Weekly Story: Basi L’Gani & The Frierdiker Rebbe’s Histalkus

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

Since next Shabbos is Yud Shevat, the day the Frierdiker Rebbe was nistalek on Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Bo in 5710 (1950) and the Rebbe officially ascended the following year, it is worthwhile to give some of the historical background about the Maamar Basi L’Gani.

I should note that most of this was excerpted from vol. 2 of the Frierdiker Rebbe’s biography I am presently working on. Therefore (, when you read see above or below, especially in the footnotes, that is referring to other chapters in the biography).

Since it is the Frierdiker Rebbe’s biography, when I write the Rebbe it is referring to him, and our Rebbe is referring to our Rebbe.

As always, your feedback and comments are most welcomed and appreciated.

When the Frierdiker Rebbe arrived and settled in America, he said a maamar Chassidus almost every week on Tuesday evenings. This enabled the chassidim who wouldn’t be able to be with the Rebbe on Shabbos as they lived some distance away, to come to 770 by public transportation and hear the maamar. However, two years later, after the petira of his mother, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah, on Shabbos Parshas Bo,) the 13th of Shevat 5702 (1942), he rarely said a maamar, (besides every Shavuos and a few other times). Rather, he wrote them, and they were then published. The last maamar that he said was on Yud Beis Tammuz 5705 (1945).

In the summer of 5705 (1945) the Rebbe suffered a heart attack and from then on, he instructed Otzer HaChassidim (Kehot) to publish a maamar in conjunction with the upcoming yomim tovim or other occasions. The maamorim that were published to be learned in the years 5706 -5710, (1946-1950), were maamorim that he had said earlier on in his nesius, in Russia, Riga or Poland. Either he took one from his manuscripts or instructed our Rebbe to obtain from elder chassidim their copy of a maamar that they have and prepared them for publication.

In addition to checking the chossid’s copy of the maamar for accuracy, the Frierdiker Rebbe made three major changes even on the maamorim that were being published from his own manuscript.

A. He divided each maamar into chapters.
B. He added a short summary after each chapter.
C. He added a new divrei hamaschil (opening words) and closing words to most of these maamorim. In essence he was using a concept in Chassidus and applying it to a new thought, (and thereby connecting it very often to the parsha of the week that it was being published).

The Maamar Basi L’Gani which he gave out to be learned on Yud Shevat 5710 (1950), is the opening maamar of a hemshech of four maamorim. The first maamar of Basi L’Gani was to be learned on Yud Shevat, the yahrzeit of his paternal grandmother, Rebbetzin Rivkah. The second maamar of this hemshech, HaYosheves BaGanim, was to be learned on Yud Gimmel Shevat, the yahrzeit of his mother, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah. The third maamar was to be learned for Purim and the fourth and final maamar of this hemshech was to be learned on Beis Nissan, the yarzheit of his father, the Rebbe Rashab.

However, originally, when he said them the first time in 5683 (1923), they were only two maamorim. The first one was said on Parshas Bo 5683 (1923). That maamar began with the words Vayehi b’etzem hayom hazah and on the following Shabbos, parshas beshalach he said the second one, starting with the words Vayomer Hashem el Moshe, mah titzak eh’lie.

In 5710 (1950), the Frierdiker Rebbe deleted the first paragraph of both of these maamorim and began the first maamar with what was originally the second paragraph.

Furthermore, on the first maamar which he divided into ten chapters in two maamorim and had it published before Yud Shevat, he made a summary at the end of each chapter, and they were printed in one kuntres (booklet). However, the original second maamar, besides for dividing it into another ten chapters of two maamorim, and removing the first paragraph, he did not have time to write a summary of each paragraph, and each one was printed as its own kuntres, before Purim and before Beis Nissan.

That Friday night of Parshas Bo 5710, when the chassidim were learning the maamar, someone mentioned that the printer omitted the Yud of Yud Shevat, but no one thought much of it.

The following morning, at ten to eight, Dr. Avrohom Seligson was called and informed that the Rebbe was not feeling well. He rushed over to 770 and saw that the Rebbe was breathing heavily. Sensing that it was another heart attack, he decided to give the same medication/injection that he gave two months earlier which had helped then. However, this heart attack was much stronger, and Dr. Seligson said that even if he was there before its onset, he doesn’t think it would have helped.

In the meantime, a breathing machine was brought in, but at seven minutes pass eight, the Rebbe stopped breathing, and the Rebbe was nistalek.

The chassidim couldn’t control their emotions and were crying and saying Tehillim the entire day, however, on the face of our Rebbe, since it was Shabbos Kodesh, nothing was noticeable; he was holding it in.

On Motzei Shabbos the secretaries immediately called Rabbi Berel Rivkin, as he was by the histalkus of the Rebbe Rashab, thirty years earlier. While he answered many of the questions, certain things were not the same situation, and whatever he didn’t know, our Rebbe said what should be done.

They also called many other elder chassidim, as well as informing chassidim in Chicago, Miami, etc. of the histalkus, so that they can come in time for the levaya, which is scheduled to begin at twelve at noon. Telegrams were sent to the communities of Lubavitchers overseas. In every community that the tragic news reached, the chassidim ripped their clothing and cried.

The Rebbe’s table and shtender was taken apart to be used as the coffin/casket. The tahara was done in his room, and a gorel (lottery) was made between the elder chassidim to decide who participates in the tahara and does what.

At 12:30 they picked up the aron and began taking it out of his apartment (on the 2nd floor of 770) and down the steps. The plan was to carry it all the way to the yeshiva building on Bedford and Dean (a distance of one mile), however, the crowd was so large that it was impossible to continue this way, so at Brooklyn Avenue they placed it in the hearse and followed it.

From there, the caravan went to Montefiore cemetery and the Rebbe was interred diagonally opposite his mother. A few months later, a wall was built around the ohel, and some months later the larger structure was built.

The following year, when the Rebbe officially accepted the Nesius, he said a maamar explaining the concepts mentioned in the first chapter. This was the beginning of a novel concept, showing us some of the depth of the Frierdiker Rebbe’s maamar, by primarily expounding on the concept of that one chapter. Each year after that, the Rebbe would quickly summarize the chapters of the previous year(s) and then begin to expound on the corresponding chapter for that year, concluding the cycle on yud shevat hagadol in 5730 (1970).

The following year, in 5731 (1971), people were thinking what would happen now, but the Rebbe began the cycle anew. There were years when our Rebbe said on Yud Shevat two (or even three) maamorim explaining the chapter, so on almost each chapter of the Frierdiker Rebbe’s maan Igros Kodeshmar, there are two or three maamorim of the Rebbe.

A Taste of Chassidus
Basi Lgani 5724

This year we are focusing on chapter 14 of the maamar Basi Lgani. In 5724 (1964) and 5744 (1984) the Rebbe expounded on numerous thoughts that the Frierdiker Rebbe discussed in chapter 14.

Since the title of this section of my weekly post is called A Taste of Chassidus, I am going to focus on one phrase of the maamar.

V’atah mechaya ess koolum, meirosh kol dargin, ad sof – And you give life to everything from the highest levels to the lowest. The Alter Rebbe notes, don’t read it as mechayeh – giving life, but as if it says Mehaveh – Creating.

Now normally when we say “and You,” we are referring to Hashem’s essence, which in Chassidic terminology is called Atzmus. However, the Alter Rebbe explains that the three letters of Aleph, Tuf and Hei (which form the word Atah) is to be divided into two parts; Aleph and Tuf are referring to all the twenty-two letters of the Aleph Beis, from Aleph to Tuf, while the letter Hei, whose numerical value is five, is a reference to the five ways the sound of a letter is made. The sound of an Aleph is created from the air in the mouth, the sound of a Beis is created by putting your lips together, gimmel comes from the throat, daled is from the tongue touching the upper palate and Zayin is from putting your teeth together.

The question is how can one say that creation comes from anything besides Hashem’s essence? The explanation is, that obviously all creation is from Hashem’s essence, as nothing else can create anything. However, since Hashem’s desire is that we should have free choice, He wanted His Essence to be concealed, and He created everything from speech.

As is known, even by a human being, their speech is not their essence. Speech is only used when you want to communicate your thoughts to others, but if you are all by yourself, you think of whatever you are involved in.

Then the Rebbe proceeds to explain what the Frierdiker Rebbe meant by saying (from the highest level) to the lowest level.

On the surface, a person would say this refers not only to the higher spiritual worlds of Atzilus, Briah and Yetzira, but His presence is even in this physical and materialistic world. One may even venture to say, that even in this world, not only is Hashem’s essence in objects that are used for fulfilling Hashem’s will, such as the fulfillment of a Mitzvah, but also in other things as well, such as kosher food, that can be used to give one the energy to fulfill a mitzvah.

Then there are items which are referred to as kelipot noga. Kelipah is literally translated as a peel, which is to be discarded, however, they have Noga, some light and can be used for holiness. [For example, envy is a terrible trait. However, if one is envious of someone’s wonderful character, the way they pray and study etc., and that propels them to improve their own conduct, then the envy was utilized as a catalyst for good.] Below that are items that are called Gimmel Kelipos Hatimeos Lgamri – three kelipos that are completely impure and have no redeeming factor. However, they too are being created and sustained by Hashem, even though they are completely impure.

The Rebbe continues and explains that there are levels that are even lower than that, as the Talmud tells us, “A fly is better than some people.” One who eats a fly is transgressing not only one prohibition, but numerous ones. Yet as bad as a fly may be, the fly did nothing wrong; this is how Hashem created it, and the fly is not deviating at all from the mission Hashem has created it for.

But a human who through their own choice transgresses one of Hashem’s mitzvos, that person is deviating from the purpose they were created for, so they are lower than something that is completely impure.

The lowest level is one who uses his Torah knowledge to pervert the will of Hashem and states that based on his vast knowledge, something is permissible, while in reality it is prohibited. He is using the king’s own words to rebel against the king,

However, as Chana said in her Tefilla (1 Shmuel 2:6), “That those who descend to the lowest level, they too can [and will] be uplifted, and this is the reason why the light of Hashem descends so low, to return to its source.” As Chassidus often explains, only something that is on the highest level can descend to the lowest.

[Author’s conclusion: So now that Bnei Yisroel are experiencing the harsh pains of exile, may we speedily merit the highest levels of Hashem’s revelation in the world, that even the nations of the world will cry out Hashem Echad, with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu.]

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their Chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com