Sukos 5713 (1952-53) - Part I

00:01 The in reference to the earlier installments where we discussed the events which took place Tishrei taf shin yud gimel, late 1952, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by the Rebbe. We continue now with installment number four discussing the days of Sukkot. It was customary by Hasidim to make the berachah of the dalet minim on the Rebbe's lulav. This was something that the Rebbe did all the years. The Rebbe would hand out the lulav to someone who he appointed, and every Hasid was able to make a berachah on the Rebbe's lulav, the mesoch of all the years. In fact, the last year, which was taf shin nun beis, late 1991, the Rebbe himself personally stood and watched how each Hasid is making the berachah, and this was over a duration of seven hours. After Tefillat Shacharit and Musaf in taf shin yud gimel, going back to seventy years ago, the Rebbe and the guests went upstairs to the second floor to the apartment of the previous Rebbe, where the Rebbe would eat the seudahs of Yom Tov over the next twenty years. Taf shin lamed alef, late 1970, was the last year that the Rebbe ate the seudahs upstairs through Simchat Torah. Generally, the Rebbe would farbrengen. The second day Sukkoth, towards the end of the day, the Rebbe would wash for the seudah, and he would speak sichas and also deliver a discourse. And after that, the Rebbe would bentch, daven Ma'ariv and make Havdalah and distribute Keil Melech Berachah, the wine from the kos on

02:20 which the Rebbe benched and made Havdalah. This year, taf shin yud gimel, after Mincha, the Rebbe advised Rab Shmuel Avidin, one of the older and distinguished Hasidim, that he should farbrengen with the guests, which he did. Going on now to the second day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot. It's recorded here in the diary that the first days of Yom Tov, there was no farbrengen by the Rebbe with the Rebbe's participation, and this was something different than the earlier years. But today, the second day Chol Hamoed Sukkot, a farbrengen took place. The Rebbe came into the farbrengen eight PM, and in the first sicha, the Rebbe spoke about the inyan of sukkah in Avodat Hashem, what the inyan of sukkah means and teaches a person on a personal level, on the level of Avodat Hashem. In the following sicha, the Rebbe spoke about the unique quality of students, bachurei yeshiva, ben esrim lir'ev, as the Mishnah tells us in Pirkei Avot in the fifth chapter, that when a person reaches twenty years, he should pursue-suit for a livelihood. And on the other hand, students who are twenty years old are those who are sitting and exuding themselves in the study of Torah without any worries of anything else on their mind. The Rebbe connected it with the inyan of simcha, with joy. At the conclusion of the sicha, the Rebbe advised they should sing a joyous nigun, and the Rebbe added that the bachurim, the talmidei yeshivas, the students should begin singing the nigun, and this will

04:14 be a good beginning also for those who are, who are already in life, already after the yeshiva years. They sang a joyous nigun. In the middle of the nigun, when the nigun stopped, the Rebbe continued with a third sicha speaking about the uniqueness of joy and singing, which brings a benefit in serving Hashem. In the course of the farbrengen, the Rebbe also spoke about nisuch hamayim, which is basically commemorated on Sukkot, the libations of water, which was brought with great joy. And in addition to that, uh, many different aspects of the sukkah, and also elaborated on what the Talmud tells us that there is two mems. There is a mem which is a mem pesucha and a mem stuma, an open mem and a closed mem. And amongst other inyanim, the Rebbe mentioned that a, an open mem is the revealed part of Torah, a closed mem is the concealed part of Torah. And between the sichas, people sang and danced with great joy, and the Rebbe also got up and danced in his place. And after that, the Rebbe said about the shira, about the singing and the dancing, that this is a sign that the inyanim which were discussed made an impact. In total, the Rebbe spoke eleven sichas. They did not sing the nigun Nezer Yitzchak and not the nigun the Alter Rebbe. It seems like the point over here is that although usually in an official farbrengen, certain official farbrengens throughout the year, a Yom Tov, the Rebbe would instruct to

06:19 sing the Alter Rebbe's nigun Nezer Yitzchak. Nevertheless, in this farbrengen, the Rebbe did not ask for these nigunim. At the conclusion of the farbrengen, which was about twelve AM, the Rebbe said that metzad the late hour, we need to conclude the farbrengen, but in reality, it's not an interruption because there are many inyanim, especially the inyan of Hakhel. Taf shin yud gimel nineteen fifty-three was also a year of Hakhel, which we're gonna leave to continue the farbrengen tomorrow in the evening. And there is also additional inyanim that will suffice for two days from now. So therefore, the interruption now is only a preparation to be able to continue tomorrow. And therefore, everybody who said Lechayim, who ate, should make a beracha acharonah besides those who plan to continue the farbrengen. The Rebbe gave a berachah to the elam, and he concluded with Gut Yom Tov. We will, im yirtze Hashem, continue in the next installment.