0084 - Sleeping During Farbrengen

00:01 Many times the Rebbe would complain why people sleep during the farbrengen. And the year Tov Shin Chof Hei towards Shabbos Parshat Toldes, the Va'ad Ha'amsader had a good idea what to do to make sure that the people don't sleep at farbrengen. And it's because the Rebbe spoke a few farbrengens before that about sleeping. He spoke a few times and people still slept and the Rebbe wasn't happy, so they thought of a good idea. The good idea was that no one should sit anymore by farbrengen because the one that's-- the ones that fell asleep are really the ones that were sitting. Uh, standing, you can't sleep really. So the ones that, uh, were sitting, those are the ones that fell asleep. So they decided, we'll make that no one should be able to sleep. So what they did was, the way the Seudah used to be by the farbrengen was that the Rebbe sat on the bimah, on the stage on top. In front of the Rebbe on the floor were lines of tables and benches. People would sit on the bench by the tables. And on the side, both sides, were the people who were standing. The Bochurim and the light were standing there. So they decided that they're gonna take away the tables where you sit in middle of the shul, in front of the Rebbe. So what they did was they took out all the benches, and they pushed all the tables together, probably added even more tables. So it became a big

01:10 empty spot in the middle that no one was there. It was empty, just tables there. And around people would stand, and they made everybody stand by farbrengen so no one should be able to sit. When the Rebbe came in to the farbrengen, he gave a look. You could see right away that he wasn't happy with it. It seems like they hadn't told him that they're gonna do it, 'cause if they would have told him, he would have answered no if he was not happy with it. But he-- obviously, they-- he didn't tell him, so he looked at it, and he didn't look so happy. But then in the middle of the farbrengen, Rebbe spoke about it. The Rebbe said, "Mitzad V'Yisem L'kim." It's opposing the V'Yisem L'kim that you have to make sure that people shouldn't suspect you in doing something wrong, and he connected it to the Gemara Mishnah in Mishkolim. And he said that I keep on talking about not sleeping in the farbrengen, so the Va'ad Ha'amsader had an idea, and they made it everyone should stand. That means to be Metsayer Yidden, and for a long time, because you have to stand for a long time. And the Rebbe said that was not my Kavanah, that's not what he wants. He doesn't want that people should be Metsayer. And he said, therefore, I don't know, for now we're able to still change it for this farbrengen. But the Rebbe said clearly that for the future, he doesn't want that to happen.

02:18 And if anybody sleeps, I won't have any K'peida on them, especially that to them it doesn't matter really because the fact that they're sleeping shows that they don't really care about, uh, whether Rasha says this or Rasha says that because that's what the Rebbe talks about in farbrengen. And they probably won't even dream about it. So as far as they're concerned, they probably don't care. So I won't have any K'peida as long as you're not Metsayer any Yidden. Then the Rebbe said, "Now I understand the story that the Shver, the Friediker Rebbe told him." He told him that by the Rebbe Maharash, there were people who would walk around during the Ma'amar, and if they saw anybody falling asleep, they would take some Shamritze and put it to his nose, and that would wake him up. And the Rebbe said, "I asked the Rebbe, 'What is Shamritze?' He said, 'It's a very... It's a herb that's very strong, that when you put it to the nose, it wakes you up.'" So the Rebbe said, "I never understood why the Shver told me the story. But now I understand that if we want to do something, if someone wants to specially do something, take something and put the smell, wake the person up. But not that there should be everyone should have to stand. I didn't mean that they should be Metsayer Yidden like that. And from now on, that shouldn't happen." And the Rebbe gave a Bracha that all those, whether they're sleeping or they're

03:25 awake, he gave a Bracha that they should have a Nachal Yivlim Ytzorim, et cetera, et cetera. He went on with Bracha for Gashmius and Bracha for Ruchnius. He said that the same Lashon could contain both. And Abin, there shouldn't be a Tzar from Yidden. And the Rebbe didn't speak this Cinyan, this complaint against what they did in a very harsh way, and also not against the ones that are sleeping in a harsh way. He spoke it like in a friendly way, so to speak, but he did make his point that that's not what he wants. And then if the people sleep, there is no K'peida. And not that he was happy that people sleep, because years later, the Rebbe again spoke Tov Shin Chof Ches. A whole summer, the Rebbe spoke many times about why people sleep, and he spoke about it in a very Hartziki way, in a very sad way, so to speak, in the farbrengens of Tov Shin Chof Ches. So the Rebbe did bother the Rebbe, but not enough K'peida to be Metsayer Chas V'Shalom Na'ar Yid. And fact, since this farbrengen Toldi, they never did it again that people should have to stand. Went back to the normal Seudah that people who stand, stand around. In the middle, there were tables that people would sit.