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By Rabbi Sholom Schapiro

I heard the following story from the shliach in Seattle, Rabbi Mordechai Farkash, at a farbrengen for siyum halachos in the Rambam in 770:

His wife’s grandfather, R’ Berel Weiss, was a Chassidishe Yid who loved Torah and was a baal tzedaka and chessed, who lived in Los Angeles. In his neighborhood lived a distinguished rav and talmid chacham, Rabbi Chaim Uri Etner, a Belzer Chassid, who had yechidus with and kiruvim from the Rebbe.

R’ Etner was an expert on the yahrtzeits of tzaddikim and would tell stories of tzaddikim to the people in shul. He once mentioned a vort from the Belzer Rebbe, Rabbi Yissochor Dov, who would say that “Shabbos parshas Chayei Sarah is a good time to go to the Rebbe.” Indeed, his Chassidim would go to him for Shabbos parshas Chayei Sarah. (When he passed away, it was Shabbos parshas Chayei Sarah and many Chassidim were present.)

On Thursday of the week of parshas Chayei Sarah, 22 Mar Cheshvan 5742, the yahrtzeit of the Belzer Rebbe, R’ Berel Weiss remembered this vort and decided he had to go to see the Rebbe that Shabbos. That night, he got on a flight for New York.

R’ Berel had a nice practice that when he wrote letters to the Rebbe, he included divrei Torah that he heard or thought of (did you ever think to write a dvar Torah to the Rebbe?). He did that as he flew to New York, mentioning the vort he heard and how it motivated him to set out to spend Shabbos with the Rebbe.

He added another vort that he read in the sefer of the Belzer Rebbe about the difference in the wording of what Eliezer said when he went to find a wife for shidduch from what Avrohom had told him. Avrohom had said that Hashem “will send His angel before you” while Eliezer said to Rivka’s family that Avrohom told him, “He will send His angel with you.”

R’ Berel arrived on Friday morning and submitted his note to the secretaries. At the farbrengen on Shabbos, the Rebbe said a Rashi sicha on this difference in the wording and the lesson to be learned in avodas Hashem (the sicha is in Likkutei Sichos 25).

After the sicha, R’ Berel went over to the Rebbe to say l’chaim and the Rebbe said to him, “Not only is parshas Chayei Sarah good (“a gutte parsha”) but every Shabbos!”

The Rebbe added, “Kumt ofter! (Come more often)”.

That year, he went to the Rebbe every Shabbos Mevorchim.

***

We know that the Rebbe wants us to go to him, especially in a Shnas Hakhel. Let’s picture the Rebbe telling us to come and asking, “Kumt ofter!”

This is said to all Chassidim wherever they may be, not only Chassidim living in Eretz Yisrael or Europe but even Chassidim living in Crown Heights and even those who actually go to 770 every day. The Rebbe also says to them “Come more often,” and if you come with your bodies, come with your neshamos. As the Rebbe said, that those who are here, should arrive.

IT ALL BEGINS HERE!

If this always applies, and especially so in a Shnas Hakhel, then all the more so as we are in the final moments of galus, when every single moment we wait for the true and complete Geula.

I remember standing in 770 on 28 Sivan 5751 and hearing the Rebbe say that special sicha in which he emphasized that Nasi Doreinu could demand and actually make the Beis HaMikdash be revealed here!

Hearing this from the Rebbe and realizing that the Geula will begin here, in 770, was amazing! These words ought to constantly echo in our ears, and when we will live with this reality, surely we will try our utmost to be in 770 – Beis Moshiach – more and more often, because who wants to miss being in the place where it will all begin?

So, if you want to be in the right place, at the right time, come to 770 more often because here is where it will all begin!

Kumt ofter! L’chaim!

Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v’Rabbeinu, Melech Ha’Moshiach L’olam Va’ed!

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