Life returns once again to its regular pace, but it is not possible for any individual that is present here to show no signs that he just recently celebrated the month of holidays with the Rebbe shlita. Even the benches show telltale signs… * The Rebbe announces limits on yechidus for yeshiva students and the author of the diary misses out on the longed for yechidus. * Letters home, written by R’ Tuvia Zilberstrom during his k’vutza year, describing some of the events of the month of MarCheshvan 5735 in 770, with the Rebbe.
By Rabbi Tuvia Zilberstrom
Rav of the Chabad community, Shikkun Chabad Yerushalayim
THE REBBE LIMITS BIRTHDAY YECHIDUS
Dear Yossi, for length of days and good years,
How are you and how do you feel? Surely your current state of mind is improved with the dream finally being realized of bachurim from 770 going to Toras Emes. We hope that their mission will be successful, better than we thought.
Here are some stories which you will surely relate at home:
In yechidus, which took place on Sunday, a family went in and the Rebbe asked how old the daughter is. The mother said, a year and a half. The Rebbe said, “In another half a year she will need to light candles.” The mother said she already lights and the Rebbe said, “zol zain tzu gezunt” (it should be for health). The Rebbe gave her a half dollar coin.
The Rebbe also gave money to other people in yechidus, a dollar or half dollar, for those who started to light. R’ Gershon Henoch Cohen told the Rebbe that he does the broadcasts in Yerushalayim at no charge and the Rebbe asked who comes to listen to them. He said Reb Arelech and other Chassidim also come. The Rebbe asked whether they experienced difficulties about this within their groups. Gershon Henoch said that although he does not know if they are too happy about it there but there were no problems. The Rebbe said, “May it be fulfilled that ‘the earth will be full of the knowledge of G-d.’”
Yechidus was until six in the morning last night. This is astonishing, following ten nights [of Sukkos and Simchas Torah] of the Rebbe not sleeping.
On Shabbos, there was a sicha about limiting yechidus; those who have a birthday would be blessed as a group. In other words, a bachur who is here for several years, cannot enter each year for his birthday. I still hope that I will be among those who enter for the next yechidus on 18 Cheshvan [the author’s birthday]. Naturally, preparations are necessary and the excitement is already present when just thinking and picturing standing near the door of the holy of holies to gaze upon the face of the Sh’china, and to do so in yechidus. Especially when this is the first time, so I hope I will get in on time.
I’ll end with hopes that you hear everything from the shluchim who are now dispersing around the world, and like the Rebbe said in the sichos on the subject of “give me Yavneh and its sages,” that it has the power to cancel the decree of “and the Levanon will be felled by the mighty.” This [in our times] is speaking mainly about returning territories, and like the Rebbe said in yechidus to Jacobson, that he saw no natural way the government would be stopped from returning land, aside from the merit of the shluchim connected to Mivtza Torah.
On Wednesday, they leave for Canada and Europe and the following week, for Eretz Yisroel. May their trips be successful.
To hear from and see each other,
Tuvia
P.S. Wherever a person goes, he can talk with a Jew about lighting candles and when he sees how this is accepted, it increases the enthusiasm in this campaign to light up the world. Again, we need to try to influence neighbors and relatives in particular. In schools too, including Beis Yaakov and the like, they are speaking about this, and they have started to light.
BACK TO WORK
Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh, Parshas Noach 5735
Dear family, for length of days and good years,
Many Greetings,
I hope that my letter finds you all in a proper state materially and spiritually. The days go, the days come…
The guests [from Tishrei] are slowly leaving Beis Chayeinu, each one having drawn both hands full, according to their abilities to receive and even more. This week, it looks as though the guests who are still here will leave, including the group [of shluchim to yeshivos] traveling to Eretz Yisroel – as the Rebbe says, “Yavneh and its sages.”
Life returns once again to its regular pace, but it is not possible for any individual that is present here to not show any signs that he just recently celebrated the month of holidays with the Rebbe. (Even the benches show telltale signs.)
Personally, my birthday is drawing closer and I got an aliya already this past Shabbos. This year it will be a transition of a different type, and incomparably so, both in cognizance and in outlook etc., as it will be celebrated in the presence of the Rebbe. May Hashem grant that I continue upward on the proper path as a nachas ruach to the Rebbe Shlita, and of course my dear parents.
For now, have a good and blessed week and a pleasant, warm winter, and to hear only good news.
Tuvia
As far as yechidus [for the author’s birthday], I still have no clear knowledge, but I still hope for the near term – on 18 Cheshvan.
THE SHLICHUS TO THE HOLY LAND
Sunday, 11 Cheshvan 5735
Dear all of you, for length of days and good years,
I will send this letter with the last of the shluchim to travel to Eretz Yisroel to Kfar Chabad. The rest of the chevra left last week and surely you have already received a report about the most recent events in Beis Chayeinu, including what the Rebbe told them upon parting from them at the entrance to Gan Eden HaTachton. They all crowded there to receive a parting blessing. Among them stood R’ Zushe Wilyamowsky and the Rebbe said to him, “Since rumor has it that mivtzaim in Eretz Yisroel are weak and it is done just to fulfill an obligation, you, being a partisan, will see to it that it be done with a shturem (commotion).”
To the bachurim the Rebbe said that although lighting candles did not pertain to them, it was incumbent upon them to see to it that their sister or mother or grandmother be involved with the campaign to bring merit to other Jewish girls.
Then the Rebbe said: Since you are going the week of Parshas “Lech Lecha M’Artzecha,” and “to the land that I will show you,” may Hashem help it “be for a blessing.” Then the Rebbe gave each of them a dollar and asked them to be involved in mivtzaim, especially the candle lighting campaign, and to do even before this Shabbos and said it should be with great success. Then the Rebbe went out and stood in the entrance of 770 until the bus vanished from view, as he clapped to the words of the song, “Ki b’Simcha Seitzei’u.”
From here on in, everything here is returning to the normal order. Of course, the benches in yeshiva are no longer so crowded but in 770 there will never lack someone to fill the place … These days of bahab (Mon-Thurs-Mon following a festival) the Rebbe fasts so that there is always a special minyan for Maariv [so the Rebbe does not have to delay breaking the fast] that the bachurim do not participate in [as it takes place during the regular study session].
Interestingly, last Thursday, the Rebbe did not appear for the Torah reading at the expected time and did not come out for the communal mincha. Obviously, we have no understanding of heavenly matters, but it is assumed that perhaps it has some connection with the terrible and inhumane decision that destroys every barrier etc. [between Jew and gentile] made by the Mafdal to once again join [the government coalition] for the sake of their laughable seats [of power]. And who can really sense how much health they are robbing, especially from the Rebbe, as someone once said about why the Rebbe focuses on this, for who else knows and feels “Mihu Yehudi and Mahu Yehudi – the soul of a Jew.” Certainly, externally, one cannot perceive anything on the Rebbe’s face, and we can only hope that it has no detrimental effects…
Back to our topic – the entire excitement is around the call of the Rebbe regarding “Yavneh and its sages,” to add everywhere, in each city and village, another yeshiva and more people who learn Torah without being fazed, as the Rebbe quoted a story from the Rebbe Rayatz that in the greatest darkness, someone who wants to go up on a tower and light a lantern, will attract many people.
Likewise here, they should just kindle a light and consequently Jews will be drawn, or those who don’t know they are Jews, or those who know but are still not in the category of those who learn Torah. And as he ended one of the sichos of Parshas B’Reishis, that the request of “give me Yavneh and its sages” was before the churban and actually had the power to prevent the churban if not for those who intervened, as is evident from the Gemara.
This outlook that the Rebbe is infusing everybody with, really gets “into the blood” – how on the one hand, the doubled and redoubled darkness, and on the other hand, the powerful hope and trust that Moshiach is coming soon. Mivtzaim, lighting candles, Yavneh and it sages; these are the pills that you give a sick person and then assuredly, in this merit, he will become healthy and be redeemed from his condition, all the way to the imminent redemption by the one who will “compel all Israel to go in the way of Torah and mitzvos.”
With hopes for good news in general and in particular and with hopes for letters, for as of today, my questions have still not been answered.
Tuvia
* * *
Sunday evening
The letter is still here and I will send it tomorrow with Shabsi Bloch who is returning tomorrow.
Tonight there was a short yechidus for certain people, for about three hours, including Y. Glitzenstein. The following is a portion of what he recounted [he also received a call up order from the army, and he asked the Rebbe if he should return to Eretz Yisroel]: At the end of the yechidus, the Rebbe said, “As far as the army, I will mention it at the gravesite that there be no disturbances, and when you get to Eretz Yisroel make inquiries with those who were already there and do as they did.”
The Rebbe also spoke with him at some length about his involvement in spreading Judaism and the wellsprings, that in this merit “his mind and heart will be purified a thousand times over.” And as mentioned in the farbrengen, this does not mean that he will become a lamdan without learning, but that if he will toil in learning for an hour, he will understand in that hour what someone would understand in a thousand hours.
He added an example that if you are involved in Mivtza Tefillin, when it comes your time for putting on tefillin before which you are obligated to contemplate as explained in the siddur [of the Alter Rebbe], then your contemplation of one minute will accomplish what another would do in a thousand minutes.
The Rebbe also spoke to him about kollel (even though he did not understand the connection to him), about how it is not a goal to sit in kollel for 120 years without being involved in spreading Judaism and the wellsprings, “and in general, Chabad does not hold of this.”
He also said to him, “The first few weeks, you will be busy with giving over the sichos of Yom Tov and regards from here.”
PIERCING LOOKS FROM THE REBBE
Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh, Parshas VaYeira 5735
A good and blessed week to all of you dear ones, for length of days and good years,
I would be happy to hear again about how things are working out, how the group [of bachurim shluchim] have settled in in Yerushalayim and in Kfar Chabad, and whether those who left the yeshiva in the past are beginning to return to the quarry from which they were hewn.
In like fashion, all the regular things are carrying on as regular; we grab another mincha, a Maariv, a Torah reading [with the Rebbe], all of which cannot be described by way of the pen. It becomes something that you need, like oxygen to breathe. Another glance, and sometimes the light is reflected back in a return look that penetrates the kidneys and heart, demanding “Where are you at? Where are you in the world? Do you learn and daven properly?”
Over here, habit does not become routine because each glance of the Rebbe is something new and different than the previous, demanding anew and adding energy again and again not to despair and always with hope. As they say, they once showed the Rebbe’s signature to a graphologist without him knowing anything about the Rebbe. He explained that the writer is a person who goes about constantly secure in his faith and always hoping, and although sometimes he sees a situation that looks completely despairing, he still has hope and confidence that ultimately the darkness of galus will be broken.
The s’darim in yeshiva are back to regular schedule. Every Friday night Chassidus is learned for several hours especially since they moved the clock back, and sometimes it’s for three or four hours. Then one of the bachurim gives a pilpul in Chassidus at length and with proper explanation, and it gives a chayus to the learning. Similarly, on Motzaei Shabbos, a pilpul is given in Nigleh. How good it would be if there was something similar in Eretz Yisroel.
In addition, since last week we hear a shiur twice a week from Rabbi Yoel Kahn. As is known, it is unnecessary to mention that there is no maggid shiur in Chassidus today like him, both on the level of explanation and the level of knowledge. The first shiur lasted nearly two hours and nobody moved or left. Everyone sat as if hypnotized, not like the usual when people come and go.
To hear good news from each other, materially and spiritually.
Tuvia
WHICH BLESSING IS MORE EFFECTIVE?
Sunday, Parshas Toldos
Dear Family, for length of days and good years,
Many Greetings!
This Shabbos was packed, once again, after a long break of Shabbasos without farbrengens. It was unusual in that the farbrengen lasted until sunset and mincha was finished close to tzeis ha’kochavim. Nevertheless, the Rebbe left for home and of course, only then did the crowd go to eat the second Shabbos meal and rush back for Maariv.
There was a sicha again on the subject of [the new system of] yechidus, such that it appears that even I who was assigned a slot for this day – “today” – it looks like I won’t get in. Maybe I will have a chance to go in in the future, but certainly not soon.
I submitted a note to the Rebbe with my few questions and the Rebbe answered, among other things, that it should be “everything good etc., in visible and revealed good.” Of course, it adds a lot when you get a personal blessing regarding matters that are pressing.
[The author goes on to record what the Rebbe said as far as the curtailing of yechidus]: That a blessing said on Shabbos in the presence of many dozens of Jews [at a farbrengen] is superior to one said in yechidus and per the level of the recipient. He also went on at length in sichos about the world situation, in the UN and Eretz Yisroel and in connection to the parsha of the week and its concluding about the offspring of Yishmoel, “upon the face of all of his brethren, he fell,” as Rashi explains that when Avrohom passed away, “he fell.” This means to say that when he is connected to Avrohom and knows that he is the son of Hagar, the Egyptian maid of Sarah, then he has stature among his brothers, but when “Avrohom passes away,” meaning that he cuts himself off from Avrohom and tries to claim that he is the son of the lady of the house, then he falls.
Certainly, this time Binyomin [brother of the author] will give over the sichos at length, and I will leave the sport of penmanship to him.
To hear from each other,
Tuvia