Purim (III): By the Rebbe - Part 2

00:01 The hemsech in continuation to the earlier installments regarding Purim by the Rebbe, and in particular, in reference to the previous installment where we discussed the Seder of Mishloach Manos, which the Rebbe sent on Purim. So we continue now with additional facts about the Mishloach Manos, to whom he sent, and the additional mitzvahs of the day, Matanos L'evyonim, et cetera. The Rebbe also sent Mishloach Manos to a number of Chassidishe Rebbes in New York. To name just a few, the Kopshnitzer Rebbe, the Bayaner Rebbe, the Amshinov Rebbe, and also Rav Rosenberg, who was a manahel in the Agudas HaRabbonim. This took place in the beginning years of the Rebbe's nasius. When the messengers would come back from the Chassidishe Rebbes, the Rebbe always asked for details of the specific Rebbes who they visited, the, the conduct that they observed there. For instance, how did the Rebbe wash his hands? What type of hat did he wear? And so on. The Rebbe always thanked them greatly for their service, the emissaries, shluchim who brought the shalach manos, and would often bless them for what they did. At one point, the Rebbe says that they should also be shluchim be yemei haMashiach, in Mashiach's days. In addition, there were certain years that the Rebbe added more people on the list of him sending shalach manos. It was in 1979 when a big group of teenagers, boys and girls, arrived in New York due to the situation which took place then in Iran. The Rebbe and the Rebbetzin sent

02:10 shalach manos, asked that it should be given in his name and the Rebbetzin's name to every one of the children from Iran who have arrived here in the United States. And this was something which the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin participated in sponsoring this, that the children should feel at home, feel a joy of Purim. In Taf Shin Lamed Heh, 1974, the Rebbe sent also shalach manos to Chacham Refoel, who well came then to the Rebbe, uh, where after he came out from Georgia a few years earlier. In addition, the Rebbe also sent quite often shalach manos to dis-distinguished guests who were visiting New York, such as the mayor of Yerushalayim, the mayor of Dublin, and others. In Taf Shin Chet Vav, 1966, President Shazar was in New York, and the Rebbe sent him Mishloach Manos through the Rebbe's maskir, Rabbi Klein. In Taf Shin Lamed Zayin, 1977, Purim fell out on a Friday, and during the day, the Rebbe gave Rabbi Groner maskir from the Rebbe a bottle of wine and instructed him to go downstairs to the big shul and distribute wine to anyone who wanted. In the sichas during the days leading up to Purim, the Rebbe often encouraged parents that they educate their children to send shalach manos to their friends as well. Now we go on to Matanos L'evyonim, giving gifts for the poor. Every year on Purim, approximately 10 to 20 minutes after Shacharis, Rabbi Mendlik and Rabbi Moshe Pinchas Katz came into the Rebbe's room to receive a check

04:25 from the Rebbe towards Kupas Habachurim, a fund that supported and supports needy bachurim from the yeshiva, as well as dollar bills and coins for needy families. The Rebbe always asked them that they be sure to have it distributed on the day of Purim itself. In many instances, the Rebbe's secretary, Rabbi Rothstein, came in to get money from Matanos L'evyonim as well. Rabbi Moshe Groner also came in later in the day to receive money from needy families in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Rabbi Zev Katz always came in as well and gave the Rebbe a manuscript from one of the previous rabbeim, and the Rebbe would give him a check for Matanos L'evyonim. Each year, the Rebbe asked him how much was given in the previous year and added to it. The last year that the Rebbe gave money from Matanos L'evyonim to Rab Moshe Groner, this was in 1991, Rabbi Groner realized that there were several changes that year from the way things were done in the past. Amongst them was that the amounts, the amounts given were greater than in previous years. I heard personally from Rabbi Groner, Rabbi Moshe Groner, who was the emissary to deliver the Matanos L'evyonim, that at first- He was wondering what, what is this about? The Rebbe added a hundred dollars additional money on what he gave in the previous years. And in fact, the next year, sadly, when the Rebbe suffered a stroke, it was before Purim, it was during the first Adar. So Rabbi Groner

06:32 figured out what was the point of this last time that the Rebbe gave him matanos lavonim. And in addition to that, the Rebbe also told him that he should take it in his hand. It's not sufficient that it should just be on the table, but as a sh-shlichas, it's more enhanced that he takes it from the Rebbe's hand. At times, the Rebbe would give money to the poor people in seven seventy on his way out from the shul for Shacharis. One time, the Rebbe walked out of his room and gave money to some of the beggars who were standing nearby. We go on now to Miftza Purim in a nutshell. The Rebbe began the shturem about helping other Jews fulfill the mitzvos of Purim as early as the year Tav Shin Yud Dalet, nineteen fifty-four. As the years went on, the Rebbe added more details and more explanations. In the nineteen seventies, the Rebbe placed a special emphasis on bringing the joy of Purim to Jews in army bases, hospitals, old age homes, and prisons. The Rebbe added that all of this must be done with great joy and with great-- the greatest shturem. The Rebbe always showed great appreciation to the shluchim who took part in this Miftza and often spoke about the great merit involved. On Purim Tav Shin Lamed Dalet, nineteen seventy-four after Shacharis, the Rebbe gave Rab Dovid Raskin a stack of dollar bills to be distributed to all those who took part in Miftza Purim. A year earlier, Tav Shin

08:18 Lamed Gimel, nineteen seventy-three, during the farbrengen, the Rebbe asked Chassidim to say l'chaim for the shluchim who went to the army bases in Eretz Yisrael. The Rebbe added that doing so would shorten the distance separating us from them, although they are far away physically. Regarding the Seudah of Purim, the Rebbe ate a Purim Seudah in his home, and after the Rebbetzin's petirah, passing, he continued in the following years in his room at seven seventy by himself, and not in the presence of the Chassidim. And now we reach the farbrengen, which was at the conclusion of the Purim day. Before the Purim farbrengen, as was done before three major farbrengens which took place during the week on an annual basis, the Rebbe would go upstairs to the previous Rebbe's apartment. This was during the lifetime of the previous Rebbe's Rebbetzin, the Rebbe Nechama Dina, and he would spend time there with a few of the older Chassidim and some of the bachurim there, and they would say l'chaim, and they would also have some meisenes. They would sing a few nigunim, would be a short conversation, after which the Rebbe would then walk over to the room where the Rebbetzin Nechama Dina had her audience, motion with the head, gut Yom Tov, and the Rebbe would then return back to his room, and then he would come into the shul for the farbrengen. This practice continued until the passing of the Rebbetzin Nechama Dina on the tenth of Teves, Tav Shin Lamed Alef, early nineteen seventy-one.

10:20 Between the years of Tav Shin Tes Vav and Tav Shin Chof, nineteen fifty-five and nineteen sixty, the Rebbe farbrengen on Purim as well as on all of the other weekdays that had major farbrengens in one of the various halls in Crown Heights, as the shul in seven seventy was not fit to host the large crowds who would attend. Until Tav Shin Lamed Ches, nineteen seventy-eight, the farbrengen started between eight thirty and nine in the evening, and from then, the, and from that year and on, the farbrengen started-- would begin at nine thirty. During the farbrengen, the Rebbe was generally in a very high spir-spirit, something that was always very evident throughout the content and s-special style of the sichas. The Rebbe always encouraged the singing of the crowd very strongly and often stood up to dance in his place. The Rebbe usually delivered a ma'amar, a discourse, as well during every Purim farbrengen, and in Tav Shin Yud Gimel and Tav Shin Yud Zayin, which are nineteen fifty-three and nineteen fifty-seven respectively, the Rebbe delivered two discourses. It was the year Tav Shin Lamed, nineteen seventy Purim, when the Rebbe came out publicly and addressed the law of return that it needs to say k'halacha. In regards to gayrus, the word halacha needs to be stated and it needs to be according to halacha. And the Rebbe continued addressing this issue for many years. The Rebbe spoke very sharply about this decree of Mio Yehudi in Eretz Yisrael. The last Purim Fabregen, which we had

12:42 with the Rebbe, was in Tov Shem Amzai in 1987. There were many nigunim which were sung very often at the Purim Fabregens. Some of them were sung because of the Chabad custom and some because they are very happy Purim deke nigunim. The nigunim which were part of the Purim Fabregen as well as other major Fabregens which took place at the end of the Fabregen was the preparation to the Alter Rebbe's nigun. It's called Nigun Achona and the Alter Rebbe's nigun and the Nigun Nezeritza which followed after the Alter Rebbe's nigun. At times, the Rebbe related the story of the Chassid Rab Yankiv Zuravitcher, which took place on Purim Tov Reish Peisai in 1927, when after the Fabregen, which consequently led to the previous Rebbe's arrest, this Chassid sat down on the floor and sang the nigun of Kol Bayar. Kol Bayar is a nigun which expresses the yearning of a father for his children. The Rebbe would then request that Chassidim sing this nigun. The nigunim which were sung very often by Chassidim during the Purim Fabregen were Vayi B'Mei Achas Veilesh, which is basically the tune of this nigun. Usually it was sung without the words. And Napoleon's march and the nigun V'Samachta V'Chagecha and the Rebbe's father's Hakofes nigun and Iva Yedim, which is usually without any words. It is a nigun which is in Russian and it expresses the sacrifice that Yidden went through in Russia. They would sing it generally without the words by the Fabregen and sometimes with the words,

14:50 we want Mashiach now, which were added later. And the nigun Neda B'Yehuda, the tune of this nigun without words and many more nigunim. It is interesting to note that in Tovshin Yud Ches, 1958, Chassidim sang the very slow Hartziken nigun, a Yechidis nigun of Rab Shlimet Sapsniker in between the Sichas. On one occasion at a break, intermission between the Sichas, they sang this nigun. This nigun is a solemn nigun. And the Rebbe commented, Tainy Sester was on Erev Purim and there was a nigun connected with Tainy Sester. Now it is time to sing a Purim nigun. Chassidim then sang the nigun, which is the tune of Neda B'Yehuda with great enthusiasm. We will, mitzveshem, continue in the next installment. A freilechen Purim.