0616 - The Rebbe Stood for Chazaras Hashatz Because was Davening Sh'moneh Esrei

00:00 The Alter Rebbe in talks about the din that you're not allowed to sit within talit damask of a person who's davening Shemoneh Esreh. In the front, in the back, in the sides. So I remember a few times that this happened by the Rebbe. The Rebbe would come in to daven Mincha or Ma'ariv from his room through the hallway into the shul right by the door. That was the Rebbe's place. By that table, that corner, that was the Rebbe's place of davening. There were two benches on both sides of the table, which was the places where the bochurim would sit and learn. But for Mincha-Ma'ariv, the Rebbe would come in and his place was by that edge. The Rebbe would come into Mincha. He would say Ashrei standing there. Then he would turn around and face the door, which is facing Mizrach, with his siddur. He would finish, walk back three steps, then wait there till Kedusha. When it got close to Kedusha, the Rebbe would walk, walk back up to the door, which is to front Mizrach, and say Kedusha. And Bakol HaKodesh, the Rebbe would turn around and sit down by that area, that corner, that edge. So I remember what happened that the Rebbe, once when he did this, and he turned around to sit down, he looked and he saw in front of him there was somebody standing and davening Shemoneh Esreh. So the Rebbe did not sit down, which was different than he always did, because bechalal whatever the Rebbe did

01:16 with Mincha-Ma'ariv always came out was the same thing. We knew exactly when he's gonna stand, when he's gonna sit, when he's gonna look at the crowd, et cetera, et cetera. But this time, the Rebbe befeider did something different, you saw. The reason was he looked and he saw the person standing Shemoneh Esreh there, which was within talit damask, so the Rebbe didn't sit down. He remained standing. But this came out never happened, because first of all, usually there was a big empty space around the Rebbe that no one stood bechalal. But even if there was a bigger crowd and people did stand a little bit closer, but no one stood Shemoneh Esreh there in front of the Rebbe. But this was a person that didn't really know the, the things the way they go on in 770. I think one of them is about teshuva. So he continued, he had to daven Shemoneh Esreh, and the Rebbe already finished, it was after Kedusha. So when the Rebbe saw that, the Rebbe did not sit down. So I remember this happened twice for sure. Could be even more, I'm not 100% sure. I think what happened, one of the times the Rebbe stood, but as soon as that person finished Shemoneh Esreh, which was still the middle of Chazarat HaShatz, the Rebbe sat down. The other time that I remember, the person took longer, so the Rebbe stood the whole time for Chazarat HaShatz because that person was there. And it was obvious that the reason

02:24 the Rebbe did this is because you're not allowed to sit in front of somebody who's davening Shemoneh Esreh. Even though there are certain conditions in Shulchan Aruch, et cetera, et cetera, I saw it myself that the Rebbe did not do it. Now, I think it happened more than twice, but I can't be sure. I th- the two times that I remember clearly were these two times, and I think that one of the times, like I said, the Rebbe sat down in the middle because that person finished Shemoneh Esreh, so he sat down in the middle of Chazarat HaShatz. And the other time I remember, I think it was that the Rebbe stood the whole time because that person was davening longer, so the Rebbe did not sit down to Chazarat HaShatz at all.