Yom Kippur & Sukos by the Rebbe

00:01 So we're continuing today, Im Yirtze Hashem, with the, uh, Tishrei, um, the second part of Tishrei with the Rebbe, which is, um, from preparing for Yom Kippur, Yom Kippur, Chag HaSukkot, um, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah. When it get to preparation for Yom Kippur, one of the inyonim that the Rebbe customarily did every year was out of Yom Kippur, the distribution of Lekach. The Rebbe would distribute, uh, Lekach, which is, uh, honey cake in, in a physical way and, um, would wish each one a good and sweet year. The Rebbe would, of course, make eye contact with everyone that came by. There were times that the Rebbe briefly, um, had a conver-- a short conversation with, um, certain people or people that picked up for others, for different dignitaries. And that con-c-uh, continued meshal of all the years, from the beginning, early fifties up till late 1991, which was the last Lekach that the Rebbe distributed, um, a-as Erev Yom Kippur. After Tov Sheb'achat, that the Rebbe, uh, had then the, uh, health condition, which was the heart attack in late seventy-seven. So a few things changed since then. One, the Rebbe began distributing Lekach earlier than Erev Yom Kippur. He began in middle of Aseret Yemei Teshuva, for example, Vov Tishrei, and therefore this allowed, um, people to be able to choose what day is, will work for them, and, uh, that's how the line continued every day. And the day of Erev Yom Kippur was left for those that are coming from out of

02:35 town, and they couldn't make it earlier, so Erev Yom Kippur was, uh, the day for, uh-- destined for them to, um, pick up Lekach. The inyan of Lekach, the Rebbe explained, is from the word, "Kelekach teiv nosati lachem." This goes on Torah. The Torah is also considered a purchase. The Rebbe also once mentioned that the inyan of Lekach is to evaluate everyone's potential, and the Lekach actually is an additional blessing which, uh, as the Rebbe verbally would wish each one a good and sweet year, as mentioned. There were interesting different little stories happening while the Rebbe was dis-distributing Lekach, and when the Rebbe was distributing Lekach. There was at one point, somebody came over to the Rebbe with a napkin in his hand, um, that the Rebbe should place the Lekach in the napkin. In other words, either he was taking it for someone else or even for himself, but he felt that to go into a napkin, whatever reason sometimes. He could also be-- he didn't want his hands to get sticky. Whatever it is. In general, the Rebbe would look up to see who's, who's standing there, who's waiting for Lekach, and then the Rebbe would choose a piece of Lekach. So when it came to this person with the napkin, the Rebbe said, "Az nemen nemen on levushim. Speter kemen aray lig in a levush." First it is taken without garments. So it's directly into the hand, and then you can wrap it if you want, um, in a napkin or whatever.

04:39 There's another story that the Rebbe told someone. Usually, Hasidim would not say anything. They would just extend their hand. So the Rebbe said, "Medavtok betn." You have to ask. So the Hasid said, "I'm asking." So the Rebbe gave him. So basically, it-- there were different things to different people. It wasn't just a coincidence that the Rebbe decided to drop a comment to one or two, but basically, it pertained to that person's livelihood, parnasah, or other inyonim in life, uh, for that year. In fact, the story about the asking, I once visited that family many years later after the person was niftar. This is in the-- in already about ten years ago, fifteen years ago, and I told them the story, and they said it's interesting because back in those years, their father had difficulty with parnasah. And therefore, the Rebbe says, "Medavtok betn," because the whole inyan of Lekach is to ask in order-- to ask from a human being, in order that we should spare ourself from needing to a-- from having the need to ask a whole year, and we should be able to get it directly from Hashem. Mincha time, Erev Yom Kippur, the Rebbe would come into Mincha, 3.15. The Rebbe would have a package of coins. A package of coins that the Rebbe had in his hand. And on the tables in shul, as the Rebbe entered downstairs, there were plates of different charities. A vilt, mamish, full, one on top of the other. And the Rebbe would just drop

06:42 in whatever came to his hand and what was in his hand. The Rebbe would drop in into the different plates, just pour over. And this is how the Rebbe continued distributing the few tables that were set up with pushkes or with plates. Then the Rebbe would reach his place and would daven Mincha. Sometimes he would daven Mincha with a minyan. Sometimes he didn't really daven that time, but he davened a different time. Davened privately. After Mincha, in the earlier years, the Rebbe did not stand on a platform, even Yomim Neroyim, even the Shani Yom Kippur. And therefore there was a table set up with a staircase. And the Rebbe would walk up onto the table and he would give the bracha for Klal Yisrael. Close his eyes and for a few minutes the Rebbe would give brachas for the whole Jewish nation. Took a few minutes during which the bracha also included an inspiration with Shuva Eloha, which means an inspiration of the highest level of teshuva. The Rebbe would sometimes connect it if it would be Shabbos. The inyan of Shabbos means that it's removed from all kinds of mazikin, things that can damage, because Shabbos is a peaceful time. So these were basically inyanim that the Rebbe added, included in his bracha. As the years moved on, this bracha developed into a sicha. Not just three minutes or five minutes bracha, but basically it was a bracha that, a sicha that continued for about a half hour or more. In fact, Tafshin and

09:01 Beis, the last year before Chavzain Nader, it was a sicha for about 45 minutes, if not more. The Elam ran home to eat for Retanas and then they returned for Kol Nidre for Yom Kippur. The Rebbe would go home and he would eat the suder before Yom Kippur. Then he would return to 770. He would put on his kitku and his talus and he would then bless, bench the bocherim of the yeshiva 770. The bocherim of 770, the Rebbe once said that they are basically the children. You're the Rebbe's children, referring to the Friedrich Rebbe's children. So when they left, the Rebbe benches them as it's customary that a father benches the children before Yom Kippur. The nusach of the bracha would begin with Yevarechecha, Yoel Yisa and then the Rebbe would continue giving brachas to the bocherim. Discussing their purpose, their mission as bocherim should be lamplighters and so on. Originally the bracha was in the Rebbe's room. As the number of students grew, they changed to a room outside, to the hallway outside of the Rebbe's room. Later in the hallway, then eventually in the early 70s, it moved to the zal, the shul upstairs. The shul upstairs itself, they would take out the windows from one room to another. They also took out the windows to the yard and this enabled hundreds of bocherim, literally full, packed, that would be able to see the Rebbe giving the bracha. The Rebbe would cover his face with a talus and the Rebbe would give

11:29 brachas as mentioned. This was minutes before shkiya, before sunset. So the shul downstairs was filling up. People were coming already for Yom Kippur and upstairs the Rebbe was mamish minutes away from going downstairs, giving the bracha and then entering his room, taking his machzer and tillem, what the Rebbe took with him, and then the Rebbe went into shul. At that time, while the Rebbe was talking, there was someone typing as much as he can grab before sunset and immediately with a piece of scotch tape just Posted around the wall. The Chassidim should be able to see what was the beracha that the Rebbe gave for, uh, Yom Kippur for the bochurim. It's called Birkat HaBanim. In later years, it became doubtful if the Rebbe's gonna be able to speak on the microphone because the Rebbe would customarily bench licht after the Rebbetzin was niftar. So these-- the, uh, basically, the Rebbe gave the beracha up till taf shin nun beis. Erev Yom Kippur was the last beracha, Birkat HaBanim. By Ma'ariv, the Rebbe, before Ma'ariv was Kol Nidre. Kol Nidre, it's customary to open the Aron Kodesh, and three people as a bezdin receive Sefer Torahs. The Rebbe would walk over to the Aron Kodesh. The Rebbe would receive his, his Sefer Torah. Um, the chazan would hold the Sefer Torah, and I think the Rashag, the Rebbe's brother-in-law, would hold the Sefer Torah. This is basically a bezdin annulling all the nedarim. That's the concept of Kol Nidre. After that, Sefer Torahs would be

13:32 returned to the Aron Kodesh, and the Rebbe would walk back to his place, and Ma'ariv would begin. After Ma'ariv, the Rebbe would remain in his place, say-saying Tehillim. Um, after Ma'ariv, the whole Tehillim. The next morning was relatively a quiet morning. A quiet morning, I mean to say, in, uh, in regards to seven seventy 'cause usually seven seventy there's a, um, pushing, other inyanim going on, but there was no reason for pushing till Mincha time because the Rebbe did not get maftir till Mincha, Maftir Yoma. In the morning, Rabbi Chadakov received maftir. The Rebbe did not wanna pra-- um, use the privilege of receiving maftir twice in the same day. So the Rebbe would receive Maftir Yoma, which is a very special, uh, honorable maftir, and that would be Mincha time. Shachar is Musaf. Chazanim that we had in the past, about forty years ago, more than forty years ago, uh, were chazanim that really davened the, the nusach as we have somewhat today, nusach that they use in Lubavitch, becholo, and the, the davening took time. Uh, we would finish davening about four o'clock, and then there would be a break. How long the break was, nobody had any idea 'cause when the Rebbe went out, uh, which is customary to make a break, as the Rebbe writes in the Minhagim, between Musaf and Mincha, the Rebbe would come back at any time, at any point. There were people that went home, for example, to rest, whatever. Sometimes they, they came back, the Rebbe's

15:34 already in middle of Mincha, Krias HaTorah or maftir. Today already everything is set up. They finish earlier. It's a longer break. They tell you when Mincha is gonna be. It's a whole different, um, story. But, uh, then this is how it was by the Rebbe. It's very auspicious. When the Rebbe came into Mincha, the Rebbe was wearing his hat. So he's wearing his hat, his tallis, and his kittel. The hat was basically in order that he should be able to daven Ma'ariv with it after Neilah. So first came M-Mincha, and before Mincha, the Rebbe would put his hat into the stander. There was a drawer in the stander, and, um, by, um, Mincha Maftir Yoma, the Rebbe cried very much. And then came Neilah right after that. Neilah, the Rebbe would encourage many times the nigun Ki Uno L'amecha to sing it once and again and again to repeat it. The Rebbe had a watch on his stander, and he would watch the time. There was one time the chazan went very fast, went quickly, so the Rebbe pointed out his secretary to tell the chazan he should slow down because we're ahead of the time. We're ahead of the schedule. By Neilah, after Avinu Malkeinu, which there were times the Rebbe cried very much, the whole shul was able to hear the Rebbe crying. It was under, under-- He was under the tallis, and it was midat dikvuyus. Uh, it comes the Shema Yisrael, the Baruch Sheim, Hashem Eloheinu. Then comes the Kaddish. Then

17:33 comes the Napoleon's March, the middle of the Kaddish. By Napoleon's March, the Rebbe would, uh, encourage the singing, and then the Rebbe would turn around, and he would go up on his chair. This is the only time of the year that the Rebbe would go up on the chair on a yearly basis, and he would conduct the singing from the chair. There were times that the Rebbe would put the tallis over his face, which was very obvious as we saw later that the Rebbe cried very much, especially the war-- the, the year that the Yom Kippur War, the War of Yom Kippur began, uh, began on Yom Kippur, the war in Israel, um, as it's referred to, the '73 war. And the Rebbe cried very much. I remember the Rebbe sometimes would put the tallis halfway down, halfway over his face, like halfway of his height, and, uh, he would push it, uh, cry very much, but he would encourage the singing at the same time. After that, they would announce-- the Rebbe would hop off from the chair, and they would announce, uh, they would blow the shofar at Kia, and they would announce the "Shona Haba B'Yerushalayim." Then would be ma'ariv. After ma'ariv was Havdalah. After Havdalah, the Rebbe would announce three times Guet Yom Tov, like, um, Simchat Torah and the Pastas. The three times Guet Yom Tov was-- Announcing Guet Yom Tov is because it become-- after, after Yom Kippur, it's customary to say Guet Yom Tov, "Metzo Yom Kippur." One

19:27 of the reasons is that in the time of the temple, they would make a Yom Tov when the King Godol left the, uh, uh, peacefully and safely out of the Kodesh HaKodashim, out, out of the Holy of Holies, that he came out alive, and therefore they would make a Yom Tov for that. If weather permitted, the Rebbe would do Kiddush Levana. There was one year that the Rebbe spoke a sicha outside right after Kiddush Levana in regards to Sukkos. It's customary to begin, uh, working or discussing the matters of the Sukkah, "Metzo Yom Kippur," to go in from Yom Kippur into the mitzvah of Sukkos. The next four days, as the Rebbe referred to it, correspond to the four letters of Hashem's name, Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei. The Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei are basically the four letters between Yom Kippur and Sukkos. It is after a person has landed, a person has descended from the state of Yom Kippur. So that is basically when a person already comes down into sort of word-- world frame-framework of world. In the Melah, this is, um, basically the four letters of Shem Havayah that show a let-letters, that show structure, that show a, um, channels as the channels are already coming down into world. The first day after Yom Kippur is called G-d's name, Hashem's name. And that's basically how it starts, the four letters of Shem Havayah. Havayah, this is when you prepare for Chag HaSukkos. Going on to Chag HaSukkos. Chag HaSukkos is nine days. Outside of Eretz Yisrael, Chag HaSukkos, including

21:45 the last day's Yom Tov, are nine days. Shemini Atzeret is the eighth, Simchat Torah is the ninth. By the Rebbe, Chag HaSukkos was a month sort of event-- eventful, um, a month for itself, sort of. If we sh-shouldn't even say a year for itself. There were many things happened by the Rebbe over Chag HaSukkos. Speaking chronologically, in the early years, the Rebbe would give out his lulav, the adminim in order that people should-- could make a beracha on the Rebbe's lulav. Originally, the Rebbe would have thirteen hadasim in his lulav. In later years, it became twenty-six and then thirty-six, thirty-six hadasim. And, um, the Rebbe would sit in his Sukkah as people would walk by, people that were bar mitzvah and over, and the Rebbe would be learning and would make eye, eye contact with each one that came in. The Rebbe would tell each one, "Matana m'ras la'hachzir." I'm giving you the, uh, matana. In other words, it should become yours because in order to do the mitzvah, it has to be l'kach tem l'chem, yours, and, uh, it is for the con-- on the condition that you return it. In Taf Shin Chet Beis, late sixty-one approximately, the Rebbe asked for Rabbi Halik. And the Rebbe asked if he could stand instead and, um, hand each person the, the, the, the lulav, the eser adminim, and therefore this would spare the Rebbe of sitting and through everybody passing. And, um, then he would return it to the Rebbe when they were up to

23:55 the middle of davening, when the Rebbe will need it for halal. So when the Rebbe was sitting in the Sukkah, he actually was like a sitting and learning, but still for the Rebbe, this was partially limiting him that, uh, till the whole line passed. Rabbi Halik willingly and, and, uh, uh, very much in a very desirable way accepted it, and he would stand and wait till the line went through. This went through Taf Shin Nun Beis, late nineteen ninety-one. That was the last Sukkos before Chavzai HaNader. The Rebbe would come into davening for, for all the tefillahs, Yom Tov, always, all the years. The second day Sukkos, there would be a farbrengen. The farbrengen would take place in the big Sukkah in seven seventy, where the yard is, on the side of seven seventy. Originally, in the earlier years, it would actually take place downstairs because there was no roof. So one of the benefits they had for downstairs, although a whole year it was cold, uh, it was just a canvas, that Sukkos, they would have a Sukkah. Once they fixed the roof, a melee roof for the shul downstairs, so then they moved-- the sukkah was moved to the second side of the building, which is the big yard where we go to Tashlich. That was about nineteen sixty. The Rebbe would sit by farbrengen facing Eastern Parkway with the back to the-- where the Tashlich is today. And the elom would be in front of the Rebbe. There would be tables, benches.

25:45 People would be sitting on ta-- on benches. It was not easy to hear the Rebbe in the sukkah for two reasons. One, it's not a regular ceiling, it's a schach. So b'meheilah the sound would just be absorbed in the schach, and it wasn't-- it didn't bounce off like in a hou- in a house, in a regular room. Second thing is it was smaller than the shul, so therefore the pushing was really intense. I remember one time, it was the late sixties, uh, the Rebbe said, "We're already finished." There's no need to push, we're already finishing the farbrengen. The farbrengen would consist of a maamer discourse and sichas. Not long. Every-- I don't know in time, I think two hours or a little more. Then the Rebbe would bench because the Rebbe washed for a soda, it was, uh, before sunset. Then the Rebbe would have ma'ariv, make Havdalah, and the Rebbe would distribute Kesher Brocha. That took place in the sukkah. If the second day sukkahs happened to be on Friday, and at a certain year, the Rebbe stopped with Kesher Brocha Friday because it's a Halakhic, uh, problem. It's a Halakhic issue because after benching, uh, without kiddish, they cannot drink the wine. So the Rebbe stopped distributing Kesher Brocha at that point, and instead the Rebbe would farbreng again, an additional farbrengen Shabbos afternoon. At four o'clock approximately when he would finish the farbrengen, he would co-conclude it, the Rebbe would distribute the Kesher Brocha of the earlier evening. This farbrengen would go

27:47 on from year to year. It was in late-- in Tosh Lamid, late nineteen sixty-nine, which was the-- marked the last time the Rebbe farbreng with Hasidim in the sukkah. The reason technically was that there was someone that got hurt in the sukkah. A whole table collapsed on the person. The person ended up in crutches for months with, with, uh, fractures in the feet. And the Rebbe said he doesn't wanna take a responsibility to farbreng in a place where it-- where it's a makom sakana, it's dangerous. From then on, we never had a farbrengen again on the second day sukkahs in the sukkah. A year later, late nineteen seventy, we all assumed there won't be a farbrengen anymore on the second day sukkahs. But to everyone's surprise, the Rebbe said there will be a farbrengen in shul, but a dry farbrengen. No drinking, no eating. It's outside of the sukkah. The Rebbe farbreng then, said a maamer, edited the maamer. This was a big chidush. The Rebbe rarely edited ma'amarim, discourses. Spoke sichas and spoke about what's going on at the UN, which they celebrated then twenty-five years of their, quote-unquote, accomplishments. We still need to know what they were. And, um, the Rebbe saw that this w- this is gonna be a problem for Israel because they were planning also to pass different resolutions, or they're making different statements about Israel. So the Rebbe then spoke the, um, verse of Tehillim, which is actually this year's kapitel of the Rebbe. "Hallelu es Hashem kol goyim,

29:55 shapchu kol umem." That all the nations, uh, should praise Hashem. Why? "Ki govahr aleinu chasadai." Because the Ribono shel Olam has strengthened his gener-generosity to us. Which is basically the-- what the Rebbe's bringing out is that the Jewish nation, the priority of the Jewish nation in the eyes of Hashem. Just to mention briefly, it was then Simchas Torah that the Rebbe established his own UN. The Rebbe chose Hasidim from different parts of the world and labeled them, appointed them as delegates to this UN that the Rebbe established. The Rebbe also made his own big four, the, the big four countries, United States, Russia, England, and France. So this was a whole eventful Inyan that took place in Taf Shin Lamed Alef, which is late nineteen seventy. Another Inyan that took place by the Rebbe Sukkos was Chalamei Sukkos, Beis Hasheiva. It is a customary, and it is something that we derive from Halacha LeMoshe MiSinai, the Simcha Beis Hasheiva, the drawing of the water in the Beis Hamikdash. The Rebbe from late nineteen forty-one would farbrengen-- this is ten years before the Rebbe accepted the Nasius, the leadership. He would farbrengen with students, and not necessarily Lubavitch, students from other yeshivas, Lithuanian yeshivas. The Rebbe would speak in Yoni MiLearning, the Rebbe would speak in Yoni Machsidus, and the Rebbe would also actually, um, state the fact that there is a need to study Machsidus. The Rebbe knew who he's dealing with, and the Rebbe pressed it very much that there is definitely a need

32:19 and necessity to learn and study Machsidus. This the Rebbe was saying also to yeshivas from other backgrounds, to students of the yeshivas. This farbrengen continued to late, to Taf Shin Chaf Dalet, late nineteen sixty-three. That was the last year the Rebbe farbrengen Beis Hasheiva. The next year, the Rebbe was a avul mourning period for his mother, and the Beis Hasheiva farbrengen fell off the calendar. The Rebbe did not farbrengen anymore, um, Beis Hasheiva Chalamei Sukkos. Now, getting to, uh, chronologically over the years, they would do new developments in regards to the first day Sukkos. In Taf Shin Lamed Gimel, that's late nineteen seventy-two, the Rebbe was then in his seventieth year. The Rebbe started to farbrengen every Erev Yom Tov. The night before Erev Sukkos, the night before Erev, uh, Pesach, the Rebbe farbrengen Yud Alef Nissan. The night before Erev Shavuot, the night before Erev Rosh Hashanah. The Rebbe farbrengen every Erev. The Rebbe would say a discourse, a maimar relating to that Yom Tov and sichas, directives, different inyanim on the, uh, Yom Tov that we were approaching. So Sukkos was also included as Hasidim saw that this was sort of a compensation for the farbrengen of the second day Sukkos. It was still in the house in seven seventy. It was the night before Erev Sukkos, and it was already a maimar about Sukkos, sichas about Sukkos. So this is what took place up till after the passing of the Rebbetzin. That is when all the weekly farbrengen stopped. In Taf Shin

34:31 Mem Alef, late nineteen eighty, the Rebbe after Ma'ariv surprised everybody, the first night Yom Tov, Sukkos, and began speaking a sicha. In the sicha, the Rebbe was discussing the ushpizin, the guests that come for Sukkos, uh, that are mentioned in the Zohar. And in addition to that, the Hasidische guest that also come then beginning from the Bashem Tov through the Rebbe Rashab. And as the Rebbe added later, also the previous Rebbe. So in total, fourteen guests that come every night Sukkos. After the sicha, the Rebbe spoke about Simcha. The Rebbe connected it with the shir chitas of the day, the shir chumesh, and so on. And that was it. The next night, the Rebbe spoke again about the next ushpizin. The one that spoke the second night is Yitzchak Avinu, the second ushpizin, then Yankiv, and the Rebbe continued night after night. Hasidim saw that it's not sufficient just to sit in the sukkah and farbreng, but there's a need to take the joy and Simcha to the streets. And a few people, three, four people, just started to dance on Kingston and Montgomery. It later developed into what we have today. For those of you that have seen what it looks like, um, every Sukkos Beis Hasheiva on Kingston and Montgomery. So this was-- The birth of it was in late nineteen eighty. When the Rebbe found out about it, the Rebbe encouraged it very much, mentioned it in the sichas with interesting expressions. One expression was to see to it that also the

36:40 street should dance along. Another occasion, the Rebbe says, "See to it that grab the policeman and dance with him also." The, the Rebbe was-- cherished it very much. And this Simcha and project grew from year to year, quantity, quality Then to a point that they started to show videos of the Rebbe for a time for everybody that assembled. You had from all circles, you had you- Chassidim, older Chassidim, I mean middle-aged Chassidim, then you had students from different yeshivas, Chassidisha and non-Chassidisha yeshivas. They were coming to the sukkahs. There were sukkahs that sponsored, uh, called Ichfin, as it's referred to, it was, uh, donated by the Gurman family. That they would spons- sponsor the, um, uh, l'chaim and other things for the sukkah. So people would come in to have a drink, to take a-- have a soup, and that was basically to energize them through the night. The dancing went till 5:00 in the morning, 6:00 in the morning. That is when the, uh, working day started, so the police would clear the street, and the barricades were left on the sidewalk for the next evening. This continues till the night before Hoshana Rabbah. That night, the dancing stops at twelve o'clock, uh, midnight, because after that we recite the whole Tehillim. So this is basically the schedule of the Beis HaShoeiva. The Rebbe was never there. The Rebbe probably saw pictures. Um, that is the most we know in regards to this Inyan. Okay, now we go on to Shabbos Chol Hamoed and

38:56 actually also the, um, first day sukkahs. This was in late 1973 when the war was burning in Israel, the war of Yom Kippur, and the Rebbe then farbrenged and asked they should make farbrengens everywhere there should be joy. "U'mal'o ha'aretz farbrengen", the Rebbe said expression, the world should be filled with farbrengens. The Rebbe very much stressed joy, especially that year, in order to overcome enemies and in order to bring down a special blessing and a, uh, light, positive light from above. It was Shabbos Chol Hamoed Sukkos that year, taf shin lamed daled, that the Rebbe farbrenged, the Rebbe spoke about Damascus in all the different levels of Torah, pshat, remez, drush. It was then that they were embarking, uh, um, uh, and the f- the war was on the front with Syria at that point. Actually, they both opened fire in the same time, Egypt and Syria. But the Rebbe focused on Syria. This all was what took place in the first days in Chol Hamoed over the years. Now we go on to the last days, Yom Tov. The last days, Yom Tov, we could say it was a month for itself. It was a time that was higher than time. Although a person was aware of the clock, but not always. These forty-eight hours uplifted Chassidim to higher than time and space. The revelations that we saw by the Rebbe in those two days was poshet out of this world. The schedule, how much we can say schedule, was that the first night

41:16 of Shemini Atzeret, this year it's gonna be Sunday night, the Rebbe would come into ma'ariv. After ma'ariv, there would be a break. People should be able to make kiddush. Nine o'clock, the Rebbe would come in to Ata Haresa. The Rebbe would usually, the first Ata Haresa, the Rebbe would be given, honored with the whole Ata Haresa, with all the different verses of Ata Haresa. And the second and third, the Rebbe would receive the first and last passuk. After Ata Haresa, after each one of them, of the three, the Rebbe would turn around to the elam, to the crowd, and he would start singing a nigun. Generally, from year to year, it was the fiaraf the same nigunim. One was a faradsta, another one was without words, and one was his father's nigun, Simchas Torah nigun. It would go very strong. The energy that the Rebbe put in to a nigun was beyond understanding, taking in consideration the Rebbe's age, and especially after taf shin lamed ches, the Rebbe's health condition. It was l'ma'ala miteva, higher than nature. The Rebbe was poshet literally jumping. Then came Hakafos. The Rebbe would be honored with the first and last Hakafa. This is traditionally passed on from the Alter Rebbe, that the Rebbeim would go the first Hakafa and the last Hakafa. The reason they would go the last Hakafa is becau- because the last one is connected with Dovid. It's the shpilzen, the seventh one is Dovid, and the Rebbeim are descendants from King David. The Rebbe would

43:12 dance the Hakofa with the, with the Rashag, his brother-in-law. In other words, the Rebbe would hold Sefer Torah in one hand and would put his hand on the shoulder of his brother-in-law, and the Rebbe would dance in a circle. The Rebbe looked around at the crowd. What you were able to see were faces. Thousands of faces, just faces. People lined up li-- uh, um, level over level and bench over bench, higher than the, the lower bench going up like a pyramid up to mamish the women's shul. It was like right by the windows of the women's shul. Uh, that's how high it went. The Rebbe would look sometimes with a special focus on a certain group of people, and the Rebbe would just stop holding hi-his hand over the Rashag, but he would-- with his head, he would just motion to sing stronger, encourage the singing. This would take a few minutes. After that, the Rebbe would look at the Rashag to see if he's all right. He would like hold him for a few seconds, and then the Rebbe would leave. The Rebbe would walk back to his place where he davened, which is his bimah, his platform. People would wish the Rebbe a good year, that next year again, that's customary to say to a person that's honored with the Sefer Torah. And the Rebbe would wish back, "Gam atem," same to you. There were very interesting inyonim that happened on the way. There was a story with someone, passed away a few

44:54 years ago. He lived in Germany. Don't think he was mamish Chabad. And the Rebbe said to him, "You should see to it to make Berlin Lubavitch." He was a businessman, a communal person. Then the Rebbe came back from Hakofos. He meets him again. The Rebbe says, "Ten minutes have passed. What did you do about it?" The next morning, this person wasn't afraid. He stood there weiter. The Rebbe comes by again, and the Rebbe looks at him. The Rebbe says, "Twelve hours have passed. What did you do?" After Yom Tov, he went into yechidas, and the Rebbe gave him directives for different activities for his city, Berlin. The Rebbe wanted the kids should kiss the Sefer Torah. Uh, the kids would usually be under the tables, which was the ches, considered like a ches, where the Rebbe would enter the Hakofa with the minyan. There was a chazan. The Rebbe would usually give over the siddur to Rabbi Leibel Bistritzky to hold while the Rebbe's dancing, uh, with the Sefer Torah. There was one year that the Rashag did not feel well, the Rebbe's brother-in-law, so the Rebbe asked the kids should come in on the bar mitzvah, and the Rebbe just danced and the kids around him. The Hakofos the first night finished about ten thirty, ten forty-five. That was basically the-- the, and the elom went home. Those that didn't have a chance to make kiddush before, they went home to make kiddush. Yom Tov, Shemini Atzeret. That night, it is customary only for

46:50 Chassidishe shtieblach to make Hakofos. The Nusach Ashkenaz, other communities, they do not make Hakofos. They-- that night, they make Hakofos the second night. So there was no talucha going out to, uh, bring joy to other shuls because they don't make Hakofa that night, Hakofos. The next day, the Rebbe would come into shul. It would be Shemini Atzeret. They would add in davening the words, "Mashevu ruach omeid et ha'geshem." We're asking for rain. The next night was the big night. As they say it in the later English version, it's an all-nighter. There was a farbrengen after ma'ariv. Farbrengen was about eight thirty. It was also with a break between ma'ariv and the farbrengen. The farbrengen was a warm-up for Hakofos that followed, and it was also in a sense giving time for those that are going to other communities that they should be able to return for Hakofos. Hakofos was approximately one AM, after Hazzaras. It's the latest Hakofos, I remember as a child, latest Hakofos was in Lubavitch. People would flock from everywhere, even from other communities, other neighborhoods, to come to walk to Seven seventy. I remember that Seven seventy Street, the street, the block up to Kingston Avenue was packed. Uh, young couples, uh, or, or singles, they push it, came there to, to continue the spirit of Simchat Torah in Lubavitch because the other shuls finished and they closed up. The Rebbe farbrenged. As mentioned before Hakofos, the Rebbe would speak about the, uh, uh, concept of setting up time for learning.

48:51 The Rebbe would speak about Yirat Shamayim, instilling oneself Yirat Shamayim. These were special f-- uh, this was a special farbrengen. The Rebbe generally did not deliver a discourse by this farbrengen. It was a different style. And as mentioned, one o'clock in the morning, the Rebbe would come in to Hakofos. The second night, Yom Tov, for people from Israel, it was already after Yom Tov. So the Israeli Council of Manhattan would come in with a bus from Manhattan, a group, uh, uh, a special, uh, you know, a bus for them, and they would be honored to stand on the Rebbe's bimah, on the Rebbe's platform by Hazzaras. And the Rebbe would speak with each one separately. There was like a box of cake. Each one was able to take, uh, to make a bracha, and the Rebbe spoke with each one separately. One of them is the one that-- who is a prime minister today, Binyamin Netanyahu. He says the Rebbe spoke with him a long time. And although b'sas mayah, he didn't see how it relates to his position, but he realized that the Rebbe walked him through the future. At one point, the Rebbe told him, "You're going into the UN, which is a dark place, So your mission is to hold a lit candle and to illuminate everything around you. He actually mentioned this word in the UN itself. Hakafas finished about 2.20, 2.30. We went home then to eat Sudas Yomtif because we came back from another neighborhood. We went to Fabrenga,

50:46 Fabrenga to Hakafas. So we never a chance to make kids to actually make it till 2.30 in the morning we sat down to eat Sudas Yomtif. My wife once invited a journalist and she asked, what time are you eating? Two o'clock. She thought it was 2 p.m., not 2 a.m. So she came the next day. Probably we weren't home either. Mark Opolian, this was the Seder in Lubavitch. Up till late 1963, when the Rebbe ate upstairs the Sudas, the Rebbe would come down and he would teach a new nigun. The Rebbe would teach a new song and this actually over the years are all part of the set of 10 nigunim that the Rebbe taught Hasidim. 1963 was the last time the Rebbe taught two nigunim. One was Hu Aleikenu, one was Kiyonu Amecha. And the Rebbe said, we don't know what's going to be next year, so we're doing two this year. And actually next year the Rebbe Tzechanah was nifter. The Rebbe's mother, who we just commemorated her yard site of Tishrei. So the Rebbe was not in any setting of teaching a nigun that year. After the Rebbe stopped eating upstairs the Sudas, which was in late 1970, I mean actually Shemini Atzeres and Chasdeira, due to the passing of the Rebbe Tzechanah Medina, who was the hostess upstairs in the previous Rebbe's apartment. So the Rebbe continued eating at home, talking about the Yomtif Sudas that was basically when the Rebbe ate upstairs. Pesach, Shua, Sukkas, Rishishanah, Mitzvah Yom Kippur. So

52:44 actually the Rebbe would go home about 2.30 in the morning, 3 o'clock, and 10 o'clock the Rebbe would come in to shul, shacharis. Not everybody was able to make it because some people continue dancing till wee hours of the night or the morning, mamish till early morning. Weren't so many people there. I remember as a kid I was able to count how many people were there. Of course the crowd was smaller than now. It was a third of the shul in size and way less than today. Mitzvah the guests, Mitzvah the locals. It was completely out of range of what can I believe I know the crowd today. When the Rebbe came into shul he was with his talus, wearing his talus, and the first thing he did he turned around to the elam, started to sing his father's nigun. This was a tradition from year to year. The Rebbe came into shacharis, people would partially run to shul to be there when the Rebbe walked in. The Rebbe turned around, sang the nigun till mamish and encouraged the singing till his talus started to slip. Sometimes it was mamish almost falling off. So the Rebbe grabbed it, turned around, we started shacharis. The Simchas Teira davening was already a spirit of l'chaim even before they made kiddush. It was a very freileche davening. It was then atoreisa. There's duchaning, there's atoreisa, everything by shacharis. People made kiddush there and then. Then there was the reading of the Teira, then there was Musaf. The Simchas

54:32 Teira davening by the Rebbe was at least about four, four and a half hours. Aliyas for everybody, the atoreisa took time, selling atoreisa, everything is time. The end of the day of Simchas Teira, the Rebbe would fabring. The Rebbe would wash for a suda, yomtif suda, which was basically challah and wine. That was the suda by the Rebbe. And the Rebbe would speak for about six hours. A maimer, sichas about the yomtif and different things, directives, new directives for the coming months. It was one of the longest fabringens, the fabringen of Simchas Teira, the fabringen of Achren Shel Pesach, on the other hand, and the Pesach. So basically they were six hour fabringens. After that, the Rebbe benched, davened maire, made avdola and distributed keshel bracha for another three and a half hours. So in summation, at the end of the yomtif, which the Rebbe walked into shul, for example, six o'clock, the Rebbe left three in the morning, the next morning after fabringen and keshel bracha. This is after the Rebbe was singing and dancing for two days, mamish exhausted, very exerting energy that the Rebbe put into it. I mean, it was very obvious that this is higher than nature. And this is how the yomtif finished on a high note, the yomtif of Sukkos, concluding with Simchas Teira, which was a simcha that generated simcha bachasidim for the whole year. The guests left very uplifted after they also went into yechidus. They had a private audience with the Rebbe later. It was

56:45 a general audience after Sukkos. And slowly but surely, after a week, all the guests already have left back to their destination. It was Israel, France or South America or whatever destination, wherever they lived. So this is basically an overview of the Tishrei by the Rebbe.