The Kohen Gadol stands and serves his generation — see and rejoice

Yom Kodesh 5782, "B'tzeil HaKodesh" with the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a in the midst of our holy kehilla in Williamsburg

On Erev Yom Kippur in the morning at around 5:55, the Rebbe shlit"a entered for Selichos in our great beis medrash in Kiryas Joel. The baal tefillah was R' Yehoshua Teller.

In his holy home, the Rebbe shlit"a observed the minhag of kapparos and burned the tail feathers.

Afterwards, at around 6:30, the Rebbe shlit"a crossed over to the mehudar slaughterhouse, where R' Yoel HaLevi Wertzberger slaughtered the fowl. Before the shechita, the Rebbe examined the chalef; after the shechita, the Rebbe shlit"a recited the Leshem Yichud before the bracha and fulfilled the mitzvah of covering the blood. The Rebbe shlit"a also examined the chalafim of all the shochtim and wished them a gmar chasima tova. He then went in for a short visit throughout the entire slaughterhouse.

Afterwards, the Rebbe shlit"a went to be menachem avel R' Shalom Yitzchak Weinberger on the passing of his mother a"h.

At around 7:40, the Rebbe shlit"a traveled into Williamsburg for Yom Tov.

At around 9:50, the Rebbe shlit"a entered for Shacharis in our great beis medrash in Williamsburg. Before davening, the Rebbe shlit"a put tefillin on several bar mitzvah bochurim.

After davening, the meshamesh R' Shlomo Wertzberger went in to the Rebbe shlit"a, where the Rebbe shlit"a took the lekach as is customary.

In the afternoon at around 1:30, the Rebbe shlit"a entered the holy tish of Erev Yom Kippur in our beis medrash in Williamsburg.

Before washing for the seudah of the mitzvah of the day, the Rebbe shlit"a quietly recited a longer Leshem Yichud. The meat was from the fowl with which the Rebbe shlit"a had observed the minhag of kapparos as is customary.

Niggunim of hisorerus were sung, and then, in great arousal, the Rebbe shlit"a sang the piyut Yirtzeh Es Amcha to the Ahava Rabba tune attributed to R' Hersh of Rimanov zy"a.

During the tish the Rebbe shlit"a shed rivers of tears, especially while singing Yirtzeh, in the holy chamber with awe and dread before the Day of Judgment.

The Rebbe shlit"a said Torah on the piyut "Bameh Akadem V'Kaf Pnei Lo Yikach Shochad, uVyadi Ein Maaseh V'Al Zos Libi Yifchad," and explained that through emunah one can emerge from the bondage of the yetzer hara, and through this one can sanctify the heart, and it will be hekdesh, which removes from bondage, just as it was at the Exodus from Egypt, as it says "Lechtech Acharai BaMidbar B'Eretz Lo Zeruah," and through the emunah of the Jewish children there was hekdesh removing from bondage. This is the remembrance of the Exodus on Yom Kippur: just as then they merited hekdesh removing from bondage, so too through emunah we will merit to sanctify the heart. He concluded with very warm holy brachos.

For Birkas Hamazon, the Rebbe honored HaGaon Rabbi Naftali Hirtzka Zwebel shlit"a, and the tish ended at around 3:00.

"And Aharon raised his hands toward the people and blessed them"

Afterwards, the Rebbe shlit"a went into his private room, where thousands of Jews passed through to receive a blessing for the holy day.

At about 4 o'clock, the Rebbe shlit"a went to a private mikvah, and then entered for Mincha in the great beis medrash. The Rebbe shlit"a lit the candle at the amud. The baal tefillah was R' Yaakov Hersh Heiman.

After the seudas hamafsekes in his holy home, the Rebbe shlit"a went to the mikvah once more.

Upon arriving at the beis medrash, the Rebbe shlit"a lit the Yom Tov candles and two neshama candles, along with a long-burning light in his private room where the Rebbe shlit"a stayed over Yom Tov. Then, before going into the beis medrash, the Rebbe shlit"a blessed all those written in the sefer hazikaronos, and all the kollel kvitlach of the mosdos in Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh.

"With this shall Aharon enter the holy place"

At about 7:35, the Rebbe shlit"a entered the beis medrash for Kol Nidrei, wrapped in the kittel, tallis and kappel of the Divrei Yoel zy"a.

The Rebbe went up to the Aron Kodesh, said a quiet prayer, and began the holy Kol Nidrei derasha on the verse "For on this day He shall atone for you from all your sins before Hashem." The Chasam Sofer zy"a says that "mikol chatoseichem lifnei Hashem" are the acronym of "milah." There are the four divisions of atonement brought in the Gemara. It states in the holy sefer Chareidim that when one does teshuva out of love, it is sufficient, and one does not need suffering or death. The Rebbe's uncle zt"l, zy"a, says in Divrei Yoel, Parshas Vayechi, that for the pgam habris mentioned in the holy Zohar, that teshuva does not help, teshuva me'ahava helps for this as well.

▫️ Satmar Niyes 🌴 ▫️