24 Teves: The Alter Rebbe

00:03 Today, Chavdalat Teves is the Yom HaHilulah of the Alter Rebbe, so we'll discuss what took place by the Rebbe over the span of many years. Firstly, Chavdalat Teves in the beginning of the Rebbe's Nasiyus was designated as a day of Siyum HaShas, which is usually and, uh, today is done on Yud Tes Kislev, but for a span of fifty years, from Taf Resamach Gimel to Taf Shin Yud Gimel, the Halukah HaShas was Chavdalat Teves. The Rebbe would make a Siyum already before the Nasiyus years in the nineteen-forties, and this also continued in the beginning of the Rebbe's Nasiyus years, that there, there would be a Farbrengen and the Siyum HaShas would take place on Chavdalat Teves. The reason the Rebbe Rashab in Taf Resamach Gimel and Tammuz that followed, uh, postponed it to Chavdalat Teves is because there was no time at the Farbrengen of Yud Tes Kislev to make a Siyum HaShas. And therefore, it was postponed to Chavdalat Teves. The Rebbe in Taf Shin Yud Gimel turned it back to Yud Tes Kislev, and that's how it remained by the Rebbe all the years, the Siyum HaShas, Halukah HaShas is on Yud Tes Kislev. In Taf Shin Yud Gimel, it was the day of Chavdalat Teves that was on Sunday, so the Shabbos, the day before it, the Rebbe said a Ma'amar based on the Rebbe Rashab's Ma'amar, which was a historic Ma'amar that Rebbe Rashab said in Würzburg in Germany in Taf Resamach Zayin in, um, 1907. And the Rebbe then spoke

02:14 over the course of the years. We heard that the Rebbe said that he wa-he is planning to publish the Ma'amar. And, uh, the Ma'amar was published in later years in the Mems. In Taf Shin Tes Vav, the Rebbe speaking to Rav Shmuel Levitin on Chavdalat Teves, so the Rebbe mentioned to him the expression that Chavdalat Teves is a freileche hilula, joyous hilula. The Rebbe connected it with the month of Teves, as the Gemara says in Megillah, that it's a month that gef, nelen ha-gaf is the inyan of the nachas ruach and, uh, basically al pichidas that the nachas ruach that the Aibishter has of the avodah of Yidden. After the beginning of the Taf Shin Lameds, the seventies, when the Rebbe would come back from the AA, there were chances and actually, uh, times that the Rebbe would farbreng either after Mincha or after Ma'ariv. On certain dates that the Rebbe selected, the Rebbe would notify Rabbi Kadikov that there'll be a, a Farbrengen or short Farbrengen either after Mincha or after Ma'ariv. One of these dates was Chavdalat Teves. So we already find the Farbrengen after the AA that the Rebbe farbrenged Taf Shin Lamed Beis, like nineteen seventy-one, and generally the Farbrengens after the AA began with a Ma'amar. The Ma'amaron that the Rebbe said in the occasions of Chavdalat Teves would be based on Ma'amaron of the Alter Rebbe. And then at times, the Rebbe would publish the Ma'amar right after the Farbrengen, the Ma'amar of the Alter Rebbe, and it would

04:05 be available for study. In Taf Shin Lamed Ches, early nineteen seventy-eight, the Rebbe gave us a ruach what we should do on Chavdalat Teves in detail to learn at least a perek of Mishnah that begins with a letter of the Alter Rebbe's name, to learn a sefer of the Alter Rebbe Shulchan Aruch, to learn a perek Tanya, and a inyan in the drush of Parshah Va'era or Terumah, which is usually the Parshah, uh, that Chavdalat Teves falls out, and combined with the inyan of giving tzedakah. And the Rebbe edited it, and today it is in Likutei Sichot Chelek Chaf Alef page two ninety-six. In Taf Shin Mem Alef, it seems like the Rebbe saw that there was no activity going on, although he already gave instructions three years earlier. So the Rebbe says, "HaYitochon that we didn't hear anything, we didn't see anything." And the excuse that since nothing was mentioned, therefore nothing was done, the Rebbe says this is not an excuse. And therefore the Rebbe says, what's the reason that he's mentioning it? Not to make it melancholy, uh, that they missed something, but since it is Shabbos after Chavdalat Teves, so the melech, it is still an auspicious time to fulfill, compensate what was missed out in the middle of the week because Shabbos elevates all the days of the week. In Taf Shin Mem Beis, the Rebbe spoke to make a krias itim in learning the Taryag of the Ba'al HaHilulah and especially- With, uh, uh, ten people together. This was,

06:04 um, uh, mentioned in a sicha in Tof Shim Beis. It's in the Isvadias Chelik Beis, Umud seven twenty. A hemsech to the earlier installment, B'negia to Chavdal Teves. So we'll discuss today, Im Yirtze Hashem, B'negia to Chavdal Teves Tof Shin Chaf Gimel. B'negia to what took place by the Rebbe, Metzora Shabbos Kodesh, which was before the first farbrengen, and the first farbrengen, and Sunday night, the second farbrengen. From the Yuman that was written then. The Rebbe said the Kaddish after Ma'ariv, Metzora Shabbos, which is the Ma'ariv of Chavdal Teves. Ma'ariv there in the morning, Ma'ariv there, the hemsech that the Rebbe said after the three tefillahs, the one Kaddish, the Kaddish after Aleinu. After Shabbos, the Rebbe was mediya to Rabbi Chadikoff that the farbrengen will be ten twenty-five. The Rebbe came in with the gadol without a siddur. He-- Since he didn't say Lechayim, he didn't-- wasn't teim anything by the farbrengen. And as soon as the Rebbe sat down, the Rebbe opened up the farbrengen with the words that the Rebbe, the Nosy of Piazok, that it's a sure thing that the Yem HaHilula, the Baal HaHilula is Me'eira Rachamim. Rabin is Me'eira, especially Rachamim, especially, uh, uh, when it comes to farbrengen, which is as handing the pan, handing a pidion to the Baal HaHilula. The Rebbe asked to sing Ovin HaMalkena once, and then the Alter Rebbe's Nigun, Baba Dalet once, and then the Rebbe began the Maimer, which was a short Maimer. And, uh, after that, the Rebbe opened up

08:12 his eyes after the Maimer. It was merammas that, uh, the elom should sit down. The Rebbe then gave a bira on it. The Rebbe made a Sima Antanya. And amongst the Nigunim that the Rebbe, uh, uh, sang himself, he asked to sing the Tzamas of the Alter Rebbe, Kehano Almechos Amil, Ani Zmiras once, and then Ani Mamin. In the middle of the Nigun Ani Mamin, the Rebbe got up and he walked out, returned to his room. Farbrengen finished twelve fifteen AM. The next morning, Chavdal Teves, the Rebbe came to shul nine-forty. When he went into the Binyan to seven-seventy, he immediately stopped by the Pushka, which is the Pushka right near the Maskiras, which was installed there for tzdakah, for the, uh, publishing of the Alter Rebbe Svarim called Kerens Nehir. And throughout the day, whenever the Rebbe was going to the Mikveh, coming from the Mikveh, and as a Rebbe, the Rebbe always stopped, and he put in tzdakah into this Pushka. The Rebbe was wearing zaiden that day. And, uh, twelve fifteen, the Rebbe went to the EO and returned ten to five. And again, the Rebbe put in tzdakah into the Pushka Kerens Nehir. And, um, he went home, and then he came back for Ma'ariv six forty-five. In the afternoon, the early afternoon, before going to the EO, the Rebbe asked for the Sefer Hasidim, which is a Sefer that included the names of all Hasidim. And the Rebbe asked that they should bring it in. These were two big files,

10:27 and they should place it on his table. And before traveling to the EO, the Rebbe asked that they should take it out, place it in the car. Menorah should be able to take it to the EO. And getting to the EO, Rabbi Krinsky placed it on the wall around the tian, the wall which is basically the, uh, white wall around the tian. And then on the way back, it was taken back and placed back on the Rebbe's table in the room. At night, there was a dinner, the Baba Cheshiva. So the Rebbe waited till the dinner was over. At eleven fifty-five PM, mamash five minutes before midnight, the Rebbe came out of farbrengen. By this farbrengen, the Rebbe was teim, the zaynas, cake, and wine. Farbrengen went till two twenty-five. Many sichas and a maimer, and also a sicha b'negia, giving an amount of a hundred and fifty for everyone in the family. And the Rebbe said, In an ordinary day, a person could empty out the pockets, which this is what the Rebbe asked them, and rely that the next day everything will be refilled. The Rebbe sang the Nigun of Ari Keise L'chan Bracha and, um, Marku and Ki V'simcha Se Teyum. The Rebbe asked one of the maskirim, "How did so many people know this was a midnight as a farbrengen? Did they wake up people from their sleep?" Chaviv Teves, a day after Chavai Teves, which is two days after Chavdal Teves, in the morning, the Rebbe told one of the

12:31 maskirim to find an appropriate place where to place in a permanent, uh, manner the Sefer HaChassid, uh, Chassidim, which is basically the, as mentioned earlier, the Sefer that has the names of all Hasidim. Because up to that point, it was laying on the Rebbe's table. After that, the Rebbe placed it on a small table that was, um, actually near the table of the Rebbe Maharash that the Rebbe has in the room. To conclude with, conclude b'negia to the inyan of, uh, the connection of Chavdal Teves and Yutzvat. So the Rebbe explained it in different occasions. One occasion, the Rebbe said that Chavdal Teves is already the week of Shabbos Mevarchim Achei Yutzvat. The maimer already connects with Yutzvat. Another occasion, the Rebbe said that Chavai Teves, Macharasi of Chavdal Teves, is exactly two weeks, Shuayim before Yutzvat, which already is a achana for Yutzvat.