The sixty-second lesson in the chain of the generations, in the history of the Rebbe's life - part 22. We are at the year 5727.
"5727 - He announces that this year is the year of Hakhel, and in connection with this he arouses people to "gather in" all the discourses of our Rebbeim, the leaders of Chabad" At the farbrengen of Shabbos Bereishis 5727 the Rebbe spoke at great length about the meaning of the year of Hakhel. When the Beis Hamikdash stood, all of the Jewish people would come, as is known, on the festival of Sukkos, to hear words of Torah from the mouth of the king. The Rebbe spoke about the fact that today too, when the Beis Hamikdash has not yet been built, there is a "remembrance of Hakhel", and it can be fulfilled even after the time of Sukkos - for the year of Hakhel is an entire year, throughout which there is a special empowerment for the matter of Hakhel.
Afterwards, on Shabbos Noach, the Rebbe spoke about the fact that Hakhel is not only a gathering of people, but there is Hakhel in relation to Torah as well: to collect and gather all the customs connected with halachic rulings, and to collect and gather the writings of chassidus, the letters, the notes and the sichos.
Toward the end of the year, on the Shabbos when the month of Menachem Av is blessed, the Rebbe returned to this point: that one must gather the seforim and the writings of our Rebbeim and of the teachings of chassidus, to collect them from whoever has them in hand, and to occupy oneself with proofreading them and arranging them for print. The Rebbe thus introduced the concept that Hakhel applies in many areas - not only regarding people, but also in all matters of Torah.
"He founds a large yeshivah in Melbourne, Australia" After the World War ended, the Rebbe Rayatz sent a small group of six chassidim to Australia. In the month of Cheshvan 5710 they opened a branch of a yeshivah there, which had a total of three students, but the yeshivah did not hold up for long and closed after a few years; from then on they invested more in institutions for a younger age - kindergarten, cheder and the like.
In 5726 they began to establish the yeshivah anew, and in the month of Adar Rishon 5727 the Rebbe sent a group of about seventy bochurim to go and study for two years in the yeshivah in Melbourne - something that gave the yeshivah a most significant strengthening. Therefore the founding of the yeshivah is attributed here to the year 5727, with the sending of the first group of shluchim. Over the years this repeated itself, and each time groups of bochurim were sent - always for two years, during which they could not return home, so that they would invest their entire selves in the yeshivah.
"He begins a campaign regarding "Mivtza Tefillin"" A few days before the Six Day War, on the Shabbos when Sivan is blessed, the Rebbe turned and gave an instruction to go out and give Jews the merit of putting on tefillin, and he connected the mitzvah of tefillin with victory over the enemies who rise against us. Of course, the campaign was not only for that moment: it went on and expanded, and it continues to this very day in every single place - with its beginning close to the Six Day War and in connection with it.
"He renews the shul named after the Rebbe the "Tzemach Tzedek" in Yerushalayim, the Old City of the Holy City, may it be built and established" In the Old City there stands an ancient shul that survived all the periods of fighting and was not destroyed, called "the Tzemach Tzedek Shul". The shul was founded in 5639, and at first it was called by a different name - "Kenesses Eliyahu", after the donors; in 5688 its name was changed and it was called "Tzemach Tzedek". During the years when the Jordanians ruled, and people could not reach the Kosel and the Old City, they could not reach the shul either.
In the Six Day War, when returning to the place became possible, this shul too was redeemed, and the Rebbe worked a great deal to have the place renovated and renewed. At the farbrengen of 12 Tammuz 5727 the Rebbe mentioned that they had begun praying in the shul, and he aroused people to restore it to its former glory. And in an interesting expression it was said that this shul is a communal asset - an estate of the chassidim and of anash throughout the world, the portion of every chassid in Yerushalayim. The Rebbe attributed very great importance to this, and to this day there is a regular Chabad minyan in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul.
"He begins the struggle against returning the "territories" (which were returned to the hands of Israel in the Six Day War)" The Six Day War ended with a crushing victory for the Jewish people: in its course Yerushalayim and Yehudah and Shomron were liberated from the hands of the Jordanians, the Golan Heights from the Syrians, and the Sinai Peninsula from the Egyptians. But on the other hand, out of a falling of spirit, immediately at the war's end elements began to gain strength who claimed that the territories must be returned to the Arabs in exchange for peace - as if peace would grow from that.
And already then the Rebbe came out very forcefully with an extremely large campaign against the feeling of inferiority before the nations and against the desire to give back. And as we can say today, after it has become known that no concession of any territory ever brought any peace, and on the contrary - it brought upon us only all the troubles and all the great disasters. About this the Rebbe spoke already immediately after the Six Day War.
"In connection with the completion of forty years since the redemption of 12-13 Tammuz (5687 - 5727) - he announces a charity campaign in the number "forty"" 12 Tammuz is the day of the redemption of the previous Rebbe, who was released from his imprisonment in 5687, and in the year 5727 forty years since the redemption were completed. At the farbrengen of 12 Tammuz the Rebbe said that generally a campaign is held for the institutions named after the one who was redeemed, such as the "Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak" network; and since now forty years had been completed since the redemption of the previous Rebbe, it is fitting and proper to give charity in the sum of forty at the very least, and whoever gives more is praiseworthy. With this we have concluded the year 5727.
"5728 - He arouses regarding the obligation upon the Jews of the United States to utilize the country's influence over the entire world in matters of education" These things were said at the farbrengen of 19 Kislev 5728. The Rebbe spoke about the fact that all the eyes of the world are turned to America, since from it comes the influence of money and finance to the whole world; and since all eyes are turned to it for material influence, spiritual influence can also come from it. The way they conduct themselves in America in spiritual matters of education will have an influence on the young generation in the entire world, and everyone will look at how it is done in America.
The Rebbe spoke about the fact that the women in the country have a special power, since they are called "the mainstay of the home", and it is in their power to determine matters of education. And when the Jewish women in the United States invest in the education of the children in the United States, this will have an effect and an influence on the entire world - for what is done in America has an influence on the whole world. This is the point about which the Rebbe spoke in 5728.