The Second night of Pesach: Midnite Farbrengen by the Rebbe

00:00 Finding ourselves in Chol Hamoed Pesach brings back zecheres behem shech to the, uh, first days of Pesach, especially Leil Bais Chag Pesach, one thirty AM, the farbrengen that took place by the Rebbe from year to year, beginning from Taf Shin Yud Alef through Taf Shin Lamed. First discuss the, the, uh, structure of the farbrengen and then im yirtze Hashem in, in the hem shech, we'll discuss the various years, different, uh, inyanim that took place that year behem shech too 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 Mekadas, uh, softcover. And at times, the Rebbe would be me'eider they should sing a nigun based on what it says in Kisvei HaAriza that the Haggadah needs to be said loudly and with joy. So therefore, the nigun should be bekilrom ubesimcha. 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 Friediker Rebbe's mesdas, uh, the Friediker Rebbe's inyanim already from the beginning when the Friediker Rebbe arrived in the United States. And since he was the one that was sort of the chazan by the Haggadah upstairs in the Friediker Rebbe's apartment and also by the Rebbe Seder. So therefore, the Rebbe will ask him to sing a, uh, nigun bekilrom ubesimcha, Bemitzrayim Gi'altanu. During the farbrengen, the Rebbe would say a maamer,

02:05 uh, chassidus. In the Taf Shin Chaf, in the '60s, the maamer was generally a maamer kein sicha, the maamer in the format of a sicha, which would start on either a piece of the Haggadah, uh, generally, and, uh, that was behem shech to the biurim on the Haggadah. Certain occasions, the Rebbe would say that the maamer, they would make note, would be based on a maamer 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 maamer, uh, on the occasion, uh, of a certain number of years, a complete number of years. For example, thirty years since the maamer was originally said by a, a earlier Rebbe, uh, befrat by the previous Rebbe. An example for that would be the second night Pesach Taf Shin Lamed nineteen seventy, the Rebbe then said the maamer Chacham HaOmer, which is from the Haggadah. This maamer 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 maamer was different than the Friediker Rebbe's, um, uh, format, and, uh, b'meila, this is actually how it was also published. The farbrengen was without any l'chaim since it's already after the afikoman, so b'meila it 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 Rebbe to his

04:11 house, and they would sing either the nigun Bemitzrayim Gi'altanu 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'yetzias Mitzrayim kol eires halayla, discussing Yetzias Mitzrayim that whole night. This continued through nineteen seventy. Early nineteen seventy-one, Taf Shin Lamed Alef, on the tenth of Cheshvan, the Rebbetzin Nechama Dina was niftar, and the Rebbe then stopped eating the Yom Tov suddas upstairs and continued in the house with the Rebbetzin 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 Lubavitcherim fourteen fourteen, and that's where he would, uh, drav the seder when he came every year to the Rebbe from Taf Shin Lamed Alef onward. I remember a certain, uh, inyan announcement that was made Taf Shin Lamed Alef nineteen seventy-one 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. Behem shech to an earlier installment, B'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 Shelami 1970. So in this installment, we'll continue, Be'ezras Hashem, discussing specific years and events that took place during these farbrengens. In Tof Shin Yud Alef 1951, which was the first year, first Pesach after the Kabbalas HaMesias, the formal way the Rebbe accepted the Mesias Yitzvat, right after the Seder, the Rebbe said as follows. That the previous Rebbe said that the nigun keli atovei 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 Liel 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

08:16 Elam continued dancing. After a while, the Elam was in for a surprise. The Rebbe walked out of his room with a Hagadah, the Hagadah that the Rebbe himself compiled and published in Tof Shin Vav 1946. And the Rebbe made this introduction. That the Friedrich 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 Friedrich 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 Hagadah. And at the conclusion of the Farbrengen, the Rebbe announced Leshona Babbi Yerushalayim. The next year, Tof Shin Yud Beis 1952, the Rebbe became then on Yud Alef Nissan 50 years. And Hasidim figured that this could also be the reason that the Rebbe that year Farbreng both nights of Pesach after the Seder. The Rebbe explained many in Yoni Mid Hagadah, and then the Rebbe concluded with Leshona Babbi Yerushalayim. So there was a Farbrengen the first night of Pesach after the Seder and also the second night after

10:26 the Seder. Tof Shin Yud Gimel 1953, Hasidim figured that since last year the Rebbe Farbreng both nights of Pesach, they were hoping that the Rebbe will also this year, Tof Shin Yud Gimel 1953, also Farbreng 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 Farbreng there. The second night, the Rebbe Farbrenged 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 Farbrengen, there were some that were falling asleep, and the Rebbe made the following comment, that since the Friedrich Rebbe sat and was Mevair in Yoni Ha'goda, so the Rebbe says, but Mele, I'm also Mukrach to sit and Farbreng. 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 asked for forgiveness, we apologize for anything we did, Shegeig, Mezid, Eines, Viratsun, so that that'll be the time to ask forgiveness. And the Rebbe concluded that Hasidim with their Achtos will bring Mashiach. In Tof Shin Yud Gimel, at that same Farbrengen, at the close, the conclusion of the Farbrengen, after the Farbrengen, the Rebbe said that those that need a Bracha for healing for Refuah should go in

12:25 to him to receive Matzah. And the Rebbe gave Matzah, pieces of Matzah to those that needed a Refuah. In Tof Shin Tez Vov, 1955, during the Farbrengen, 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 Shin Yud Dalet, 1954. But in Tof Shin Tez Vov, this was the only Nigun that the Rebbe taught during the Farbrengen after the Seder.