The 9th day of Adar (sheni) 5700/1940 - its significance

00:00 As we find ourselves in the closing of the ninth day of Adar, the ninth of Adar is particularly relevant for Lubavitch in the United States. On this very day in the year Taf Shin, 1940, the previous Rebbe stepped ashore to reside permanently in the United States. Although there already were Chabad Hasidim in the United States, the previous Rebbe's disembarkment marked a new era. His leadership extended 30 years divided into 10-year periods, the last spent in the United States. This episode is also connected with the eighth of Adar. The ship in which the previous Rebbe sailed actually reached port on Monday, the eighth of Adar Sheini. However, because he arrived after 4 p.m., he could not disembark until the next day, Tuesday, the ninth of Adar. For the port rules were that after 4 p.m., one had to wait till the next day to disembark. On several occasions, when a complete decade or a 25-year anniversary were marked since the previous Rebbe's arrival in the United States on this day, the Rebbe would make mention and derive a lesson in Avodas Hashem. In the year Taf Shin Chof Heh, 1965, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary since the previous Rebbe's arrival in the United States, the Rebbe said the following, that it was on this day, the ninth of Adar in 1940, when the Friediker Rebbe arrived, and he opened up his sicha, his words, saying, Peschem B'bracha, we open with words of blessing, thanking Hashem, who has redeemed us and taken us out from

02:09 a restrained situation into a broad status. The halacha is that when a person meets a friend who is very beloved to him, and he enjoys and rejoices in seeing him, he needs to make the bracha Shechayanu v'kimanu v'giyanu l'zman hazeh. The previous Rebbe quotes from the Alter Rebbe in Hilchos Birchos Hane'nen, that on every event of the heart rejoicing, a person needs to make a bracha. In the nusach of the bracha, there is a difference if the one that rejoices, the Baal Simcha, has also partners in this positive inyan that just took place that brings joy to the heart, or he does not have any partners. When a person does not have partners, but he himself is the celebrity, then the nusach habrocha is Shechayanu. But if he has partners, the nusach habrocha is Hateiv v'hameitiv. And the previous Rebbe concluded, in my heart's rejoicing, I do have partners, Agudas Chabad and Askoni Haklal, communal people that are involved in public community work. The people that have a great share, took a great share in my release together with my family are basically the partners that helped me come out b'ezras Hashem from min hameitzar el amerchav. The Rebbe now elaborates on the sicha and the lesson that we derive from it. And the Rebbe makes an introduction that over the last 25 years, many Yidden came out from Russia, where fulfilling tzedakah mitzvahs was connected with self-sacrifice. And since melmila from heaven, they saw the excitement and the liveliness of Yidden fulfilling tzedakah mitzvahs

04:31 permeated with mesiras nefesh for every matter of Judaism on every step in Russia. So b'chazdei Hashem and in a manner which is higher than nature, they managed to come out min hameitzar el amerchav, from a restrained situation to a broader place. And they came to a place where they're able to fulfill tzedakah mitzvahs without any obstacles. But arriving at this place, there are some that forgot about their self-sacrifice. They figure that the need for self-sacrifice, mesiras nefesh, was only when they find themselves in a situation where there are obstacles, like in Russia. L'maimeh d'matzev of min hameitzar karosi yudkei. But now that they find themselves in comfortable countries, there's no need for mesiras nefesh. A person could satisfy himself with an avedah which is al pitam v'das, logical routine. And even then, his friend will pat him on his back and say, oh, you're a fine Jew. There's no need for mesiras nefesh beyond logic. And the Rebbe continues especially that finding themselves here, they go according to the customs and conduct of the country. When they found themselves in a place where there were wild people And therefore they needed to conduct themselves likewise. They should also be a wild Jew in the same way that there's wild non-Jews. And what does this mean? A person should not take in consideration any logical calculations. But now that they are amongst non-Jews that are very calm and very settled and very civilized, so a person has to conduct himself in the same way. And the

06:36 Rebbe brings an example. For example, the tie has to be in the right position. The socks have to be with a certain color, an appropriate color. Up shita that every day surely he needs to read the newspaper. This is a law which cannot be changed. Because if not, chas v'shalem, God forbid, he won't know what the president in Washington decided beneger to a certain matter. And in the same sense also beneger to eating and drinking, he has to drink every day a cup of milk or a cup of juice at a certain set time. But otherwise, he feels he's not mesugal. He's not really the right person learning a shir every day in Teyra, even in Kitzot Shochanaruch. And when they tell him that he should make a chesm and assess in a very logical way, thinking about the situation that he finds himself in now, beneger to the excitement that he has in Teyra on mitzvahs. When his say that aveda is in a limited state, he can't compare it to the situation, the status as it was in the past when his say that aveda was permeated with mesirit nefesh. So when that is pointed out to him that now he has slowed down since the aveda that he had in Russia, he says, I have a different calculation. It's mentioned, Chassidus, that a chasid, in the same sense that he needs to know his shortcomings, he also needs to know his qualities. So b'meile, thinking about his qualities, that alone is already

08:23 an aveda al pi derech Chassidus. And b'meile, he figures he is in a good state. He doesn't want to be concerned about his aveda. And especially, he adds, that in the bank, he has a big chesm of mesirit nefesh that he had in that country. So now he can take a rest. It is self-understood that the summation of all the calculations mentioned earlier is that he finds himself in a state of sleep. And as a result of that, he is weakening his spiritual keichas, as we see it in relationship to physical keichas. When a person does not use his muscles, does not use his evadim, they become weak. In the same sense, it is b'neger to the spiritual keichas. The Rebbe concludes the sicha. This is the lesson from the sicha of the previous Rebbe. That a person learns this sicha. He doesn't just put it on the shelf. And the lesson is that even after 25 years of sleeping, a person could wake up and make the bracha shachayano and begin returning back and being involved in all the inyonim that he did in the country of Russia with a renewed chayis and excitement permeated with mesirit nefesh as he has just left Russia on a previous day. And after he will begin and become involved in this aveda with a renewed energy, with a renewed excitement, surely he will also have partners in his aveda. And he will then be able to make the bracha hatev vehametiv.