Satmara Niyes

Report on the Exalted Visit and Holy Journey of the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a to Montreal, Canada - Part 7

Monday, Parshas Toldos

At about 10:00 the Rebbe shlit"a entered for Shacharis in the great beis medrash, together with the rabbanim and the learners of our kollel.

At the Torah reading, the oleh for Kohen was R' Yoel Kohn, Levi: R' Leibush ben R' Chaim Levi, Shlishi: the Rebbe shlit"a, Hagbah: HaRav HaChassid R' Yitzchak Frankel, Gelilah: R' Hershel Klein.

After davening, a "Pas Shacharis" gathering was held in the host residence for the kollel's administration and the heads of the chaburos. The kollel director, HaGaon Rabbi Yudel Stern shlit"a, spoke and expressed praise for the kollel's administration, who give of themselves for the success of the kollel, both materially and spiritually. The kollel askanim informed the Rebbe that, in light of the Rebbe's holy call to open a morning kollel for Torah learning during the early morning hours, the distinguished philanthropist R' Yaakov Zussman Sofer had undertaken the expenses of the kollel in memory of his father, HaRav HaChassid R' Shmuel Binyamin a"h. The Rebbe drank a lechayim and bestowed from his holy blessings, and afterwards distributed a leather siddur with his handwritten inscription to the heads of the chaburos and the kollel administration.

At about 1:15 in the afternoon the Rebbe shlit"a arrived at the kollel avreichim in the hall of our great beis medrash. The Rebbe walked around among the learners and looked over their studies with great satisfaction. Afterwards a lechayim gathering was held, at which the Rebbe delivered a shiur on the topic of "ed echad ne'eman be'issurin," which is currently being learned in the kollel, and then continued with words of guidance to the kollel men. Among other things he spoke about rising to learn before davening in the early morning, and praised the heartwarming news that, in the spirit of "before they call, I will answer," there is already a donor for the new morning kollel.

After the words of Torah, the Rebbe drank a lechayim and wished the rabbanim and learners of the kollel well. It concluded at about 2:15.

On his way out, the Rebbe shlit"a went down to the lowest floor of the beis medrash, accompanied by HaRav HaChassid R' Avrohom Meir Wertzberger, a mainstay of our holy kehilla. The Rebbe looked around at the spacious "Heichal HaTorah" and the magnificent mikvah.

Afterwards the Rebbe shlit"a went over to the home of the philanthropist R' Mechil Rosenberg, who gave over his property to erect the huge tent for the elevated tishen and gatherings. There R' Mechil showed the Rebbe various historical manuscripts of the Noda BiYehuda and others, which the Rebbe examined for an extended time, and he presented the Rebbe shlit"a with a leather set of freshly printed Chiddushei Noda BiYehuda. The Rebbe drank a lechayim and bestowed from his holy blessings.

In the afternoon, bochurim of Yeshiva Ketana Skver Montreal came over to the host residence as a group. The Rebbe tested the bochurim on their studies, gave the bochurim a talk, and bestowed from his holy blessings.
Later, the older classes of Talmud Torah Skver Montreal came over. The children came to greet the Rebbe, and the Rebbe delivered words of guidance and blessing.

At about 4:20 the Rebbe davened Mincha in the host residence.
After Mincha, HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Yonason Binyamin Weiss shlit"a, Av Beis Din of Montreal, came for a return visit. A conversation developed in words of Torah and Chassidus, and the Rebbe honored him with a lechayim and bestowed from his holy blessings.

At about 5:15 the times of entry to the Rebbe's room began for the members of the Montreal community, who entered according to a pre-arranged schedule, and it continued until about 8:30.

During the entry times, the Wiznitz Montreal Rebbe shlit"a came for a return visit. A pleasant conversation developed about stories of tzaddikim, and the Rebbe honored him with a lechayim and bestowed from his holy blessings.
After the entry times, a meeting of the administration of our holy kehilla in Montreal was held in the host residence, at which various matters were discussed concerning the avreichim's association, the role of the gabbaim in the beis medrash, the morei hora'ah, and the opening of the beis horaah, as well as other matters concerning the future of our holy kehilla. The Rebbe shlit"a gave various directives and guidance, and bestowed from his holy blessings.

Afterwards a small meeting was held with the morei hora'ah, whom the Rebbe shlit"a appointed to serve in holiness and to rule "the word of Hashem, this is the halacha" in the new beis horaah of our holy kehilla, under the supervision of the Rav and Dayan of our kehilla shlit"a.
The distinguished talmidei chachamim, God-fearing and among the finest of our holy kehilla, are HaGaon Rabbi Yoel Asher Fischer shlit"a, HaGaon Rabbi Efraim Zalman Margulies shlit"a, and HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Elazar Hirshfeld shlit"a.
The Rebbe shlit"a gave various directives and guidance and bestowed his holy blessing upon the new dayanim shlit"a.

Before leaving the host residence, the Rebbe shlit"a thanked the host, the distinguished philanthropist R' Moshe Yeshaya Wertzberger of Eretz Yisroel, and his family, and warmly wished them abundant blessings.

At about 9:10 the Rebbe shlit"a left the host residence on the way to the airport, accompanied with song and music by the members of the Montreal community, who bade a difficult farewell, taking with them the uplifting days full of chizuk and guidance, which will be remembered for a long time and will accompany the members of the Montreal community.

On the way to the airport the Rebbe shlit"a stopped at the office of the philanthropist R' Yoel Yuda Rubinfeld (of Williamsburg), where the Rebbe affixed a mezuzah. Afterwards a lechayim gathering was held. R' Yoel Yuda spoke, and the Rebbe delivered brief words of guidance to the workers, drank a lechayim, and bestowed from his holy blessings.

At about 9:50 the Rebbe set out on the way to YUL airport, arriving at about 10:05, and at about 10:25 the private plane took off on the way to Teterboro airport.
At about 11:15 the plane landed, and after a few minutes the Rebbe davened Maariv at the airport.
At about 11:50 the Rebbe set out for his holy residence in Kiryas Joel, arriving at about 12:30, where the Rebbe was awaited with song and music.

"When the tzaddik is in the city, he is its glory, its splendor, and its majesty"

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Report of the Exalted Visit and Holy Journey of the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a to Montreal, Canada - Part 6

Sunday, Parshas Toldos

At about 9:45 the Rebbe shlit"a entered for Shacharis davening in the main beis medrash, together with the chassidim of Montreal.

At about 1:00 in the afternoon there were times of entry to the Rebbe's room (yechidus) for the chassidim of Montreal, who entered according to a pre-arranged schedule, and it continued until about 3:15.

During the times of entry, the mayor of the city of Montreal came by. He had helped greatly in obtaining the permits for the beis medrash. The Rebbe thanked him warmly and bestowed upon him his holy blessing.

After the times of entry the Rebbe shlit"a davened Mincha at the residence where he was staying.
At about 4:15 the Rebbe shlit"a arrived in Kiryas Tash for a visit with the Tash Rebbe shlit"a. A pleasant conversation ensued about stories of tzaddikim and about the expansion of the boundaries of holiness in Kiryas Tash. The Tash Rebbe shlit"a honored the Rebbe with a lechayim and the Rebbe bestowed of his holy blessings. Afterwards the Tash Rebbe shlit"a asked the Rebbe shlit"a to speak privately for a few minutes. On the way out the Tash Rebbe shlit"a remarked to the Rebbe shlit"a that on this very spot of the visit he has for the past two years held the seudos of the night and day of Shabbos Kodesh with the talmidei hayeshiva. Afterwards the Tash Rebbe shlit"a accompanied the Rebbe out to the car.

At about 5:15 the Rebbe shlit"a arrived back in Montreal and went straight to the building of our great beis medrash for the magnificent celebration of the hachnasas sefer Torah, donated by the builder and founder of the beis medrash, the esteemed philanthropist R' Yaakov Zusman Sofer, in memory of his father, R' Shmuel Binyamin a"h, one of the esteemed residents of Montreal. The Rebbe took the sefer Torah from the donor and danced holy dances with fiery enthusiasm for an extended time. He honored the donor with placing the sefer Torah in the Aron Kodesh, and afterwards recited "L'Dovid Mizmor" as is customary.
After the ceremony the Rebbe davened Maariv in the sanctuary of the beis medrash.

After Maariv the Rebbe shlit"a went to the home of the elder, R' Meir Yuda Felzen, who had donated a large sum for the beis medrash. A pleasant conversation took place about memories of the holy R' Shalom Eliezer of Ratzfert zy"a. The Rebbe drank a lechayim and bestowed of his holy blessings.

From there the Rebbe shlit"a went on a visit to HaGaon Rabbi Mendel Wertzberger shlit"a, a dayan of our holy kehilla. A pleasant conversation took place about questions in the halachos of eruvin, and they spoke about the miracles experienced this past summer at the Camp Kiryas Berach Moshe in Canada, and more. The dayan shlit"a honored the Rebbe with a lechayim and the Rebbe bestowed of his holy blessings.

At the residence, the askanim of Hisachdus Avreichim entered the inner sanctum, where they reviewed the many activities for the young married men, to increase and glorify Torah, and the Rebbe bestowed of his holy blessings.
At about 9:30 the Rebbe shlit"a arrived at the halls of the Crown Plaza Hotel, where the magnificent "Chanukas Habayis Gathering and Assembly of the Chassidim of Canada" took place in a most splendid and elegant manner. It was held together with the seudah of Siyum HaTorah, with the participation of hundreds of chassidim from Montreal and Kiryas Tash, and many guests who came to rejoice in the simcha of our holy kehilla and in the simcha of the esteemed builder and founder of the beis medrash and donor of the sefer Torah, the philanthropist R' Yaakov Zusman Sofer.

The chairman, HaGaon Rabbi Yosef Moshe Unsdorfer shlit"a, maggid shiur in our Montreal kehilla and son of the Rosh Av Beis Din, HaGaon Rabbi Reishis Chochmah shlit"a, spoke. He expressed the joy and excitement of the chassidim at meriting this moment, and spoke in praise of our holy kehilla since its founding.

In memory of R' Shmuel Binyamin Sofer z"l, his brother-in-law HaGaon Rabbi Wolf Landau shlit"a, director of Yeshiva Ketana Rav Tuv branch in Kiryas Joel, spoke. R' Bentzion Weberman sang, accompanied by the Zimra choir, special verses in honor of the occasion about the history of "Satmar Montreal."

Among the participants — among the many rabbanim and dayanim of Canada — were the Vizhnitz Montreal Rebbe shlit"a and the Tash Rebbe shlit"a. The Rebbe honored them with a lechayim, bestowed of his holy blessings, and accompanied them out.

The HaGaon HaTzaddik Av Beis Din shlit"a spoke, praising our holy kehilla and its tremendous success, and concluded with warm blessings for his brother-in-law, the Rebbe shlit"a, and for our holy kehilla.

The Rebbe shlit"a delivered lengthy holy words of guidance and chizuk to the chassidim of Montreal, and after the divrei Torah he aroused them regarding many matters in need of strengthening. He spoke in praise of our holy kehilla in Montreal, a pleasant and chassidic kehilla, and especially of the main beis medrash, which has become a center of Torah and tefillah, and concluded with abundant blessings for the entire assembly.

After the holy address the Rebbe drank a lechayim and blessed the entire assembly, and in particular the esteemed philanthropist R' Yaakov Zusman Sofer. The event concluded at about 11:40. On the way out the Rebbe shlit"a thanked the esteemed philanthropist R' Michel Rosenberg, the owner of the elegant hotel, who is also the owner of the "Crown" hotel in Connecticut, where several groups of chassidic Jews from New York travel to hold a "Shabbos gathering." (He had installed a kosher mikvah in the hotel in Connecticut at the personal request of the Rebbe shlit"a.) The Rebbe bestowed abundant blessings upon him, and traveled back to the residence.

Later the Rebbe shlit"a went on a visit to the family of R' Shmuel Binyamin Sofer z"l. A delightful conversation took place about the history of Montreal in earlier times, about the Shabbos customs of the Chasam Sofer zt"l and the customs of the Divrei Yoel zy"a. The Rebbe drank a lechayim and bestowed his holy blessing upon all the members of the family, and especially upon the donor of the sefer Torah, R' Yaakov Zusman, and his mother tichye. The Rebbe then traveled back to the residence.

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Report of the Visit and Holy Journey of the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a to Montreal, Canada – Part 5

Motzei Shabbos Chayei Sarah

After Havdalah, the Rebbe shlit"a delivered holy words of chizuk and guidance via a hook-up to the hundreds of widows who had taken part in the magnificent Shabbos "Oneg HaRuchos," at the candle-lighting gathering at the holy burial place in Meron, may it be rebuilt.

At around 8:20, at the guest residence, a gathering of appreciation was held by Chevra Hatzolah of Montreal in honor of the distinguished philanthropist R' Menachem Liberman, who donated an ambulance to Hatzolah. R' Menachem Meir Feig, one of the leading askanim in Montreal, spoke in praise of R' Menachem and of the other askanim of our kehilla who stand ready to help with whatever is needed. The Rebbe drank a lechayim, warmly blessed all the volunteers, and presented a silver wine bottle to R' Menachem on behalf of Hatzolah, as an expression of appreciation for his many good deeds for Hatzolah in particular and for Montreal in general.

Afterwards, there was a time of entry into the Rebbe's private chamber for the members of our community from Kiryas Tash, until around 9:30.

After the entry times, the Rebbe shlit"a went to the home of the family of R' Yaakov Yehoshua Wertzberger a"h, whose widow, may she live, together with her children, donated a large sum to the beis medrash in memory of her husband / their father. A pleasant conversation developed about various historical writings that R' Yaakov Yehoshua had in his possession. The Rebbe drank a lechayim and bestowed his holy blessings upon the widow and the entire family.

From there, the Rebbe shlit"a went to the home of R' Aharon Moshe Schwartz shlit"a, whose children donated a considerable sum to the beis medrash. A pleasant conversation developed about the relatives, HaGaon Rabbi Shmuel Schwartz zt"l, who served for many years as Av Beis Din of Satmar Montreal, and R' Asher Schwartz z"l, known as R' Asher the gabbai, who was a close attendant of our holy Rebbes of the house of Sighet. The Rebbe drank a lechayim and bestowed his holy blessings.

From there, the Rebbe shlit"a went to visit HaGaon Rabbi Wolf Ber Lerner shlit"a, dayan of Belz Montreal, where all the dayanim and moros horaah of the Belz kehilla were also present. A lengthy conversation developed on various areas of Torah, and on various interesting questions, holy practices, and customs of the holy Rebbe, the Maharid of Belz zy"a. The dayan shlit"a honored the Rebbe with a lechayim, and the Rebbe bestowed his holy blessings.

After the visit, at around 11:00, the Rebbe shlit"a arrived at the giant tent structure for the gathering marking the completion of the writing of the letters of the Sefer Torah that was written by the distinguished philanthropist R' Yaakov Zussman, sofer. Upon arrival, the Rebbe danced in place for several minutes. During the gathering, stirring melodies were sung, and the young married man R' Dovid Klein sang special verses composed in honor of the occasion. Then the donor, the distinguished philanthropist R' Yaakov Zussman, brought in the Sefer Torah and placed it on the Rebbe's table, and the stirring melodies continued. The Rebbe washed his hands and wrote in the letters.
Afterwards, the Rebbe drank a lechayim, warmly blessed the esteemed donor and the entire public, and delivered holy words on the mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah, bringing out the importance of a single word, a line of Gemara, davening, and so on, but that this is only possible if one minimizes worldly vanities and physical desires. The Rebbe concluded with words of praise for the esteemed donor, noting his many good deeds, and bestowed abundant blessings upon the esteemed donor and the entire public.

After the holy words, the Rebbe shlit"a went to the hagbah and broke out into a joyous dance with the open Sefer Torah. R' Eliezer Spitzer was honored with gelilah, and R' Yaakov Leib Sofer (son-in-law of the distinguished…) with dressing the Torah in its mantle. Then the donor took the Sefer Torah, and the Rebbe crowned the Sefer Torah with the crown, then took the Sefer Torah and danced for a lengthy time. Afterwards, the Rebbe honored the donor to dance with the Sefer Torah. It ended at around 12:40. The Rebbe wished the entire public a good week and was escorted out with song and music.
At the guest residence, HaGaon Rabbi Yochanan Wosner shlit"a, Rosh Av Beis Din of Skver, came for a return visit. A pleasant conversation developed, and the dayan shlit"a gave the Rebbe his sefer, Shu"t Chayei HaLevi, volume 11. The Rebbe honored him with a lechayim, bestowed his holy blessings, and escorted him out to the street.

Afterwards, the group of singers from among our chassidim, who had led the gatherings over the past days, entered the Rebbe's private chamber. The Rebbe spoke words of blessing, and all the singers went in, and the Rebbe warmly blessed them.

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