É פרסומי ניסא È Towers of Light The story of the Public Menorah Lightings Tanya on the Radio CHASSIDUS ON THE FRONT LINES Celebrate Together YUD DALED KISLEV $2.00 KISLEV 5776 ISSUE 38 (115) DerherContents KISLEV 5776 ISSUE 38 (115) Celebrate Together 04 DVAR MALCHUS Illumination 06 LEBEN MITTEN REBBE’N Secure The Youth 12 KSAV YAD KODESH Chassidus on the Front Lines 14 TANYA ON THE RADIO A Call to Joy 28 MOSHIACH UGEULAH About the Cover: This month’s issue highlights the Rebbe’s call for mivtza A Momentous Gathering Chanukah and the Chassidim’s effort in response, leading up HAKHEL to the birth of the now widely-acclaimed public Menorahs. 30 The front cover features a photograph of the world’s largest Menorah in Midtown Manhattan, circa mid-5740s. How to Learn Chabad.org / Martin Schneider 32 HORA’OS VEHADRACHOS DerherEditorial אין דעם חודש זיינען פאראן כמה ימים מיוחדים אין דברי ימי islev is referred to by the Rebbe as the החסידות . און אויך חנוכה בסוף חודש כסלו האט א שייכות מיט K“Chassidishe Chodesh,” as it contains many גילוי פנימיות התורה בחוצה, ווייל עיקר נס חנוכה איז דער נס פון special dates on the Chabad calendar; most notably פך השמן, וואס שמן איז רזין דרזין דאורייתא, און מ’דארף דאס .Yud-Tes Kislev, Rosh Hashanah L’Chassidus אנצינדן “על פתח ביתו מבחוץ”, באופן אז דער גילוי פון רזין דרזין Especially for us, as Chassidim of dor hashvi’i, the אין “ביתו” זאל באלייכטן )דורך “פתח ביתו”( אויך “בחוץ”... month bears the significance of marking Yud- Chanukah comes in continuation to the theme of דער“ ,Daled Kislev, about which the Rebbe said .these chassidishe yomim tovim earlier in the month .”טאג וואס האט פארבונדן מיר מיט אייך און אייך מיט מיר The “oil” of the miracle of Chanukah represents These two dates are very much connected. The Rebbe the secrets of toras haChassidus. This light is once quoted the Frierdiker Rebbe’s explanation as to why carried through the doorways of our homes and the chassuna took place in the month of Kislev, saying: into the street, illuminating the outside world. “My mechutan [the Rebbe’s father, HaRav Levi Yitzchok] is a mekubal; he explains it according to Kabbala. But I There is no better way to mark this time of year than with :the two major featured articles in this month’s magazine—חודש השלישי say, it’s because the month of Kislev is third month; the month of mattan Torah for pnimius Chassidus On the Front Lines tells the story of how the haTorah…” (Sichas Shabbos parshas Vayeshev 5714). words of Chassidus permeated literally every corner of the world—as the Rebbe explains the nature of radio- On another occasion (Shabbos parshas Vayetzei 5752), waves—with the weekly shiurim of Tanya on the radio, the Rebbe connected this vort with Chanukah as well, and the Rebbe’s involvement and guidance through every the yom tov that concludes the month of Kislev: step. Towers of Light recounts how the Rebbe’s mission בס"ד Towers of Light THE STORY OF THE PUBLIC 34 MENORAH LIGHTINGS 14 Medical Mystery 46 A STORY A Chassidishe Village 50 ARUM CHASSIDUS Takanos of the Rebbe 52 DARKEI HACHASSIDUS Siyum Hashas 58 BEHIND THE PICTURE Letters to the Editor 34 61 06 to bring the light of Chanukah to the furthest part A Chassidisher Derher Magazine is a publication geared actually revolutionized the way Chanukah toward Bochurim, published and copyrighted by חוצה of is perceived everywhere around the world. Vaad Talmidei Hatmimim Haolomi. All articles in this publication are original content by the staff of A Chassidisher Derher. We hope that these accounts will also inspire Vaad Talmidei Photo Credits Special Thanks to Jewish Educational Media Rabbi Chaim Shaul Brook action in these areas, in addition to the usual Hatmimim Rabbi Tzvi Altein Chabad of S. Louis Rabbi Yosef Boruch Friedman month’s worth of content, including a special Copy Editors Chabad.org Rabbi Mendel Gourarie Rabbi Eliezer Zalmanov column dedicated to the siyum haRambam Friedman Family Rabbi Mendel Konikov Rabbi Moshe Zaklikovsky being celebrated this month around the world. Kehot Publication Society Rabbi Pinny Lew Design Lubavitch Youth Rabbi Michoel Seligson Rabbi Mendy Weg With the hope that we will ultimately merit Organization Archive Rabbi Elkanah Shmotkin Printed by Pinny Lew Rabbi Avraham Vaisfiche the time when—as the Rambam concludes his The Print House Raskin Family Archive with the Rabbi Levi Treitel ,מלאה הארץ דעה את ה' כמים לים מכסים—sefer Vaad Hanochos B’Lahak coming of Moshiach, teikef umiyad mammosh! Reproduction of any portion of this Magazine is not permissible without express permission from the copyright holders, unless for the use of brief quotations in reviews and similar venues. The Editors Submit your questions and comments: Call: (970) 680 3370 | Email: [email protected] To subscribe, order a copy, or access back issues visit us at www.Derher.org A Chassidisher Derher is honored to feature unique and historic photos from Jewish Educational Media’s Living Archive photo collection. The Living Archive is a project to preserve, and provide access to the video, audio, and photographic recordings of the Rebbe. These photos are copyright by JEM and are available at TheLivingArchive.org CELEBRATE TOGETHER Yud-Daled Kislev In honor of Yud-Daled Kislev, the Indeed it is great for Yidden to celebrated with increased enthusiasm. 87th anniversary of the Rebbe gather together, and more-so in a shul, One gathers with his friends, family, אוהבים וידידים ובני( and Rebbetzin’s chassunah, but why particularly on this night? and loved ones and all rejoice together. As )משפחה we present an excerpt of the At this point the Rebbe gave farbrengen the Rebbe held on mention to the nature of the day: Yidden, every activity must be utilized this day in 5739, marking fifty “We must find a source in Torah for the sake of avodas Hashem… years since the chassunah in for the idea that on the anniversary Later on at the farbrengen, 5689. of one’s wedding, friends and relatives the Rebbe continued: The Rebbe posed a series of gather and hold joyous farbrengens. “One of the Rebbeim who marked 50 questions as to “It is difficult to know how the years of marriage was the [Frierdiker] the nature of the farbrengen: Rebbeim behaved in regard to a jubilee Rebbe, from 5657 to 5707. celebration, because not all of them “At the time of his fiftieth reached 50 years of marriage, and of anniversary, many sefarim, which those that did, we don’t know what their had been newly printed in Shanghai, personal behavior was. As we know, China1, were arriving in New York. there are many personal customs of the “A new sefer had been brought to the Rabbeim that were never publicized… Rebbe each day of the “sheva brachos” “The minhag of Yidden in this following his anniversary. The fact country (and in other countries) is something was being done to mark his that when the day of one’s anniversary fiftieth anniversary brought tremendous arrives, and especially when one nachas and koach to the Rebbe.” reaches a ‘milestone’ anniversary, it is KISLEV 5776 4 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER PHOTO: JEM/THE LIVING ARCHIVE / 104489 PHOTO: During the Farbrengen the Rebbe spoke at length on matters relating to chassuna in Torah, and instituted a new initiative—that each chosson should be given, in addition to a Shas, also a tzedaka pushka. Two sheva brachos ceremonies were also held at the farbrengen for two respective chassanim and kallos! (Based on Sichos Kodesh 5739 vol. 1 p. 349) 1. Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim was forced to flee Europe through China during WWII. For a number THE ENTRY CARD GRANTING ENTRY TO THE HALL of years the FOR THE REBBE AND REBBETZIN’S CHASSUNA, yeshiva operated YUD DALED KISLEV 5689. out of Shanghai and many sifrei Chassidus were printed there. KISLEV 5776 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 5 לעבן מיט'ן רבי'ן JEM/THE LIVING ARCHIVE ID: 108315/ 20 AV, 5734 20 AV, JEM/THE LIVING ARCHIVE ID: 108315/ Illumination MIVTZA CHANUKAH – CHANUKAH 5734 In preparing this article we were assisted by Rabbi Shlomo Friedman, Rabbi Yosef Gopin (Kfar Chabad), Rabbi Shmuel Greisman, Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zalmanov, Rabbi Yosef Katzman, Rabbi Yosef Levertov, Rabbi Michoel Seligson. Yom Kippur, 5734. The Arab countries the Rebbe launched surrounding Eretz Yisrael attacked from all the international directions, with the goal of destroying Eretz Yisroel. mivtza Chanukah Soldiers were drafted directly from shul to the campaign, later frontlines of the war, fighting for their country’s connecting it with the very survival. war and putting an Through tremendous miracles Eretz Yisrael emphasis on visiting survived, but at a heavy cost. More than two- the Israeli soldiers, thousand soldiers were killed, and thousands more and the widows and wounded. orphans from the war. 5734 JEM/THE LIVING ARCHIVE ID: 108668/ 20 AV, During the months before, during and following At the farbrengen of Shabbos Vayeshev, 20 the war, the Rebbe constantly spoke about the Kislev1, the Rebbe went into detail, giving clear situation in Eretz Yisroel. On Yud Tes Kislev, 5734, guidelines as to what the mivtza would include: KISLEV 5776 6 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER His factory began churning out menorahs 24 hours a day, completely stopping any work he had been doing for the army. “On Chanukah one has to ensure that Chanukah candles will be lit in every place where Jewish people live, both in public areas for pirsumei nissa, and in private homes, at least one menorah per house. If you meet anyone who doesn’t have a menorah, you should give one to them, and it would also be fitting that every child light their own menorah.” The Rebbe said that the Israeli soldiers “serve as shluchim of Klal Yisrael and have the zechus MR.