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Purim

Purim 5687: "I Accept Upon Myself the Four Executions"

As I Heard Them, Vol. 1, pp. 256-257, no. 95

פורים תרפ"ז איז געווען מורא'דיק. דער רבי האָט געשריען: ווער זיינען זיי די יעווסעקעס? אַ רב'ס אַ אינגל, אַ שוחט'ס אַ אינגל, אַ קליינשטעטלדיקן בעל־הבית'ס אַ זון, איך ווער פאַר זיי ניט נתפּעל און האָט זיך אַזוי צוקאָכט, אָפּגעשפּילעט דעם סורטוק אַז עס האָט זיך דערזען דער טלית קטן. ער האָט געשריען: איך בין אויף זיך מקבל די ד' מ. אַז איר וועט זען אַז דער גוף ברענט זאָל איר קיין רחמנות ניט האָבן. החסיד ר' מאיר שמחה האָט אָנגעהויבן שרייען: מיר דאַרפן דעם רבי'ן דאָ. און דער רבי האָט אַלץ געזאָגט, אַז מען דאַרף גיין אויף מסירת נפש און ניט אָפּגעבן די קינדער אין זייערע שקאָלעס. ַט אָט זייער מורא געה אַן זייערע מענטשן און מ'ה אַר אָ זיינען פ אַז ד אָט געוואוסט אַזוי ווי מ'ה א ָט ער זיך גלייך אַלטן. איז זי געקומען ה אּה פָ אָל אים אַז זי ז אָט מען גערופן די רביצין אמו נ"ע, אה ָל אּיטל תהלים, וויינען קיינער ז פַ אַ ק אָג אַמע, גיי צוריק אין צימער און ז אָגט: מ אגעשטעלט, און געז ָב אָרנישט, איך ה אַליין ג אָגט: איך טו אָט דער רבי איר געז אָך ה אָס העלפט. און דערנ אניט זען — ד ַטן. אגעפרעגט ביי דעם ט ָט גע'חלש'ט, און איז קוים געקומען אַנען און גערעדט, ביז דער רבי זי"ע ה אַלץ געשט אדי רבצין איז ַרעסט. אָך שבועות איז שוין געווען די אַלעמען די שרעק, און נ אַזוי איז געווען ביי אצו זיך. און

Purim 5687 (1927) was terrifying. “Who are they, the Yevsektzia?!”17 the Rebbe screamed. “A rabbi’s son? A butcher’s son? A villager’s son? I am not frightened by them. ” His intensity became fiery. He unbuttoned his kapota; you could see his tallis katan. “I accept upon myself the four forms of execution, ” he screamed. “When you see the body aflame you should not have compassion. ”

The chossid R. Meir Simcha began shouting, “We need the Rebbe here.”

But the Rebbe repeated again and again, “We must sacrifice our lives — but not send our children to their schools. ”

Knowing that informers were present we were very frightened and called his mother, the Rebbetzin, to restrain him. He stood up the moment she came, but told her, “Mother, go back to your room and say some Tehillim, with tears — with no one watching. That will help. ” And he reassured her, “I am not doing any of this on my own initiative. I asked Father. ”

The Rebbetzin continued to stand and speak, until he fainted — and barely revived.

Everyone was in dread. The arrest came after Shavuos.

17 The rabidly anti-religious “Jewish Section” of the Soviet Communist Party.

Holiday: purim (5/5): The entire scene takes place at the Purim 5687 farbrengen, and the defiance of a decree against Jewish children is Purim's own theme played out under the Yevsektzia.

Also this occasion

The Great Purim in Rogochov and Reb Yossele's Megillah Gelt

As I Heard Them, Vol. 1, pp. 63-64, no. 3

The narrator's zeide told that at the "Great Purim" in Rogochov, Reb Yossele der chazzan of nearby Korma — a chossid whom the Alter Rebbe had once blessed to become wealthy — was honored by the Mitteler Rebbe with reading the Megillah. In the middle of the reading, at Haman's words "Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?", he spat out, "Feh, kelipah!" Everyone assumed that the Mitteler Rebbe, who detested outward displays of hispaalus, would give the reading to someone else the next morning, but he called Reb Yossele again and told him he did not know that one must first lay Megillah gelt on the table — then laid down a golden rendel, and each of the more than a thousand gvirim present did the same. So the Alter Rebbe's blessing was fulfilled and Reb Yossele became wealthy.

Temimus (sincerity)EmunahLeadership

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Four Cups and the Teachings After Chatzos

As I Heard Them, Vol. 1, pp. 485-486, no. 5

The Lipskars arrived in Canada in 5712 (1952), and that year the Rebbe sent R. Eliyahu a ticket so he could travel to him for Purim. When he told the Rebbe's secretary Rabbi Hadakov that he lacked the documents to reenter Canada, the Rebbe answered with a smile that his mother had told him how well R. Eliyahu handled the Russian border guards — and now he couldn't sort something out? At the Purim farbrengens of those years the Rebbe would tell him to say l'chaim, and on one occasion sent him back for a second cup, then a third, then indicated the cup should be full and told him to drink yet another, until after four large cups he was rolling under the table. Before he returned home the Rebbe told him in yechidus to repeat in Toronto what he had heard in New York; R. Eliyahu answered that he could repeat what was said before chatzos but had not heard the teachings from chatzos onward, and the Rebbe replied that after chatzos they were much better than before.

Kabbolas OlHiskashrusSimcha

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