Bayis - A person's Home - Part 11

00:00 Behamshech, in continuation to the earlier installments on the concept of a Bayis Yehudi, a Jewish home, we'll now continue with installment number eleven, discussing various directives of the Rebbe regarding the inauguration of the Jewish home as what to place first in the new home. In Sefer HaMinhagim, which is a compilation of customs, customs of Chabad, and as it is translated by Sichas in English, it is stated as follows. It is vital and proper that Hasidim should have the following three books in their possession. Keser Shem Tov, which is a sefer that includes the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. Ohr Torah is a sefer that includes the teachings of the Mizrachi Maggid. And Tanya, of course, is from the Alter Rebbe. For certain reasons, however, they should not be bound together in one volume. One should study them as much as one wishes, though let that study be worthy of the name daily, or at least on Shabbos and Yom Tov, and at certain other times. In a letter in the Igros of the Rebbe, Volume nineteen, page three eighty-nine, the Rebbe writes to an individual that our custom is that when we inaugurate the house, when we enter the house, we also bring in a siddur, a Chumash, a Tehillim, and a Tanya. In addition to the custom, the Rebbe adds in parentheses, it seems like it is a mainstream custom to also include bread and salt. Binegir, the posting of the mezuzahs, since this person who received the letter is, was living in

01:57 Eretz Yisrael, so the Rebbe said that he should inquire what is the custom in Eretz Yisrael in regards to the timing of the mezuzah posting. And the Rebbe adds, our custom and in Chutz La'aretz, which is outside of Eretz Yisrael, we post a mezuzah immediately upon entering the house, moving into the house without a bracha. And on the thirtieth day, we remove one mezuzah to check it or to change it with, uh, another mezuzah which is more enhanced, and we post it on the doorpost with a bracha and with the intention that this bracha should include all the mezuzahs that we will be posting in the house. On several occasions, the Rebbe mentioned a story that the previous Rebbe mentioned in regards to how they inaugurated the house when the Friediker Rebbe and his Rebbetzin moved into the house. The Rebbe says the following. Before they prepared room, the house for the couple, they brought children there, children from the cheder. And together with the children, they also brought the melamed, the teacher, that he should teach the children while they find themselves in the house. And this was considered the chinuch, the inauguration of the new home in which the previous Rebbe, the Nasi Yisrael, the Jewish leader, and his Rebbetzin moved in. And the Rebbe continues, this story that was known at the time in a little city was forgotten afterwards. But the previous Rebbe told the story years later during the years of his leadership, Nasius, knowing that eventually it will be

04:13 publicized to the public. And from then on, once it was delivered in public, it became a directive and a guidance how a Yid needs to make the foundation of his home. Because if it would have only pertained to a leader, to a Nasi beYisrael, then it would not have been publicized to all. Since it was publicized to all, it's understood that this is relevant to all. On another occasion, the Rebbe mentions in a Sicha in Tov Shimim Ches nineteen eighty-eight, binegir to bringing in children to the house as a Chanukas Haba'yis, that they should learn their Alef Beis or psukim, verses of Torah, or something similar. Likewise, in a Sicha in Tov Shimim Ches the same year, the Rebbe mentions binegir to choson kallah, that when a choson and kallah plan to build a Jewish home, so in addition to their planning to prepare the furniture in the house, a bed, a chair, a table, a menorah, candelabra, they should also make sure that at first the house should also have Sifrei Kodesh, sacred Sefarim in which they will be learning, to the extent that the house becomes a Bayis Malei Sefarim, a house full of Sefarim. And as the Rebbe explains many occasions that when we say Bayis Malei Sefarim, it doesn't mean the whole house literally is full of Sefarim because a person also needs space for his personal items. But Bayis Malei Sefarim is also the pidush that the whole house and everything that is included in the house are permeated with

06:31 the contents of the Sefarim, the teachings of the Sefarim, and how the Sefarim are the priority in the house. Well, beLashem Chazal, Bayis Vaad Lachachomim, a house that is a meeting point for scholars. And the Rebbe says we find it also binegir to Yaakov Avinu when he descended to Mitzrayim, to Egypt. At first, he dispatched Yehuda. He sent him ahead. Why did he send him earlier? In order that he should set up a study hall there. So the Rebbe says from this we derive that before a person settles in a specific place, he needs to designate and establish a study hall from which guidance comes. Likewise, binegir to an individual home of a person, when a person settles in the home, the home should be designated as a study hall, a Bayis Vaad Lachachomim.