In honor of Yud Daled Kislev, the 85th wedding anniversary of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin, a special farbrgengen was held at Yeshivas Tiferes Bachurim in Morristown, NJ.
Leading it was Rabbi Moshe Gourarie, Shliach in Toms River, NJ, who described with fervor and detail the events that led up to the wedding of the Rebbe and the scene that unfolded back in Yekatrinaslav.
Below are some highlights from the Farbrengen:
The celebration in Yekatrinaslav
The Rebbe’s parents Reb Levik and Rebbetzin Chana Shneersohn were not granted travel visas and were therefore not permitted to participate in their son’s wedding.
To express the need to celebrate, they made a simultaneous “mock wedding” back in the their town lacking nothing short of a the chosson and kallah. Any overt Jewish activity was prohibited in the USSR at the time. Nevertheless, invitations were sent, arrangements were made for only some 30 guests.
In actuality, however nearly 300 people arrived to shower their support and love for their esteemed Rav, Reb Levik. On the day of the wedding hundreds of telegrams poured in to Yekatrinaslav, the government made a special allowance to allow telegraphs through both uncensored and even in Hebrew.
The Telegram of Tears
A special letter was written to the Rebbe by his father which began “Mimaamakei Ta’alumos Levavi” (from the most hidden depths of my heart). Reb Shmuel Schneerson, the Rebbe’s uncle, described the tears with which this letter was written. Rebbetzin Chana, as well in her diary records; By the time Reb Levik was finished writing this, the tablecloth was drenched with tears.
Breaking the time and space barrier “though I am not with you physically I am with you mamosh,” Reb Levik wrote, this explained Rabbi Gourarie, is a very important lesson to us in our times today.
“A tzadik can be wherever he would like to be when he would like to be there,” he pointed out. “The lesson is obvious today we can also have this connection to the Rebbe regardless of the seeming difficulties.”
The entire group broke into spontaneous dancing which lasted till the early morning hours.
Hatzlocha in all things. Only question, this was a farbrengen right? Why are we calling it a mock wedding?
What a great yeshiva!
GO MOSHELE!!!!
where’s Aryeh L?
Can hear your voice anywhere…you are my hero…we miss you so much here at Or Simcha in Wilmette, IL
az az