Ears to Hear 9 | "And He Shall Wave His Hand" - The Month of Kislev 5753

00:00 Speaker 1 And Hashem did not give you a heart to know, eyes to see, or ears to hear.

00:08 Speaker 2 Ears to Hear. Audio programs for the Temimim from the World ATA.

00:14 Speaker 3 Suddenly we get a message that there’s an event. We get there. The Rebbe was so—this was after two weeks when the Rebbe hadn’t come out. First of all, you can’t describe how much we missed him. And then you saw the Rebbe so alert. The Rebbe looked—I remember, this was one of the few times I really focused. First of all, I knew I was going back to Eretz Yisroel, right? I focused on the Rebbe, and the Rebbe looked at me very intently. It was simply endless encouragement. We left right after the event. I went out, and we rushed to the airport because we were already late for our flight. They had already called out our names, and we got to the plane. All the Polish chassidim were there, a whole lot of them, and they said, “What happened? What’s going on with you?” “The Rebbe is appearing! The Rebbe just encouraged ‘Yechi’!” It was so powerful.

01:15 Speaker 2 Shalom aleichem to all the Temimim in Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch yeshivos throughout Eretz Yisroel and around the world. We are now beginning another program in the Ears to Hear audio series, a program imbued through and through with a spirit of steadfast hiskashrus to the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach shlita, and to his central mission: bringing about the days of Moshiach. In 5753, we merited that extraordinary revelation when the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, sat on a wooden platform and encouraged the holy singing of “Yechi Adoneinu.” The month of Kislev 5753 undoubtedly stands out as a special month for the Rebbe’s encouragement of “Yechi Adoneinu” at that time, particularly Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5753, when the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, vigorously encouraged the holy singing of “Yechi Adoneinu.” This is what was written in a diary about Rosh Chodesh Kislev: “The climax came in the final two minutes, when the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach, began encouraging the singing to both sides and in every direction with tremendous speed and force. He raised his hand in vigorous, sweeping circular motions of a kind we had not merited to see until then since [unclear]. He raised his holy hand this way twenty-six times and continued encouraging with movements of his holy head. About another minute later, he again began vigorously encouraging the singing. Again he raised his hand, encouraging it with some fifteen large motions, including several double motions in which he swung his hand back and forth from left to right. What took place in the Beis Hamikdash during those minutes cannot be described. People danced, jumped, and sang with tremendous enthusiasm. Above all, their joy was in the revelation of the King, in preparation for the great revelation of the true and complete Geulah. Many thought: This is it—Moshiach is coming down and revealing himself before everyone.” In this special program, we want to return to those extraordinary moments in Kislev 5753, to that vigorous encouragement and to what the chassidim experienced and felt at the time. We want to farbreng about it, to sense it and feel it. We’ll be speaking with Rabbi Elazar Wilhelm, a mashgiach and teacher at the Chabad yeshiva in

03:35 Speaker 2 Tzfas, who was among the Temimim of the 5753 group. We’ll now begin the program with Rabbi Elazar Wilhelm. Shalom aleichem, Rabbi Wilhelm. Chaim u’vrachah.

03:47 Speaker 3 Chaim u’vrachah.

03:49 Speaker 2 Well, boruch Hashem. We’re sitting here at a very special time, the month of Kislev. When we as Chabad chassidim speak about Kislev, the entire month is, as the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, describes it, a month of Geulah. From the Alter Rebbe and 19 Kislev, and the Mitteler Rebbe and 9 and 19 Kislev, through the celebrations of 4 Shvat, 14 Kislev, and of course Rosh Chodesh Kislev—that special celebration of ours, the Rebbe’s celebration. We all talk about these celebrations, know about them, and celebrate them. Looking at the progression of celebrations connected with the Rebbe himself, you could even trace several stages leading up to the extraordinary events of Kislev 5753. When we read the diaries, we hear about the Rebbe’s special encouragement of “Yechi” that month, beginning on Rosh Chodesh Kislev and 19 Kislev, and all the events surrounding them. So we’d simply like to talk about Kislev 5753. But first, since you were part of the 5753 group, it would be interesting to hear what the atmosphere was like as you prepared to go for a year that wouldn’t be an ordinary year with the Rebbe. When the students of the 5752 group went, they knew they were going for a year like 5751, like 5750, like 5740. But you were going for a year that wouldn’t be ordinary. The Rebbe had not appeared in public for a long time. What was the atmosphere? How did you feel at that time?

05:19 Speaker 4 First of all, thank you for the privilege of speaking to the Temimim, the [unclear] soldiers of our generation, who are truly bringing about the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach’s victory immediately. The 5753 group—yes, that’s a huge heading, and there’s a great deal to say about it. The trip was accompanied by very mixed feelings. Let me start at the beginning: every child, every student in Tomchei Temimim, has always waited for this moment. “When will the opportunity come my way so that I can fulfill it?” I won’t just be with the Rebbe for Tishrei; I’ll be with the Rebbe for an entire year, a full year. You’re always waiting for that. And then 27 Adar 5752 came. Before that, there had been sichos all the time. We listened to broadcasts in the yeshiva and stayed up almost every night for a sicha of a few minutes. More encouragement, more and more of a real sense that we were approaching that extraordinary moment of the true and complete Geulah. And then 27 Adar came. Of course, there were questions about whether we would go at all. Boruch Hashem, to put it briefly, Reb Mendel Futerfas was absolutely insistent that those of us in the yeshiva—I was then studying at Tomchei Temimim in Kfar Chabad—go for the year as usual. He really gave us the confidence that, first and foremost, we were going to the Rebbe. There’s seeing, and there’s being seen. First, present yourself before the Rebbe, and with Hashem’s help, you’ll merit to see him too. We prepared to go. We left before Shabbos Selichos and arrived at 770, and suddenly saw that the front was empty. It’s impossible to describe. I had, boruch Hashem, merited to be there in Tishrei 5748 and Tishrei 575... Suddenly you arrive, and right before your eyes you see the darkness. And then you begin—

07:28 Speaker 2 But you knew that was the situation.

07:30 Speaker 4 Yes, we knew what the situation was.

07:32 Speaker 2 But to see it before your eyes.

07:33 Speaker 4 Before your eyes. Seeing 770 that way was very, very, very difficult. And I remember there were all sorts of rumors—they were only rumors—that perhaps the Rebbe would come out on Rosh Hashanah, and they built the room. But it was all just a possibility, to the point that many people said it was only being done to give the chassidim hope.

07:55 Speaker 2 Oh.

07:56 Speaker 4 That’s how I remember it. Those who knew the situation understood that it was far from certain that the Rebbe would agree to come out to that special room. Then Rosh Hashanah came, and the Rebbe did come out for the shofar blowing. The details have already been printed and publicized. The excitement was extraordinary. I don’t remember ever standing before the Rebbe with such longing. And... there was the shofar blowing. We wanted the Rebbe to blow the shofar, but we didn’t merit that. It was very difficult to see the Rebbe through the opaque glass, and you could only see so much, but still, it gave us hope. That was it. Then came all those days, Tzom Gedaliah, and after that Erev Yom Kippur, until we reached the high point, which was really the construction of the balcony.

08:55 Speaker 5 Simchas Torah.

08:56 Speaker 4 Simchas Torah. If I remember correctly, the balcony was built before Sukkos.

09:01 Speaker 5 Mm-hmm.

09:03 Speaker 4 And then you could really see the Rebbe fully—not behind glass, not in some indistinct way. Along with that, to my great good fortune and delight, they built a set of bleachers. Where the farbrengen platform is today, there were bleachers. They built—I mean, they prepared—a new set of bleachers. Since everything had changed and the Rebbe was now at the western wall, the bleachers were going to be close to the balcony, and I secured a spot. That spot stayed mine throughout the year, even when there were many distinguished people there. I had my regular place. Quite a few people actually preferred to be down on the floor, but I wanted to be close, to see up close. That really let me experience and feel the Rebbe’s responses more closely.

09:54 Speaker 5 For a chossid who had spent previous years with the Rebbe, it was different to see the Rebbe like that. His appearance was different, of course, but the substance of what was happening was different too: suddenly people were singing “Yechi Adoneinu” before the Rebbe. Didn’t that sound far-fetched to you at first?

10:11 Speaker 4 Ah, the first time, on Simchas Torah, I went on the procession. I mean, I went to a fairly nearby place, because I knew the Rebbe might come out. So I went to the synagogue of [unclear], a little beyond the neighborhood. And then, while we were there—I don’t remember exactly when—police officers came and told us over their radios that the Rebbe had come out. We ran. I don’t remember ever running like that in my life, and we made it to 770. By the time we arrived, the Rebbe had already come out.

10:46 Speaker 5 Oh.

10:46 Speaker 4 He had gone back into his room. But the joy there—I mean, it was a revelation. As a chossid, you always know that the Rebbe is Moshiach. That’s clear. It goes back to the Alter Rebbe; the Rebbe’s heichal is something clear to each and every one. But to sing it in front of the Rebbe? We had always known that you didn’t dare, and that the Rebbe wasn’t comfortable with people singing it near him. And suddenly everyone who was there was saying that the Rebbe had encouraged it with great force. It was a real revolution.

11:26 Speaker 5 Oh.

11:26 Speaker 4 That’s what I remember from Simchas Torah.

11:38 Speaker 5 So we’ve been talking about your arrival with the group of 5753 and your first exposure to the extraordinary events at the beginning of that year. If we want to focus on the subject of our program, Kislev 5753, the diaries show a particular intensification in the singing of “Yechi” during that month. Later, it reached even greater heights at the satellite broadcast of 5753, and so on. Let’s begin with Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5753. According to the diaries, that was the strongest encouragement, if we can put it that way, of the entire year. We can see the video, and even from watching it, we can understand something of the significance of what happened then. But what was it like to experience those moments, to see such extraordinary encouragement? How did it feel at the time?

12:35 Speaker 6 First of all, l’chaim. L’chaim. Rosh Chodesh Kislev really gives this day a sense of Geulah. L’chaim, l’chaim.

12:42 Speaker 5 L’chaim, and may it bring blessing.

12:45 Speaker 6 The truth is, Rosh Chodesh Kislev is the Rebbe’s day. And when you look at the Rebbe’s sicha in 5752, the Rebbe speaks about Rosh Chodesh Kislev as a Rosh Chodesh of Geulah—not just an ordinary Rosh Chodesh. There is something special here about Kislev: what was hidden and concealed is revealed, and the essence is revealed. The whole month of Kislev is, in a sense, [unclear]. Everything rests on it; the general exists only through the particular. It all comes back to Rosh Chodesh Kislev. The Rebbe explicitly says, “my day.” Naturally, I remember some of the talk before Rosh Chodesh Kislev that there would surely be something special.

13:27 Speaker 5 The Temimim were already talking about it.

13:28 Speaker 6 We had a feeling about Rosh Chodesh Kislev. The Rebbe recovered in 5738, so it’s an auspicious day. The Rebbe delivered a maamar on his day. Yes, and even before that, the Rebbe delivered maamarim on Rosh Chodesh Kislev. In other words, the Rebbe treats Rosh Chodesh Kislev as a special day, a day with a special quality. And then, of course, the Rebbe released [unclear], which was also an enormous surprise: suddenly an edited maamar was coming out after such a long period. A maamar came out for almost every special day—Rosh Chodesh Kislev, then the 10th, then the 19th, then 5 Teves. You couldn’t keep up with the pace of learning. And here we come to the point where the Rebbe says that this is a day when the spark of Moshiach within each person is revealed. The Rebbe speaks about the essence coming into revelation. If I may, I’ve thought a few times about the group of 5753: you could say that its defining theme was the essence. The Rebbe didn’t say something, but the essence was revealed. It was like seeing. You just saw. It says regarding Moshiach, “And all flesh shall see.” So this was seeing—pure seeing.

14:54 Speaker 5 That’s exactly the distinction in what we’re discussing today: the very existence of Moshiach is the main thing, and then there are his actions. So here it was his very existence that was revealed.

15:02 Speaker 6 His very existence was revealed, and the connection became a real connection. For me, if I may say so—again, these are only words. Because this is a farbrengen, I can say it. It was like the bond between a son and his father, something you can’t explain. It wasn’t that you heard something from the Rebbe and received something from him. It was a bond you felt. The Rebbe’s health also made us feel much closer, and made us need to know what was happening. You became attached even on a physical level. Just an immense love for the Rebbe. So when Rosh Chodesh Kislev arrived, after all the preparations, suddenly we saw the Rebbe raise his hand and wave it. I remember it. I remember where I stood and the whole scene. I simply couldn’t believe it. I remember opening my eyes wide to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The Rebbe was moving his hand. You have to understand that until then...

16:05 Speaker 5 You got there in time. You were standing in your usual place.

16:07 Speaker 6 Even being in my usual place was something new. I don’t remember for certain whether this had happened before—there may have been a few times when people understood that the Rebbe wanted something, and they brought l’chaim. But here there had been preparation. They knew the Rebbe was going to say l’chaim to the chassidim. To me, that was an event, something out of the ordinary.

16:35 Speaker 5 Maybe they had already prepared little cups.

16:36 Speaker 6 We had prepared cups. We stood there with our cups and said l’chaim to the Rebbe, and as you stood there, the Rebbe looked at each and every person. This is where I want to get to what was so special about Rosh Chodesh Kislev. Throughout the period before Rosh Chodesh Kislev, and also well after 19 Kislev, there were many times when the Rebbe sat on the balcony and you could see that he was there, but not necessarily with you. I don’t know how to express it. I mean, he wasn’t focused on us in that way, looking at and taking in each person as he did in the videos from earlier years, with that familiar [unclear]. And then suddenly Rosh Chodesh Kislev arrived, and I noticed that the Rebbe really was looking at each and every person. It was something—wow. It took me back to the times I remembered standing there in Tishrei. For example, on Shabbos Bereishis 5751, when I said l’chaim to the Rebbe. I remember those things, and suddenly here it was again.

17:42 Speaker 5 There was that focus.

17:43 Speaker 6 There was that focus. For three months—almost two months, sorry—the Rebbe had been there and encouraging us, but you didn’t see that personal connection. Here you really did. The Rebbe looked right at each and every person, said l’chaim, and bent forward too. It was extraordinary. Later, the Rebbe actually held on to the railing and looked around, taking in everyone there. That was something special.

18:11 Speaker 5 Do you remember making personal eye contact with the Rebbe?

18:13 Speaker 6 Yes. The last time I had the privilege of being there—which was, in fact, almost the last time we have seen the Rebbe to date—he looked at me very intently. I’ll tell you about that later.

18:30 Speaker 5 So let’s go back to Rosh Chodesh Kislev.

18:31 Speaker 6 Back to Rosh Chodesh Kislev. That was at Mincha. Then came Maariv. Maariv was an ordinary Maariv, but they sang “Yechi,” as they did every time. Suddenly the Rebbe raised his hand and waved it. We were stunned. After the Rebbe had waved his hand so many times, there was a pause. Even the musician there, the bochur playing the keyboard, couldn’t keep up with the pace of the “Yechi.” When he finished, the Rebbe encouraged it again, and then came a surprise. I remember it; I was standing right opposite the Rebbe. You can see it in the video too. The Rebbe simply pulled his right hand. For a moment you thought, “Here—the right hand is going to start working too.” Just seeing the hand like that was one of the hardest things for us. It was very hard, not at all simple, to see the paralyzed hand. And the Rebbe simply pulled his hand. Those were moments when I remember our group feeling: It’s over. That’s it. The whole story of galus is behind us now.

19:44 Speaker 5 The account actually describes twenty-six times at first, followed by another fifteen circular motions.

19:50 Speaker 6 Yes.

19:51 Speaker 5 So you really saw all the—

19:53 Speaker 6 I didn’t count. It didn’t occur to me to count, but it was certainly many times. And I think that the second time the Rebbe encouraged it, he used the motion we were accustomed to seeing, for example at Kos Shel Bracha: up and down, up and down. Just like that, with all that force.

20:18 Speaker 5 And in those moments, what were you feeling?

20:22 Speaker 6 I simply felt that it was over. The Rebbe was getting better. And Rosh Chodesh Kislev really felt like we had reached a stage far, far beyond anything we’d experienced until then—beyond what happened on Simchas Torah, beyond the other times the Rebbe had come out. This wasn’t the same thing. It was much more powerful, a much greater closeness to the chassidim.

20:58 Speaker 5 Wow, it’s really special to hear that description. And just by the way, I’m curious: when you sang the words “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu V’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach L’Olam Va’ed” in front of the Rebbe—what did you have in mind? I can’t ask what everyone had in mind, but I can ask how you thought about it at the time. Was the intention simply that the Rebbe should be healthy? Or did you really feel that this was the definitive revelation of Moshiach? Again, I can’t ask a general question, but I can ask how you felt.

21:30 Speaker 6 It really was both things together.

21:34 Speaker 5 Mm-hmm.

21:35 Speaker 6 Because everyone wanted—and it was obvious to each and every person—that the Rebbe should be healthy. But there was also the matter of kingship, of accepting his kingship. Everyone understood that this wasn’t an ordinary occasion. It wasn’t like singing a song for a particular day, whether 14 Kislev or 5 Teves, when you sing “Didan Notzach,” or any song suited to the occasion. There was something much more special here. It was what the sichos call “giving life to the king.” Just now, in the haftorah of the weekly parsha, Bas Sheva says to Dovid, “May my lord King Dovid live forever.” In other words, there was an acceptance of kingship here. Definitely.

22:18 Speaker 5 And you felt that.

22:19 Speaker 6 We did. There were times when we said, “Wow, first of all I want the Rebbe to be healthy.” But on days like Rosh Chodesh Kislev, when you could already see—because, you know what, by the standards of that time you could already see the Rebbe looking healthy—what more did you want? The revelation. That was already there.

22:41 Speaker 5 Oh, wow. So if we sum up the first part of the program, it sounds like on Tu B’Shvat 5753, when you experienced these things, there was both the closeness of a son and father because of the situation at the time, and, on the other hand, an acceptance of kingship unlike anything before. There were really two things here.

22:57 Speaker 6 Right.

22:58 Speaker 5 It’s very special to hear these things as you describe them—all the Rebbe’s encouragements on Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5753, as though they were given at Sinai. Since we’ve entered the month of Kislev, let’s move ahead. There were, of course, the special encouragements on Motzaei Shabbos and on 1 Kislev, but let’s move toward 19 Kislev. At that extraordinary farbrengen, the Rebbe came out at five and returned to his room at five-twenty. The Rebbe returned to his room at ten-forty, I believe. That means the Rebbe was with the chassidim for more than five hours, in a situation that wasn’t entirely clear. On the one hand, it was a special revelation that the Rebbe spent so much time with the chassidim. On the other hand, there was a very sharp pang because people didn’t understand exactly what the Rebbe wanted and weren’t managing to fulfill his holy wishes. And recently, when everyone saw the full video, the feeling really wasn’t clear-cut. So I’d be interested to hear what the atmosphere was like at those moments. How did you experience it? What did you feel?

24:07 Speaker 6 L’chaim, l’chaim.

24:07 Speaker 5 L’chaim, and blessings.

24:11 Speaker 6 Well, let’s start with the fact that Maariv was held before dinner. All through 5753, we were on alert. These days, you might not know when an alarm will sound; back then, you never knew when Minchah or Maariv would be. From the earliest time you could daven Minchah—one or one-fifteen in the summer, or twelve in the winter—until nightfall, you never knew when Minchah would be. You were on alert every moment. At any rate, Maariv was held before dinner. I think it really was around five. And the Rebbe came in. After an ordinary Maariv, they closed the curtain, and we noticed that the Rebbe wasn’t going back. How did we know? Because they usually turned off the light in the davening room, and it hadn’t gone off. So we understood that the Rebbe was there. Thank G-d, I waited there.

25:11 Speaker 5 Some people had already left.

25:12 Speaker 6 Some had left, yes. A few minutes passed and some people went out. I waited there, and then, completely unexpectedly, the curtain opened and Leibel gestured to the crowd—that’s what I remember—to prepare cups for l’chaim. A wonderful atmosphere began right away. Cups of l’chaim; everyone was saying l’chaim to the Rebbe. It was that same atmosphere as Rosh Chodesh Kislev, only even more so. You could really see it on the Rebbe’s face, beyond his alertness.

25:42 Speaker 5 Another revelation.

25:43 Speaker 6 Yes, exactly. You could also see that the Rebbe was part of it, truly there together with the chassidim, and with even more vitality.

25:56 Speaker 5 Gradually, more and more people arrived.

25:58 Speaker 6 Gradually, a much larger crowd arrived, because they realized there was going to be a farbrengen. It wasn’t—

26:03 Speaker 5 [unclear].

26:04 Speaker 6 A farbrengen came together. It began around five-thirty in the evening. When the l’chaim ended, the Rebbe asked for something. Usually Leibel would ask the Rebbe what he wanted. Reb Leibel asked, and the Rebbe looked at Rabbi Yoel Kahn. As it happened, I was standing next to him.

26:29 Speaker 5 In the eastern corner.

26:30 Speaker 6 Yes. At the start of that farbrengen I was standing up above; then I came down and stood next to him. I think he was in the front row, and the Rebbe looked straight at him. He was asking him for something. So we bochurim told him, “Say something.” But Leibel said, “I don’t dare say anything.” We really urged him. Then he said, “You know what? Bring a book. Bring whatever book you can find.”

26:58 Speaker 5 You yourself were among those who spoke to him.

27:00 Speaker 6 I spoke to him too. I said, “The Rebbe is looking at you—say something.” It was very hard for him to speak in front of the Rebbe, and we brought him a book. One of the other bochurim brought him a volume of Sichos Kodesh, just a volume of Sichos Kodesh. He opened it at random and began reading. He was very flustered and found it hard to deliver the sicha. And throughout the time he spoke, the Rebbe seemed content. You could see the Rebbe sitting, listening and waiting. When he finished, the Rebbe asked for something again. Then the Rebbe looked—I don’t know if the Rebbe looked; I don’t remember that so clearly. But what I do remember is that people asked for a maamar, because it was a farbrengen. There was tremendous tension in the crowd, and Rabbi Weinberg stood up to deliver a maamar. Many bochurim tried to quiet him, because what did it mean to deliver a maamar in the Rebbe’s presence?

27:56 Speaker 5 In the Rebbe’s presence, that was already crossing a line.

27:58 Speaker 6 Yes, it was very difficult, but they could see that the Rebbe wanted it. So he delivered the maamar “VeDovid Avdi Nasi Lahem Leolam,” with all his sweetness, with such vitality and clarity. When he finished the maamar, the Rebbe wanted something again. Then they began singing niggunim, and the atmosphere during the niggunim was extraordinary. I think it was the first time [unclear] that they sang all the niggunim of our Rebbeim in the Rebbe’s presence. It really was like the old days, almost, relatively speaking. You could see the Rebbe looking at the chassidim [unclear], and then they sang one niggun after another, after another. It was amazing. Afterward they tried more things. I think Rabbi Marlow said a few words about a halachic ruling, and I think Shlomo [unclear] was there too. They tried all sorts of approaches, but the Rebbe still wasn’t satisfied. And—

29:05 Speaker 7 Did those of you on duty try to come up with particular ideas?

29:08 Speaker 6 Yes. I didn’t dare, but many of my friends wrote notes. I remember that, as a bochur, I suggested: “What’s the problem? Bring a siddur and let the Rebbe point to the letters.”

29:20 Speaker 7 Did you say that to Leibel?

29:21 Speaker 6 I didn’t say it to him, but bochurim wrote notes—or, from what I understood, many people had that simplest and most original idea. But the Rebbe didn’t agree, for reasons of his own that we don’t know. We cannot fathom them. I can say that this whole back-and-forth—what does the Rebbe want?—was difficult. It wasn’t simple. We really didn’t understand the Rebbe. What did the Rebbe want? What did the Rebbe want?

29:55 Speaker 7 In other words, at the beginning it felt more like a revelation, with the Rebbe present with us in a special way. But toward the middle and the end, there was a very strong feeling of difficulty.

30:05 Speaker 6 The difficulty was that the Rebbe wanted something more, and we—the Rebbe was asking something of the chassidim. The Rebbe actually asked, “Nu, nu,” and we really heard his holy voice. We heard it clearly, clearly. And it was hard, because we had been waiting for something powerful, something connected with the Geulah, and that was it. There were mixed feelings. There’s no question that it wasn’t joy and gladness in an openly good way. But at the same time, when you think about it, you see that the Rebbe appeared to the chassidim for more than five hours. He was really asking something of us. And seemingly, that demand is still with us now; apparently it’s one of the questions we’ll be asked. It remains unresolved. I don’t know what exactly the Rebbe wanted in the end, but it’s important to note that whenever people did something—whether they sang niggunim, or spoke about [unclear]—the Rebbe was pleased. He just wanted something more in addition.

31:15 Speaker 7 That’s really a question we’re still asking today, as the Rabbi says.

31:17 Speaker 6 Right.

31:19 Speaker 7 Wow. Even talking about it brings up mixed feelings. When we talk about the month of Kislev, there was the whole revelation of “Yechi Adoneinu,” the Rebbe’s appearance and his special encouragement during Kislev—certainly a special revelation. But there are mixed feelings, because to this day we ask ourselves what we are doing to bring the Rebbe’s revelation closer. Moving from that atmosphere of the Rebbe’s encouragement of “Yechi” in Kislev 5753, and then the light growing brighter through Chanukah 5753, and afterward on 17 Shvat 5753—all that encouragement of “Yechi”—it raises a deeper question in the heart of every Tomim. What was it like for the Rabbi to be there as the Rebbe encouraged “Yechi”? You saw the Rebbe encouraging “Yechi Adoneinu,” with that feeling that the Rebbe was revealing himself, accepting the kingship, returning to us and bringing about an actual revelation. From your perspective, as someone who was there and saw it, how can we make that same feeling present today—and strengthen our devotion to “Yechi Adoneinu,” our devotion to the belief that the Rebbe is revealing himself and redeeming us?

32:28 Speaker 6 First of all, I’m glad you mentioned that the Rebbe is asking more of us, that we need to do something more in connection with his revelation, because that demand is still present. And that’s really an answer to the question of “Yechi Adoneinu”: What does it mean to me today? First of all, as we know from the Torah, the works of Moshe’s hands are eternal. Certainly a revelation like this, before everyone’s eyes—as you mentioned, on 10 Shvat, it was broadcast by satellite too—

33:04 Speaker 7 Mm-hmm.

33:04 Speaker 6 —with the Rebbe’s consent. And then there were all the activities throughout that year concerning the Rebbe’s kingship. So we’re in the middle of it. Granted, this middle has been a long one. But I remember that once—I think it was Moishe Slonim who said it. Incidentally, if I may say so, one of the things that gave us strength in our group was those chassidim who stood like lions. They explained it, understood it, internalized it, and instilled belief in the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach into our very bones. In other words, “Yechi” wasn’t to be just a hope, but something that was—

33:48 Speaker 7 A reality.

33:48 Speaker 6 A living, breathing reality that is with us every day.

33:52 Speaker 7 Mm-hmm.

33:54 Speaker 6 And that reminds me: I think it was Moishe Slonim who said that the Rebbe set the train in motion in 5711, but for a long time it was a local train, stopping to pick people up. Now we’re on an express train. When it’s an express train, grab your chance—get on board, get into a carriage, because it’s already underway. So today, from what I see, when we study the Dvar Malchus sichos consistently, go over them, and see that these things are eternal—this is something lasting—we live with it. You read them and watch the videos of the Rebbe encouraging “Yechi.” We’re in the middle of the process. So every time you say “Yechi,” every time you speak to people about it, it gives you vitality. It connects you, too, with accepting the Rebbe’s kingship as something real, something happening now, something relevant to the entire Jewish people: making present, and conveying, the reality that Melech HaMoshiach is in the world.

35:09 Speaker 7 Amazing. That’s a special message. I wonder whether, back then, when you went out on mivtzoim as students, and later when you returned to Israel—around your wedding or something like that—conveying the message of “Yechi” was difficult. The world doesn’t always receive it with open arms[?] and thunderous applause. Sometimes it’s the opposite. So, one last question: How did you get the message of “Yechi” across at the time? And how can we get it across today, even though the world sometimes doesn’t accept all of it readily?

35:52 Speaker 6 Honestly, that’s a long discussion. Maybe we’ll just touch on it very briefly. I remember the Gulf War, and whenever tensions like that arise, especially when there are sirens and so on, it takes me right back to that atmosphere. During the Gulf War, we saw—and today everyone can see it, because it’s all documented—that the Rebbe stood alone in his generation and said that nothing would happen here. It’s impossible to grasp. How could that be? And after you saw the missiles and the miracles, what do you think—did everyone become Chabad chassidim? There had been a sense that a catastrophe was coming, that terrible things would happen. The situation was very tense. Then everyone saw that Moshe is true and his Torah is true[?]. That should have settled it. Even though the Rebbe didn’t say the war would end on Purim, he agreed with that prediction, let’s say. And then Purim arrived, and it was all over. The Gulf War was behind us, with zero casualties, and now everyone should have said that there is only one prophet in this generation. But that didn’t happen. I live in Jerusalem, and the tourists and the neighbors didn’t become Chabad chassidim. Some even remained opponents. Today there aren’t opponents anymore, but there were people who... I remember asking my father, a”h, about it. He told me, “Hakadosh Boruch Hu doesn’t take away anyone’s free choice, even if they see the Rebbe in the Beis Hamikdash. Some people might still find it difficult.”

37:34 Speaker 8 What do you learn from that?

37:36 Speaker 6 Here’s what I learn from it. It helps me relate to the present reality. The Rebbe said that we are in the last generation of exile and the first generation of the Geulah, and that’s clear. The more strongly you live with that—and what’s the way to do it? The Rebbe told us the way: the direct path is to study matters of Geulah and Moshiach. Then you really understand that this calls for a kind of faith that is, so to speak, more challenging. With the Gulf War, we’re talking about a period of six months.

38:11 Speaker 8 A specific period.

38:11 Speaker 6 Specific. Here you’re talking about something that—

38:15 Speaker 8 [unclear] until the coming of the righteous redeemer.

38:16 Speaker 6 Until the coming of the righteous redeemer—and it’s supposed to be right now, immediately. But think about it: it’s been thirty years. Not one year—nearly thirty years. And nevertheless, the Rebbe gives us strength. That means we aren’t aware of the hidden strength we have. If you say these things very clearly and simply, without arguing, of course some people will find them difficult. It’s also clear that not everyone can accept them, and that’s perfectly fine. Not everyone has the capacity to receive these things. But when you come and show them, one by one, how the Rebbe’s prophecies have been fulfilled over the years, and how clear the Rebbe’s words are, then it follows that the Rebbe, whose entire being is nullified to Hakadosh Boruch Hu and is one with Him, is expressing Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s will. So I keep going. We’re accustomed to kabbolas ol. When you come with joy and show Jews something no one else has—the hope, the confidence and Chassidus... Just today I met a Jew who barely wears a kippah. I tried to share the Dvar Malchus sicha from Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5752 with him, about the essence and its revelation and all of that. I tried to put it at his level, in his language, in terms he could take in. He said to me, “Listen, these things give me life. They really give me energy.” So clearly, it isn’t simple for everyone today. But yes, if you stand firm with faith and confidence, then...

40:09 Speaker 8 People accept what you say.

40:09 Speaker 6 People accept what you say.

40:11 Speaker 8 So, with Hashem’s help, we’ll connect with this more and more, as the Rebbe said in the sichos, through studying Dvar Malchus and having pure faith in the Rebbe’s complete revelation. And also by watching recordings of “Yechi”—what we didn’t see with our own eyes, we can at least see on video. Through this, with Hashem’s help, may we merit to bring the whole world to life with this.

40:32 Speaker 6 Amen. Right away. Now.

40:34 Speaker 8 Thank you very much, Rabbi Hillel.

40:36 Speaker 6 Thank you. Thank you very, very much.

40:39 Speaker 9 Ears to Hear. Audio programs for the Temimim from the World Atah organization. For more programs, dial star 6358. Long live our master, our teacher, and our Rebbe, King Moshiach, forever and ever.