Letter Exchange Leads to a Discovery 56 Years Later

By COLlive reporter

The 20 volume set of the Rebbe’s Maamarim (Chassidic discourses) printed by Lahak Hanochos, publisher of the Rebbe’s teachings, will have an exciting addition.

A Maamar said by the Rebbe on Shabbos Matos-Mas’ei, 28 Av 5723 (1963) and which has not been printed in a sefer will be included in it.

It was discovered while the family of Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi OBM, Rov of the Kfar Chabad village who passed away in 2015, was going through his private archives.

In the archives, they found an entire package of letters that was sent to Rabbi Ashkenazi by his friend Rabbi Berel Lipsker of Crown Heights. It included yomanim (diaries) of life with the Rebbe and also the only known transcript (hanacha) of the Maamar the Rebbe said on that Shabbos.

The Maamar was based on a Maamar of the Alter Rebbe written in the handwriting of the Mitteler Rebbe, with comments from the Tzemach Tzedek. The Rebbe delivered it in connection to Shnas Hakan, the commemoration of 150 years from the Alter Rebbe’s passing.

The Maamar was recently featured in the Teshura memento of the Rubashkin-Shmukler wedding – a granddaughter of Rabbi Lipsker. Lahak has now edited it and added footnotes in honor of Gimmel Tammuz 5779.

This new Maamar will be included in the new set of Sefer Hamaamarim being printed now and offered for the low price of $100. Order at lahak.org/25years

To download the new maamar – lahak.org/4424812 (or a print version – https://www.lahak.org/media/pdf/1094/pBvg10946298.pdf)

Lahak director Rabbi Chaim Shaul Brook and the editors expressed great joy to receive the gift on the eve of Gimmel Tammuz, the 25th yartzeit of the Rebbe.

They issued a call to anyone who has copies of Sichos, Maamarim or even diaries and letters from the years with the Rebbe to send them to [email protected] for proper research and publishing.