MOSHIACH’S SEIFER TORAH
March 10, 2016
Dear Reader sh’yichyeh,
Parshas P’kudei is the culmination of Seifer Shmos. In the Hakhel year of 5748 there was a special siyum seifer Torah that took place in 770 that week. It was a seifer Torah donated by shluchim around the world, in honor of the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka who had just passed away the previous month. During the Farbrengen on Shabbos, the Rebbe spoke of the significance of the Siyum Seifer Torah and connected it to the year of Hakhel.
The idea that people join from around the world (especially through shluchim which represent communities of Jews from around the world) to unite through a Torah is very much connected to Hakhel. This is evident in the P’sukim of Hakhel (D’varim 31:10): “Then, Moshe commanded them, saying, “At the end of [every] seven years, at an appointed time… you shall read this Torah before all Israel, in their ears. Assemble the people: the men, the women, and the children, and your stranger in your cities, in order that they hear, and in order that they learn and fear the Lord, your God, and they will observe to do all the words of this Torah.”
Since we are discussing the concept of finishing a Seifer Torah, it is worth reviewing one of the most historic “Siyumim” – the siyum of the Torah that was commissioned to greet Moshiach!
On the night of Simchas Torah (before Hakafos) 5702/1942, the Previous Rebbe announced: “With the help of G-d, and in the merit of my holy fathers of blessed memory, I have merited to become bli neder an emissary for the good and merit of the Jewish people to write a special Seifer Torah with which we will greet Moshiach.”
In a letter written on the 2nd of Iyar 5702 the Previous Rebbe wrote: “The cause of all causes (Almighty G-d) may He be blessed, in the merit of my holy fathers of blessed memory, has organized for the good, to give me the merit of being the emissary for a very elevated and great mitzvah, to awaken and arouse all to do immediate T’shuva, and to prepare ourselves immediately for the redemption, to write a special Seifer Torah to greet Moshiach. This matter of writing a Seifer Torah was originally a private and confidential matter which I had wanted to do myself, however at the Simchas Torah meal when we had spoken about the greatness of the love for a fellow Jew … I reconsidered whether in fact I was right not to disclose the matter thus preventing many perfect and complete people from being partners in this great and holy merit … and I decided that I would in fact announce this publicly, that with the help of G-d, I do intend to write a special Seifer Torah to greet Moshiach may he come speedily in our days.”
In another letter of the 24th of Tevet 5703 (1943) the Previous Rebbe wrote: “As we were sitting at the Yom tov meal during the festival, in the company of Anash may they be well, we spoke of the birth pangs and the imminent coming of Moshiach, and in my talk, I said that it was my intention to write — with the help of G-d — a special Seifer Torah to greet Moshiach, and out of love for my fellow Jews, all those who wish to participate in the writing of the letters may do so.”
The date to start writing the Seifer Torah was fixed for the 20th Cheshvan, the birthday of the Rebbe Rashab, as was stated in HaKria V’HaK’dusha, and in a public letter that was issued by the secretariat of the Rebbe.
The intention was that the beginning of the writing was to be done publicly, and hence the date was publicized. However in fact this was pushed off until the second of Iyar as stated in the letter previously quoted from the 2nd of Iyar: “Due to various reasons, the possibility of starting to write the Seifer Torah was delayed, and today the second of Iyar — Tiferes Sh’b’Tiferes — the birthday of my grandfather the Rebbe Maharash of blessed memory, the lot has fallen, to start writing the Seifer Torah in the merit of the Jewish people both materially and spiritually.”
That day the writing commenced in private, as stated in the special announcement printed in HaKria V’HaK’dusha, made by the committee for writing a Seifer Torah to greet Moshiach, that, “The wish of the Rebbe was that this be done privately.”
The Seifer Torah was written on special parchment made from the skins of kosher animals that had been ritually slaughtered. Furthermore, the Rebbe had wanted that the parchment be prepared in Eretz Yisroel, and he had sent such a request to Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda Leib Eliazarov.
In a letter of the 2nd MarCheshvan he wrote in great detail: “I sent you a telegram regarding the procuring of parchment from kosher animals that have been ritually slaughtered and that have been tanned for the intention of writing — with G-d’s help — upon them a Seifer Torah to greet Moshiach may he come very soon.”
On the 3rd of Kislev he wrote again: As regards the parchment for the Seifer Torah it appears that it will be very expensive (to get them in Eretz Yisroel) and therefore we have decided to get them here.” Despite the great difficulties in procuring such parchment at that time in America, since the majority of skins were taken by the government for the war effort, nevertheless the skins were procured in America.
After the writing had commenced, the Rebbe wrote to Rabbi Eliyahu Nachum Sklar on the 6th of Iyar 5702: “With this I appoint you to find out about procuring the skins necessary to prepare the parchment for writing a special Seifer Torah to greet Moshiach, may he come speedily in our days, that they be from kosher animals, ritually slaughtered, and I ask you to take great care of this, and the Almighty should give us the merit to greet Moshiach very soon in kindness and mercy.”
All the expenses of purchasing the parchment and paying the scribe were paid by the private account of the Rebbe, and the donations given for this purpose were deposited in the accounts of Merkos L’Inyanei Chinuch and Machneh Yisroel.
The writing started then, however its completion was not to be until many years later. In the farbrengen of Shabbat Parshas VaEira, 3rd of Shvat 5730 (1970), the Rebbe announced that the completion of the Seifer Torah would soon take place. This is what the Rebbe said at the Siyum: “For obvious reasons, we would have wanted that the completion of the Seifer Torah that the Previous Rebbe started writing would be around the time of the 20th Yahrtzait of the Rebbe. And as it states in the Jerusalem Talmud about Shimshon — who was named with one of the names of God as it states, ‘For the sun (Shemesh) and its shield is Hashem Elokim,’ and specifically how G-d is the sun (Shemesh) without the shield: ‘One verse states, “And he judged Israel for forty years” and another verse states, “And he judged Israel for twenty years,” this teaches us that the Philistines feared him for twenty years after his death as they feared him for twenty years during his life.’
“And therefore the completion is taking place after noon, as close as possible to the 10th of Shvat which this year falls on Shabbos (as in the year of his passing).”
And in fact, on Friday Erev Shabbos of Parshas Bo 10th of Shvat, the Seifer Torah was completed after noon amidst very special celebration. At the celebration, the Rebbe said a short Sicha, after which Rabbi Shmuel HaLevi Levitin recited Psalm 20 verse by verse, and after they had sung all the niggunim of the Rebbeim, the Seifer Torah was completed.
After saying the verses of Ata Horeisa, and the niggun Prazos Teishev Yerushalayim, the Seifer Torah was rolled up and the crown was placed on the Seifer Torah by the Rebbe. The Seifer Torah was carried to the Ark under a Chuppa accompanied by candles — and the Rebbe made the blessing SheHechiyanu out aloud and ate a new fruit. Afterward he said the Maamer beginning with the words, “To understand the idea of writing a Seifer Torah,” and said a short Sicha.
In that Maamer, the Rebbe makes clear that just as Moshe – the first redeemer – commissioned Sifrei Torah, so too Moshiach – the final redeemer – will write a special Seifer Torah.
Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a well sought after speaker and lecturer. Recordings of his in-depth shiurim on Inyanei Geula u’Moshiach can be accessed at
http://www.ylcrecording.com.
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