Lechu Banim Shimu Li

At around 5:50 in the afternoon, the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a arrived at Heichal HaMesivta – Divrei Yoel branch, where the Rebbe shlit"a delivered holy words on a matter of the hour to the talmidim of the yeshiva.

The Rebbe shlit"a based his remarks on the verse "V'hayah eikev tishmeun" – "minor mitzvos that a person tramples with his heels," and spoke out against a breach among bochurim who go to weddings, which is a "mitzvah that a person tramples with his heels." The Rebbe shlit"a mentioned that it is a mitzvah to gladden a chosson on the day of his wedding and on the day of the joy of his heart, "but there is a mitzvas asei of the blowing of the shofar, whose segulos are tremendous matters, and when Rosh Hashana falls on Shabbos, our Sages said that we do not blow the shofar because of a concern of 'shema yaavirenu'!! There is a concern that one person, somewhere at the other end of the world, might come to desecrate Shabbos, so the Sages said that we do not blow the shofar; all of Klal Yisroel does not blow the shofar." And when we do not blow the shofar because the Sages of Israel commanded so, all those blessings still come passively, even though we do not blow the shofar!! Everything is bestowed upon the Jewish children as if the shofar had been blown!!

The Rebbe shlit"a mentioned all the segulos that descend upon one who gladdens a chosson on his wedding day, "the great, exceedingly lofty matters: one who gladdens him merits Torah, one who gladdens him merits the five voices," and said that we understand what this means, the love of friends, we understand all these things, "but whoever listens to all the Sages of Israel merits all these matters passively."

The Feter z"l, the founder of the yeshiva zy"a, in his time, more than 50 years ago, instituted a takanah in the yeshiva that bochurim should not go to the wedding of their friend! And he said at the time, 'Only relatives who are disqualified from testimony,' and these were his words: "..Only a relative who is disqualified from testifying may go to a wedding, ..and whoever goes to a wedding becomes disqualified from testimony," ..a very sharp expression. In his great wisdom, righteousness and holiness, he understood what it means to go to a wedding. He understood that one must gladden a chosson on his wedding day, but he also understood the great breach and the great stumbling blocks that result from going to a wedding. So he made a takanah that a bochur should not go to a wedding!!

The Rebbe shlit"a then spoke very forcefully about the stumbling blocks that result from this, both regarding bittul Torah and the tremendous pitfalls concerning matters of kedusha, "the loss of yiras shamayim is far worse than bittul Torah."
The Rebbe then cried out, "I ask: a bochur in our yeshivos knows about the takanah of the yeshiva and knows who instituted the takanah. Is he not ashamed before himself to go to a wedding, to dance at a wedding openly?!"

The Rebbe then continued with lengthier words of chizuk, to hold oneself back firmly and not violate the takanah.

The Rebbe shlit"a then continued and said, "We are now in the month of Av. In this month is the yahrzeit of the Feter z"l, the founder of the yeshiva, 'the one who made the takanah in the yeshiva.' On the yahrzeit, one comes to daven at the holy resting place, hoping to bring about yeshuos, both general and personal. I want to ask: how does one have the audacity to come daven at the tziyun, when with all your 248 limbs you danced at a wedding and showed publicly that you do not heed the takanah that the founder of the yeshiva made?" I want to ask, is this called a chassid or a talmid? Shame should cover our faces.

The Rebbe shlit"a continued regarding the stumbling blocks that result from going to the kishur hachituin, tenaim, and sheva brachos, and expressed, "One can say that it is even worse than a wedding. How does a bochur who is a yirei shamayim, who learns Torah, who learns Gemara and Tosafos, come to go in such a manner? Where is the shame? Where is the bit of gaavah d'kedusha? Where is a bit of sense? And where is the yiras shamayim? Therefore I want to ask of every bochur: if you have a bit of yiras shamayim, you should refrain from going to simchas!! And Hashem will help that in this merit you will go to your own simchas." The Rebbe shlit"a then concluded with very powerful holy brachos.

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