The Sefer Torah to Greet Moshiach Tzidkenu - Part VI

00:00 The hemsach in continuation to the earlier installments regarding the writing of a sefer Torah, which was an initiative of the previous rabbi, a sefer Torah with which to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu. We now continue with installment number six, where we will discuss the Kesser of the sefer Torah, the crown of the Torah, which was chosen by the Rebbe, and a little background regarding the Sofer, the scribe of this sefer Torah. In regards to the crown of the sefer Torah, this was revealed in an interview that Rab Sholom Hecht, Alav HaShalom, gave over the details of what took place when the Rebbe chose the crown. Rab Sholom Hecht is the youngest of the Hecht brothers, and Rab Sholom, as known also with the name Sydney, had a Judaica store in Flatbush, where he would sell Judaica supplies and also Esregim. He relates the following. It was days before Yud Shvat, Tov Shin Lamed, nineteen seventy. The secretary notified me that the Rebbe requested to see a crown for the sefer Torah. Since this is a work, a field in which I am involved in, and I work in this field already quite a while in selling silver and golden vessels, I went in quietly to the Rebbe in a time where nobody realized I was going in, and I brought the Rebbe a variety of crowns, six, seven beautiful crowns. The Rebbe stood the whole time and checked each one of the crowns, examined each one in detail, and it was obvious that the Rebbe was very

02:17 familiar in this field. By the end, the Rebbe chose one of the crowns, which was made of silver and gold, very beautiful and splendid crown, one that originated from Russia. The Rebbe held the crown by Yad HaKdesha, and then he shook it a little to check the sound of the bells, if there is no shaila, no problem with Shabbos. And since the bells, there wasn't a regular tongue which is in a bell, but it was a very simple piece that does not really sound off sound of a bell. So the Rebbe consented that he will take that. On the crown, there was also an image of a deer. I asked the Rebbe his opinion about it, and the Rebbe answered positively, "Yes, but that could remain." There was no problem with that. Rab Sholom relates that during the conversation, I chazat, I gave over to the Rebbe a whole vort on the inyan of Mashiach, together with roshei teivos and gematrios, which are basically acronyms and numerical values of interesting inyanim in regards to the geulah. The Rebbe listened to me, and at the conclusion, the Rebbe said, "Although af al pi hav di i hu lechozi mazal yuchozi," that although the person himself doesn't see it, but the mazal, his luck, mol melo does see it, and implying that there is some substance in these words. And when the Rebbe delivered the maamer at the farbrengen on the occasion of the conclusion, completion of the sefer Torah, I was zecher, I merited that the

04:16 Rebbe mentioned some inyanim which I mentioned in yechidus to the Rebbe a few days earlier. And now we'll discuss a little background in regards to the Sefer Rab Shmaryahu Factor, as it is related by Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Teitelbaum, shliach of the Rebbe in Miami Beach, Florida. This was published in the Kfar Chabad in the issue of Yud Gimel Shevat Tov Shin Samech Gimel, two thousand and three. Rab Teitelbaum relates the following. I want to point out that I learned safros, how to write in tefillin, mezuzahs, sefer Torah from Rab Shmaryahu Factor. And this was the occasion that Rab Shmaryahu would daven in the shul of my father, my father's shul in Queens, a mesach of decades. And my father requested that he should teach me safros. In regards to the Sefer Torah of Moshiach, when it was requested from him by the Rebbe to conclude Sefer Torah of Moshiach, I asked him the story, why was he chosen? And he told me the following. When the previous Rebbe initiated to write a Sefer Torah of Moshiach in the year Tov Shin Beis, nineteen forty-two, or actually Late nineteen forty-one, the previous Rebbe requested that they should bring him samples from writings of different various scribes. And when he saw my , he chose me that I should write the Sefer Torah. At that time, I was not a Hasid, and since it was difficult for me to take upon myself to write the whole Sefer Torah, I agreed to write only part of it, to

06:42 do part of the work. But as it moved on, at the conclusion, and as Rab Shemarya says, as they say in English, the wheel turns, through writing the Sefer Torah, I became a Hasid, and I was able to conclude the Sefer Torah, so Mashiach, as the previous Rebbe hoped and wanted. Rabbi Teitelbaum adds that it's noteworthy to add that Rab Shemarya was a, a very great God-fearing person from the scribes of the old generation. When it came to daven and learn in shul, he would be the last one to leave the shul. He would always leave hours after everybody else left, and I recall as Rab Shemarya would be standing and learning Midrash Rabba for hours upon hours, even when he was at the age of eighty. Rabbi Teitelbaum adds that he would write only , and as I understood from him, he would also write mezuzahs for the Rebbe.