Rosh Hashana 5713 (1952-53)

00:00 BeEzras Hashem, we have entered a new year, Tov Shin Pei Gimel. This year also marks 70 years since the year Tov Shin Yud Gimel, which is parallel to the secular year 1953. We will therefore discuss a Yeman, or actually a few Yemenim, diaries which were written by Hasidim, by Bochurim, students, what they saw and heard by the Rebbe from Rosh Hashanah Tov Shin Yud Gimel. After Mincha, the Rebbe started to say Tehillim privately, and it went on for a while. The Rebbe said at least 20 chapters, and at the same time, the whole shul, people in shul, all said Tehillim, not as a minyan, but everyone for themselves. And this also took place the second night of Rosh Hashanah. Ma'ariv, which followed the Tehillim, it was then that the Rebbe davened together with the minyan. Davening was slow, and in particular, Krisma and Shema Nesra. The chazan was Rabbi Yechanan Gordon, who was also the well-known gabbai in 770 by the Rebbe till his passing in the year Tov Shin Chav Tes, late 1969. As customary every year, there was also Mishmaris, a vigil of Tehillim, minyanim that said Tehillim during the two nights of the Yom Tov. After davening, the gabbai asked the Rebbe, when are they going to daven Shacharis the next morning? What time should he announce Shacharis will take place? And the Rebbe said 10 o'clock, which this was also customary by the previous Rebbe, and the Rebbe kept up this seder. The gabbai then asked, is it possible maybe to

02:26 announce earlier than 10 o'clock? And the Rebbe responded, sort of a joke, why do we need to rush to make it earlier? Chazanim should just not repeat every word twice. Shacharis was to begin 10 o'clock, as mentioned. And the Rebbe walked out, the Rebbe benched everyone with the blessing of Leshan HaTevet, the Koshev of Shechasemi. As customary on Yom Tov, the siddurs of Yom Tov, the Rebbe would eat in the apartment on the second floor of 770. This was the residence of the previous Rebbe. And for the first 20 years, since the beginning of the Rebbe's nasius, the Rebbe would eat all the Yom Tov siddurs in this dira. The seder was that the previous Rebbe's place remained empty, and on the table, they would place challahs and silverware. During the siddur, there was a maimer in front of the Rebbe, and the Rebbe looked constantly on this maimer. The positions of the people by the table, we'll discuss a little further. Rosh Hashanah, Tov Shin Yud Gimel, was on Shabbos. The Rebbe received naftir, and during the naftir, the Rebbe cried very much from the beginning till the end. And there was also pushing around the bimah. During the davening, between one piyut and another, which are basically additional segments, sections of the davening, between the piyut and the Rebbe's siddur, and this also took place on the second day of Yom Tov. Many times, quite often, the Rebbe would look at the Aron Kedes, when it is mentioned in the machser that the

04:40 Aron Kedes needs to be opened. Davening finished 3 p.m. The order of the places, sitting positions during the siddur, the Rebbe sat from one side with Rav Shmuel Levitan, Harav Nemtsov, and Harav Shmuel David Reichik. And from the second side, the Rashad, the Rebbe's older brother-in-law, sat right across the Rebbe. And as mentioned earlier, the head of the table was set for the previous Rebbe. And on that same side, where the Rashad sat, sat Harav Meisha Duba Rifkin, Harav Menachem Mendel Kunin, and Harav Lieberman. Probably this was Rav Chaim Lieberman, who was the previous Rebbe's secretary. And at the end of the table sat the Bochurim, those who helped to the table. 10 a.m. the next morning, the Rebbe came in with two packages of panim, pidyanas, which were wrapped, and three shafres. One of them was a black shafre, which is from the Rebbe Marash, and two white shafres. In the middle of the davening, occasionally the Rebbe would cover his face completely with a talus. And the first day and second day of Yom Teruv, the Chazan was Rav Zalman Duchman. Already before the Kriyas HaTeirah, there was already a movement towards the Bima in order that Chidim should be able to stand right near the Rebbe during the Kriyas HaTeirah, the Mafteir, and the Tkiyas. The pushing was very intense. Since the pushing was very unusual, there was a special path that was made to allow the Rebbe to walk over to the Bima. And it was the second day of Rosh

07:06 Hashanah when the Rebbe would say Kaddish for his sister-in-law, the Rebbe Tzesheina, the previous Rebbe's youngest daughter, who was killed in the war in the early 1940s. Making this pathway also involved great effort. When the Rebbe walked over to the Bima, he took with him the Shafris and the Gabbai. The Maskir secretary brought the two packages of the Pideinus and placed it on the Bima. And the Pideinus were there on the Bima throughout the time of the Tkiya Shafer. Also today, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the Rebbe cried by Mafteir, but not as much as yesterday. After the Haftera, the Rebbe covered himself with a talus, and those standing close were able to see that the talus was soaked. The Seder at Kiyas was the black Shafer was in the middle, and from both of his sides were lying the white Shafris, one from the right side, one from the left side. The Shafris were covered with a red handkerchief, and on top of that, a white handkerchief. And then the Rebbe began the Psukei Lam Natzeyach, that the Elam should start saying the Kapitul Mem Zayin in Tilim, as it is customarily recited seven times. The Rebbe cried very much during this time. When the Rebbe said the Psukim of Miname Tzar, he was very frightful. And after that, when the Rebbe got to the Braches, that's when Chidim were able to see Panov Hagdeshas like a flame. The Rebbe said the Braches while he was crying very much. This year, first time

09:32 since the Istalkos, the passing of the previous Rebbe, the Rebbe blew only the first Tkiya. And Rav Mendel Talaban continued the other Tkiyas as he did last year. Zikniach Chidim recall, the older Chidim, that this also took place by the previous Rebbe in the year Tafresh Pe Alef, when he accepted the Nesios after the Istalkos of his father, that then he also blew the first Tkiya and he gave over the Shafer to the Baal Tekeya to continue with the Tkiyas. After that, the Rebbe covered his face again and he said the Psukim, the three Psukim after the Tkiyas. And in a sense, it seemed like that the tune in the Amiras Psukim was heard in a voice, in a tone of Simcha. The tune of these three Psukim is traditionally passed on from the Rebbe Rashab. That's how he said the Psukim. And during the time that the Rebbe said the Psukim, he was holding on with his two hands the two Sefer Teires that were standing at his sides. The Mesochov, the whole Tkiyas, there was a lot of pushing. And after Tkiyas, the Rebbe returned back to his place and Rabbi Weinberg davened Mussev beginning from Hinani or Ani. And the Rebbe then was saying Tilim. The Tfila concluded at 3 p.m. We will, im Yirtzacham, continue in the next installment.