Pesach Publications- Part 12: the Rebbe's Talks on the Haggada (5712/1952)

00:01 This is Behemshech in continuation to the earlier installments regarding the Haggadah with the Rebbe's commentaries, which was published in the year Tov Shin Vav, 1946, and its various editions. We now continue with installment number 12, where we will discuss the Rebbe's Sichas talks on the Haggadah, which the Rebbe would deliver on the second night of Pesach after the Seder at 1.30 a.m. This custom continued by the Rebbe 20 years. The general overview of these fabrengens were discussed in this forum and are found on audios number 280 and 281. In this installment, we will discuss a few exceptional years where the Rebbe elaborated on the Haggadah more than usual. The first year, which was an unusual year, was Tov Shin Yud Beis, 1952. In 1951, the first Pesach after the Rebbe's acceptance of the Nesius, the Rebbe fabrenged on the second night Pesach, as it was customary by the Rabbeim to elaborate in a greater measure on the Haggadah, and the second night was the evening that they extended for hours elaboration on the Haggadah. In 1952, there was something new and different. As it is related in a diary in the Yeman, which Rav Sholom Deiber Shemtev, Shlichat Rebbe Michigan, wrote describing what took place then as he witnessed it firsthand. It was after the Rebbe went out from the apartment of the previous Rebbe where the Rebbe would do the Seder, and he started to go down towards his room, which is on the first floor, and they were singing then Ki V'Simcha Seitseyu,

02:29 and dancing during the nigun, and additional nigunim near the Rebbe's room, which extended for about an hour. In the middle of one of the nigunim, the Rebbe opened up the door to his room and motioned with his finger that they should dance even more intense, and after a short while, the Rebbe walked out of his room with his Haggadah, which was then a thin Haggadah, which was originally published in 1946. Chassidim understood that a fabrengim will be taking place as it took place a year earlier on the second night Pesach, and this was 1952, the first night Pesach. Rav Shemtev writes that we immediately got close to the table in the shul where the Rebbe would daven. The Rebbe began giving over sichas on the Haggadah. As we'll discuss further the basic topics. The night went through with great joy, and in addition to that, the Rebbe also fabrenged the second night from 12 a.m. till after 3 a.m. From 12 till after 3 a.m. But this time, which is the second night Pesach, there were many people there, because the first night many bocherim were there, but not everybody figured there would be a fabrengim, because in the year Tov Shin Yud Aleph, a year earlier, 1951, the Rebbe did not fabreng the first night. So therefore, there weren't too many people present expecting a fabrengim. To discuss briefly the basic inyonim which the Rebbe elaborated on during the first night of Pesach, during the fabrengim, one inyon the Rebbe elaborated on was what

04:54 we say in the four questions, kolono mesubim, that we're all reclining that evening during the Seder, and the Rebbe explained it al pechsidis. In addition, the Rebbe also elaborated on the paragraph mitchila evri avedei zoreh, that in the beginning our ancestors were idol worshippers. The Rebbe explains it also al pechsidis, how it's reflected on a personal level. On the inyon of dayenu, the Rebbe said that all the dayenos have a connection between each other, and therefore we don't make any interruptions between the 15 dayenos. But as soon as we go out of Egypt, meyad be'yitzias mitzrayim, we are ready, nonstop, connecting to the Binyan Beis HaMikdash, which is the Beis HaPchira as it is mentioned in the Haggadah. And in the fourth sicha, the Rebbe discussed that it was customary by the Rabbeim not to elaborate on the second half of the Haggadah, which is after the Birchas HaMazon. And the Rebbe explained the expression at the end of the Haggadah, lashon habo be'Yerushalayim. We will im yirtze Hashem continue with an additional exceptional year of Pesach by the Rebbe in regards to elaboration on the Haggadah in the next installment.