Shabbos Kodesh, Parshas Bo — Hilula of the Holy HaGaon, the Ba'al Eitz Chaim zy"a — 'B'tzeil HaKodesh' with the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a in the vacation city of Palm Springs

For Shabbos Kodesh, the talmidim of Yeshiva Gedolah, Shiur Dalet, were chosen to be b'tzeil hakodesh.

On Erev Shabbos in the afternoon, before the visible sunset at around 4:00, the Rebbe ceased from melacha as is his custom.

On Friday night at around 5:40, the Rebbe entered the beis medrash, wrapped himself in the tallis and approached the amud for Mincha.
Throughout Shabbos, the Rebbe approached the amud for all the tefillos and said the Kaddeishim in honor of the hilula. At Hodu LaHashem, the Rebbe recited the verses one by one, as is customary.
They finished at around 7:20, and the kehilla went over to wish a good Shabbos.
On the way home to his holy residence, the Rebbe stopped at the tent in the courtyard of the beis medrash, which had been set up by the talmidim of Yeshiva Gedolah, Shiur Dalet, where they ate the seudos. The Rebbe sat down and the bochurim sang zemiros, and the Rebbe watched with great nachas. After a while, the Rebbe wished a good Shabbos to all the bochurim and walked home to his holy residence.

At around 9:50, the door of his holy residence was opened for the zemiros and divrei Torah.
The Rebbe shlit"a honored the following with the zemiros:
- Kol Mekadesh: HaGaon R' Yitzchak Yaakov Rosenfeld shlit"a.
- Menucha V'Simcha: Rabbi Yuda Ber Teller shlit"a (Williamsburg).

The Rebbe said Torah on the verse 'And the entire congregation of the assembly of Israel shall slaughter it in the afternoon,' and explained in the manner of derush in the sugya of mitzvos requiring kavana.

- Ka Echsof: R' Dovid Eckstein.
- Birkas Hamazon: the Rebbe's grandson HaGaon R' Chaim Hersh Ashkenazi shlit"a, Rav of Beis Medrash Rav Tuv.

Stories and accounts: This week the Rebbe shlit"a related stories about the holy HaGaon, the Eitz Chaim zy"a, whose yahrzeit was on Shabbos Kodesh, 6 Shevat.
- Ka Ribon Olam: Rabbi Moshe Baruch Zilber shlit"a (Boro Park).
- Az B'Yom HaShevii: HaGaon R' Aryeh Dov Kornbluh shlit"a.
They finished at around 11:15.

U'vYom HaShabbos

On Shabbos Kodesh morning, the Rebbe entered to daven at around 9:30.
The Rebbe approached the amud for Pesukei D'Zimra and Shacharis. The Rebbe recited Hallel HaGadol and the Shira verse by verse, as is customary.

- Hotzaah and Hachnasah: R' Yirmiel Bittman (Kiryas Joel).
- Pesukei Shema Yisroel: Rabbi Yuda Ber Teller shlit"a.
- Baal Koreh: R' Dovid Eckstein.
Aliyos:
- Kohen: R' Yoel Rosenberg (Kiryas Joel).
- Levi: R' Elazar Gruber (Kiryas Joel).
- Shlishi: HaGaon HaTzaddik, the Av Beis Din of Hibnov shlit"a.
- Revii: HaGaon R' Yitzchak Yaakov Rosenfeld shlit"a.
- Chamishi: R' Yitzchak Schwartz (Williamsburg).
- Shishi: the Rebbe shlit"a — the Rebbe's aliya was purchased by R' Zusha Neustadt. The Rebbe thanked him and instructed that a Mi Sheberach be made.
- Shevii: HaGaon R' Aryeh Dov Kornbluh shlit"a.
- Hosafos: Rabbi Moshe Yosef Ashkenazi shlit"a (Monsey).
- The Rebbe's grandson HaGaon R' Chaim Hersh Ashkenazi shlit"a.
- Acharon: R' Refael Perlmutter (Monsey).
- Maftir: R' Zusha Neustadt.
- Hagbah: R' Shmuel Leibush Weinberger (Kiryas Joel).
- Gelilah: R' Dovid Hersh Mertz (Williamsburg).

For Musaf, the Rebbe approached the amud.
- Opening of Anim Zemiros: R' Shlomo Eliezer Glickman (Boro Park).
They finished at around 12:50.

Ra'avah D'Ra'avin

The Rebbe entered for Mincha at around 5:50. The Rebbe approached the amud, and after Kaddish the Rebbe wrapped himself again in the tallis with a bracha.
- Hotzaah and Hachnasah: Rabbi Moshe Baruch Zilber shlit"a.
- Kohen: the bochur Yechiel Shlomo, son of R' Moshe Chaim Friedman (Kiryas Joel).
- Levi: Rabbi Menachem Yeshaya Levy shlit"a (Kiryas Joel).
- Shlishi: Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz.
- Hagbah: the Rebbe shlit"a.
- Gelilah: Rabbi Nachum Shimshon Schwartz shlit"a (Kiryas Joel).

The Rebbe honored the following with the zemiros at Shalosh Seudos:
- Odeh: R' Yitzchak Schwartz. They sang the Nanua niggun of the holy HaGaon, the Eitz Chaim zy"a.
- Shir HaMaalos: R' Dovid Hersh Mertz.

The Rebbe said Torah on the verse 'This is the statute of the Pesach,' and explained that the speech and thought of a Jew carry great significance, and likewise the reverse, that the damage of a thought is very great. The Egyptians were punished only because they caused Klal Yisroel to stumble with forbidden thoughts in matters of kedusha. He continued with a powerful arousal toward the days of Shovavim and urged everyone to make a cheshbon hanefesh about how one conducts oneself in this world, and to do teshuva for every word, deed and thought, especially in matters of kedusha.

- Yedid Nefesh: Rabbi Yosef Dov Rosenfeld shlit"a (Kiryas Joel).
- Kel Mistateir: R' Shmuel Leibush Weinberger.
The Rebbe made Bircas Hamazon over the cup of wine.

- Maariv on Motzei Shabbos: R' Shlomo Goldstein (Williamsburg).
After Havdalah, the kehilla went over to wish a good week.
They finished at around 8:05.

At around 9:45, the Rebbe entered the beis medrash for the shulchan hatahor in honor of the hilula of his grandfather, the holy HaGaon, the Ba'al Eitz Chaim zy"a.
The Rebbe washed for the seudah, and before the fish they sang the zemiros of Melaveh Malka.
After the meat course, the Rebbe related holy stories about the ba'al hahilula for an extended time.
The Rebbe honored his grandson HaGaon R' Chaim Hersh Ashkenazi shlit"a with Michtam L'Dovid.

The Rebbe delivered a dvar Torah on the teachings of the ba'al hahilula zy"a and brought out that a tzaddik, since the public needs him, has the power to nullify decrees. The Rebbe brought out the fiery battle of the ba'al hahilula against the Zionists and the Zionist parties of all kinds in the city of Sighet, and his battle against the Hebrew schools, whose words bore fruit, and indeed no such school was ever established in Sighet. He related how the Eitz Chaim warned about the bloodshed that the Arab murderers are capable of carrying out, and how, sadly, today, a hundred years after his passing, there is still no rest from the murderers.
The Rebbe mentioned the bitter murder in Australia this past Chanukah, and the brazen words of the head of the heretics to the Australian Jews that Australia is not safe for Jews and that they need to come to Eretz Yisroel, while today, sadly, there is no place more dangerous for Jewish children in the entire world than in the Zionist state, and the majority of Jewish victims in recent years, sadly, were in Eretz Yisroel, may Hashem protect us.

The Rebbe continued about the well-known incident several years ago that shook the world, when three bochurim were sadly murdered, may Hashem avenge, while going to learn in the territories, and how the Rebbe shlit"a then asked, "On whose responsibility did the bochurim go into the territories, a dangerous place where Arab murderers roam?" He brought out the successive irresponsible demonstrations in Eretz Yisroel against the bitter decree of the draft, where they block the streets and stop traffic, which in the last two weeks has sadly cost two victims, when murderous drivers drove into the crowds and sadly killed two innocent bochurim. Sadly, the same question arises now again: "On whose responsibility do they send bochurim into the streets to provoke and antagonize the murderers? The Zionist murderers are just like the Arab murderers." Now there are those who cry out about the bochurim, but when bochurim go into the territories to provoke the Arab murderers, they have no problem with it, since that is the Zionist ideology. Their problem is not the lost Jewish lives, "but one who cried out when irresponsible acts cost Jewish lives through the Arab murderers can now cry out when it sadly costs lives through the Zionist murderers"... "By the word of two witnesses a matter shall be established." It has already, sadly, cost two innocent Jewish lives.

In this connection, the Rebbe mentioned the da'as kodesh of the Rebbe, the Divrei Yoel zy"a, on this matter, and called upon the members of the kehilla in Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak and Beis Shemesh that no one should take part in such demonstrations where streets are blocked, because one is abandoning Jewish lives to the Zionist murderers just as to the Arab ones. Danger is graver than prohibition!

The Rebbe continued about the bitter decree of the draft and sharply urged, "Chas v'shalom to make compromises, to abandon Jewish lives to the Zionist army. That too is abandoning Jewish lives. There is the physical and there is the spiritual, and about this it was said, 'You shall fear Hashem your God' — to include Torah scholars, that Torah scholars must take action to increase 'You shall fear Hashem your God.' To send bochurim or young men into the impure army means shmad! When one arrives there, there can be no 'You shall fear Hashem your God,' and it is the responsibility of the rabbonim not to make any compromises." The Rebbe concluded with abundant brachos for the entire kehilla.

The Rebbe recited the bracha over the cup of wine. They finished at around 11:15.

Afterwards, the Rebbe traveled to the nearby Hot Springs area for a return visit to the Vizhnitz Yerushalayim Rebbe shlit"a, who is vacationing there. A pleasant conversation ensued about the problems of the current demonstrations in Eretz Yisroel, and stories of the holy R' Dovid'l of Lelov zy"a, whose yahrzeit was on Motzei Shabbos Kodesh, 7 Shevat. The Vizhnitz Yerushalayim Rebbe shlit"a honored the Rebbe shlit"a with a lechayim, and the Rebbe bestowed upon him from his holy bracha. He accompanied the Rebbe shlit"a out, and the Rebbe traveled home to his holy residence in Palm Springs.

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