THE KING AND HIS GUESTS: SPECIAL MOMENTS

Every Tishrei, thousands of guests come from around the world to spend the holidays with the Rebbe. For years, the Rebbe gave the guests special attention and considered them his personal guests

R’ Moshe Yaroslavsky a”h, who served as “the extended arm” of the Rebbe, was greatly encouraged by the Rebbe. He arranged room and board for the guests. The Rebbe, on his part, treated his guests with warmth and special personal treatment. For example, the night of Shabbos, Parshas Haazinu 5733, the Rebbe personally visited the guests in their dining room. The Rebbe, in his refined manner, did not go alone but accorded the honor to the on-the-scene host, R’ Yaroslavsky, and had him “lead” the Rebbe to the guests.

When the Rebbe arrived at the dining room, he stood near the doorway and asked, “Where is R’ Moshe?”

R’ Moshe had a hard time making his way through because of the crowds. The Rebbe responded, “If he can’t come here, I will go to him.” In the end, when R’ Moshe finally made it through the throngs, the Rebbe said to him, “A happy year of taanug and oneg. A big yashar ko’ach and next year in Yerushalayim.”

Only then did the Rebbe bless the guests who stood around him in awe: “May it be a happy year and the entire year be in Shabbos mode. G’mar chasima tova and a year of serenity, joy, and delight.”

Then, when the Rebbe went to his home, he veered off to walk past the guest dining room. When he heard the singing rising up through the windows, he slowed down and listened. One could see a look of satisfaction on his face.

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This special regard, both for the guests and for the one who took care of them, R’ Moshe, was expressed over the years.

Starting in 5738, the Rebbe visited the guests in their big sukka. That year, the Rebbe visited the guests on Shabbos Chol HaMoed Sukkos. Seeing R’ Moshe, the Rebbe wished him a good Shabbos and then asked him whether there was food on the tables and whether there were enough benches. The guests, who heard the questions, moved so the Rebbe could see the benches and tables. The Rebbe did not merely stand in the entrance to the sukka, but walked all the way through to the other end of the sukka and looked lovingly at the many guests.

Starting in 5742, the Rebbe began going to the guests’ sukka on the first day of Sukkos. After the davening on the first night, the Rebbe would go up to his room and a few minutes later he would go out to the hallway where R’ Moshe was waiting. The Rebbe would ask him to show him the way to the guests’ sukka and R’ Moshe walked in front of the Rebbe. How magnificent was this sight, the honor that the Rebbe showered on the person who worked so hard and graciously welcomed thousands of guests when he himself was a guest who schlepped from Eretz Yisroel.

When the Rebbe arrived at the sukka he would walk to the far wall from the street, stand on a crate or bench that was there and deliver a short sicha to the guests. Over the years, there was a small platform with steps which was set up in a corner of the sukka. There was also a shtender on this platform.

In 5745, the Rebbe went up on the platform and nearly started the sicha when he realized that the shtender was set up so he was facing the men with his back to the women. The Rebbe moved the shtender so that both the men and the women could see him.

Starting in 5750, the Rebbe delivered his sicha to the guests from the entrance to the sukka.

An interesting episode occurred in 5748, a Hakhel year, when many more guests than usual visited 770. Naturally, there was a lot of crowding and pushing in the sukka. When the Rebbe arrived at the sukka, they did not manage to clear a path for him to the platform. Minutes passed as the Rebbe waited. If that wasn’t enough, the steps that the Rebbe was supposed to use to get up on the platform broke. When the Rebbe finally reached the platform, he placed his knee against the platform and climbed up without steps. At the beginning of the sicha he said that due to the crowding he would only say a brief sicha.

And thus, every year, the Rebbe treated the guests with fatherly warmth and he made a special visit to them and blessed them.