The Rebbe’s ‘L’Chaim’ to a Young Girl at Farbrengen

Mrs. Elka Matusof (nee Levertov) has led the launch of “Rallies Around the Clock” for the safety of Eretz Yisrael and the Chayalim, and the return of the hostages. She shares a special moment with the Rebbe that was the inspiration behind it. Full Story

November 2, 2023 – 18 Heshvan 5784

Written by Elka Matusof
A project in conjunction with Tzivos Hashem Headquarters

A group of women have launched “Rallies Around the Clock” for the safety of Eretz Yisrael and the Chayalim, and the return of the hostages.

In times of crisis for the Jewish people, the Rebbe has repeatedly given the directive to assemble children under Bar/Bas Mitzvah to say words of Torah and Tefilla and to give Tzedakah as Mordechai did when Haman plotted to annihilate the Jewish people. It was the children with their words of Torah that saved the Jews in the time of Purim.

“Rallies Around the Clock” works as follows: Each family chooses and commits to a 15 minute time slot, gathers their children, and together they give Tzedakah and say Tehillim and words of Torah such as the 12 Pesukim. For extras, the family can also say Lchaim and give brachos, sing Moshiach or other songs, and if old enough learn some Chitas, Sefer Hamitzvos or something else. The Rebbe requested that even babies participate. They can be helped to put a coin in the Pushka and listen to songs of the 12 Pesukim and to Tehillim. The aim of “Rallies Around the Clock” is to have a children’s rallies happening 24/7, and therefore it is a worldwide initiative across all time zones.

Mrs. Elka Matusof (nee Levertov) who launched this project with her daughter in law and other family members was inspired to do so because of a personal story she experienced with the Rebbe at the time that the Rebbe inaugurated the מפי עוללים project.

Mrs. Matusof relates:

It was the year 1973, and I was home for the first half of the summer. I was used to attending the Rebbe’s farbrengens, and when the Rebbe held one on a Shabbos at the beginning of the summer, I took my little 4 year old sister Chana (Morosow, now a Shlucha in Melbourne Australia) along. We got a great spot. I stood in the first row in the upstairs ladies section right opposite the Rebbe, and I had my sister sit right behind me on the back of the first bench. I listened closely to the Rebbe’s words, though I did not always understand what the Rebbe was saying. My sister quietly took in the scene; the Rebbe speaking, the men singing and saying L’chaim, and the Rebbe nodding back L’chayim V’Livracha.

Mid-Farbrengen the Rebbe suddenly stopped speaking and looked up towards the women’s section, scanning the length of it, back and forth as if searching for something. Rabbi Groner motioned upwards towards the women, and I didn’t understand what he wanted. Rabbi Groner quickly left his place near the Rebbe and ran upstairs to the ladies’ section. He called out, “Is there any girl here under Bas Mitzvah?” I grabbed my sister’s hand and raised it high, “Here! She is under Bas Mitzvah!” She happened to be the only girl under Bas Mitzvah in shul because most of the older children were upstate in camp or the country and the younger ones who had remained in the city were too little to attend the Farbrengen. From my recollection, there were no boys under Bar Mitzvah by the men downstairs either.

Rabbi Groner then said, “The Rebbe wants all children under Bar and Bas Mitzvah to say L’Chaim!” I replied, “But we have no wine or cups!” Rabbi Groner assured us that he will get it, and he ran downstairs, and soon returned with wine and mashke cups in hand. He filled up the cup and handed it to my sister, and we had Chana propped up to the Mechitza and stretched out her hand in the space under its window. Rabbi Groner instructed her, “Say L’Chaim to the Rebbe!” Chana said “L’Chaim” and the Rebbe looked at her, nodded his head and responded, “L’Chaim V’Livracha!” We then helped Chana make a Bracha Hagofen and she drank the L’Chaim. After that, I noticed all the fathers come running in with their little ones who all made a L’Chaim to the Rebbe.

Later I found out that at that Farbrengen, the Rebbe explained the unique power of children as he explained the pasuk of “מפי עוללים ויונקים יסדת עוז למען צוררך להשבית אויב ומתנקם. I remember feeling very proud and special to be the one to present my sister as the first child saying L’Chaim to the Rebbe that day, inaugurating the concept of מפי עוללים.

For the rest of the summer, at every single Farbrengen, the Rebbe spoke passionately about . מפי עוללים and requested that we make gatherings with children where they give Tzedaka and say words of Torah and Tefilla. I felt a personal connection to this new mivtza because when I was 7 years old, my mother Mrs. Levertov (may she be live and be well) had started a project in the country that summer where all boys learn Mishnayos Baal Peh and all girls learn Tehillim by heart. Being 7, my Kapital had been Ches which has the פסוק “מפי עוללים ויונקים יסדת עוז למען צוררך להשבית אויב ומתנקם”. My mother had given me a prize for learning it by heart, a tiny Tehillim which I greatly treasured. So מפי עוללים was my פסוק!

A few months later the Yom Kippur war broke out. The Rebbe kept speaking about מפי עוללים again and again and reiterating that it is the Torah words of the children that will make us win the war. The war was a difficult one with unfortunately many casualties. Suddenly there was a significant turn for the better, until we finally were victorious. The Rebbe confirmed that it was because of the children’s Torah Tefilla and Tzedaka that we had a victory. The Rebbe stated that in the summer he did not know why he had this hisorirus for מפי עוללים ויונקים and now he knows why. It was to win the war.

Fast forward exactly 50 years later.

Simchas Torah 5784
We had just experienced a beautiful Tishrei here in 770. The awe inspiring Yomim Noraim, the joyous celebrations of Sukkos. Nights of joyous dancing, thousands of orchim, the culmination of an amazing Hakhel year. We could feel the excitement, the achdus on Hoshana Rabba. And then, on Shmini Atzeres, the news came in. Tragic, devastating.

We knew what the Rebbe would want. Carry on with the simcha, simcha will win the war. With a pit in our stomachs, we tried our best to rejoice. Since Yom Tov, with the directives of the Rebbe in mind, every Chossid began doing his part to fight this battle in whatever spiritual ways possible, davening, Tehillim, mivtzaim, doing mitzvos, uniting.

During this time I kept thinking about that Shabbos in 1973. It is now 50 years later. 50 years after the Yom Kippur war. מפי עוללים ויונקים. The Rebbe gave us this message. How many times did the Rebbe turn to the children to change the world? In so many situations where the Yidden were in distress, the Rebbe gathered the children to conquer the enemies, explaining to our little soldiers how they are the real soldiers in a real war, the war of Hashem.

I was there for a reason that Shabbos with my sister Chana. I needed to do something about this. This is the key to winning this war. I got into a frenzy and spoke about this topic on Yom Tov to the Israeli guests in Shul, to my family members, to everyone I met. I joined my daughter in law in her daily Chitas Hakhels with my grandchildren. Together with two other women, we began a weekly children’s rally on our block. And one day I was in the park watching my grandchild. I saw all these parents coming with their children and pondered, “How can I get these kids to come together for a rally?” I thought about the rolling Round the clock Tehillim groups starting all over on Whatsapps. Yes! That’s what we should do! Round the clock rallies!

Today the world of Lubavitch and Shluchim around the world has multiplied exponentially. We have Tzivos Hashem all around the globe, Hebrew Schools, Release Time, CKids. We can reach kids everywhere, and we can have rallies around the clock.

So in conjunction with Tzivos Hashem we started Rallies Around the Clock.

Let us rally our children from the age of birth onwards to participate in Torah Tefilla and Tzedakah! Our children’s Tefillos are the most powerful ammunition! It’s easier than you think! Simply round up your own children, or any children you know, in person, on the phone or on zoom, and have them shout out the 12 pesukim, repeat some pesukim of Tehillim as you recite one word at a time, give some tzedakah, and sing a song like “We want Moshiach now!” or “Utzu Eitza”, and before you know it, you just made a rally.

If each one of us takes a 15-minute slot to create a children’s “rally”, we can fill up the time slots fast. Don’t worry to double up with another family; the more the better. We need to get the ball rolling and have our little soldiers protect our nation 24-7! We have a dark enemy facing us, but our children will win this war!

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