The 28th of Sivan (7) - The First Farbrengen

00:00 Reb Moshe, in continuation to the previous installment about the arrival of the Rebbe and the Rebbets in the United States, we will now discuss the first farbrengen of the Rebbe on Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, Thursday, 12th, 1941 in 770. The farbrengen came after a request of Chassidim who asked of the Rebbe if he could farbreng with them. And the Rebbe responded that Thursday, when he will have a chance to be called up to the Torah and recite the blessing of Agemel, he will after that farbreng. Indeed, three days later, on Thursday night after Ma'ariv, on the eve of Beis Tammuz, the second of Tammuz, the Rebbe farbrenged with the Chassidim for the first time in America. The Rebbe entered the shul nine p.m. where a small crowd had already gathered. With his siddur in his hand, the Rebbe proceeded to the table and began the farbrengen. At first, the Rebbe requested of the elder Chassidim who were present that they speak, but they declined in anticipation to hear what the Rebbe had to say. Throughout the night, in addition to his own scholarly talk on the Mishnah, our fathers, expounding upon obligation of expressing gratitude to Hashem after overcoming various phases of danger, the Rebbe responded to questions and Chassidis that were posed by those present. A most memorable incident that took place on the night that almost every time that the Rebbe made mention of his father-in-law, the previous Rebbe, his voice began to choke and tears formed in the corners of his eyes. Present

01:54 at the farbrengen was also a group of American yeshiva students who had traveled to Otwock, Poland, to join the Yeshivat Im Chechkimim there prior to the war. While on their trip, during their layover in France, they spent a few hours in the train station together with the Rebbe, who had come to see them. Now, the Rebbe continued to discuss some of the Torah-related issues that they had spoken about at the time. In between the talks, the Chassidim sang various nigunim. In one of the sichas, the Rebbe mentioned that American bachurim, students in yeshiva, are known to be well-versed in the sichas of the previous Rebbe in Likutei Deburim. Sichas talks of the previous Rebbe, which were delivered in the 1930s. The Rebbe began testing the bachurim as to their knowledge. Another event that took place at this farbrengen, the Rebbe spoke about the nigun of Rab Michel Zlotchewer. The Ba'al Shem Tov said about the nigun of Rab Michel Zlotchewer that whoever will sing it, the Ba'al Shem Tov continues, wherever he will be, he will awaken mercy, rachamim rabim, for those who are singing this nigun. And the Rebbe said that this nigun has two versions, but the version that was accepted by the Rebbe Rashab and by the previous Rebbe is a version sung by Rab Michoel Dworkin. And the Rebbe then began singing the nigun.