Posted to Videos on

Video: Sanz Chasidim Scramble for Apples from Rebbe

A video depicting Sanz-Klausenburg Chasidim scrambling for apples thrown by their Rebbe has gone viral on YouTube, bringing broad public interest and curiosity into this obscure but time-honored Chasidic tradition.

The video was taken at the Sanz-Klausenburg Rebbe’s Tisch, which took place at the end of Yomtov several days ago, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Related Articles

45 Comments

  • mendoza

    crazy nuts
    this would never happen by the REBBA
    first the REBBA would never throw food , its not
    koved for food .
    second the REBBA would give a sharp look at someone acting in a wild manor

    • mendel

      Actually, as the rebbe was leaving farbrengens, people would jump on the table and grab cake, or challa. it would sometimes get wild.

    • CR

      About as stupid as keeping a piece of honey cake from 30 years ago? Be careful before being Motzi Laz on other peoples’ minhagim!

    • Milhouse

      Nobody should have the Rebbe’s cake by now. One does not sell something from the Rebbe to a goy, and thus any cake or vodka had to be consumed before the first Pesach after it was given.

      But the eagerness to obtain one of these apples is anything but stupid.

    • CR

      No arguments here, M. Still, there are not a few of “our” chassidim who do exactly this. Not all are “amha’artzim”. Say what you will about it, it has become a chassidische hanhagahj in some quarters.

  • Questions

    #3 Throwing Challah is forbidden. And although some have a “custom” to do it because they do not want to place the challah directly in another’s hand, it is a bizayon.

    Is this apple throwing a custom in Sanz?

    Notice that they are singing Veharikosi which I thought was a chabad tune?

    Finally, walking on the table where there are seforim, right in front of their Rebbe??

    Just asking

    • CR

      I heard some very “ungarische” performers give an excellent rendition of “Nye zuritze shlopsi” over Sukkos. Chabad tunes are very popular among other kreizen.

    • Anonymous

      A lot of the chabad songs that are sung now were made popular (in the Jewish World, outside chabad) by Avraham Fried dedicating albums to chabad nigunnim…

    • Milhouse

      Minhag yisroel torah hu. How can you say it’s forbidden? In what se’if in Shulchon Oruch is this issur found?

    • Minhag Yisrael Torah

      Throwing Challa comes from a table being similar to a Mizbeach, and Challa is Korbanos, just as Korbanos were thrown into the fire, so too is Challa thrown onto the table

    • @question

      take yourself to 770 and watch all the Israelis walk all over tables filled with seforim on a daily basis!

  • Berl

    I don’t understand the big deal with this video.

    By the Rebbe, throughout all the years, there was always pushing and shoving to get closer to him – alot more then then a 2 minute scramble.

    As far as “throwing apples”: this is an old Tzanzer custom, where their Rebbes used to throw apples onto the crowd at certain times, and anyone that manages to catch one, is a Segula for Parnassa or Shiducim etc.

  • where is kovod?

    yes, it is not proper to throw food, and yes, the Rebbe would NEVER have thrown apples, but this is how most chassidishe rebbe’s act. they throw fish, nuts, apples, etc. It doesn’t mean it is the correct thing to do, but this does not mean you should laugh or make fun of them.

    • larry

      I myself was just asking not laughing at all everyone can and have their on customs. P.S to all their rebbe and the lubavitcher rebbe are not to be compeared for those who understand

  • mendoza

    to # 5 but not in the REBBA face .
    come on there was respect.
    and throwing food ?

    • Milhouse

      Just because you’ve never seen throwing food doesn’t change the fact that it’s a well-established minhag, e.g. challah.

  • this is AWESOME.

    There should be more of this.

    BTW, for those who scoff, many might think our customs weird too.

    This is great. More Yiddishe custom!!

  • respect other chasidim

    how do you think some of our minhagim and honhagas are view by others?

  • IMHO - Ashrei Chelkom

    Out of all people, it should be us to envy these people.

    They are Chasidim, that are jumping to get a apple from their Rebbe.

    Pushing like this happens by all Chasidim, including by us. Did you not ever hear on tapes how the Rebbe himself would ask that there has to be a Seder, and if not he would stop giving out what ever he would be giving out?

    And yes it is a Minhag (we should appreciate chasidim pushing and shoving for a Minhag).

    There are plenty of Minhagim we do/had that you can question. You think no one was on tables by the Rebbe?? Look at any picture form back then.

    FYI it is a Minhag that goes back for hundreds of years, both, the Minhag to throw and the Minhag to ‘grab’.

    Comments here that are mocking this Minhag (and jumping on the table), are nothing different then the way Misnagdim my fun of us.

    • Anonymous

      your envy of them[if u are a lubavicher]you have gold in you hands [sad you dont see it that way]

  • Number 23

    Umm.. When was the last time you jumped on the table to get something from the Rebbe.. Trust me before Gimmel Tamuz this was the norm.

    Btw.. don’t be so defensive, he’s not saying you should envy their Chasidus, only, this aspect (jumping and to getting something your Rebbe is giving out) is something we should envy, not mock.

  • shame on CHI

    # 23 and all you commenters, youre “us-them” attitude makes me sick, and THIS is why everyone wants nothing to do with you chabad people, because you clearly don’t want anything to do with us. Im hurt by the lotzonus and GEIVAH in these comments. How dare you speak so derisively about this holy rebbe who I have been zoiche to be with before.

    He is a special rebbe, and his chassidim are special people.

    In my opinion many Chabad bochurim who have never met the rebbe would do WELL to bleib by the sanzer rebbe and learn kovod and kesher with an actual manhig yisroel as opposed to these am harotzishe “mashgichim” in the chabad yeshiva system who really know nothing about chassidus besides misquoted sayings and memorized sichos.

    you know, learn what its like to actually have a rebbe.

    AND I looked on Yutube, this video is NOT viral only having 300+ views. CHI clearely put this up to make fun on “poylishes”.

  • M Seligson

    There is a minhag about throwing challah based on a posuk הטריפני לחם חוקי
    and was also a custom by the Ksav Sofer etc (see Minhagim Chasam Sofer hachodosh page 147)

  • Thinkster

    That’s nothing. You should see him throwing watermelons. Then they swing from the fixtures to get a banana. Finally they throw grapes as a segulah for raisin good kids and dates for shidduchim. And at the very end, they make sure there’s enough fruitcake for everyone.

  • Apple custom

    Targum Sheni on the book of Esther as well as a number of other midrashim narrates that when Haman accused the Jews of Persia, “whose laws are different from those of any other people and who do not obey the King’s laws” (Esther 3:8), he said: “in the month of Sivan they keep a feast of two days, in which they go into their synagogues…and call it the day of convocation. Then they go up to the roof of the house of their G-d and throw down pomegranates and apples, and then collect them and say: ‘Like as we gather these pomegranates and apples, so may their sons be gathered out from among us’. They also say: ‘This is the day in which the Law was given to our fathers on Mount Sinai.’”

    The throwing of fruit from the roof of the synagogue was a custom in Babylonia and Persia and their gathering a symbolic act to express the hope of the ingathering of the scattered Jewish exiles from among the nations.

    This Shavuot custom is no longer observed; in the course of generations, it was transferred to Simchat Torah, when apples and nuts are tossed to the congregants.

    “Jewish communities in Arab countries,” writes Rabbi Abraham Chill, “observed the custom of
    ascending to the roof of the synagogue on Shavuot and throwing apples down to the ground.
    The origin of this custom is traced to the similarity of the exclamation of the Children of Israel
    at Mt. Sinai to the growth of an apple. The fruit of the apple begins to develop before the leaf.
    Similarly the Children of Israel proclaimed na’aseh v’nishma–we will do and we will listen,
    whereas the logical order would have been, “We will first listen and then act.” They, however,
    announced their resolution to perform the [commandments] before they could listen and
    analyze them.”

    I believe 26 apples are thrown

  • Michoel Dovid

    Each and every group has different minhagim. I am sure if there Rebbe was doing it, there must be a source somewhere for it.

    As for the pushing/shoving, there was more than one occasion where our Rebbe asked for more decorum before handing out Tanyas, etc…

    And correct me if I am wrong, but I have heard that sometimes fruit was thrown by the Rebbe on Tu B’Shevat?

    As for bread, throwing it is against halacha! It is considered demeaning towards it. Yes, there is an inyan not to directly hand it to someone, but you can always pass around a plate or at least put it on the table in front of them.

  • Jonny

    I think what made this video “interesting” is that it appears that someone stood near/behind the Rebbe flipped the whole tray over – if you look carefully you can see – then he gets set upon by the rest (to the left of the screen)!

  • From Paris

    I laughed a lot ….. I noticed that there was very good “catchers”! it is ultimately a very bad baseball game ….

  • Idk

    I’m still very disturbed by this video….it gave me a horrible feeling inside..

  • I recall

    Once the Rebbe gave his plate of mezonos to some one (I think Zalman Jaffe). He was a bit perplexed and asked the rebbe what he should do with it .The rebbe responded and told him he would see as soon as he (The Rebbe) left the Farbrengen.
    Even though shirayim is not an inyan of Chabad there were times the Rebbe gave his mezonos to people. I recall getting almost every shabbos in the later years a piece of the rebbes mezonos curtesy of Chanina Sperlin who would take it off the table and bring it upstairs. We all tried to get something the rebbe used.

  • Gib mir compote

    Perhaps the Sanzer Rebbe was hinting towards a business venture. Dried apples, apple sauce, jelly apples, apple butter. Of course manufactured under Hisachdus supervision….awww shucks!!