Tishrei 5715 (late 1954) by the Rebbe: Part 2

00:00 The hemseh, and in continuation to the earlier installment where we discussed what took place by the Rebbe prior to Rosh Hashanah, Tav Shin Tes Vav, that is late 1954. We now continue with installment number two, where we will relate the events of the last days of the year, Tav Shin Yud Dalet, late 1954, days before Rosh Hashanah. On the twenty-eighth of Elul, a special Sefer Torah was brought to the Rebbe. This Sefer Torah has a unique background. It originates from the two brothers, the Tzadikim, Rabbi Shmuel Abba and Rabbi Pinchas Shapiro of Slavita, located in West Ukraine. They had a printing shop from the year seventeen ninety-three, where they would publish Talmudic Svarim, Sifrei Chassidus, and on the top of the list, the first edition of the Tanya of the Alter Rebbe, which was published late seventeen ninety-six. Approximately in the year eighteen thirty-six, a false libel was made against them, and they were imprisoned. The authorities allowed the Tzadikim to bring a Sefer Torah to their cell. However, because of the uncleanliness in the area there, they could only bring in parchment leaves which did not as yet have the quality of a Sefer Torah, which means they were preparing to write a Sefer Torah in prison. When they were released from prison, the parchment pages were then attached as-- after they were written to the Atzei Chaim, the holders of the Sefer Torah, which were made by the Koznitzer Maggid exclusively for Rabbi Michoel Zlotchewer. Over the years, the Sefer Torah was preserved

02:07 from father to son in the Shapiro family. In nineteen forty-seven, one of the descendants, named Rabbi Shmuel Abba, offered to sell it to the previous Rebbe. The previous Rebbe responded that he doesn't have the requested sum of money to buy it. Over the course of the past year, nineteen fifty-four, referring now to the diary which was written seventy years ago, this Sefer Torah was brought up again on the agenda, and after much effort and endeavors of Rabbi Moshe Ashkenazi, the Sefer Torah was bought by Rabbi Ashkenazi with a big sum of money and was sent to the Rebbe through Rabbi Binyamin Althaus, who was then traveling from Eretz Yisroel to the United States, and he brought it to the Rebbe. And as a result of that, he merited that over the years, over the many years, he would hand the Rebbe the Sefer Torah before Hakafos. The Rebbe, as mentioned, would dance with this Sefer Torah by Hakafos. A second anecdote which took place, uh, in those days at the end of the year, Tav Shin Yud Dalet. In the evening before Erev Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Leibel Bistritzki came to Seven seventy and wanted to speak to the Rebbe. He wanted to have a yechidus, private audience, but he was not able. Instead, he remained in the upstairs shul, which is referred to as the zal, and began saying Tehillim. After a short while, the Rebbe walked out of his room to go home, and when he saw Rabbi Leibel, the Rebbe asked him: "Leibel,

04:00 vas tustu do?, what are you doing here?" Rabbi Leibel lived then in New Jersey, and he answered that there was a custom that a child comes to his father on Erev Rosh Hashanah to request a bracha, and since he was not granted permission to enter into yechidus, he instead began saying Tehillim. The Rebbe asked him if he was planning to blow shofar on Rosh Hashanah, and he answered in the affirmative, yes, he is planning to blow shofar. The Rebbe then turned to his chief secretary, Rabbi Chadikoff, and asked him if he knows where are the transcribed pages of the ma'amar, which the Rebbe delivered a day earlier during the Shabbes Farbrengen. This is the ma'amar, "Ki Tapuach Ba'atzei Hayer," which was mentioned in the earlier installment. Rabbi Chadikoff answered that they were in the Rebbe's room. The Rebbe gave Rabbi Chadikoff the key to the room, and Rabbi Chadikoff brought them. The Rebbe then handed the ma'amar to Rabbi Leibel Bistritzki and added, "Take this, and you should hold it by kiyus, and your kiyus should be heard, should be accepted above." Going on now to the twenty-nineth day of Elul, Erev Rosh Hashanah. Slichos began at the Rebbe's minyan, six fifteen AM. After Shacharis, when the Rebbe concluded the Halachas Nedarim, annulling the vows, which concludes with the verse, that "Velei'ova Hashem Elokeicha losimi al bilam, va'yafeh ches atklalu livracha", that Hashem converted from the curses to blessings, the Rebbe added, "Hashem should convert from the curse to a blessing in a spiritual sense

05:53 as well as in a physical sense, and it should be a good and sweet year." In the month of Tishrei, almost a year earlier, the Rebbe established a tzedakah fund, Keren Hashanah. This is a fund which distributes tzedakah every day in the year, of course, besides Shabbos and Yom Tov, on behalf of all members, people who have participated in contri-contributing toward this fund in the beginning of the year. This is by each one contributing an, an amount of tzedakah which are in the numerals of the number of days in the year. For example, a lunar year being three hundred and fifty-five days, or three fifty-three or three fifty-five, fifty-four, one gives a total sum of tzedakah in the numerals of dollars, for example, three hundred and fifty-fi-five dollars, or, or in, in bigger amounts, but all in the numerals of three fifty-five for that specific year. One of the benefits of many of this tzedakah fund is that the person will never miss giving tzedakah throughout the year, since this fund includes all participants in the daily contribution to tzedakah. So it is noted in this diary that already in these days prior to Rosh Hashanah, Hasidim see this as a merit and obligation to contribute to this cause and have already begun, began contributing to this fund. In the morning of Erev Rosh Hashanah, during the day of early morning, Hasidim handed to the Rebbe their pan, their pidyon. The Rebbe would be standing at the entrance of his room, and the Rebbe blessed

07:54 each one with a berachah of ktivah v'chasimah tovah. After that, the pan klali, which is an open pan signed by many Hasidim, was handed to the Rebbe. The Rebbe responded that he will read the pan at the resting place of his father-in-law, the previous Rebbe. He then blessed all assembled with a good and sweet year, and that all their wishes should be fulfilled. Every year, the Rebbe traveled to the Ohel on Erev Rosh Hashanah, which is mentioned the resting place of the previous Rebbe. This year, which is late 1954, the Rebbe remained at the Ohel till a late hour, and in the middle of the way, upon returning to Crown Heights, needed to go out of the car and walk by foot for about ten blocks because it was already nearing the Yom Tov. Today, Erev Rosh Hashanah, Vemaimei Ketapuach Be'atzei HaYom, the discourse which begins with the verse Ketapuach Be'atzei HaYom, which is a pasuk in Shir Hashirim, delivered originally by the Alter Rebbe, on which the Rebbe based his ma'amar on Shabbos, was published. The Rebbe wrote an introduction and also comments on the ma'amar. In honor of the new year, the Rebbe sent his berachos via telegram, as it was customary by the Rebbe over the years, in which he blesses Anash, Hasidim everywhere, with the berachah of Leshana Tovah Tikateivah V'Tichatemah, to be inscribed and sealed for a good year, and the Rebbe then affixed his signature. We will, im yirtzah Hashem, continue in the next installment.