"The Rebbe’s face was Beaming with Joy"

This year marks thirty years to a very memorable Simchas Torah with the Rebbe and a subsequent year blessed with many interesting and joyful events. The Avner Institute is pleased to present a “glimpse” of hakafos with the Rebbe from that year. The material is taken from Zalman Jaffe’s “My Encounter with the Rebbe, Volume 3” currently being prepared for print (www.myencounter.com).

We have included some wonderful photos of the Rebbe, courtesy of The Rebbe Archive.

Good Yom Tov.
Menachem.


Hakofohs With the Rebbe:

"We had by now reached the seventh hakofah. The gabai then announced that all those men who had been honored and privileged to take part in the first hakofah should now come forward for a sefer Torah and participate in the last round.

I did not relish another “fiasco” as at the first hakofah, besides which I would rather watch the Rebbe dancing with the Rashag, a scene I had not been able to witness before.

Standing on the platform, where I was now joined by another hundred people, I could just about see the Rebbe and the heads of those men who were carrying the sifrei Torah. The Rebbe had reached the small platform for the dancing, and I was preparing to enjoy a spectacle to which I had been looking forward since I had left Manchester, when –

WHOOSH! Everyone stood up on the edge of the platform in order to obtain a better view. All I could see was – once again – a solid wall of people’s backs. Some of my more athletic friends had pity on me. One, putting his left arm around a pillar and his right arm around my waist, yanked me upwards, so that my feet were resting on another friend’s neck. In this way, I could just manage to see through a gap.

I saw the Rebbe dancing with his brother-in-law. A small sefer Torah was held on each right shoulder, and each left hand rested on the left shoulder of the other. They danced round and round, even faster, the Rebbe forcing the pace all the time. Looking down, all I could see was what looked like a thick black carpet, moving up and down with quick rhythmical movements. From every pillar in the hall which supported the roof and ceiling hung four or five boys. They resembled palm trees with hanging bunches of coconuts or clusters or dates"

Kos Shel Bracha:

"Ma’ariv took place at 12:30 a.m. After midnight, the Rebbe made havdolah, drank a major portion of the wine, refilled the becher (glass), and commenced the distribution of kos shel brocha. When the glass become only a quarter full, someone would top the becher up again – and so it went on – all night. There was always some of the original havdalah wine remaining in the glass.

The Rebbe’s face was beaming and a happy smile lit up his whole countenance in anticipation of handing out the wine. It was beautiful to behold.

It was then my turn to receive my rations. The Rebbe poured me the wine into my paper cup and handed me, also, a small bottle of vodka. I thanked him profusely for everything and wished him well, with plenty of good health, and hoped, please G-d, to see the Rebbe next year at Simchas Torah. The Rebbe observed, “It will be even better next time,” and added, “You will be able to write about it in your diary.” (This was indeed great encouragement.)

The Rebbe’s face was beaming and a happy smile lit up his whole countenance in anticipation of handing out the wine. It was beautiful to behold.

It was then my turn to receive my rations. The Rebbe poured me the wine into my paper cup and handed me, also, a small bottle of vodka. I thanked him profusely for everything and wished him well, with plenty of good health, and hoped, please G-d, to see the Rebbe next year at Simchas Torah. The Rebbe observed, “It will be even better next time,” and added, “You will be able to write about it in your diary.” (This was indeed great encouragement.)