Tishrei at 770 during the Yom Kippur War
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
This year marks the fortieth year since the Yom Kippur War. I was a bachur at the time and would like to share some memories from the Tishrei and the summer preceding the war.
That year (5734-1973) 770 was extended all the way to Kingston Avenue to accommodate the large numbers of people who came to see the Rebbe for Tishrei. Generally, the Rebbe only stood on a platform to daven for Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah. That year, because of the possibility of people crowding in to see, the Rebbe agreed to let a platform be built and used from Rosh Hashanah on, and specified the dimensions. It was done on the condition that it is dismantled immediately after Simchas Torah. In the later years he agreed to allow it all year long.
That Rosh Hashanah was something extraordinary. In general the Rebbe didn’t say good Yom Tov until after Yom Kippur. This year, after Musaf the first day, the Rebbe turned to the crowd and said “Gut Yom Tov” three times with a wave of his holy hand, something that was usually reserved for Motzei Yom Kippur, Shmini Atzeres and Simchas Torah.
Anyone who has been by the Rebbe for Rosh Hashanah knows how serious the mood would have been. The crowd was taken by surprise. Someone started a nigun and the Rebbe motioned with his hands. The crowd in 770 started to dance like it was Simchas Torah. It was the same that night after Maariv and the next day after Musaf.
In the letter for 6 Tishrei, the Rebbe added a reference in the footnotes to the song of Chanah, the Haftorah of Rosh Hashanah, to look into the Targum which tells of the wars of the Jewish People and their victories. The Rebbe insisted that this footnote be publicized in Eretz Yisroel before Yom Kippur.
On the morning of Yom Kippur everyone soon found out that the war had broken out in Eretz Yisroel. During Napoleon’s march the Rebbe did not stand on a chair as he usually did, or on the steps. Instead he turned to the crowd in the middle of the nigun, wrapped in his Tallis with his face completely covered, and with his hands and his head he encouraged the crowd.
At the farbrengen of the 13th of Tishrei, the Yahrtzeit of the Rebbe MaHaRash, the Rebbe began with the question of, "How can we farbreng when Jews are fighting for their life?" The point of his answer was to explain the teachings of the Mezritcher Maggid and the Baal Shem Tov about the verse “HaShem Tzilecho”, that HaShem is “your shadow”, that is, whatever happens below is reflected above. Since we are with Simcha, Simcha breaks through all barriers; therefore, we are helping the Yidden in Eretz Yisroel to be victorious. The Rebbe emphasized that if the politicians had had their way and given back land, the price would have been much worse. Similarly in the spiritual borders of the Jewish People, conversion is only according to Halacha,. Going against this has infiltrated the border that separates the Jew from the gentile and gives power to the physical enemies of Israel. At that fabrengen the Rebbe mentioned that the reason he spoke about the children all summer was because of the impending war. He also explained the reason that he made the siyum on Vav Tishrei specifically on meseches Challah. It is because in the last mishna it speaks about bringing bikurim from Syria. The reason it is acceptable is because it’s on the outskirts of Yerushalayim.
That spring, from Shavuos throughout that entire summer, the Rebbe’s campaign emphasized the importance of children; that children learn Torah in summer camps and do other Jewish activities. Repeatedly the Rebbe stressed the verse from Tehillim, chapter 8 “From the mouth of infants and sucklings you have found strength on account of your foes, to put an end to enemy and avenger....”
The Rebbe’s campaign was fulfilled. New day camps opened, the bochurim prepared daily study booklets for children, they visited Jewish camps to help teach the children who attended. Whatever could be done to encourage children to learn and participate in Jewish events was put into action.
In those days the Rebbe did not make a fabrengen every Shabbos. On the Shabbos of Parshas Devorim - Shabbos Chazon the Rebbe made a fabrengen and gave unusual and special attention to the children by pouring from his cup of wine to all children under Bar and Bas Mitzvah age. Between each sichah the Rebbe distributed wine from his cup. Children streamed to the Rebbe’s table. Parents went home and returned with more children.
On Shabbos Parshas Ekev - Chof Av - the Rebbe instructed that all the children should say L’chaim and even the girls upstairs should be lifted up so they could be seen through the window of the Mechitza - he wanted to see them.
In Elul, and in Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, the Rebbe requested that children all over the world should participate in rallies, and there should even be a children’s rally at the Kosel Hamaaravi. On Vov Tishrei the Rebbe said that since we have been speaking to children so much, one of the children should start a nigun. One child began singing the nigun Becho HaShem Chosisi...
Four days later, at the shocking outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, everyone realized that the possuk the Rebbe had emphasized all summer and the campaign to encourage children in their study of Torah was in order that the merit of the children learning would protect the Yidden in Eretz Yisroel.
The second night of Sukkos the Rebbe made a surprise fabrengen. (In those years the Rebbe did not speak every night of Sukkos.) Sure enough, when we got to 770, the place was set up and everyone was waiting for the Rebbe to come in. The Rebbe went to his place and began to give it to the audience for not rising to the occasion with the Simcha that was demanded. His demand was for joy. He complained that people were not B’simcha, they were wandering here and there, looking at the sky, maybe it won’t rain, maybe it will rain...
In those days Simchas Bais Hashoeva consisted of farbrengens in the Sukkos. As to the question of who would farbreng, who was worthy to farbreng, the Rebbe answered very simply: If you know Alef (of Chassidus, or of Yiddishkeit in general) and the next person does not know Alef, so teach him Alef. If you know Bais and he doesn’t know Bais, then teach him Bais.
The demand was “Mol’oh Ha’aretz farbrengen es Hava’ye.” "The whole world should be encompassed by farbrengens". That night and every night 770 was rolling. Chassidim farbrenged every night all over Crown Heights.
Shabbos Chol Hamoed the Rebbe made a farbrengen in the shul, without Kiddush or food, as understood, after the davening. His directive was that Israel should capture Damascus, not to hold on to it, but to rescue the Jews there and go back.
The Lubavitch Youth Organization sponsors an annual convention during Chol Hamoed Sukkos as a way of greeting the guests from out of town. That year Rabbi Weinberg suggested writing a general Pidyon on behalf of the safety of Yidden in Eretz Yisroel.
An entire minyan was chosen to go to the Rebbe with this Pidyon, after they wrote it. When they told the Rebbe why they had come, the Rebbe said to them, “I am in Simcha and you want to put me in bitterness? You yourselves should go to the Ohel and read the Pidyon.”
On Shemini Atzeres the fourth Hakafah was for the Israeli soldiers and reservists who were there. The Rebbe sung the words of the Hakafah to the tune of “Ha’aderes Vehaemunah”. On Simchas Torah one of the Hakafos was for the visitors from France. The Rebbe went to the edge of the platform and began singing the words of “Ha’aderes Vehaemunah” to the tune of the Marseillaise. He filled the entire tune with the words, even the high parts, not like it was done later.
Shabbos Bereishis the Rebbe remarked that just as the Alter Rebbe had converted “Napoleon’s March” to holiness, the same with the Marseillaise.
After the war the Rebbe was asked where were the miracles in this war, as opposed to the 6-day war, when everyone saw open miracles. The Rebbe answered this question at the Shabbos farbrengens of Noach and Toldos.
First: In Jerusalem there are 70,000 Arabs, plus all the Arabs in the West Bank. While the Israeli Army was at the front they could have started an uprising. Instead, the Al-Mighty threw a fear into them and they sat and did nothing.
Second: The Rebbe had been in France during the infamous Blitzkrieg. Once the Germans broke through the Maginot line there was nothing to stop them. There was some fighting from city to city, but the war was essentially over on the first day. When the Egyptians broke through the Bar Lev line there weren’t even cities on the way, just open desert. The miracle was that they went a few kilometers and stopped. Later, on Yud Tes Kislev, the Rebbe explained that the Al-Mighty is “HaShem Tzvaos”, the G-d of armies, armies plural. He gave the orders to the Egyptian army that “you’ll break through the line and you’ll stop and you won’t be able to move until My children are ready!”
On the question of Damascus, the Rebbe mentioned he had been given the excuse that there was difficult terrain on the way there. He said that if he hadn’t heard it he wouldn’t have believed anyone had the chutzpah to say it. The truth is that even though Washington was outwardly giving signals the other way, the Americans were counting on Israel to take out Damascus and rid them of a major headache. They were disappointed when the army issued a communiqué and did not go forward.
Later, during “Camp David” the Rebbe brought the Yom Kippur war as a proof that politicians have no right to define Jewish borders. Only military people, speaking from the perspective of military people, have a right to make decisions that affect the safety of the Jewish People. Before the war the Army had reliable intelligence that there was going to be an attack. They begged the government to carry out a pre-emptive strike. When they were refused they asked at least for a full mobilization. The government again refused, claiming that they did not want to alienate America. The truth was, the Rebbe said, that if thay had carried out the strike it would have saved hundreds of lives. Plus, there would have been no need for American help, because the war could have been won without American weapons. The lesson was clear. In these questions, politics and politicians are a danger to life. The solution is in the clear ruling of the Shulchan Aruch, military preparedness based on the professional wisdom of military people.
B’ezras HaShem, in the next issue we will discuss, v"ht, the Tishrei of 5738 (1977) and the Rebbe’s demand for joy, then and in the eventful months that followed, twenty years ago.