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"Veshavti B'Shalom El Beis Avi"

Report of the holy journey "Veshavti" of the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a to the city of the Avos, Sighet.

Friday, Parshas Toldos.

From the early pre-dawn hours, from around 2:30, the Rebbe shlit"a was engaged in Torah study in his holy residence.

At around 8:10 the Rebbe shlit"a entered for Shacharis, amid a large crowd, in the sanctuary of the Eitz HaTemarim beis medrash.

For Birchos HaShachar, R' Naftali Horowitz of London approached the amud. Shacharis: Rabbi Dovid Teitelbaum shlit"a, a grandson of our holy Rebbes.

For Hallel the Rebbe shlit"a approached the amud and led the davening in the Yom Tov nusach with holy emotion.

Pesicha: HaGaon Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum shlit"a, a grandson of our holy Rebbes. Baal Koreh: HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Hersh Ashkenazi shlit"a, Rav of the Rav Tov beis medrash, a grandson of our holy Rebbes. Kohen: HaGaon Rabbi Berel Glantz shlit"a of Bardiov, Kiryas Joel. Levi: R' Chaim Levi of Vienna, Austria. Shlishi: the Gaon and Tzaddik, Av Beis Din and Rosh Mesivta of our kehilla in London shlit"a. Revii: the Rebbe shlit"a. Hagbah: the Chaver Beis Din HaGaon HaTzaddik R' Yosef Rokeach shlit"a, Rav of the Kol Eliyahu beis medrash. Gelilah: Rabbi Yosef Lebovits shlit"a, a grandson of our holy Rebbes.

Musaf was led at the amud by the Chaver Beis Din, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rav of the Ohel Feiga beis medrash shlit"a.

After davening a lechayim gathering took place, warm niggunim were sung, and the Rebbe shlit"a drank lechayim and bestowed his holy blessings upon the donors and upon the entire assembly.

"How awesome is this place"

The Rebbe shlit"a then delivered holy words about the great sanctity of the place and the great merit of the place, and expressed the feelings of his heart about the inauguration of the beis medrash and mikvah at this holy site, and with a weeping voice continued: "I cannot hide the emotions, the feelings of my heart, the inauguration of a beis medrash and a mikvah here at this holy place - the mikvah was here too - especially when I think of what pleasure my father z"l would have had from this inauguration of a beis medrash here at this place. He was the man who saw Sighet in its greatness, he saw Sighet in its tranquility, he saw Sighet in its destruction, the destruction of the beis medrash here and the house where he grew up, which was burned in fire. I cannot imagine the great joy he would have had if he were to see here the inauguration of the beis medrash and mikvah at this place."

The Rebbe shlit"a then thanked all the donors who helped build this building and expressed the tremendous merit that is theirs.

The Rebbe shlit"a then spoke about the course of events in the city of Sighet and said: "I stand and contemplate this place. Here my holy forefathers engaged in Torah day and night, engaged in the service of Hashem in holiness and purity. In this place they spread Torah in holiness to thousands of students, and 'they did not cease sitting at their table'; they raised students who were talmidei chachamim, chassidim and men of deeds. As is known, the zeide z"l said that they should write on the matzeivah 'He raised proper and upright students,' because he will not be ashamed of his students, neither in this world nor in the next. In this place they innovated chiddushei Torah, deep pilpulim, wondrous novel insights. In this place they wrote halachic responsa in all areas of Torah. In this place they delivered drashos of mussar and awakening to teshuvah, chiddushei aggadah, on Shabbos and Yom Tov, holy fiery drashos; Jewish children were aroused to teshuvah and to good deeds, souls of Israel were cleansed, and the hearts of Israel were set aflame toward their Father in Heaven. In this place they engaged in Torah, avodah and gemilus chasadim. 'This is the place where my forefathers prayed' - here they davened the holy tefillos and they ascended to the highest heavens. Here at this place they brought about salvations for Jewish children. Here at this place my uncle z"l, the Divrei Yoel, was born, who later illuminated the entire world with his Torah and righteousness; here at this place his holy soul descended into this world. In this place thousands of Jews streamed and warmed themselves by their light. It was a 'tel talpiyos' - from here Torah, purity and holiness went forth to the whole world. They illuminated the world with the power of their Torah, their service, their holiness and their righteousness for dozens of years, until the city was destroyed, until the terrible, bitter churban came and it became a wasteland. But from the holy service of so many years, from 5594 onward, a holy impression remained, both of the sanctity of the 'small sanctuary' and of the sanctity of their holy service."
The Rebbe then especially thanked Rabbi Asher Yeshaya Horowitz shlit"a, a descendant of my holy forefathers, who with wondrous self-sacrifice established this place, and mentioned favorably his brother, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rav of our kehilla in Boro Park 15 shlit"a, who devoted himself to the place, especially in redeeming the site from gentile hands, and thanked all the donors, and concluded with his holy blessings.

After the address the Rebbe shlit"a presented a gift of the complete set of Eitz HaTemarim sefarim to the builder and founder of the city of the Avos, Sighet, R' Asher Yeshaya Horowitz.

After the lechayim gathering the Rebbe shlit"a affixed a mezuzah on the main entrance of the building and then honored the donors who built the building: R' Asher Yeshaya Horowitz, R' Asher Lebovits, R' Avrohom Yaakov Berkowitz, donor of the mikvah, R' Asher Eliezer Landau, donor of the kitchen, R' Menachem Gershon Lebovitch, donor of the dining hall, and others.

After the ceremony a lavish breakfast and Rosh Chodesh seudah was served in the dining hall.

The Rebbe shlit"a washed for a private Rosh Chodesh seudah in his holy residence.

It was announced that the Rebbetzin tlita will greet the entire assembly with the lighting of candles, and that everyone should light a candle in the hotel rooms.

HaGaon Rabbi Yoel Yitzchak Stern shlit"a arranged the eruv chatzeiros at the shul courtyard.

May the merit of the Avos protect us

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"And I shall return in peace to my father's house"

Report of the holy journey "V'Shavti" of the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a to the ancestral city of Sighet.

Wednesday - Thursday, Parshas Toldos.

"For He will command His angels for you, to guard you in all your ways"

On Wednesday night at around 10:30, the Rebbe shlit"a left his holy home in Kiryas Joel on the way to Newark Airport.

At around 11:45 the Rebbe shlit"a arrived at Newark Airport, Terminal B, and a few minutes later boarded the special charter flight, where the hundreds of benefactors who contributed to the building in the ancestral city of Sighet were already waiting.

"And he went on his journeys, until the place where his tent had been at the beginning"

At around 12:30 the plane took off, b'sha'ah tovah u'matzliach, on its way to the city of Satmar in Romania.

After takeoff, light refreshments were distributed to the entire group.

In the first hours the Rebbe shlit"a engaged in Torah study, learning Gemara Maseches Kesubos.

About 2 hours after takeoff, Shacharis was davened on the plane.

The baal tefillah and baal korei was R' Chaim Heller. The aliyos were: Kohen: R' Shmuel HaKohen Friedman, a member of the Rebbe's household. Levi: R' Chaim Heller. Shlishi: the Rebbe shlit"a. Hagbah: R' Meir Hirsch. Gelilah: R' Avrohom Yaakov Berkowitz.

After Shacharis, breakfast was served to the entire group. Afterwards, HaGaon Rabbi Meir Zwiebel shlit"a, one of the rabbonim of our kehilla and a mashpia in the Binyan Brach beis medrash, delivered words of Torah.

Afterwards, the Rebbe shlit"a walked about the plane and greeted the participants of the trip, and then sat down to learn Maseches Bava Kamma until landing.

On Thursday afternoon at 2:55 (8:55 in New York), the plane landed, b'sha'ah tovah u'matzliach, in the city of Satmar in Romania.

Immediately after landing, the Rebbe shlit"a set out together with his close followers for the ancestral city of Sighet.

The distinguished entourage stopped to daven Mincha in the city of Satmar. After Mincha, provisions for the road were distributed, and then they set out for the city of Sighet.

"For the place upon which you stand is holy ground"

At around 5:15 (11:15 a.m. New York time), the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a arrived in the ancestral city of Sighet at the historic shul courtyard, the place where our holy forefathers and rabbonim davened.

First, the Rebbe shlit"a walked through the entire building in great emotion, with tears in his eyes, and looked into all the rooms and the plaques of the benefactors of the building. Upon reaching the heichal of the great beis medrash, the Rebbe shlit"a burst into weeping, shedding rivers of tears in holy emotion for several long minutes.

Afterwards the Rebbe shlit"a davened Mincha in the Moshe Aryeh room, donated by the prominent askan R' Akiva Tzvi Klein in memory of the holy Rebbe of Sighet, Rabbi Moshe Aryeh Freund z"l.

After Mincha, R' Gedalya Szeged and R' Akiva Hersh Klein handed the Rebbe shlit"a a kvitel asking him to daven for water - standing in Parshas Toldos - which is still needed in order to move into the new Vyoel Moshe neighborhood in Kiryas Joel. The Rebbe shlit"a related a story about his ancestor, the holy Rabbi Ber, the Eitz Chaim, zy"a, and bestowed his holy blessings that there should be water, b'ezras Hashem.

Then, at around 6:20, the Rebbe shlit"a davened Maariv.

After Maariv, the Rebbe shlit"a went down to his holy residence, where he engaged in Torah study for several hours.

"May the merit of the forefathers protect us"

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Wednesday, Parshas Toldos, "B'tzeil HaKodesh" with the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a

The Rebbe shlit"a davened Shacharis in our beis medrash Rav Tuv Bekarya together with the talmidim of Yeshiva Gedolah Esek HaTorah, Monsey branch.

Before davening, the Rebbe shlit"a put tefillin on the bar mitzvah bochur, the bochur Binyamin Zev Stein.

After davening, a lechayim gathering took place. The Rebbe shlit"a drank lechayim and gave his holy blessings to the menahel, HaGaon R' Yisroel Mordechai Seidenfeld shlit"a, to the bar mitzvah bochurim, and to all the talmidim.

The Rebbe shlit"a then delivered holy words, first with Torah discourse on the sugya being learned in the yeshiva in Maseches Bava Basra, and afterward spoke in praise of the yeshiva, where they sit and engage in Torah, and delivered words of chizuk.

At the end of the holy words, the Rebbe shlit"a expressed his heartfelt feelings about the upcoming holy journey, V'Shavti, to the city of the Avos, Sighet, and mentioned the tremendous kedusha embedded in the city, and concluded with his holy blessings that they should accomplish all good.

Afterward, HaGaon R' Yisroel Yaakov Seidenfeld shlit"a, menahel of the yeshiva, presented the Rebbe shlit"a with a collective kvitel from the talmidim of the yeshiva. The bochurim then came over to bid farewell and accompanied the Rebbe shlit"a with song and music, with "Ki Malachav" and "Kah Zechus Avos."

In the afternoon the Rebbe shlit"a went up to the Heichal HaYeshiva, Beirach Moshe branch, where the Rebbe learned with a chavrusa in his private room, and at 6:00 the Rebbe davened Mincha in the yeshiva.

After Mincha, the talmidim of the yeshiva accompanied the Rebbe shlit"a with song and music, with "Ki Malachav."

In the evening, at around 9:30, the Rebbe shlit"a davened Maariv in his holy home. After Maariv, the congregation came over to bid farewell and to wish mazel tov on the occasion of the engagement of a grandson of the Rebbe shlit"a.

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