Yud Alef Nissan

00:01 Good Yom Tov. We find ourselves on the day of Yud Aleph Nissan, the yom ha'ledet of the Rebbe, as he is entering the hundred and twentieth year. We'll discuss occasions of Yud Aleph Nissan throughout the years and the Seder by the Rebbe benigier to farbrengens on Yud Aleph Nissan. It was in Tafshin Zayin when the Rebbe traveled to Paris to be with his mother, who just came out from Russia through Poching, arrived in France. And the Rebbe took care of the papers and was there from approximately Purim time till after Shavuot. And the Rebbe and his mother returned to the United States on Chof Ches Sivan, the twenty-eighth of Sivan. It was Tuesday, Yud Aleph Nissan in nineteen forty-seven, as mentioned, and the Rebbetsin, the Rebbe's mother, mentioned to Chassidim, "Az haynt ba'nach is the yom ha'ledet fu mayn zun. Az i vet im betten, vet er mit aykh farbrengen." This evening is the yom ha'ledet of my son. If you will ask him, he will farbreng with you. And Chassidim definitely asked, and the Rebbe farbreng with Chassidim. We don't have too much from that farbrengen in writing, in print, but we'll mention a few facts that the Rebbe mentioned benigier to yom ha'ledet and additional inyanim. The Rebbe mentioned that the inyan of yom ha'ledet is mentioned the first time in Torah, "Va'yihi beyom ha'ledet es pari." "Beyom ha'ledet es pari," which is at the end of Parsha Vayeshev. And the Rebbe explained that there is pari as it is in this physical

02:29 world, the pari of Mitzrayim, and then there is the pari in Kedusha, as the Zohar explains that pari shows on a very intense revelation of godliness. Benigier to a picture, a photo that was circulating at the time showing the Rebbe and the previous Rebbe playing chess. The Rebbe explained the background of this picture. This photo was taken when the Friediker Rebbe needed a lot of rest be'tsalah his health, and this was done upon the instructions of the doctors that forbade the previous Rebbe to be too much, too much involved in his mind in deep matters. And they requested from him that he should involve himself, occupy himself in matters that are not so intense, not so heavy. So the Rebbe says, while playing chess after the first round, the Friediker Rebbe figured that I am working it in such a way that he should win the game. And therefore he said, "Let's do another circle. Let's do another round." This is what took place while playing chess. In this same farbrengen, the Rebbe also spoke about the Rebbe Maharash, that he was very talented, professional with his hands, and he was able to build things. And the Rebbe pointed out in regards to the Menorah that the Rebbe Maharash made. He also made other vessels that really reflect his professionalism. And the Rebbe added that likewise we find by the previous Rebbe that also he was a uman, a master in various fields. The Rebbe continued that once the previous Rebbe took a walk, and

05:09 Rebbe Elokim Althaus escorted him, and they stopped at a certain place where there was targeting going on. And the previous Rebbe suggested to Rebbe Elokim that he should try if he could do targeting, if he can be on target. But Rebbe Elokim was not able to do it, but the previous Rebbe always hit it on the target. This is basically some of the inyanim that the Rebbe mentioned in this farbrengen of Tafshin Zayin, nineteen forty-seven in Paris. Interesting to note, it was in Tov Shin Yud, nineteen fifty. It was before Beis Nissan, the Yemai Lulah of the Rebbe Rashab, and Rab Shmuel Levitan, one of the older Chassidim, the distinguished Chassidim, asked the Rebbe if he is planning to travel to the Eitzion, to the resting place of the previous Rebbe. This was a few months after Yud Shevat, and this is in honor of Beis Nissan. So the Rebbe said that he's not planning to go on Beis Nissan, and he added that he's planning to go ten days later, approximately. Rab Shmuel asked the Rebbe, what is ten days later? The Rebbe said a personal matter, which is the Rebbe's Yemeledis. So it seems like Chassidim, although Chassidim in Paris did know, but it didn't really circulate around the world at that time. Yud Aleph Nissan Tov Shin Yud Beis, when the Rebbe became fifty years old, nineteen fifty-two. The Rebbe instructed that there should be a group of Chassidim amongst the older Chassidim and also from the Bocherim, and the Rebbe mentioned

07:25 them by name. He invited them to his room where he's going to deliver a maimer, a discourse. When they all entered, the Rebbe began the maimer, Hashem Shvat, Sai Tiftach, Hofi Yagit Elasecha. This is a verse in chapter fifty-one of Tehillim, which the Rebbe entered that year as he became fifty years old. He began reciting throughout the year, Kapitel Monal of chapter fifty-one. The Rebbe said the maimer with especially srachus, unusual srachus, emotional, and cried a lot. After the conclusion of the maimer, a group of Anash brought up a suggestion, and they asked the Rebbe if the Rebbe could deliver a maimer Chassidus every Shabbos, and if he's able to release it in a written format in order that it can be printed. The Rebbe responded as follows, I do have a desire to publish the maimerim, but I don't have time for it, especially that there are many that are waiting for answers, responses through their letters. In other words, people are writing in everyday letters. The Rebbe's busy with it. The Rebbe needs to attend to it. And then the Rebbe continued and said, Bechalal, what is it your thing to demand from me? Demand from yourself the inyonim that you need to do. This is basically what took place in Tov Shin Yud Beis, 1952. From 1952, Tov Shin Yud Beis to Tov Shin Chav Beis, till 1962, the Rebbe did not commemorate Yud Aleph Nissan in public, but in the maimer, in the discourse of Achanish or Pesach, the Rebbe would

09:53 include an explanation on a verse of his new chapter in Tehillim. And this is how the Rebbe continued from year to year, elaborating in the maimer of Achanish or Pesach, the last day of Pesach. This was the first seemingly occasion, although there was a fabringen the second night Pesach, but we find quite often in Achanish or Pesach maimerim that the Rebbe included a biur, an explanation on a verse of his new chapter in Tehillim. When the Rebbe reached Tov Shin Chav Beis, the Rebbe then became 60 years old. The Talmud discusses the unique significance of 60 years old. And the melech then, the Rebbe fabringt, and the Rebbe delivered two discourses. And the Rebbe also elaborated on inyonim of Misachtah Pesachim, the tractate of Pesachim in the Talmud, and also Meir Isiom. And this was the first formal fabringen with Chassidim on his Yemeleches when he became 60 years old. The following years was similar to the years from 1952 to 1962. The Rebbe would elaborate on a verse of his new chapter in Tehillim during the fabringen in the maimer of Achanish or Pesach. Nine years later, there was a surprise. The Rebbe came back from the AO, this is in 1971, and the Rebbe notified that there will be a fabringen. In 1971, it was not really happening so often that the Rebbe coming back from the AO would give a notice and a short notice that there is a fabringen happening soon. The Rebbe came in, the Rebbe delivered a maimer then,

12:14 uh, which began with the verse regarding the, uh, nasi, the leader of the tribe who brought their contributions on the 11th day of Nisan, Yud Aleph Nisan, Shevet Asher. And the Rebbe referred to the Midrash that there are different people entering the palace. Everyone chooses someone that they feel is significant to them. But then comes the smart person. He walks all the way to the back, and he says, "I am taking the melech. I am taking the king. I'm not choosing anybody else." And the Rebbe elaborated on that in a lengthy, uh, format. And then many years later, it was edited in 1989, Chuntres Yud Aleph Nisan, and that is the maimer from Tov Shin Lamed Alef. I remember personally meriting to be by this farbrengen. It was a very small crowd. Many people already left town. They did not expect any farbrengen till Achash of Pesach. It was 50 years ago, which marked that the Rebbe already at that point did not eat the sudas, the meals, the Yom Tov meals, the seudim of Pesach upstairs after the petirah, the passing of the previous Rebbe's rebbetzin. And the Rebbe then just resumed everything at home. So nobody figured that there would be any farbrengen. But there was a farbrengen, and a very small crowd were aware of the farbrengen in time. The next year, the Rebbe became 70 years old. Chassidim from all over the world came to commemorate, to celebrate. And the farbrengen and Yud Aleph Nisan then became a custom by the

14:28 Rebbe from year to year through Tov Shin Mem Zayin, through 1987. The next year, after Chov Beis Shvat, after the passing of the rebbetzin, the Rebbe stopped all the weekday farbrengens. Interesting to note when we look at some of the discourses that the Rebbe delivered on Yud Aleph Nisan. Tov Shin Chof Beis, when the Rebbe became 60, the Rebbe said two maimarim, delivered two discourses. Tov Shin Lamed Beis, when the Rebbe became 70, so the Shabbos before that, a day before, prior to Yud Aleph Nisan, the Rebbe delivered two discourses. Likewise, we find also in the individual years, not the decades, in Tov Shin Chof Daled, the Rebbe in 1964 also said two maimarim, although it wasn't on Yud Aleph Nisan, but it was behemsech to Yud Aleph Nisan. And as mentioned, Tov Shin Mem Zayin, on the occasion of Yud Aleph Nisan, the Rebbe delivered two maimarim. One was Vachaltem Ochel Vesaviah, and one was Tehillah LeDavid, which was the Rebbe's chapter in Tehillim for that year. Gut Yom Tov.