The Rebbe's Pesach Farbrengens (5711-5730)

00:00 Finding ourselves in Chaleimei Pesach brings back to the hemesech to the, uh, first days of Pesach, especially Lil Base, the Chag HaPesach, one thirty AM, the Farbrengen that took place by the Rebbe from year to year , beginning from Tav Shin Yud Alef through Tav Shin Lamed. First discuss the, the, uh, structure of the Farbrengen and then Mirzoshim and, and the hemesech, we'll discuss the various years, different, uh, in Yomim that took place that year, the hemesech to or during the Farbrengen itself. The Rebbe would come in one thirty in the morning. After Chatzos Halaila, the Rebbe was holding his Haggadah. The Haggadah then was a thin Haggadah. Look at the time in Mamakedes, uh, softcover. And at times, the Rebbe would be me'eider, they should sing a nigun based on what it says in Kisvei HaAri Zal, that the Haggadah needs to be said loudly and with joy. So therefore, the nigun should be bekilrom ovesimcha. The Rebbe would be me'eider Rabbi Yankel Katz, who would come every year from Chicago. He's one of the first, uh, uh, sponsors of the Friedi Kerbe's Mezdez, uh, the Friedi Kerbe's Inyomim, already from the beginning when the Friedi Kerbbe arrived in the United States. And since he was the one that was sort of the chazan by the Haggadah, upstairs in the Friedi Kerbbe's apartment and also by the Rebbe Seder. So therefore, the Rebbe will ask him to sing a, uh, nigun bekilrom ovesimcha, the Mitzrayim Gealtanu, the whole... During the Farbrengen, the Rebbe would

02:03 say a maimer, uh, Chassidus. In the Tav Shin Chaf, in the '60s, the maimer was generally a maimer kein sicha. The maimer in the format of a sicha, which would start on either a piece of the Haggadah, uh, generally, and, uh, that was the hemesech to the biuriman, the Haggadah. Certain occasions, the Rebbe would say that the maimer, uh, would make note would be based on a maimer that just came from Russia, as the Rebbe referred to it as pidyon shvuyim, that it was just taken out from captivity. Other times, the Rebbe would say a maimer, uh, on the occasion, uh, of a certain number of years, a complete number of years. For example, thirty years since the maimer was originally said by a, uh, earlier Rebbe, uh, befrat by the previous Rebbe. An example for that would be the second night Pesach Tav Shin Lamed nineteen seventy, the Rebbe then said the maimer Chacham HaWeimer, which is from the Haggadah. This maimer was originally delivered by the previous Rebbe in the year nineteen forty, thirty years earlier. It's understandable that the Rebbe format of saying the maimer was different than the Friedi Kerbbe's, um, uh, format, and, uh, the melech, this is actually how it was also published. The Farbrengen was without any l'chaim since it's already after the Afikeman, so the melech wasn't shayeach to drink anything, and the Rebbe would say the sichas with closed eyes. The Farbrengen would conclude around four AM. After the Farbrengen, a, a big Elam escorted the

04:10 Rebbe to his house, and they would sing either the nigun Mitzrayim Gealtanu or Al Achas Kama VeKama, and the echo was heard on the other side, Eastern Parkway. Since Eastern Parkway was quiet then from traffic, so therefore the nigun from seven seventy echoed over on the second side of Eastern Parkway. This is what this special Farbrengen was in the sense of Misaprim B'Yitziyas Mitzrayim Kol Eis HaLaila, discussing Yitziyas Mitzrayim that whole night. This continued through 1970. Early 1971, Tav Shin Lamed Alef, Hasara Betevis, the Rebbetsin Nechama Dina was Niftar, and the Rebbe then stopped eating the Yom Tov Sudas upstairs and continued in the house with the Rebbetsin privately. All the guests that were eating upstairs with the Rebbe then went to different places. The Rebbe told Rabbi Yankel Katz Alav HaShalom he should go to the Bucharim fourteen fourteen, and that's where he would, uh, prave the Seder when he came every year to the Rebbe from Tav Shin Lamed Alef Anan. I remember a certain, uh, in an announcement that was made Tav Shin Lamed Alef 1971, when the Rebbe was distributing matzah before the Rebbe began distributing Erev Pesach. Um, that year, the Maskirus announced that no one should wander around the Rebbe's house. Not standing by the windows, not standing by the door. This was like a very stern warning that people should not hang out around the Rebbe's house. The hemesech to an earlier installment, the negiah- To the Rebbe's farbrengens on the second night Pesach, which would take place

06:07 after the Seder. Later years it was 1.30 a.m. and the farbrengen would go on for several hours, approximately 4 a.m. And this was a hemsek of 20 years from 1951 through Tof Shelamit 1970. So in this installment we'll continue, Be'ezras Hashem, discussing specific years and events that took place during these farbrengens. In Tof Shelamit 1951, which was the first year, first Pesach after the Kabbalas HaMesius, the formal way the Rebbe accepted the Mesius Yitzvat, right after the Seder, the Rebbe said as follows. That the previous Rebbe said that the nigun keli atovey deka, which is a nigun composed by the Alter Rebbe, is a zgula for Gili Eliyahu, revelation of Eliyahu. And therefore they should sing the nigun with joy and with a dance. After that, the Rebbe left 770 to escort his mother, the Rebbe Tzarchana, who also participated in the zdalim upstairs as well as the Sudas Yom Tov through the year in the apartment of the previous Rebbe. And when the Rebbe returned, the Rebbe motioned they should sing and dance more intense. And the Rebbe himself went into the dance and danced for quite a while with great joy. Standing in Gandedna Tachna in the hallway before his room, the Rebbe said a sikha regarding the topic of that evening, which is Leil Pesach that falls out Metzoi Shabbos. This is the second night Pesach on Metzoi Shabbos. The Rebbe discussed the Karbon Pesach and the Karbon Chadiga. After the sikha, the Rebbe returned to his room and the Elam continued

08:17 dancing. After a while, the Elam was in for a surprise. The Rebbe walked out of his room with a Hagoda. The Hagoda that the Rebbe himself compiled and published in Tov Shimvov 1946. And the Rebbe made this introduction. That the Friedike Rebbe said that the Rebbe Rashab would customarily begin the Seder the second night, 9 p.m., and would continue and conclude the Seder many hours after midnight. And the Rebbe derives from that that since this was the Anhoge and the Loshon Rabbe, how the Friedike Rebbe said it, and Chai Vodem Leimer v'Loshon Rabbe, a person needs to say and phrase, say in the same phrase as his Rebbe said. So therefore, this is Anhoge that is basically something that applies to all. And since the Rabbeim had this custom, the previous Rebbe and before him the Rebbe Rashab, so it's understood that also the earlier Rabbeim had this very custom. After this introduction, the Rebbe began explaining different paragraphs in the Hagoda. And at the conclusion of the Fabregen, the Rebbe announced Leshona Bab v'Yerushalayim. The next year, Tov Shimvod Beis 1952, the Rebbe became then on Yud Aleph Nissan 50 years. And Hasidim figured that this could also be the reason that the Rebbe that year Fabregen both nights of Pesach after the Seder. The Rebbe explained many in Yonim the Hagoda, and then the Rebbe concluded with Leshona Bab v'Yerushalayim. So there was a Fabregen the first night of Pesach after the Seder and also the second night after the Seder. Tov Shimvod

10:28 Gimel 1953, Hasidim figured that since last year the Rebbe Fabregen both nights of Pesach, they were hoping that the Rebbe will also this year, Tov Shimvod Gimel 1953, also Fabregen the first night Pesach in addition to the second night. The Rebbe gave over to Rabbe El Yunik, who was a Meshores Ba'kedes by the Rebbe, that this night, the first night, is Gili Mashiach, and therefore there's a need to dance there. And the Mele was understood that the Rebbe won't Fabregen there. The second night, the Rebbe Fabregened for three hours. In those years, it seemed like it was earlier than 1.30 a.m. It began at 12 o'clock, and it concluded at 3 a.m. During the Fabregen, there were some that were falling asleep, and the Rebbe made the following comment, that since the Friedike Rebbe sat and was Mevayer in Yonim Ha'Goda, so the Rebbe says the Mele, I'm also Mukrach to sit and Fabregen. So nobody should complain to me that I am keeping people away from sleep. And if it is so, by Erev Yom Kippur, since we ask for forgiveness, we apologize for anything we did, Shegeig, Mezid, Einus, V'Ratzon, so that that'll be the time to ask forgiveness. And the Rebbe concluded that Hasidim, with their Achtos, will bring Mashiach. In Tof Shimvod Gimel, at that same Fabregen, at the close, the conclusion of the Fabregen, after the Fabregen, the Rebbe said that those that need a Bracha for healing for Refuah should go in to him to receive Matzah. And the

12:27 Rebbe gave Matzah, pieces of Matzah, to those that needed a Refuah. In Tof Shimvod Gimel, 1955, during the Fabregen, the second night Pesach, the Rebbe asked if anybody knows the Nigun V'Yisha Amda. Many of Anash tried with Nigunim that they were familiar with on V'Yisha Amda, figuring that this is what the Rebbe asked about. But the Rebbe said this is not what he intended. And in the conclusion, the Rebbe taught the Nigun himself. This is the Nigun V'Yisha Amda that was taught by the Rebbe. So the Mele, that evening, the Rebbe taught the Nigun V'Yisha Amda, which is the second Nigun of the Ten Nigunim that the Rebbe taught. The first Nigun was the Tzandalacha, which was Parsha Kedayshim, Tof Shimvod Gimel, 1954. But in Tof Shimvod Gimel, this was the only Nigun that the Rebbe taught during the Fabregen after the Seder.