Thursday, Parshas Emor, 'B'tzeil HaKodesh' with the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a

Upon arrival at the Beis Medrash HaGadol, the Rebbe shlit"a greeted HaGaon HaGadol, the Dayan and Av Beis Din shlit"a, who had returned after spending the past weeks recuperating.

Before Shacharis, a bris took place for a newborn son of R' Yosha Stein, at which the Rebbe served as sandek.

The Rebbe davened Shacharis in the Heichal HaMesivta, Beirach Moshe branch. During the Torah reading the Rebbe was called up as Shlishi. After davening, the Rebbe studied the daily Tehillim shiur, on chapter 25, verse 2, and in connection with it spoke with great pain about the terrible persecution of mohelim by the government in the city of Antwerp, yimach shemam, and brought out the danger that, Heaven forbid, prevails of the mitzvah of milah being forbidden. He issued a holy call to the residents of Antwerp: "Be strong and courageous to stand with mesirus nefesh and to fulfill the mitzvah of milah, just as the mitzvah of milah has been fulfilled until this very day." He appealed to the government in Antwerp not to decree decrees against this holy, dear mitzvah, because Klal Yisroel will give up their lives for the mitzvah. He concluded with his holy blessing.

In the afternoon hours the Rebbe went to visit the new mikvah tahara of the holy community of Kiryas Joel, together with the donor of the mikvah, the Rabbani, the philanthropist R' Chaim Hersh Friedman of Montreal. The Rebbe looked around at all the floors and sections of the building and pointed out to R' Chaim Hersh the many chumros and hiddurim, and afterwards bestowed his holy blessing upon R' Chaim Hersh and the mikvah's administration.

The Rebbe davened Mincha at 8:00 in his holy residence on Zanz Court.

Fortunate are we, how good is our portion, on the hilula of Bar Yochai, and how pleasant is our lot in the merit of our master Bar Yochai

Indescribable emotion of joy and holiness among hundreds of thousands of Jews who, with holy feeling, took part in the uplifting gathering of the "Hadlaka Rabbasi" on the night of Lag B'Omer. It is hardly possible to describe the overflow of joy and holiness felt over the course of the several hours of the lighting and the holy dancing in the streets of Kiryas Joel, when the city of our strength, Kiryas Joel, yitzo, was, as every year, transformed into a kind of ingathering of exiles with, bli ayin hara, "over one hundred thousand souls", men, women and children, may they live — according to the police estimate — in the huge areas around the Beis Medrash HaGadol and the Mivtzar HaKollelim building and in the adjacent areas of the surrounding streets, headed by the leader of the kehilla, the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a.

The eyes of all Beis Yisroel in the U.S. and Canada have been looking forward all year and waiting for these great moments, to rejoice in and take part in the "Hadlaka Rabbasi" gathering in the "Meron of America" in honor of the Divine Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

Around 8:30 in the evening, at nightfall, the Rebbe shlit"a arrived at the holy gathering and went to the center of the dais of honor, which was filled with prominent rabbanim, rabbanim and dayanim shlit"a, and greeted the Spinka Rebbe shlit"a and HaGaon Rabbi Tzvi Friedman shlit"a, Av Beis Din of Mesores and president of the Darchei Shmuel institutions of Eretz Yisroel, and all the rabbanim. The Rebbe sat down and inspiring melodies were sung.

After singing for a short while, the Rebbe shlit"a stood up and delivered fiery holy words about the Torah of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and the great holiness of the day. The Rebbe based himself on the statement of the holy Bnei Yissaschar in Agra D'Kallah that "Bereishis" is an acronym for "Ohr Toras Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai," and explained that when one is attached to Hashem, one has endurance because of the prohibition of erasing the Name. The holy Zohar says "'the face of the Master, Hashem' — this is Rashbi." Because Rabbi Shimon expounded the word "es," the letters that are secondary to the Name are also counted, and through this all of Klal Yisroel has endurance, even those who are not holy with the holiness of the Name Havaya, but also the simple people who are in the holiness of Elokim yet are attached to Hashem, for "Hashem your G-d is a consuming fire." Even those who are merely attached, and the Name Elokecha, are also in the category of fire, and therefore we light a bonfire in honor of the Divine Tanna Rashbi. The Chasam Sofer says that Lag B'Omer has the gematria of "esh lehava" (flame), because through Rashbi even the simple people are attached to Hashem. The Kedushas Levi explains "and the appearance of the glory of Hashem was like a consuming fire": if a person wants to see whether Hashem derives pleasure from his mitzvos, he should look at whether he does them with warmth, with a flame. This is the great joy and auspicious time on the day of Rashbi's hilula, that we should be able to learn and do Hashem's will with a fiery flame. The Kedushas Yom Tov says that the principle "Hakadosh Baruch Hu decrees and the tzaddik annuls" operates only through "you shall fear Hashem your G-d" — which includes Torah scholars —

and Hakadosh Baruch Hu guards the Torah, so surely Rabbi Shimon has the power to bring about salvations for Jewish children, in the category of "the tzaddik decrees and Hakadosh Baruch Hu fulfills," "Hakadosh Baruch Hu decrees and the tzaddik annuls." He continued that we join the Jews and the prayers in the holy place of Meron, and we ask "may our supplication ascend from evening" — may our prayers that we are praying here tonight go up to Heaven. With a voice choked with tears, the Rebbe enumerated the prayers for those without children, those lacking parnassah, those ill in body and soul, lost souls spiritually, proper shidduchim and matches, nachas from children, and all other broken hearts. The holy Tanna knows each person's request; may "may our supplication ascend from evening" — may the holy Tanna storm the heavens before Hakadosh Baruch Hu and carry up all the requests and prayers to the holy Creator, and may all Jews be helped with all kinds of salvations, each one in whatever he lacks, for each and every one who is in need, generally and specifically. He concluded with weeping and supplication, that Klal Yisroel stands and awaits Hashem's salvation, the coming of the righteous Redeemer speedily. It is already 5785; how much longer will Klal Yisroel be in the long, bitter exile? May the holy Tanna arouse heavenly mercy for the complete redemption, that it come speedily, and make use of the power of tzaddikim to bring about salvations for all of Klal Yisroel, and may we merit the light of Moshiach speedily, Amen.

After the fiery words of holy speech, the singing of inspiring and devotional melodies continued for several more minutes. The Rebbe sang along with great arousal and shed streams of tears, as young and old stood and sang with a tremendous arousal of mercy.

At nightfall, at the time of Maariv, the music was started and the inspiring melodies continued, and after a while everyone stood to daven Maariv together with the multitude. Before Maariv, the Rebbe lit five oil lights as is customary. R' Yosef Mordechai Wagschal shlit"a, Rav of the Erev Shabbos Kollel beis medrash, went to the amud. After Maariv the Rebbe went over and counted the Sefiras HaOmer with holy fervor, which was heard on all the surrounding streets through the microphone.

Then, around 10:00, the Rebbe shlit"a went up onto the special lighting platform at the site of the "bonfire," and the inspiring and devotional melodies continued, especially "V'yihu rachamecha misgolelim" — "Master of the World, have mercy already on Your children" — which was sung dozens of times and tore at hearts. The eyes of tens of thousands of Jews were turned to the center, where the leader of the kehilla, the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a, stood with devotion and outpouring of the soul, praying from the depths of his heart for the needs of Klal Yisroel. Then the donors of the lighting handed over the silver pitchers from which the Rebbe poured oil onto the bonfire. The Rebbe took the torch from HaRav HaTzaddik R' Chaim Elazar Weiss shlit"a of Chmelnik, with which the Rebbe lit the bonfire, and he suddenly approached the site of the bonfire with the torch in hand, while the mekubal melody of arousal "L'chvod HaTanna HaElokai" was being sung.
Then the Rebbe lit the fire with holy emotion and broke into a fiery dance at the bonfire in honor of the Divine Tanna, kindling a holy fire in the hearts of the tens of thousands of Jews, who broke out in fiery dancing with the flame of holy fire and tremendous joy that pierced the heavens.

After a longer time the Rebbe went back over to the dais of honor, and the songs of the day were sung: "Bar Yochai," "V'amartem," and "Amar Rabbi Akiva." Meanwhile dozens of circles formed of the thousands of Jews, who danced for several hours in honor of the holy Tanna, while the Rebbe encouraged the dancing on the spot.

Then the chalakos took place of nearly 100 boys, bli ayin hara, students of our holy institutions from throughout Greater New York, who passed through as "bnei marom." The Rebbe also put on a cap and a tallis katan for them, gave them sweets and a gift as is customary, and wished warm blessings to the parents and grandfathers. Among others was a great-grandson of the Spinka Rebbe shlit"a, and a great-grandson of HaGaon HaGadol, the Dayan and Av Beis Din shlit"a.

Around 11:55 the Rebbe left the gathering and showed the thousands present to continue with the dancing, as they could not bear to part from the great joy of the hilula of the Divine Tanna.

Fortunate is the eye that saw all this, and fortunate is the eye that sees our joy and the delight of our community, as joy and holiness were drawn by the bucketful for an entire year!

May his Torah be a shield for us and enlighten our eyes; may he plead well on our behalf, our master Bar Yochai

▫️ Satmara Niyes 🌴 ▫️