Tisha B'Av 5731 (1971)

00:00 Behemshech to the earlier installment in regards to Shabbos Chazon. We continue now discussing B'neguer Tisha B'av by the Rebbe from the evening through the day. The Rebbe would have Ma'ariv together with the tzibur for the reading of Eicha. The Rebbe would enter shul with the siddur and the kevetz which had the Eicha and also what we say after Eicha in the evening time. When the Rebbe went home, in the earlier years, the Rebbe would walk home the first night Tisha B'av, uh, uh, not go by car. In the later years, in particular, as we observed, it was in Tav Shin Lamed Ches, 1978. After that, after the health situation that the Rebbe experienced on Shemini Atzeres that year, the Rebbe would go home by car, but he instructed they should put a wooden board on the seat, which was obvious that it should be a discomfort. The Rebbe in the morning would come in. The Rebbe did not daven together with the minyan, but he would sit on a low box, similar to a, um, milk box, and over the years, uh, it changed. And the Rebbe would be reading reshimas of the Tzemach Tzedek, the Tzemach Tzedek's writings on Megilas Eicha, as they are printed today in L'ei La'teida. In Tav Shin Lamed, 1970, I remember seeing it myself, the Rebbe cried very much then, without stop. And in Yiddish, the expression is gechwipet, mamash cried on, on, uh, for quite a while. During Kriyas HaTeirah, the Rebbe was called up to mafteir, as

02:02 was customary by the Rebbeim, that in Tisha B'Av, the Rebbeim received mafteir in the morning and also by Mincha. During Haftarah, the Rebbe cried in reciting various psukim of the Haftarah. And after that, the Rebbe sat down as the whole elam began saying kinas, and the Rebbe began saying kinas. After kinas, so from Tav Shin Lamed Heh and on, the Rebbe instructed that there should be siyumim every day of the nine days in order to increase with the permissible simcha, a simcha which is mutar al pi Teirah. "Pikudi Hashem yesharim mesamchei lev," since Teirah brings joy. So therefore, a siyum should be taking place every day of the nine days. So right after kinas, there were times that the PA system went on before the Rebbe left the shul, and the one who was making the siyum, zo zein gezunt, Rav Sholom Ber Lipsker, he would be making the siyum on a Sechta Me'ekhaton, which is permissible to be learned on Tisha B'Av. And there were times that the Rebbe remained listening to the siyum, uh, while he was in shul. In one of the years, right after the Siyum HaKinas, when the siyum began, and it was heard downstairs in shul, and when the Rebbe heard the siyum, the Rebbe remained standing another fifteen minutes. All the different efforts which were made that the speaker in the shul should be shut off in order the Rebbe should not have to stand on his feet were to no avail, and the Rebbe remained till the

04:07 end of the siyum. Mincha, the Rebbe would come in with tallis and tefillin. We have Mincha together with the tzibur, and then, as mentioned, the Rebbe would receive mafteir by Mincha. Generally, the Rebbe did not speak a sicha on this day, like the sichas that the Rebbe spoke on the other fast days, Tzom Gedalia, Asarah B'Teves, Ta'anit Esther, Shiva Asar B'Tammuz, with one exception. In the year Tin Osei, 1991, this was the last year before Chavzeiin Oder, the Rebbe spoke a short sicha before Ma'ariv, before the conclusion of the day. This is the first time the Rebbe ever spoke a sicha on Tisha B'Av. The seriousness, the solemnness which was visible on the Rebbe's face on Tisha B'Av was different than all the days of the year. This is basically what we felt then, what we sensed then when we saw the Rebbe on Tisha B'Av. Interesting to note, there was a Hasid who brought one of his mekubavim to the Rebbe, and he chose the Tisha B'Av day, that that's when he is gonna visit the Rebbe, see the Rebbe, and show the mekubav what the sayder is by the Rebbe Tisha B'Av. When the mekubav walked out of seven seventy after seeing the Rebbe, he says, "I do not recognize the Rebbe from the pictures. He is a completely different person." We now continue to discuss some of the Tisha B'Avs which took place by the Rebbe the various years. Tav Shin Lamed, 1970, was- A year which the Rebbe gave certain directives,

06:06 Heruos, and the Rebbe edited that part of the Fabregen. There should be 24-hour shifts in learning the Inyanim An Echa and the Reshimas of the Tzemach Tzedek and Inyanim that are permissible to be studied anti-Shabbos. And the Rebbe asked that it should be shifts of 10 people at once. And in order that it shouldn't hurt anybody's health, there should be shifts for specific hours and then another shift should take over. Everyone should contribute to Tzlokan many times during the course of the day. And to exert oneself to make sure that as many Yidden as a person could reach out to, to put on film on that day in the afternoon. Miftzet film for those who will not be putting on film on their own. Tov Shin Lamed Alef, Tisha B'Avos Shabbos. The Rebbe then, amongst the Sichas, delivered a maimer, began with Echa Yoshua Bodot, a maimer from the beginning of Echa. A formal maimer with a nigun before, a longer maimer, a maimer which the Rebbe mentioned sightings from all the Rabbeim, references in the maimer in addressing the Inyanim that the Rebbe elaborated on the maimer, and spoke very much about the great descent of Golus and cried very much. And this maimer was later published, edited by the Rebbe, and it is known as the Maimer Echa Yoshua Bodot. The minister shall continue in the next installment.