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By Rabbi Sholom Yaakov Chazan, Beis Moshiach Magazine

Purim 5741 was on a Friday. One would have expected the usual: the reading of the Megilla with the Rebbe the night of Purim; shacharis the next morning along with the reading of the Megilla. The Chassidim would then disperse to fulfill the mitzvos of the day, a day packed with mitzvos, especially on a Friday when time is limited.

I was learning in 770 that year. I prepared in order to be able to do the mitzvos of the day as well as go on mivtzaim, calculating exactly what had to happen when. By davening in the Rebbe’s minyan at ten in the morning, the davening with the reading of the Megilla would end at noon. Would I have time to go on mivtzaim? Not so certain! Friday was too short and I wouldn’t be able to manage everything. If I would leave late, I would finish my usual mivtzaim route close to Shabbos and have to walk back to Crown Heights. However, I was enticed to daven shacharis with the Rebbe and be with him during the reading of the Megilla.

I thought about it again and again and decided that the Rebbe wants me to go on mivtzaim more than my being with him during the reading of the Megilla. I davened earlier and after hearing the Megilla I went on mivtzaim. It was ten in the morning, the time the Rebbe walked in for davening. At all the offices and businesses I visited, I brought joy and urged people to do the mitzvos of the day. When I finished my route I returned to Crown Heights at 3:00, happy that at least I could daven mincha with the Rebbe. Only fifteen minutes remained until the Rebbe would come in.

SUDDEN ENTRANCE

There are times that 770 is nearly empty; Purim for example. Anash are busy with the mitzvos of the day and bachurim are all over the city doing mivtzaim, thus leaving Chabad world headquarters quiet. This is why mincha on Purim was arranged to be in the zal on the first floor. No more than thirty people were present. The Rebbe came in and put his siddur on the lectern as the chazan began “Ashrei.”

When the tefilla was over, the Rebbe went to his office and everyone else dispersed. Since I had already done mivtzaim and had no urgent place to be, I thought I would wait there until the Rebbe drove home and only then would I go to the yeshiva kitchen to eat a Purim meal.

In the meantime, Rabbi Dovid Raskin left his office holding a few mishloach manos that the Rebbe received from some Chassidim. Usually, most of the mishloach manos were brought directly to the Rebbe’s home on President Street, but there were exceptions who gave manos to the Rebbe through the secretariat. Some time later, the Rebbe told R’ Leibel Groner to give them to the bachurim in 770.

We were a handful of bachurim and were happy to receive the mishloach manos. In the meantime, we stood in the corridor and waited for the Rebbe to come out to his car.

Suddenly, the door to gan eden ha’tachton opened and the Rebbe came out in his full glory, wearing a gartel. He was followed by R’ Groner who was holding a bottle of wine.

We were confused. One second, what was going on here? We were sure the Rebbe was going home but the Rebbe walked quickly to the small zal where he walked to his usual place in the south-east of the room. As he walked in, he told R’ Groner to close the doors and windows.

We walked in, bewildered. The Rebbe took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wrapped it around his fingers. The indication was clear; the Rebbe was going to say a maamar Chassidus!

Due to the unexpectedness, the place wasn’t at all ready. The Rebbe’s chair had already been taken down after mincha to the big zal for Kabbolas Shabbos (at that time, the Rebbe had only one chair).

One of the bachurim ran down to get the chair. In the meantime, the Rebbe stood in his place and continued to arrange the handkerchief on his fingers. On the one hand, we knew that the Rebbe was about to say a maamar. On the other hand he gave no signal to start singing the Hachana Niggun which is sung before a maamar. The confusion was great.

At this point, I quietly asked the secretary R’ Binyamin Klein to quickly go to his office next door and bring a small dictation recorder so the maamar could be recorded. I knew they had it in the office, ready for just such scenarios.

SUDDEN MAAMAR

Only about twenty people were there and the zal was mostly empty. As for those who had been there for mincha, some had left for home already. It is superfluous to try to describe the feeling of standing there directly facing the Rebbe, almost like yechidus.

R’ Klein, who was nervous about missing out, remained and did not go to the office. Instead, he offered his pen so I could write down what the Rebbe said.

Tzvi Hirsh Raskin, who was learning in the mesivta of Oholei Torah at the time, took out some airmail letters that he had in his pocket with which he corresponded with his father in Morocco, so I could write the maamar on them.

At this point, the royal chair came from downstairs and the Rebbe sat down. Without indicating that the Hachana Niggun should be sung, the Rebbe began saying a maamar which began with the words, “La’Yehudim Hoyesa Orah v’Simcha v’Sasson v’Yikar.” It was relatively short and I quickly jotted down notes.

Rabbi Sholom Dovber Levin, who was there, also wrote notes. Needless to say, this was very important since the usual chozrim were not present.

As I said, there were about twenty people. A few more Chassidim stood outside and were unaware of what was happening a few feet away from them behind closed doors and windows.

The Rebbe said the maamar for twelve minutes. When he finished, he said, “I will stay a few more minutes. L’chaim should be said, without limitations.”

Rabbi Mordechai Mentlick, the rosh yeshiva, usually served as the Rebbe’s “Sar Ha’mashkim.” He was the one who poured wine for the Rebbe at farbrengens. One of those present thought of going and getting the Rebbe’s cup from a nearby room but the Rebbe said no. He wanted to say l’chaim on a disposable plastic cup like everyone else. The Rebbe told R’ Mentlick to pour a full cup of wine and said “l’chaim” to all present, and even urged everyone to say l’chaim without limitations.

The small handful of Chassidim present realized it was an auspicious time and they all rushed to say l’chaim to the Rebbe. He answered each one with a glowing countenance. At a certain point, the Rebbe even stood up in order to be able to see everyone.

The Rebbe began singing the happy Uforatzta niggun as he continued to say l’chaim to all.

At the end, the Rebbe told R’ Mentlick to pour another full cup and again said l’chaim to those present. Then he said a bracha acharona and left the zal.

As he left, he noticed that the door to the zal was open. What had happened was, late in the spontaneous farbrengen, as they began to sing, someone standing outside noticed that something was going on behind the door. Some bachurim jumped in through the windows. When the Rebbe got up to leave, he noticed the open door and said to R’ Groner, “We had made up that the doors would be closed,” and as he said this, he left the zal.

We bachurim remained together with some married men and began to say l’chaim without limits, as the Rebbe said to do.

This is what was reported at that time:

“News of the event quickly spread and a large crowd, including those who had returned from mivtzaim in the meantime, flocked to 770 and joined the dancing. It was already quite late but the simcha wasn’t dependent on time or anything else; it was a simcha of ‘ad d’lo yoda!’

“The Rebbe left his office and went home. On his way to the car as well as in the car, he motioned to intensify the singing. The same happened when the Rebbe returned from his house right before Shabbos.

“The dancing continued until Kabbolas Shabbos services, and when the Rebbe entered for davening, as he got to his place he turned around to the crowd and clapped his hands powerfully to encourage the crowd.”

In short, we had a very happy Purim.

RARE PRIVILEGE

In the minutes that followed, the “chozrim” arrived, the tmimim Feitel Levin and Simon Jacobson, and together we held a “chazara” on the substance of the maamar. These people, dedicated to their holy work, rushed and saw to it that the maamar would already be printed before Shabbos.

The next day, on Shabbos afternoon, there was a farbrengen during which the Rebbe said the same maamar in an expanded version.

That Purim of 5741 was one of surprises. Over the years until that point, the Rebbe always farbrenged on Purim but when Purim fell out on Friday, there was no farbrengen on that day. This was an exciting surprise that nobody knew about in advance, not even the secretaries.

I can only offer praise to the Creator that I had the privilege to be there.

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Beis Moshiach magazine can be obtained in stores around Crown Heights. To purchase a subscription, please go to: bmoshiach.org

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