Sunday, Parshas Yisro — 'B'tzeil HaKodesh' with the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a

In the morning, a bris took place for the newborn son of R' Yekusiel Yuda Malach, where the Rebbe served as sandek.

The Rebbe davened Shacharis in the Yeshiva Gedolah, Kodesh Yoel branch. Before davening, the Rebbe put tefillin on the bar mitzvah bochurim:
- The son of HaGaon Rabbi Yoel Heiman shlit"a, a moreh tzedek in our kehilla, Williamsburg.
- The bochur Yosha Heshil Sharf.
- The bochur Yoel Kahn.
- The bochur Dovid Yosef Leib Wertzberger.
- The bochur Yitzchok Shraga Holtzman.
- The bochur Shlomo Eliyahu Malach.
- The bochur Yehuda Weiss.
- The bochur Amram Neuwirth.
- The bochur Zev Scherzer.
- The bochur Dovid Levy.
- The bochur Shaul Brach.
- The bochur Yitzchok Menachem Berger.
- The bochur Shmuel Goldstein.

After davening, the Rebbe recited the daily Tehillim shiur, on chapter 29, verse 11. Afterward, a lechayim was held with the bar mitzvah bochurim in the Heichal HaBeis Medrash.

In the afternoon hours, the Rebbe made his weekly visit to the mehudar slaughterhouse.

Afterward, the Rebbe went up to the Divrei Yoel branch of the yeshiva, where the Rebbe learned with a chavrusa from among the talmidei hayeshiva in his private room. At around 5:30, the Rebbe davened Mincha in the yeshiva.
After Mincha, a group of bochurim entered for a private audience. They had headed the large melaveh malka that took place this past Motzei Shabbos for the talmidim of the mesivta, to strengthen themselves regarding limiting wedding expenses, and in particular regarding music, to use only "DJ" music. The Rebbe heard a report on the activities of the askanim and strongly encouraged the bochurim askanim to succeed in saving as much Jewish money as possible, and bestowed his holy blessing.

In the evening, the Rebbe officiated at kiddushin at the chuppahs of the mechutanim:
- R' Simcha Naftali Klagsbrun and R' Yisroel Asher Weiss in the Kinor Dovid halls.
- R' Yoel Berach Lichtman and Rabbi Yechiel Michel Traeger shlit"a in the Beis Rachel Paradise halls.
- R' Yisroel Mordechai Weissberg and R' Moshe Eliyahu Banda in the Ginas Klein halls.

Yechidus hours were from 8:00 until 9:00 in the evening at his holy home on Ohel Street.
During the yechidus hours, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Twersky shlit"a, son of the Rebbe of Machnovka-Monsey shlit"a and son-in-law of HaRav HaTzaddik Rabbi Yitzchok Twersky shlit"a, son-in-law/son of the Skverer Rebbe shlit"a, entered for a private audience to receive the Rebbe's blessing on the occasion of the marriage of his daughter, mazel tov, and the Rebbe bestowed his holy blessing upon him.

At around 9:10, the Rebbe entered the tish in honor of Tu B'Shevat in the Heichal HaBeis Medrash HaGadol, in the presence of thousands of anash.
They prolonged the singing and zemiros in honor of the day. On the tables lay many magnificent displays of various kinds of fruits in honor of the day.
The Rebbe drank lechayim and wished the entire tzibur well, and the singing continued. The Rebbe made a brachah on a date and tasted from the esrogim, and shirayim was distributed.

During the tish, the Rebbe delivered five divrei Torah.
- First dvar Torah: We increase in fruits on Tu B'Shevat, since it is forty days before the creation of the world according to R' Yehoshua. Through making the brachos, the angels' claim of "din davar meitzar" is nullified, since there is a loss to the seller; as angels cannot make brachos, their claim is voided. And the singing continued.

- Second dvar Torah: Another reason why we increase in fruits on Tu B'Shevat: on this day Hashem conceived the thought to create the world so that the Jewish people would be able to receive the Torah. We increase in fruits, which point to mitzvos d'rabbanan. There is no claim that the giving of the Torah was coerced, since Moshe Rabbeinu added one day on his own. The Rebbe added that according to most opinions, mitzvos d'rabbanan are indeed akin to d'Oraisa. Therefore, one must say that the fruits are matters of "milei d'chasidusa" and minhagei Yisroel, and by fulfilling minhagei Yisroel, the claim that the giving of the Torah was coerced is nullified.
The Rebbe mentioned what was said on the night of Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Toldos, may it come upon us for good, in the holy place Meron, regarding saying the Parshas HaKetores every day before Shacharis. Among chassidic Jews, one is also careful to say Korbanos before Mincha. It is neither d'Oraisa nor d'rabbanan but a minhag Yisroel that is brought in the Shulchan Aruch. There are many such minhagei Yisroel every day, such as going to the mikvah, etc. Likewise there are many chassidic prohibitions; there are things a chassidic Jew does not do, whether regarding vessels, clothing, and many other matters. Tu B'Shevat is the day on which one must accept upon himself to uphold all minhagei Yisroel and not belittle any chassidic matter. He also urged preparing for Yom Tov Purim, may it come upon us for good, by learning the holy sefer Kedushas Levi, which instills vitality in a Jew. And the singing continued.
- Third dvar Torah: Another reason why we increase in fruits: there is another reason why it would be a loss for Hashem if He gave the Torah to the angels. When a Jew does teshuva me'ahava, his intentional sins become merits, and Hashem derives great pleasure from this, which an angel cannot provide. The Torah and mitzvos are the Eitz HaChaim, and the merits created from the aveiros are the fruits. Tu B'Shevat falls at the end of the Shovavim days, which are auspicious for teshuva and rectifying one's deeds, and many merits have already been created in the past weeks. We eat fruits to allude to the fruits that were created, and because of this we were able to receive the Torah. The Rebbe concluded that "Chamisha Asar" has the letters of "Shaarei Simcha," since through merits one brings down joy and salvation, and wished that we merit to increase in fruits and that the gates of joy be opened for each and every one, collectively and individually.
The Rebbe tasted from the esrog, and the singing continued with joyous melodies.
- Fourth dvar Torah: Quoted from the Bnei Yissaschar that on Tu B'Shevat one prays for a good esrog. An esrog is "eitzo u'piryo shaveh," which means that on Tu B'Shevat one must pray that his tree and its fruit be equal, and that the children and grandchildren be upright, so that we may see pleasure and nachas until the end of all generations. They sang "Vihi Zari" with great hisorerus for an extended time.
- Fifth dvar Torah: Tu B'Shevat is the Rosh Hashana for trees. At the creation of the world, the grasses made a kal vachomer from the trees, that they too should grow according to their kind. By Yitzchok Avinu it says that he was blessed through a kal vachomer: since Yishmael has all good, surely Yitzchok must have. This applies even when one is not in such a good state spiritually, but one is not worse than Yishmael. Therefore, on Tu B'Shevat, the Rosh Hashana for trees, when the grasses made a kal vachomer from the trees, we also make the kal vachomer of Yitzchok from Yishmael, and abundant parnassah is bestowed on each and every one. The Rebbe concluded with abundant blessings for the entire tzibur.
The tish ended at around 11:10. After a short while the Rebbe entered for Maariv in the Heichal HaBeis Medrash. The baal tefillah was R' Mordechai Peketeh.

▫️ Satmara Niyes 🌴 ▫️