By Rishe Deitsch for COLlive.com
Photos by Levik Hertzel
Last night, Thursday night, over 500 men and boys attended a farbrengen at The Beis Medrash, a nightly Torah-learning center located at 580 Crown Street. The farbrengen was held to mark Chof Zayin Adar, the date the Rebbe suffered a stroke.
The venerable Rabbi Leibel Groner, the Rebbe’s dedicated mazkir for over half a century, led the farbrengen expertly. Despite an overflow crowd, you could hear a pin drop. Nobody wanted to miss a word of Rabbi Groner’s farbrengen.
The crowd was so enthralled by Rabbi Groner’s stories and his words of hisorerus that they would not leave until after 2 a.m. “You could feel so much chassidishkeit, warmth, achdus, and hiskashrus in the air,” said one smiling bochur as he left at 2:30 a.m.
Rabbi Motty Lipskier, director of The Beis Medrash, told a story about the Tzemach Tzedek, that he heard from the Rebbe on tape:
“The Tzemach Tzedek once went to a meeting of Soviet government officials to plead for his fellow Jews. It was an extremely dangerous mission and he was quite likely to lose his life as a result. Some people asked him, ‘Rebbe! How can you risk leaving us without a Rebbe?’
“The Tzemach Tzedek gave more than one answer,” explained Rabbi Lipskier. “But the one I am quoting to you tonight is that the Tzemach Tzedek replied, ‘The achdus of chassidim will carry them towards Moshiach.’ This is what we have to keep in our minds and hearts during this difficult era as well.”
One participant stood up at the farbrengen and announced that he was very grateful to Hashem for his wife’s refuah sheleimah, and he credits that as well as many other brochos that have come his way recently to his involvement with The Beis Medrash – learning and donating. He urged the crowd to follow suit.
Rabbi Leibel Groner exhorted the crowd to do more for the Rebbe, and go beyond our kochos, just as the Rebbe did and still does for us.
To help us increase and strengthen our avodas Hashem, Rabbi Groner strongly encouraged the crowd to learn the ma’amer of the Frierdiker Rebbe from 1925 that begins, “Zeh yitnu,” from Parshas Shekolim which will be read in shul tomorrow. This ma’amer discusses the crucial importance of limud hatorah. He also urged the people to make a kvius ittim laTorah, to set aside time regularly to learn Torah. The Beis Medrash is open Sunday through Thursday evenings from 7 – 11 p.m. with ongoing shiurim and chavrusos.
Rabbi Groner said, “A day like Chof Zayin Adar is a good time to reflect on the level of our hiskashrus to the Rebbe, and to improve on it. What would the Rebbe want from us? To lead our lives as chassidishe Yidden, b’chol dracheha da’ehu. We should ask ourselves, if the Rebbe would walk into my home right now, would he be happy with what he sees there?”
The idea of making our homes into places that the Rebbe would be proud of is basic to chassidim. Rabbi Levi Deitsch OBM, Shliach in Tysons Corner, VA, in whose memory the Beis Medrash was founded, once addressed a family gathering with these words:
“We parents should not lose the opportunity to influence our children while they are young. We should teach them niggunim and chassidishe mysehs. A few months ago I started putting my kids to bed at night with this and they really listen and absorb it. It’s not just for the children; whoever you meet, you want to have something valuable to share, something quickly available to you. Instead of wasting time watching youtubes, shmoutubes, fill your head and your kids’ heads with chassidishe stories and vertlach that you can share with whoever you meet.”
At the farbrengen, the Beis Medrash served hot lokshen and potato kugels, cholent and fresh salads, co-sponsored by Ari Pfeffer, Beis Shimshon, Yossi Ezagui, and AllFreshKosher.com.
AUDIO: Unedited audio of Rabbi Groner’s farbrengen
CLICK HERE if audio player does not appear below
thanks to The Beis Medrash and collive, the sound of Rabbi Groner’s voice fills our home today
i listened to all 4 hrs+ of this, amazing stuff. we’re lucky to have leibel groner to tell us over these things
After such an inspiring Farbrengen my Hachlata is to attend at least twice a week a Shiur at TBM!!!
For sponsoring, who are you guys?
I was there; I tell you it was powerful to be siting with so many chasidim in one room! (the photogrefer got great shots, but out seems that he came a bit early?) Thank you collive! I hope you’ll carry the next one live for those not fortunate enough to participate in person
for bringing us the Rebbe’s words
powerful
the rebbe was never satisfied 😉
Rabbi Lipsker is truly amazing. He is doing so much for C.H. The Beis Medrash is one of the best things that ever happened to this community. GO TBM!!!!!!
so many people in one room- and so quiet! yasher koach to the beis medrash for a great farbrengen.
thank you for recording and posting this-at least I can have a “post chuf zayin” farbrengen.
Moshiach Now!
Eli Muli!~!!