Tishrei by the Rebbe: 5716 (late 1955) : Part II

00:00 Behemeshach in continuation to the early installment in regards to the events taking place Tishrei Taf Shin Teis Ayin, late 1955. We continue now with installment number two, discussing Erev Rosh Hashanah and Rosh Hashanah, Taf Shin Teis Ayin. Selichos was held at daybreak. The Beis Hamedrash was full and overflowing with people. The Rebbe used a new Selichos Sefer that had just been published with notes and references from the Rebbe. In his hand, he held the Luach HaTikun, which is a list of corrections, the entire time, uh, looked into it from time to time, such as during the Pisman of the Yud Gimel Middos Harachamim, the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, and also in many passages where there were textual variations. After Selichos, there was a short break, and then Shacharis took place with the Rebbe davening with the minyan. And afterwards, the Rebbe stood up for Ha'asros Nedarim, the annulment of vows, which the Rebbe did with a minyan of Hasidim. At the conclusion of the Ha'asros Nedarim, after reciting the words, "Vayafech Hashem Elokeicha lecha es hakeilah libracha ki ahevecha Hashem Elokeicha", Hashem converted the curse into a blessing because Hashem loves you, the Rebbe gave a bracha behemeshach to it, that HaKadosh Baruch Hu should turn the curse into a blessing in both the spiritual and physical sense, and may it be a good and sweet year. And then the Rebbe returned to his room. As is customary from year to year throughout the morning, beginning a short time after Shacharis, the Rebbe opened the

02:07 door of his room several times in order to receive panim, pidyon, from all those standing in the long line. And in general, the Rebbe blessed each one with the words, "Ktivah v'chasimah tovah". For the delivery of the general pidyon, as it's referred to pan klali, the older Hasidim approached the Rebbe. After receiving it, the Rebbe responded, "This year begins on Shabbos, in which everything is already prepared. That is, one does not need to reckon with the work from below from the person's initiative. The work on the part of the person is only in order to add a great increase in drawing down the blessing, both in quantity and quality. And may Hashem grant a good and sweet year to each and everyone, each according to his circumstances, both in the physical and in the spiritual." Afterwards, everyone traveled in buses that were organized in advance to the Eyal of the previous Rebbe for the recitation of Ma'aneh Loshon, uh, for beseeching mercy and salvation. The Rebbe arrived at the Eyal accompanied by his secretary, Rabbi Chadikoff and Rabbi Levi Groner. Upon entering the Eyal, the Rebbe lit a Ner Neshama, and afterwards began to read all the private panim. It was no-noticeable that in Rabbi Groner's bag there was a large bundle containing panim which the Rebbe had personally received by Yad HaKdesha, as well as panim that had been sent here from all corners of the world. Alongside these were attached special lists of thousands of names from all the Hasidim and Temimim worldwide.

04:15 The Rebbe remained in the Eyal for several hours. The text of the telegram which the Rebbe released to Hasidim all over the world before Rosh Hashanah was, "L'shanah tovah tikatevu v'teichatu." And the Rebbe signed his name. Going on now to the first night, first evening of Rosh Hashanah, all the tefillahs of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and here we're speaking only of the outward description, contain a symbol of the entire essence of Chabad. The Beis Hamedrash had long ceased to be able to hold the multitudes of people during the days of awe, referring to the shul upstairs, the original shul. Therefore, during the Yom Nerayom, the Rebbe and the enormous minyan davened in the courtyard covered with canvas, but even this space was too small to hold them all, and therefore there are-- there were also some who davened outside for lack of room. Toward the evening, before Mincha, the Elam gathered to daven in the large area, which is referred to the Shalash, being that it was covered with canvas, in the seven-seventy courtyard. As customary, after Mincha, the minyan began reciting Tehillim on their own, and when the Rebbe appeared, it began Ma'ariv of the first evening of Rosh Hashanah. After the tefillah, Hasidim stood in rows on both sides of the pathway through which the Rebbe left the shul, and the Rebbe passed Through the two rows, wishing each and everyone, Gut Shabbos, Gut Yom Tov, L'Shana Tova, Tikos Riv, Es Echosen. A radiance was shining on his face, an illumination of

06:21 Vigilu Beroda, rejoice with trembling. Amongst many of the Chassidim there appeared tears of joy at having merited to be with the Rebbe on Rosh Hashanah. The heartfelt tefillahs in the Chabad Nusach and the melodies of Dvekos which accompanied them, with which the Chassidim davened with Aveda, bestowed on the entire chalash, which is the whole tent, an atmosphere of majesty and nobility. The Rebbe then went up to the second floor for the sunda of Yom Tov, which is where the Rebbe would eat the Yom Tov sundas meals the first 20 years of the Neseos until after the passing of the Rebbetsin L'Chamadina, who would be the hostess for these meals. She, as the Rebbetsin of the previous Rebbe, would invite, in addition to the Rebbe and his brother-in-law, the Rashag, also Chassidim, a group of Chassidim which she selected should partake in this meal, in every specific meal. The order of the table was as it had been during the lifetime of the previous Rebbe. The chair of the previous Rebbe stood at the head of the table as in his lifetime. On the table were placed two challahs covered with a cloth and also a kiddush cup on a silver plate. The Rebbe sat on the left side of the table and the Rashag, the son-in-law of the previous Rebbe, the older son-in-law, sat on the right. At the time of eating the fish, the Rebbe poured much salt into the dish before eating and from the other foods he left much over on the

08:21 plate. Going on now to the first day of Rosh Hashanah. During the Haftarah, the Rebbe read the Haftarah with great weeping, especially when he reached the verses which is, He raises the poor from the dust and he guards the feet of his pious ones and the wicked are silenced in darkness, where he sobbed entirely in tears and between word and word he was forced to pause in order for the sound to come out clearly from Perkochi, from his holy mouth. Many people present burst into quiet weeping. At that moment there was complete divestment of materiality to the point that the entire matter of the world and materiality, gashmius, was considered as nothing and naught and the entire minyan was of one heart to our Father in heaven, that he, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, should have mercy and accept the tefillahs of the tzaddik and malik Yisrael. After the Haftarah, when the Rebbe returned to his place, he leaned on his holy hand and cried greatly and began to daven mussaf much later than the minyan had begun. Festive meals took place as usual in the apartment of the previous Rebbe. In the days prior to Rosh Hashanah, a kuntres of a hemshech, a series of maimarim discourses of Rosh Hashanah, Tov, Reish, Tzadik, Vav, late 1935, which were maimarim from the previous Rebbe, were published for Tishrei, which the Rebbe distributed that Chassidim should learn it for that Tishrei, the year Tov, Shin, Tazayim. And as is well known, the instruction of our holy Rabbeim is

10:38 to treasure every moment on Rosh Hashanah during the spare time one saw in every corner Chassidim occupied in learning from this kuntres. We will, im yirtzeh Hashem, continue in the next installment.