The Tahalucha

00:01 As we stand in the night of Erev Shevi'i Shel Pesach, which is Shevi'i Shel Pesach, a designated day for going on talucha, visiting different shchunas, different neighborhoods of Yidden, different communities, and speaking to them b'negea to in yonim of Hasides. And, uh, as it was customary Pesach to read the letter, the Pesach message that the Rebbe released that year for Pesach, and nele this was a part of Al Fatzes HaMayones Chutza. The talucha, first one began Shvuos Tov Sin Ches Lev, 1955. It was right after Tzidi HaGudus Chabad was founded on Bezeer, and their first project talucha was on Shvuos. Pesach, the talucha went to Williamsburg, and Shvuos, it went to Borough Park. The Rebbe showed a very special chavivos, cherishing to the talucha. It was customary that the Rebbe ate the sudas the first twenty years, all the Yom Tov sudas, including the Slorim of Pesach, upstairs on the second floor where the previous Rebbe lived. Previ- previous Rebbe's apartment. And after the suda on Shevi'i Shel Pesach, already going into Achron Shel Pesach, the Rebbe would return to his room and seemingly would wait till the talucha returned back to seven-seventy. When the talucha returned, I remember from a personal experience, we came into the shul upstairs, to the hallway, into the Gan Eden Atachten, and Rabbi Chadikoff saw that the talucha returned. He would enter the Rebbe's room and notify the Rebbe that the talucha returned. And the Rebbe would give a short bracha through Rabbi Chadikoff. On one occasion, the Rebbe

02:15 said that since they're singing Hop Kazak, "Zon ze arein hopken in di g'ula", they should dance into the g'ula. Another occasion, which was actually fifty years ago Shvuos, the Rebbe said it should be fulfilled by them, "Tomei chasurai b'maglei secha." That every step should have a special pleasure. There should be a special pleasure in every step that one takes, and this was referring to the walking of the talucha. After twenty years, when the Rebbe stopped eating the sudas upstairs, the Rebbe would usually go home after Ma'ariv. So we did not anymore have the zechus to receive a bracha immediately after we returned. But in addition to that, over the years before the twenty years, uh, uh, concluded and after that, the Rebbe would dedicate a special sicha during the fabringen of Achron Shel Pesach Sudas Mashiach and the second day Shvuos. If the sicha would focus on the connection between the ingan of talucha and that specific Yom Tov. At the conclusion of the sicha, the Rebbe would ask that everyone who went on talucha should say l'chaim. And, uh, nigun, they would sing the Napoleon's March, which was the nigun with which the talucha would leave seven-seventy. Tov Sin Lamed Alef, 1971, there was something new and unusual that took place. When it came to the time of talucha, suddenly there's pushing going on, like someone is really rushing them out. And that's when everybody became aware that the Rebbe is standing on the porch, and the Rebbe said the new, "Vos varkmen medartoch

04:36 sin geng?" What are they waiting for? They need to leave already. And that's when they started to leave, and the Rebbe waited till the last person left seven-seventy. During the time that they were leaving, there was a young bachur then, Simon Jacobson, who was holding the door for the Rebbe. The Rebbe turned to him in the middle, and the Rebbe asked, "Why aren't you going talucha?" He told the Rebbe he's holding the door. The Rebbe was then going back into the shul and telling everyone to go talucha. Even older Hasidim, they should leave with the talucha. When the Rebbe was done, the Rebbe then turned to this child, and the Rebbe said, "Yetz kenst du eych gehen." Now you can also go. The Rebbe went back to seven-seventy. He looked around to see if there was anybody left. And when it came to Mincha time, minutes before the time that they announced Mincha, the Rebbe closed his-- opened his door and then checked if it was-- closed it and checked if it was closed well. And when it came to Mincha, he did not come out to Mincha. Rabbi Chadikoff knocked on the door. The Rebbe did not answer. Kiilu, officially, there's no minyan. Everybody left. Ma'arif was upstairs in the small zal, not as usual downstairs in the big shul. From the mid-'70s, the Rebbe on a constant basis escorted the talucha when they left and waited till the last one left. The Rebbe would wave to the police captain for his assistance, then

06:31 the Rebbe would return to his room. In Tafshin Mem Gimel, Shuas, when the Rebbe was already staying in the library occasionally, the Rebbe came out late at night and the Rebbe asked, "Where's the talucha? Sazi shtil, it's so quiet. What's happening?" Seemed like the Elam did not know that the Rebbe will be coming out. This was a complete surprise. So Pesach Tafshin Daled Mem, 1984, a big Elam came to 770. They started to sing a nigun and the Rebbe came out and encouraged the singing. And from then on, year after year, the Rebbe also came out to greet the talucha when they came back. In the beginning, they would organize it to make sure that all the groups came back in order that everybody should be, be there when the Rebbe comes out. And this was the seder year after year. The Rebbe would at the entrance of the library, uh, motion with his hands and encourage the singing. When the Rebbe moved to 770 in Tafshin Mem Ches, after Chabad Shevat, the Olam Pevim were in his room. The Rebbe would come out when the singing began and that the Rebbe continued through Pesach and Shuas Tafshin Nun Alef, 1991. It was then that the Rebbe gave an additional giluy to those that came back from talucha. The Rebbe lifted up his hand in the middle of the singing, that it should get quiet, and the Rebbe spoke a short sicha, standing on the porch outside of 770 about 11 at night, Lil Achren

08:24 Shel Pesach. This was already the evening after the day of Shrias Shel Pesach. And the same thing repeated itself on Shuas Tafshin Nun Alef, Tinosei, when the Rebbe again spoke a sicha benegeir, the inyan of ketz, Akel Meidem Deboi Nam Elochem, which the Rebbe very much focused on during that Shuas. These were the last two times that the Rebbe came out, Melech BeYofie Techezenu Einecha, and this showed actually the special kiruvim that the Rebbe gave the talucha. Instead of as other things were actually in a certain sense limited, when it came to talucha, the Rebbe constantly added more and more. As our chazal tell us, Leizo's mechaveh vo'ad, constantly showing an additional chibah, an additional cherishing for going on talucha. Im yirtzeh Hashem, in the next installment, we'll discuss different inyanim that the Rebbe spoke about the talucha, the unique qualities of talucha, and what he, um, expressed, how we cherish the talucha.