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

In the morning, the brissin took place.
- For the newborn son of R' Chaim Dovid Schwartz, where the Rebbe was the sandek.
- For the newborn son of R' Mordechai Aharon Zagel, where the Rebbe was the sandek.

The Rebbe davened Shacharis in the Talmud Torah Binyan Hirsch of Boro Park together with the students of the 9th grade of the branch of HaRav HaRav Yoel Spitzer shlit"a, on the occasion of the simcha of the first putting on of tefillin of the Rebbe's grandson, the bar mitzvah bochur Elimelech ny"u, son of his grandson HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Hersh Ashkenazi shlit"a, Rav of Beis Medrash Rav Tov, and grandson of the father-in-law of the Rebbe's grandson, HaGaon HaTzaddik, Rav of Beis Medrash Avnei Tzedek shlit"a, and son-in-law of HaGaon HaTzaddik, Av Beis Din of Boro Park shlit"a.

The Rebbe put tefillin on his grandson the bar mitzvah bochur ny"u, and on the bochur Efraim Weiss.
Afterwards the Rebbe wound the straps around the fingers of his grandson ny"u.

After davening a lechayim gathering took place in the hall of the beis medrash. The children sang several niggunim in honor of the occasion. The Rebbe drank a lechayim and offered blessings to the bar mitzvah bochur, to the father-in-law of his grandson, HaGaon HaTzaddik, Rav of Beis Medrash Avnei Tzedek shlit"a, to his grandson HaGaon, Rav of Beis Medrash Rav Tov shlit"a, and to all the teachers of Torah and the children. The Rebbe delivered words of Torah on the verse "So that the Torah of Hashem will be in your mouth," explaining that for hiddur mitzvah there is indeed reward for the mitzvah in this world. He urged the bochurim not to speak while wearing tefillin, which is a hiddur of the mitzvah of tefillin, and concluded with his holy blessing.

After Shacharis the Rebbe went over to the Mesivta building, branch Kedushas Yoel, where a reception took place for the chareidi board members on behalf of the government's college program.
Upon arrival the Rebbe greeted HaGaon R' Boruch Avrohom Horowitz shlit"a, Rosh Yeshiva of Bobov and son-in-law of the Bobov Rebbe, author of Divrei Shlomo zt"l, who had been sent by the government for the routine oversight of the studies. Also present were the principals of all the branches of the Mesivta and the roshei kollel of all the kollelim of our holy kehilla in New York, together with the members of the Mesivta's administration.
The Rebbe greeted the representatives, took the floor, and set forth the entire history of the yeshiva from the day it was founded, and the growth and flourishing of its close to 1,500 students. He praised all the teachers of Torah and the tremendous, good chinuch that the bochurim receive, which greatly helps them in later years. This is seen indeed in that Kiryas Joel is a city of close to 45 thousand souls! and there is not a single criminal or shooting, and all this is thanks to the yeshiva years, in which the bochurim are educated only toward Torah and mitzvos.
Afterwards R' Dovid Shmuel Goldberger spoke on behalf of the administration, and then the principals and the roshei kollel present each described the many programs and frameworks provided for the bochurim, from entering yeshiva until after the chasunah. It ended around 1:15 and the Rebbe went home to his holy residence.

At about 2:15 in the afternoon the Rebbe shlit"a set out on the road to the 'Otisville prison' in Upstate, where the Rebbe paid a visit of chizuk to our brethren of the House of Israel who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and used the opportunity to intercede with the authorities to try to ease their situation as much as possible.
Upon arrival the Rebbe greeted the local high-ranking officials who hold the actual power to make the regulations and restrictions on the inmates stricter or looser, as well as the chaplain who handles Jewish matters in the prison.
A meeting was held with the officials, where the Rebbe discussed with them various ways to ease conditions for the inmates, asked the officials to cooperate with the askanim, and promised to work on all other fronts to ensure that they do not run into any bureaucratic, political or legal obstacles.

Afterwards a gathering took place in the local beis medrash, where close to three minyanim of Jews who are, unfortunately, sitting in darkness and the shadow of death received the Rebbe with great joy. The prison chaplain, Rabbi Chaim Shochet shlit"a, Mara D'asra of Kehal Anshei Sfard Monsey, spoke.
Then the Rebbe delivered words of holy Torah with strong words of chizuk for those sitting in darkness. After the Torah thoughts a halachic discussion developed with the Jews, in which, among other things, several tried to answer the lomdishe question that the Rebbe shlit"a had left at the siyum of the "Yesodei HaTorah" chaburah of our holy kehilla last Sunday, and the Rebbe engaged in Torah discussion with the Jews.
Afterwards the inmates had to leave the place to go to the daily count, and the Rebbe waited in the beis medrash until it was over. In the meantime a conversation developed with the chaplain, in which the Rebbe took an interest in the situation of the Jews who are, unfortunately, in prison, and in what more can be done to help them out.

After the count the local Jews returned, and a lechayim gathering took place.
First the entire assembled public sang Ani Maamin together. The Rebbe drank a lechayim and distributed shirayim to the whole public. Then all the inmates had the opportunity to go in to the Rebbe shlit"a privately, where the Rebbe personally strengthened each one greatly to be able to continue in such a difficult situation.
After several hours the Rebbe left the facility after leaving his holy blessing together with many words of chizuk for our brethren of the House of Israel who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and thanked the askanim who arranged the visit, and traveled home to Kiryas Joel.

At around 6:00 the Rebbe davened Mincha in his holy residence at Tzanz 19.

In the evening the Rebbe officiated at the kiddushin at the chuppah of the mechutanim.
- R' Shimon Yitzchok Filaf and R' Yaakov son of R' Shmuel HaKohen Friedman in the halls of Kinor Dovid.
- R' Yehoshua Tzvi Friedman and R' Dovid Eli Neustadt in the halls of Beis Rochel Paradise.
- R' Shimon Landau and R' Yoel son of R' Shlomo Weisman in the halls of Ginas Klein.

Entry times for kvitlach were from 8:20 until 9:20 in the evening at his holy residence at Ohel 19.
The Rebbe davened Maariv at around 9:20.

After Maariv the Rebbe went down to the tenaim hall in his holy residence, where the Rebbe read the tenaim of the mechutanim R' Yoel son of R' Avrohom Schiff and R' Yoel son of R' Yisroel Wider.

At around 9:50 the Rebbe went over to Beis Medrash Rav Tov in the Eitz Chaim neighborhood for the bar mitzvah simcha of his grandson, the bar mitzvah bochur Elimelech ny"u, son of HaGaon, Rav of the beis medrash shlit"a.
The Rebbe washed for the bar mitzvah seudah. During the seudah the father-in-law of the Rebbe's grandson, HaGaon HaTzaddik, Rav of Beis Medrash Avnei Tzedek shlit"a, HaGaon, Rav of Beis Medrash Rav Tov shlit"a, and the grandfather, HaGaon HaTzaddik, Av Beis Din of Boro Park shlit"a, spoke. After the soup the bar mitzvah bochur delivered the pshetl.
The Rebbe delivered words of holy Torah on the subject of tefillin and in praise of the bar mitzvah bochur, who has completed several masechtos, and wished that he be able to complete all of Shas, concluding with abundant blessings.
Then the Rebbe stood up and danced for a while. At bentching the Rebbe honored the bar mitzvah bochur. It ended around 11:10.

▫️ Satmara Niyes 🌴 ▫️