First Day of Rosh Hashana 'B'tzeil HaKodesh' with the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a

On the morning of the first day of Yom Tov, the Rebbe entered the beis medrash at around 8:25.

The Rebbe shlit"a poured out his holy tefillos between himself and his Maker, with a torn and embittered heart, pleading for mercy like a poor man at the door, with awesome weeping that was heard throughout the entire beis medrash and made the hearts of the thousands of mispallelim tremble.
The Rebbe recited the berachos aloud, and afterwards the baal tefillah began singing Adon Olam. Pesukei D'zimra: HaGaon Rabbi Avrohom Shalom Friedman shlit"a, one of the heads of the kollelim. Shacharis: the HaGaon HaGadol, the Dayan and Moreh Tzedek shlit"a.
Honored with the openings of the aron kodesh at Shacharis were:
- R' Shlomo Wertzberger
- R' Zelig Indig
- R' Zalman Leib Kappel
They finished at around 11:30.

After a short break, the Rebbe entered wearing the kittel, the silver kappel, and the white-striped bekishe.

- Hotzaah and hachnasah: HaGaon Rabbi Yosef Hersh Sofer shlit"a, moreh tzedek, and HaGaon Rabbi Nosson Dov Schwartz shlit"a, moreh tzedek.
- Pesukei Shema Yisroel: Rabbi Eli Gross shlit"a of Bucharest, the bochur.
- Carrying the Sefer Torah to the bimah: R' Yitzchak Frenkel (Montreal) and R' Shimshon Baum (Williamsburg).

The Rebbe was the baal korei, and he read the Torah with weeping and great arousal.
Aliyos:
- Kohen: the bochur R' Shmuel HaKohen Friedman
- Levi: R' Chaim Hersh Apfel
- Shlishi: the HaGaon HaGadol, the Dayan and Moreh Tzedek shlit"a
- Revii: R' Avrohom Wieder
- Chamishi: Rabbi Wolf Brauer shlit"a
- Shishi: the Rebbe shlit"a

After the aliyah, the Rebbe read the name for the birth of a daughter to:
- R' Chaim Shraga Feldman
- R' Chaim Yuda Friedman
The Rebbe also made a Mi Sheberach for the sick for his brother-in-law, the Vizhnitz Rebbe, Rabbi Yisroel Hager shlit"a, for a speedy recovery.

- Shvii: R' Lipa Gross
- Hagbah of the first sefer: R' Moshe Dovid Oberlander (Williamsburg)
- Gelilah: R' Shlomo Hersh son of R' Dovid Eckstein
- Maftir: R' Yoel Epstein
- Hagbah of the second sefer: R' Shimon Stern (Monsey)
- Gelilah: R' Avrohom Shlomo Katz (London)
- Returning the Sefer Torah: R' Meir Efraim Grossman and R' Hershel Brach

They finished at 12:20. There was a pause, and the Rebbe went to the mikvah and then to his private room.

At 1:25 the Rebbe shlit"a entered the beis medrash wrapped in the tallis and wearing the kappel of the Divrei Yoel zy"a. The Rebbe ascended to the aron kodesh, davened a silent tefillah, and began the festive 'Tekias Shofar drasha' on the text "V'seten lanu Hashem Elokeinu yom zikaron teruah." He explained that Hashem set aside the sound of the shofar from the time the Beis HaMikdash stood, and that it is heard to this very day. Even when Rosh Hashana falls on Shabbos, when the shofar is not blown, we are still awakened to teshuva through that shofar blast. He elaborated with words of mussar: from eating, a person becomes satiated regardless of what he eats, but a melody or a sight must be of the finest quality. When the shofar is blown, salvations are brought about in Heaven no matter how it is blown. But when Rosh Hashana falls on Shabbos, when there is only a "remembrance of teruah," it must be of the finest quality, and every Jew must daven with a full heart and do teshuva completely, and only then can we accomplish what is normally accomplished through the blowing of the shofar. He concluded with much blessing.

After the drasha, the Rebbe said Kaddish D'Rabbanan. They finished at around 1:45.

The Rebbe shlit"a approached the amud for Mussaf and recited Hineni He'ani Mima'as, and began Kaddish at around 1:50. The Rebbe davened from a machzor, Nusach Tefillah Yesharah.

Standing before the aron kodesh in awe, with Your people surrounding them like a wall, joining in the holy service with awe and reverence, with arousal and holy emotion during Mussaf, especially during the pesukim of Malchiyos, Zichronos and Shofaros, with a carving voice and a heart poured out like water, the eyes of Your people look to You and their eyes long for You.

Honored with the openings at Mussaf were:
- R' Mordechai Landau
- R' Yaakov Mittelman
- R' Yosef Klein
- R' Berel Palatchek
- R' Moshe Goldstein
- R' Chaim Yaakov Gutman

- R' Yitzchak Eliakim Schwartz and R' Yoel Pollak were honored with lifting the Rebbe at Kor'im.

- Kavei: R' Yitzchak Ehrenfeld
- Opening of Ne'im Zemiros: R' Berel son of R' Meir Palatchek
They finished at around 4:50.

At the afternoon Yom Tov seudah in his holy home, the Rebbe honored R' Moshe Falkowitz with the zemiros.
The Rebbe said on the verse "Tikku vachodesh shofar bakeseh l'yom chagenu" and explained that teshuva helps even though "one who was seen and then cast away does not return to be seen." Since a Jew will rise at techiyas hamesim, he is therefore judged like a living being and is not cast away. This is learned from the moon, which wanes each month and shines again anew each month.

- Birchas Hamazon: his grandson Rabbi Lipa Ashkenazi shlit"a (the bochur), son of his son-in-law, HaGaon HaTzaddik, Rav of the Even Tzedek beis medrash shlit"a.

The Rebbe entered for Mincha and Shalosh Seudos at around 7:15.
- Baal tefillah: R' Aharon Spitzer
- Hotzaah and hachnasah: R' Nechemia Shlomo Wertzberger (Monsey)
- Kohen: R' Yitzchak Pinchas Glantzer
- Levi: R' Avrohom Yitzchak Landau (Williamsburg)
- Shlishi: R' Eliezer Dovid Epstein
- Hagbah: the Rebbe shlit"a
- Gelilah: Rabbi Yoel son of R' Yehuda Weinberger shlit"a

At Shalosh Seudos the Rebbe honored the following with the zemiros:
- Odeh: R' Aharon Hersh Mittelman (the bochur)
- Shir HaMaalos: R' Moshe Goldstein

The Rebbe said Torah on the piyut "B'ein maliz yosher mul magid pesha" and explained that in the merit of our hoping for the complete geulah anew each year, teshuva also helps each year. He illustrated it with the saying of the holy R' Zusha zy"a, who would do teshuva every night and tell Hashem that although yesterday he also said he would be honest, today he means it truly. The same applies to the shofar blast: although the Satan knows that last year the shofar was also blown and still the Jews were not helped, he is confused anew each year, as he fears that perhaps the Jewish children truly mean it this year.

- Yedid Nefesh: Rabbi Moshe Eli Gross shlit"a (Williamsburg)
- Kel Mistatter: Rabbi Eli Gross shlit"a
The Rebbe recited the blessing over the cup, and went to his private room.

At around 8:45 the Rebbe entered the beis medrash for Maariv.
- Baal tefillah: Rabbi Dovid son of R' Moshe Eckstein shlit"a
They finished at around 9:20. After Maariv the Rebbe ascended to the aron kodesh and wished the entire congregation "A gut yom tov, a gut gebentsht yohr," and went home to his holy residence.

At around 11:25 the Rebbe shlit"a entered the Yom Tov seudah in the dining hall.
- Lifting the cup: Rabbi Yoel Yisroel Wagschal (Monsey)
On the table were seven fruits. The Rebbe made a berachah on a date and tasted the Shehecheyanu fruits, and distributed shirayim from the simanim to the entire assembly.
At the tables, the Rebbe distributed shirayim to the guests from London.

The Rebbe honored HaGaon Rabbi Yitzchak Shalom Friedman shlit"a, moreh tzedek, with the zemiros.

The Rebbe said Torah on the verse "Yekimcha Hashem lo l'am kadosh" and explained that the shofar blast awakens the same power as Matan Torah and draws out the physicality from Jewish hearts, and in this way we are awakened to teshuva.

- Birchas Hamazon: the Rebbe's grandson Rabbi Yisroel Dushinsky shlit"a (the bochur)
They finished at around 12:25.

▫️ Satmara Niyes 🌴 ▫️