"And I shall return in peace to my father's house"

Report of the holy journey "V'Shavti" of the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a to the ancestral city of Sighet.

Wednesday - Thursday, Parshas Toldos.

"For He will command His angels for you, to guard you in all your ways"

On Wednesday night at around 10:30, the Rebbe shlit"a left his holy home in Kiryas Joel on the way to Newark Airport.

At around 11:45 the Rebbe shlit"a arrived at Newark Airport, Terminal B, and a few minutes later boarded the special charter flight, where the hundreds of benefactors who contributed to the building in the ancestral city of Sighet were already waiting.

"And he went on his journeys, until the place where his tent had been at the beginning"

At around 12:30 the plane took off, b'sha'ah tovah u'matzliach, on its way to the city of Satmar in Romania.

After takeoff, light refreshments were distributed to the entire group.

In the first hours the Rebbe shlit"a engaged in Torah study, learning Gemara Maseches Kesubos.

About 2 hours after takeoff, Shacharis was davened on the plane.

The baal tefillah and baal korei was R' Chaim Heller. The aliyos were: Kohen: R' Shmuel HaKohen Friedman, a member of the Rebbe's household. Levi: R' Chaim Heller. Shlishi: the Rebbe shlit"a. Hagbah: R' Meir Hirsch. Gelilah: R' Avrohom Yaakov Berkowitz.

After Shacharis, breakfast was served to the entire group. Afterwards, HaGaon Rabbi Meir Zwiebel shlit"a, one of the rabbonim of our kehilla and a mashpia in the Binyan Brach beis medrash, delivered words of Torah.

Afterwards, the Rebbe shlit"a walked about the plane and greeted the participants of the trip, and then sat down to learn Maseches Bava Kamma until landing.

On Thursday afternoon at 2:55 (8:55 in New York), the plane landed, b'sha'ah tovah u'matzliach, in the city of Satmar in Romania.

Immediately after landing, the Rebbe shlit"a set out together with his close followers for the ancestral city of Sighet.

The distinguished entourage stopped to daven Mincha in the city of Satmar. After Mincha, provisions for the road were distributed, and then they set out for the city of Sighet.

"For the place upon which you stand is holy ground"

At around 5:15 (11:15 a.m. New York time), the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a arrived in the ancestral city of Sighet at the historic shul courtyard, the place where our holy forefathers and rabbonim davened.

First, the Rebbe shlit"a walked through the entire building in great emotion, with tears in his eyes, and looked into all the rooms and the plaques of the benefactors of the building. Upon reaching the heichal of the great beis medrash, the Rebbe shlit"a burst into weeping, shedding rivers of tears in holy emotion for several long minutes.

Afterwards the Rebbe shlit"a davened Mincha in the Moshe Aryeh room, donated by the prominent askan R' Akiva Tzvi Klein in memory of the holy Rebbe of Sighet, Rabbi Moshe Aryeh Freund z"l.

After Mincha, R' Gedalya Szeged and R' Akiva Hersh Klein handed the Rebbe shlit"a a kvitel asking him to daven for water - standing in Parshas Toldos - which is still needed in order to move into the new Vyoel Moshe neighborhood in Kiryas Joel. The Rebbe shlit"a related a story about his ancestor, the holy Rabbi Ber, the Eitz Chaim, zy"a, and bestowed his holy blessings that there should be water, b'ezras Hashem.

Then, at around 6:20, the Rebbe shlit"a davened Maariv.

After Maariv, the Rebbe shlit"a went down to his holy residence, where he engaged in Torah study for several hours.

"May the merit of the forefathers protect us"

▫️Satmara Niyes 🌴▫️