Rebbe’s Chozer Speaks of the Old Days in 770

Rabbi Berel Lipskier, a long time chozer of the Rebbe and current Mashpia in Beis Medrash Chovevei Torah, visited Yehshiva Torah Ohr in North Miami Beach, Florida Thursday night.

He began the evening by answering questions about the Rebbe’s nesias and discussed general concepts in Chassidus. The shiur was followed by a farbrengen where he told countless stories about his experiences growing up in in Crown Heights, where he moved as child in 5713 (1953).

He recounted to the bochorim about how the seder in Tomchei Tmimim is a “hagbalah atzmus” direct from the Rebbeim, and how important it is to utilize everyone moment of the time.

On shabbos zochor 5718 (1957), as a bochor, he was learning chassidus Shabbos morning in the small zal and it was was almost 9 am. Generally the Rebbe would show up to shul around 10 am for Shachris but that morning there was a surprise as the Rebbe walked in at 8:50 am. The Rebbe, with a puzzled look on his face, stared at the zal of about 10 bochorim (which should have had 40) and the mashgiach Reb Dovid Raskin and exclaimed “tzen to nine far tog un der olam shluft?” (It’s ten minutes to nine and everyone is sleeping?) Right after that, he invited the 10 bochorim into his room and gave them a special maamer as an award for being in seder. From that Shabbos onward, Rabbi Mordechai Mentlick, the rosh yeshiva – whose hours didn’t entail chassidus – made sure to be there every Shabbos morning in zal at 8 am.

For the next few years, the Rebbe would randomly check the zal and periodically deliver mimorim in his room for those bocorim in zal at 8 am, especially on auspicious occassions.. Those who came even a minute or two late missed their opportunity, as the Rebbe instructed that the door to his room be shut immediately at 8 am for the maamer. These maamorim in the Rebbe’s room ended in 5722 (1962). The last attempted opportunity was ches shevat 5722.

Being that it was the custom to receive an aliya the Shabbos before yud shevat, there were a group of bochorim led by Yisroel Labkowski who made a kria minyan at 7:30 am to be ready for chassidus at 8 am. Another group of bochorim assembled a bit later closer to 8 am and decided to make their own krias haTorah minyan as well. At 8 am, the Rebbe walked in zal and saw the first group who finished their kria on time learning chassidus while the second group was in the middle of laining during seder chassidus. The Rebbe looked around and exclaimed “Ver hut iche gegben rishus tzu machen a kria in mitten seder chassidus?” (who gave you permission to make a Torah reading in the middle of seder chassidus?) The Rebbe decided he was going to deliver a maamer for those bochorim who were learning chassidus in the proper time. He called them into his room and asked that the door be shut.

Suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, the bochorim in the middle of their kria left the sefer Torah and began trickling into the Rebbe’s room. The Rebbe kept asking for the door be closed, yet there was too much of a delay. Finally the Rebbe stated that there wouldn’t be a maamer, and there never again special mimorim for the bochorim in the Rebbe’s room after that incident.

Rabbi Lipskier also stressed the inyan that a chosid always needs to be bsimcha, especially during sefira, as simcha breaks all boundaries.

He quoted the Rebbe saying at a farbrengen during sefira in 5714 (1954) that “sefira is not aveilus chas v’shalom” and the whole reason we don’t cut hair and play music is for other reasons according to Chassidus, but not because of availus, and we must use this time to purify our middos and prepare for Mattan Torah.

The evening was a huge inspiration for the bochorim of the Yeshiva, and brought a tremendous chiyas to all those who attended.