We are in the fifty-third lesson of the chain of lineage, on the biography of the Rebbe, in part 13. Today we will learn about the year 5711. What is written in the chain of lineage about 5711? One sentence is written: "On the 10th of Shevat he receives the leadership." The Rebbe received the leadership of the seventh generation on the 10th of Shevat. He says the first maamar, the discourse beginning "Bati LeGani."
Let us provide some background to this line that we just read. As we learned last year, 5710, the Rebbe strongly refused to accept upon himself the leadership throughout the entire year. There were several occasions on which the chassidim nevertheless tried, and we will see just one example from the period closest to Yud Shevat. On the 23rd of Teves of 5711, the chassidim in the United States signed a ksav hiskashrus (declaration of connection) to the Rebbe, and on the night of the 24th of Teves, a delegation of thirty of the elder chassidim came in to present the ksav hiskashrus to the Rebbe. The Rebbe took it in hand, read the first line, immediately closed it, burst into intense weeping, and said to them: "Please leave here. This has nothing to do with me." This was on the night of the 24th of Teves.
Two days later, on the 26th of Teves, large advertisements were published in the Jewish press in New York stating that the Chabad chassidim had accepted the Rebbe upon themselves to be the nasi of Chabad, and it was written there that on Yud Shevat the Rebbe would officially accept the nesius. When these newspapers reached the Rebbe, and he learned what had been written, the Rebbe called his secretary, Rav Chodakov, and said to him: "Turn to the newspaper editorial boards in my name and insert a denial notice from me. This matter is not true." Rav Chodakov, hearing that the Rebbe was asking to insert a denial, became very alarmed, and called three chassidim: Rabbi Shmuel Levitin, Rabbi Shmuel Jacobson, and Rabbi Shlomo Aronovsky. He told them and said: "This is what the Rebbe asked of me. I have to do what I was told, but I am holding myself back. In the meantime, you do what you need to do."
These three chassidim came in to the Rebbe, and they began to plead and beg the Rebbe, saying to him: "It is true that the chassidim want. We did not say what you want, we said that the chassidim want." And they pleaded and begged and wept that the Rebbe should not issue a denial. After a great many entreaties they succeeded, so that the Rebbe acceded to them and said, alright, I will not put out a denial.
The tenth of Shevat drew near, which that year fell on a Wednesday. A delegation of elder chassidim entered and once again presented the Rebbe with a written pledge of commitment (kesav hiskashrus) in the name of all the chassidim throughout the entire world. The one who handed the Rebbe the document itself was the chassid Rabbi Meir Ashkenazi. He told the Rebbe that if the Rebbe would accept the leadership, this would bring the redemption. Why? Because it is known what Mashiach told the Baal Shem Tov about when he would come: "when your wellsprings spread outward." If the Rebbe would accept the leadership, then he would surely say chassidus, would deliver maamarim of chassidus, and this would be publicized, and this would bring the redemption. The Rebbe listened and said to him, yes, but you must help me. This was already a more agreeable response.
On that same day, the tenth of Shevat, the Rebbe traveled to the Ohel of the previous Rebbe, and it is described there that chassidim also traveled to the Ohel and read out a pidyon nefesh at the Ohel for the Rebbe Rayatz, asking him to influence the Rebbe to accept the leadership. There are very interesting descriptions there. The Rebbe returned from the Ohel a short time before sunset. In the evening there was a farbrengen, an official one, on the occasion of the yahrtzeit of the Rebbe Rayatz. And on the other hand, they wrote in the press that on this day the Rebbe was going to accept the leadership.
The Rebbe entered the farbrengen at a quarter to ten at night, and began immediately with the first sicha. In the first sicha the Rebbe spoke about the need to strengthen one's hiskashrus to the Rebbe Rayatz, and said that the Rebbe Rayatz is with us, even now. This was the theme of the first sicha. In the second, the Rebbe said that in America there is a custom that when one begins something new, the president issues a declaration, a new statement. The Rebbe said that he wants to give his declaration, that ahavas Hashem, ahavas haTorah and ahavas Yisrael are one thing. This is his declaration. This was the theme of the second sicha.
This whole thing lasted approximately — he entered the farbrengen at a quarter to ten until ten thirty. Around ten thirty-five these two sichos took place. And then, at around ten thirty-five, one of the elder chassidim rose — his name was Reb Avraham Nemtzov from Mad — and he declared and said this: "The crowd wants the Rebbe to say a maamar of chassidus. The sichos are excellent, but the crowd wants chassidus." Five minutes later, at ten fifty, the Rebbe began and said the dibbur hamaschil "Basi LeGani."
There was tremendous excitement, and the crowd made a great commotion, but immediately everyone fell silent. The Rebbe did not recite the maamar continuously; rather, he said one segment, paused, and said that they should say "l'chaim." Then the chassid Rav Namtzov jumped onto the table and proclaimed, saying "with Shem u'Malchus: Shehecheyanu v'kiyemanu v'higianu lazman hazeh." The crowd responded, and the Rebbe signaled to him to come down from the table, and said that they should sing the "Avinu Malkeinu" niggun of the previous Rebbe and a niggun from the Rebbe Rashab.
After they finished the niggun of the Rebbe Rashab, the Rebbe continued the following section of the maamar. The Rebbe again paused, said that they should say l'chaim, and they sang a niggun of the Rebbe Maharash, and they sang two niggunim of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek. After this the Rebbe said the last part, the third, of the maamar. At the conclusion of the third part, the Rebbe said to sing a niggun of the Mitteler Rebbe, and then made a siyum on the six orders of the Mishnah, and they sang the niggun of the four bavos of the Alter Rebbe. They sang all the Rebbes, from bottom to top, and the farbrengen concluded at approximately half past twelve at night.
This was the farbrengen of the acceptance of the leadership of the 10th of Shevat 5711, where here it is written in one line "acceptance of leadership." But thank God, these were the preparations that we merited on that day when the Rebbe opened.