‘Descendants’ Start Learning Plan

By COLlive reporter

Hundreds of descendants of the Alter Rebbe gathered for the annual Melava Malka, marking this year the conclusion of the 80th year – bicentennial anniversary of his passing and 30 years since the special talk of the Rebbe about descendants (“Tzetzoim”).

Rabbi Shmuel Butman, chairman of the Association of the descendants of the Alter Rebbe and Director of the Lubavitch Youth Organization, emceed the event held at the Lubavitcher Yeshiva hall in Crown Heights.

“In 5744, end of 1983, there was a question as to when to hold this Melava Malka,” he recalled. “Would it be best to make it on the Motzoei Shabbos Parshas Shmos, one day after Chof Daled Teves, or, as Chof Daled Teves was on a Friday (as this year) to make the Melava Malka on the preceding Motzoei Shabbos.”

He said it was decided to organize the celebration on the second option, the Motzoei Shabbos following the yartzeit. “What the right choice is, was not yet known,” he noted.

“At the Farbrengen that Shabbos, Parshas Voeiro, 25 Teves 5744, the Rebbe’s secretary Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner brought a bottle of “Mashke” and placed it in front of the Rebbe near the plate of Mezonos refreshments.

During the Farbrengen, the Rebbe spoke about offsprings of the Alter Rebbe and mentioned that in the Siddur there is a verse “ונהיה אנחנו וצאצאנו וצאצאי צאצאנו” we are asking for a Brocha for “ourselves, our offsprings and our offspring’s offspring.” The version the Alter Rebbe chose, however, was “ונהיה אנחנו וצאצאנו” that we are asking for a brocha for “ourselves and our offsprings.”

“In the first version we are limiting our Brocha to three generations – ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. Whereas, in the version the Alter Rebbe chose, we are making our Brocha limitless – to include all offsprings without limitations,” Rabbi Butman pointed out.

He said the Rebbe then said that in this one word of “וצאצאנו” the Alter Rebbe included his son and successor the Mitteler Rebbe together with all descendants throughout the generations. The Rebbe then mentioned the upcoming Melave Malka and gave a bottle of “Mashke” for its success.

And the Rebbe then approved of the timing that was chosen for the event, noting that it was “in close proximity and following” Chof Daled Teves. The Rebbe clarified that this is the Motzoei Shabbos closest identified with Chof Daled Teves.

The need to learn Chassidus

The Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Groner, a descendant of the Alter Rebbe, attended the event this past Motzoei Shabbos and stressed that a focus should be made about learning Chassidus in preparation to the concealed part of Torah to be taught by Moshiach imminently.

Rabbi Bentzoin Twerski, whose family lineage traces back to HaTzaddik Reb Yaakov Israel of Cherkas, the son-in-law of the Mitteler Rebbe, spoke of the great merit of being a descendant of such a great Tzadik and the need to conduct oneself as such.

Rabbi Shlomo Besser, grandson of the chossid Reb Dov Ber Ludmir and the son of the late renowned Rabbi Yechezkel Besser, recalled the special relationship his grandfather had with the Rebbe and related a story with a great miracle concerning the Brocha the Rebbe gave him for his grandson for children.

At the event, the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch was divided into booklets and participants were asked to take one or more and study it by Teves 24, 5775. “This is a great idea,” said one young participant who took a few home. “I know that no one else got the same folder, so I must finish it.”

Rabbi Butman also made a Siyum and Haschalah – “conclusion and start” on the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch.

A ‘Pan’ to the Alter Rebbe

The descendants sang the ten of niggunim of the Alter Rebbe with great awe and inspiration, led by renowned chazan Rabbi Zalman Baumgarten. The elder chossid Rabbi Sholom Ber Schneerson sang one of the Alter Rebbe’s niggunim.

A highlight of the evening was when the all participants sang together the famous niggun of the Alter Rebbe which is sung only on rare occasions.

“You cannot possibly describe the unique atmosphere that was in the room when the niggun was being sung,” a person noted. “This was a particularly uplifting moment, one was able to truly feel that a ‘Pan’ (personal petition) was being sent to the Alter Rebbe.”

Rabbi Butman thanked his son, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Butman for organizing the Melava Malka, “May the Zchus of the Alter Rebbe stand him in good stead in all things.”

The descendants ended the evening with the strong feeling that the Alter Rebbe, the first of Chabad leaders, began the work to prepare the world for redemption and that the Rebbe, the seventh, who explicitly told us that this is the last generation of Galus, will finish the work of preparing the world for the great redemption, speedily in our very own days.