Asara Bteves

00:01 As we find ourselves on Asarah Betevis, this brings back memories from Tafshin Lametches, 1978, 42 years ago, when the Rebbe began speaking a sichah after Mincha on a fast day. The Rebbe then related this to the custom mentioned in Halacha about delivering divrei kvushin, words of musar, on a fast day to inspire people to teshuva and teyru mitzvos. The Rebbe would deliver a sichah immediately after Mincha at his place of davening. Prior to the sichah, one of the maskirim would prepare the microphone. In the sichahs, the Rebbe elaborated on the contents and the meaning of the day and the shir chumish of the day as it is in Chitas, and in later years also on the daily shir of the three prakim in the Rambam that is studied every day. The Rebbe would draw lessons from all the above-mentioned contents in Avedes Hashem and how to implement it in a practical sense in Maise B'Peal. Interesting to note that the full schedule of the Rebbe speaking on all the fast days began in a gradual manner over a few years. The first fast day that the Rebbe initially began speaking on after Mincha was, as mentioned, Tovshin Lametches, 1978, on Asarah Betevis. For the following years, in Tovshin Lametes, 1979, the Rebbe began speaking on the fast day of Shivas Betamus, the 17th of Tamus. In Tovshin Mem, 1980, the Rebbe began speaking on the fast day of Tainis Esther. In Tovshin Mem Aleph, late 1980, the Rebbe began speaking on the fast day of

02:12 Tzam Gidalia. The Rebbe continued this custom over the next 14 years. On Tishabav, Tovshin Nun Aleph, Tinosay Tov was the end of the day, the Rebbe spoke a sichah briefly before Ma'ariv. This was the only occasion that the Rebbe spoke on Tishabav. The last occasion that the Rebbe spoke on a fast day was Asarah Betevis, Tovshin Nun Beis, late 1991, exactly that very same day on which he began 14 years earlier. In Tovshin Mem, 1980, an interesting event took place. When the Maskir began preparing the microphone for the Rebbe to speak the sichah after Mincha, the Rebbe told him that today he will not speak, since there is a bris, and therefore there will not be divrei kvushin, divrei musar. The bris then took place in Rabdovid Herzl's family. In general, in the sichahs of Asarah Betevis, the Rebbe focused on the contents of the day and its harshness, that even if Asarah Betevis would fall out on Shabbos, we would need to fast on Shabbos. The reason for that is, as the Rebbe explained, because this day marked the beginning of the siege on Yerushalayim, and eventually the roots of the events what led to the Churban Beit HaMikdash and the Golus that followed. On the other hand, the Rebbe, in these sichahs over the 14 years, stressed very much the positive light in regards to Asarah Betevis, in which the psukim cite the siege on Yerushalayim. It is expressed with the words, Samach Melech Bavel. And the Rebbe elaborates why is the word

04:28 Samach used. Samach is a positive word. So the Rebbe derives from this that the descent, the siege, was for the purpose of ascent. And therefore, already in the descent, there is already the aliyah, the elevation. And also, when Mashiach will come and the fast days will cease to exist, still the positive aspects of Asarah Betevis and their lessons will remain eternal. Veyahavchu yamim eilo lesasen ulesimcha ulemeadim tevim.