terms, you should ask, “What practical guidance do you learn from it?” But there’s nothing wrong with putting it this way: “Well, what lesson did you learn from the story?” Quite a few students would raise their hands, but usually they all said the same thing—one lesson. In recent years, though, I’ve noticed that when I ask a child, “What did you learn from the story? What did the story teach you? What’s the lesson? What practical guidance do you take from it?” I get several interesting answers from the class. In other words, every

09:24 Speaker 2 story has several angles. Each person can emphasize something through their own reflection and find several things in it, and that is very important. Here too, when we speak on 13 Tishrei about the yahrzeit of the Rebbe Maharash, we can find instructive things in his life story that strengthen us. We can draw many lessons from it, but the main thing is his saying: The world says that only when you cannot go from below do you go from above. But I say, “Lechatchila Ariber”—go over from the outset, each according to their capacity. So each of us should make some resolution on a day like this, the yahrzeit that marks the completion of the Rebbe Maharash’s work—a leader of the Jewish people, a leader of Chabad, a leader from Chabad, a leader of the entire world. We should draw strength from him so that each of us—men, women, and children—will make one resolution in the spirit of “Lechatchila Ariber,” beyond the usual order, beyond our abilities. Hakadosh Boruch Hu will open gates for us and fulfill our wishes and our good resolution for goodness and blessing. And there is practical guidance from our Rebbe, the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. The Rebbe suggests using such an auspicious time to add in the study of at least one chapter of Mishnayos corresponding to the first letter of his name; to study the teachings of the Rebbe Maharash, whose yahrzeit it is; to strengthen our avodah of davening; to give tzedakah for causes connected with him and his successor; and to hold a joyous farbrengen and make good resolutions. And if we did not manage to do this on 13 Tishrei itself, then we should make it up—and we can make it up—in the following days. Nothing is lost, but we must make it up.