Rosh Hashana 5712 (1951) - Part II

00:01 The hemshech, in continuation to the earlier installment in regards to the Yeman, the diary of Rabbi Yeochon, in which he wrote up the events that took place by the Rebbe, Rosh Hashanah Tavshin Yud Beis, late 1951. We continue now with installment number two, as Rabbi Yeochon discusses the events of Erev Rosh Hashanah Tavshin Yud Beis. On Erev Rosh Hashanah, the Rebbe called in a few of Chassidim who, a time earlier, requested from the Rebbe to say Chassidis, to deliver a discourse on Rosh Hashanah. And Rabbi Yeochon continues, תודה לא-אל, thanks to Hashem that the Rebbe gave them a positive response, that he will deliver a discourse. The Rebbe also added that in addition to the discourse, there will also be a sunda, which means a farbrengen. As the Rebbe referred to it, a tish. In Chassidic circles, when the Rebbe farbrengs with Chassidim and there is a meal, it's called a tish, a table. An additional inyan that began on Erev Rosh Hashanah, in general, at all times when the Rebbe would travel to the Eil, to the Tzion, to the resting place of the previous Rebbe, as Erev Rosh Chodesh Bekadema, he would accept pidyones, panim, from everyone who wished that the Rebbe should read his names, names that he is mentioning in the pidyon, by the Tzion, by the resting place of the previous Rebbe. And this became a pattern, that every Erev Rosh Chodesh, every talmid in the yeshiva, every student, and also some of Anash Chassidim, if they were present before

02:13 the Rebbe left to the Eil, they were present in the shul, they would write their name and their family names and would hand it over to the Rebbe. Because the Rebbe instructed that they shouldn't write long panim unless there is something that they urgently need, a request, in order that it shouldn't take much time. So in the last time period, prior to now, it became a seder in order to make it easier for the Rebbe, that they take long sheets of paper and everyone writes on these pages the names that he wants to include in the pidyon, more in a communal format. This Erev Rosh Chodesh, when Chassidim went into the Rebbe, they asked the Rebbe what will be the seder with the pidyones. The Rebbe said like always, that they should take sheets of paper and everyone should include their names in the sheets. The Rebbe continues, I will read it by the Eil. So Chassidim told the Rebbe that the seder by the previous Rebbe was that Erev Rosh Chodesh, everyone individually handed their personal pidyon, not as part of a list, but the names of the family were grouped together in a separate note. So the Rebbe continued, those who want to hand in separate notes, panim, I will accept it, but I will not read it on the Tzion because shortage of time. The melech, this was something new, a new development, that the separate notes that each individual handed in, the Rebbe took, accepted it, and he said explicitly he

04:22 will not read it on the Tzion, but it was actually the first time that the Rebbe accepted the panim from every individual in an official manner. Erev Rosh Chodesh, the movement of everyone was by the Tzion, including the Rebbe. The Rebbe came later, and Rabbi Yael writes that he saw as the Rebbe was going into the taxi to travel to the Eil, this was about 1.30 p.m., the Rebbe came back about 45 minutes before Lejbenschen. When the Rebbe came back from the Tzion, they davened Mincha, and then the Rebbe returned to his room, and the Minyan, the Kol, the Chassidim were waiting for Ma'arev. When the Rebbe entered into Ma'arev, his face looked very awesome. It was obvious that this evening is not like a regular evening of the year. The Rebbe sat down in his place, and he sat Tehillim for about 10 minutes, and then he took the Ma'amer, the discourse, which was published for Rosh Chodesh, in general, in the early years of the Rebbe's Neseos, the Rebbe would release a Ma'amer, a discourse of the previous Rebbe, in honor of the Yom Tov, that it should be studied on that Yom Tov. So Melech, this was the Ma'amer that was released for Rosh Chodesh at Tov Shen Yud Beis. The Rebbe looked at it a while, and after that, the Rebbe motioned that they can begin davening Ma'arev. There was a big crowd, which pushed around the Rebbe to hear how the Rebbe is davening Ma'arev, but the Rebbe davened together

06:14 with the Minyan, not Ba'arikos. The point Rabbi Yael is making is that, in general, by the early Rabbeim, Chassidim observed that they would daven for hours Ma'arev of the first night Rosh Chodesh. But the Rebbe, it was not observed so. They saw that he was very engrossed in thought, and in the middle of davening, many times the Rebbe would close his eyes for a few moments, which in the middle of the year, this was never seen. But the Rebbe davened with the Minyan together, and after davening, when the Rebbe returned to his room and he went through the Minyan, there was a pathway that was made for the Rebbe. The Rebbe said to everyone, Good Yom Tov, and the traditional L'Shana Tova. His face was very serious, not like every Shabbos, when he would wish Good Shabbos to everyone while walking out of the shul. Im Yirtza Hashem, in the next installment, we'll continue what took place the next morning.