Purim 5741/1981 - Part I

00:00 The hemsech of the earlier installment, B'neguer to Purim Tov Shemem Aleph, nineteen eighty-one. We continue now, BeEzrat Hashem, with discussing the unique quality of Purim when it is on a Friday, what it expresses, what it teaches us. The Rebbe in Hisicha on the thirteenth of Abodah Sheini Tain Esesta, Tov Shemem Aleph, explained this unique quality as follows. On Friday, we say in the song of the day: That Hashem has guarded himself with grandeur. And the reason for that is because the sixth day of the week in the beginning of the creation is the day when Adonai HaMoreshen was created, and he immediately turned and called on the entire creation that they should anoint Hashem as the King of the universe. And this accomplished a unity in the entire creation, including all the aspects of the creation, deimim, tzemeyach, chai, u'medaber. Deimim is the inanimate world, tzemeyach is the plant world, chai is the animal world, and medaber is the people world. And that is accomplished when the entire creation takes upon itself and accepts Hashem's royalty. And therefore, when Purim falls out on a Friday, which is the day in which the entire creation took upon itself, accepted Hashem's royalty, unity with Hashem, the melech, this brings out a greater unity in the Jewish nation, in the mitzvahs of Purim. And not only achdus, unity by Yidden and amongst Yidden, but it accomplishes a unity in the entire creation. We'll now discuss an event that took place today, Purim on a Friday exactly forty years

02:17 ago. Read from a article that was published in the Chassidishe Der Her, and as it was relayed from a few Chassidim who were present at the time. It was in the early afternoon of Purim on a Friday, the Rebbe gave money to Rabbi Binyamin Klein, his secretary, to send to his home on President Street for the Rebbetzin to distribute as Matanos L'evyonim. Rabbi Klein chose a young bocher named Herschel Raskin, known today as Rab Herschel Raskin, mashpia in Montreal, Yeshivan, Temcheat Mimim, and asked him to deliver it. Mincha itself was uneventful. The crowd was fairly small, perhaps thir-thirty or forty people, as most of Anash and bocherim were out go-- doing Mivtza Purim. And the Rebbe concluded the tefillah, leaving the zal shul upstairs for his room. The Rebbe's chair was already being carried downstairs for Shabbos when suddenly the Rebbe emerged from his room again, holding a siddur and followed by Rabbi Groner, who was carrying a bottle of wine. The small crowd had already begun to disperse, but seeing the Rebbe walking back into the zal, whoever was in sight hurried back inside to see what was happening. This was merely a few short moments after the Rebbe had left, and now he was coming back. For what? The suspense was baffling. Entering the zal, the Rebbe asked the maskirim, secretaries, to close all the doors, the windows. Before leaving his room, it is rumored that the Rebbe told Rabbi Groner that this ma'amer sh-should be kept quiet without much tumult, so as

04:28 not to disturb the people who were busy preparing for Shabbos. Arriving at his place in the zal at the southeastern corner where he would daven Mincha on Shabbosim with no fabrengen, the Rebbe waited until his chair was returned. In the meantime, he wrapped a handkerchief around his hand, as was the custom of the Rabbeim before the recital of a ma'amer. When the chair arrived, the Rebbe sat down and immediately began to recite a ma'amer on the pasuk La'Yehudi Mesorer. Being a total surprise, no microphone or tape recorder was present to record the Rebbe's words. Rabbi Elkann and the other chazanim were also not there to memorize the ma'amer. But a few of those present did the best they could to transcribe a nocha of the ma'amer as the Rebbe spoke. Hence, between these anochas and with the assistance of Rabbi Mendlik, the ma'amer was quickly published in time for Shabbos. The ma'amer lasted around seven minutes. Afterwards, the Rebbe asked that a glass of wine be filled for him. When asked if he wanted his regular becher, his regular kos, the Rebbe declined, and Rabbi Mendlik poured wine for the Rebbe into a plastic cup. After saying l'chaim, the Rebbe asked that all those present should do as well. And then began singing Ufaratzna, standing up and responding l'chaim v'l'brocha to all. Then the Rebbe asked for another l'chaim, drank a second cup, and recited the brocha achreina. Before leaving the zal, the Rebbe reminded everyone to recite the brocha achreina and encouraged all to

06:25 utilize the time that I'm still here and say l'chaim without limits. Chaf tarain kolzman ich bin do, un zoch l'chaim on hagbolis. Leaving the zal, the Rebbe waved his hands encouraging the singing. During the maimer, one of Anash who had heard about the surprise ran to 770 and knocked on the window of the zal. After someone opened, he put his ear to the window to follow along. Seeing the open window, this is after the Rebbe already was walking out after the maimer, the Rebbe turned to the maskir and said, didn't we decide that the windows would be closed? After a few minutes, the Rebbe left for home. Meanwhile, scores of bacharim and Anash returned to 770 and hearing what had happened, a joy celebration ensued. Overjoyed by the immense giluyim of the day and hearing about the Rebbe's request to say l'chaim, Chassidim sang and danced, welcoming the Shabbos with tremendous joy. When the Rebbe entered the shul for Kabbalah Shabbos that evening, the Chassidim were in particularly high spirits, singing the Hakafes Nigun joyously. Reaching his place, the Rebbe put down his siddur on the shtender and turned around to encourage the singing. The scene that unfolded that night reminded everyone of Sukkot celebrations with the Rebbe. Im Yirtze Hashem, in the next installment, we will continue what took place at the Farbrengen on Shabbos afternoon. A freilechen Purim.