Wednesday, Parshas Pinchas — 'B'tzeil HaKodesh' with the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a

After the mikvah, around 7:30, the Rebbe shlit"a put on tefillin for the bar mitzvah bochur, the bochur Pinchas Frankel, in his private room in the Beis Medrash HaGadol.

Afterwards the Rebbe set out on the way to Morristown Airport in New Jersey. Upon arrival, the Rebbe davened Shacharis in a private room in the airport. The baal tefillah was R' Yehuda Bernard Stein.

The private flight took off around 10:30 on the way to Fostoria, Iowa, to visit the mehudar large-animal shechita under the auspices of our holy kehilla. Also traveling along were the Rabbonim HaGeonim of our kehilla in Williamsburg and Monsey shlit"a, and a select few mekurovim. On the plane, the Rebbe learned his shiur in Maseches Bava Kamma, and afterwards a morning meal was served. Before bentching, a wonderful conversation developed about various halachic questions in the laws of Shabbos, and about rich chapters of Jewish history. Since they had washed before departing, it was possible to bentch together with a minyan. The Rebbe honored a kohen, R' Chaim Eli Hakohen Schönbrun, with leading Birkas Hamazon.

After bentching, just before landing, the Rav of Monsey shlit"a conveyed a warm greeting from our holy kehilla and its mosdos in London, from where he had just returned, having been there for a family simcha. A conversation developed about the magnificent Heichal HaTorah, and about the new Heichal HaTorah, "Heichal Lev Aharon," which is being built in Manchester.

Around 11:30 local time (12:30 New York time), the Rebbe's plane landed at the local municipal airfield in Wisconsin, from where the Rebbe traveled about 35 minutes to the mehudar slaughterhouse.

The Rebbe arrived at the slaughterhouse around 12:10, where the Rebbe warmly greeted HaGaon Rabbi Menachem Meir Weissmandl shlit"a, the Rav of Nitra Monsey, the rav hamachshir at the slaughterhouse, and his son Rabbi Mordechai shlit"a, who oversee the entire operation at the slaughterhouse.

As the work was already in full swing, the Rebbe immediately went to the nikkur section, where he observed the entire nikkur apparatus on the meat from Monday's shechita for an extended time. He also discussed with the distinguished rabbonim the regulations that were instituted in the nikkur section, and in the process pointed out to those accompanying him all the chumros and hiddurim that were instituted there. Afterwards the Rebbe went over to observe the salting sections, using rock salt and done specifically by a Jew. Then he observed the order of the stuffing, rinsing and washing, with all the chumros and hiddurim that were introduced by the Rebbe shlit"a.

From there the Rebbe went to the other section of the plant where the meat is processed and cut, and went through the entire order of packaging and labeling, where everything is carried out with the greatest degree of hiddur.

From there the Rebbe went back to the shechita area, beginning with the bedikas hachalafim, where the shochtim gave their knives to the Rebbe to be checked. The Rebbe spoke about the hiddur of doing, besides a wet check, also a dry check, and the Rebbe admired the kashrus of the knives, which are "smooth and even" according to the high standards the Rebbe shlit"a instituted.

Afterwards the Rebbe observed the order of the shechita, where the animals enter the box, which is turned over so that the shechita is a shechita munachas. The Rebbe greatly praised the hiddurim and chumros that were instituted at the large-animal shechita under the auspices of our holy kehilla.

In addition, the Rebbe closely examined the place of the shechita where the shochet slaughters, and from where it is handed over to a non-Jew to finish, as brought in Tevuas Shor, that it is a greater hiddur for a non-Jew to finish it.

From there the Rebbe went over to the lung inspection section, where the Rebbe himself performed an internal inspection and looked over the external inspections for a very long time. In addition, the Rebbe showed those present the chart where a Jew records the kashrus of each animal, and that specifically a Jew places the numbers and seals the parts of the animal, and showed that of the last 20 animals only 8 came out kosher.

So the Rebbe continued through all the sections, how the tongue is made kosher, and all the small parts.
From there the Rebbe continued to the parts of the animals that had just been slaughtered and on which nikkur was being done while the animal was still warm, "warm nikkur," and where the parts that are not taken in our butcher stores according to the Rebbe's regulation are cut away.

There the Rebbe also showed those accompanying him all the parts of the forbidden fats, those forbidden by the Torah and by the Rabbonim, and which parts it is merely a custom not to eat but are permitted by strict law.

After a mere 5 hours in the slaughterhouse building, the Rebbe left the place and traveled to the local beis medrash, where the Rebbe ate something. A conversation of over half an hour developed with the Rabbonim HaGeonim of our kehilla in Williamsburg and Monsey shlit"a and HaGaon the Nitra Monsey Rav shlit"a, in which the Rebbe expressed his emotion at seeing such a wonderful large-animal shechita at such a high standard, and greatly praised the numerous chumros and hiddurim. The conversation moved from topic to topic regarding many historical matters.

Afterwards the Rebbe traveled to the airport, and bid farewell to the local shochtim. In particular, the Rebbe warmly blessed Rabbi Mordechai Weissmandl shlit"a, and invited HaGaon of Nitra shlit"a to come along on the flight.

The private flight took off around 5:45 local time, and flew for 2 hours to the resort town in New Hampshire. Along the way a very rich conversation developed about various questions that technology has brought in the last 100 years, in which the Rebbe discussed with the distinguished rabbonim the psakei halacha and teshuvos sefarim of the great Acharonim, from which one can draw parallels to today's questions that technology has introduced.

Afterwards the Rebbe discussed with his fellow travelers the question that he left for the talmidei hayeshiva, as is his holy custom before departing for a period of rest, in the sugya of tofes l'baal chov. He discussed various approaches in the sugya, and in the process related with emotion the great Shabbos Shekalim with the bochurim of the yeshiva shel maalah in the city of the Avos, Sighet, where he merited to deliver shiurim in the sugya of shelo k'derech hanasan, in the place where his holy forefathers zy"a davened and learned.

Around 9:00 the plane landed at Berlin Regional Airport in Milan, New Hampshire. The Rebbe davened Mincha in the airport.

Before standing to daven, the Rebbe said, with a heart full of emotion, that he wished to give public praise and thanks to Hashem for the zechus of being engaged in the public benefit of the kashrus of meat. He also thanked from the depths of his heart, with emotion, the Nitra Rav shlit"a, who stands by us at all times in matters of shechita, being the rav hamachshir of the plant, and expressed the friendship of the Nitra Rav shlit"a, who has stood by us wholeheartedly at all times, which cannot be forgotten. He then bestowed upon him from his holy blessing for long life and years in avodas hakodesh with peace of mind.

After Mincha the Rebbe traveled about an hour to his residence in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, and the rabbonim and the other travelers flew back to Morristown Airport in New Jersey, where the plane landed around 10:15.

The Rebbe arrived in Bethlehem around 10:30 and davened Maariv in the beis medrash of Kehal Yereim Beis Elimelech, and after Maariv the tzibbur came to greet him.

▫️ Satmara Niyes 🌴 ▫️