Thursday, Parshas Vayeira 'B'tzeil HaKodesh' with the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a

At around 7:45 the Rebbe entered for Shacharis in our great beis medrash in the Shikun Kiryas Yoel neighborhood in Bnei Brak.
- Baal tefillah: R' Moshe Aryeh Strohl.
- Kohen: R' Shmuel HaKohen Friedman, a member of the kehilla.
- Levi: HaGaon Rabbi Yehoshua Hersh Yozsef shlit"a, moreh tzedek.
- Shlishi: the Rebbe shlit"a.
- Hagbah: R' Eliezer Palatschek.
- Gelilah: R' Shalom Eliezer Fuchs.

After Shacharis, a group of the learners of our Kollel, Kollel Eitz Chaim, who had completed Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah, entered the guest residence together with the Rebbe. The Rebbe bestowed a holy blessing upon the kollel members, and on that occasion appointed two new morei tzedek in our holy kehilla in Bnei Brak: HaGaon Rabbi Shimon Yoel Brach shlit"a and HaGaon Rabbi Dovid Cohen shlit"a. The Rebbe warmly wished them that no stumbling block should come from under their hands, and that they should rule the word of Hashem, this is the halacha, and he bestowed abundant blessings upon them.

Afterward, the Rebbe went to pay a shiva call at the home of the family of R' Binyamin Yakubovitch a"h, one of the founders of Shikun Kiryas Yoel and for many years the director of our holy mosdos, where the mourners were sitting together with their elderly mother a"h.

The Rebbe then set out on the short trip to the city of Lod, where the emotional farewell event for the Rebbe shlit"a was held in the halls of 'Shamayim Pesuchim', together with the siyum on half of Shas by the Yesodei HaTorah chaburos, before thousands of chassidim, residents of Eretz Yisroel.
Taking part in the event were the Ruzhin-Sadigura... [sic] the Rebbes of Rosslau and Temesvar shlit"a.

The Rebbe arrived at the event at around 10:45. Many nigunim were sung. Rabbi Moshe Menachem Herskowitz shlit"a of Yerushalayim served as chairman, and HaGaon Rabbi Mordechai Yozsef shlit"a, menahel ruchani of Yeshiva Gedolah Maharit in Bnei Brak, spoke with feelings of longing.
The Rebbe drank a lechayim, wished the entire gathering well, and delivered holy words of Torah in the form of drush and aggadah on the parsha of the week and on the teachings of the Tanna, the divine Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He then continued with lengthy guidance in all matters: to learn Torah with consistency; to conduct oneself as a chassidic Jew and go to the mikvah every day; to daven in our batei medrash in complete unity from beginning to end; to educate the children toward Torah, fear of Heaven and good character traits; to conduct the Shabbos seudah properly with zemiros and divrei Torah; to be careful with tznius in the home; and he strongly urged not to be dragged along after the neighbors, both in Yerushalayim and especially in Bnei Brak, regarding the matter of short hair as well as that all sheitels be worn only with modesty; to speak Yiddish; to be careful about unfit reading material, technology and all impure devices; and he spoke forcefully about the impurity of Zionism and all its followers and parties. He continued in praise of our holy kehilla and mosdos in Eretz Yisroel, in Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh, and said that it was a spiritual pleasure to meet with G-d-fearing and complete chassidim, and that they are growing in quantity and quality in Torah, avodah and acts of kindness, and "parting from you is difficult for me."
The Rebbe spoke about the bitter situation of the decree of drafting yeshiva students. The problems and the pain of each and every one are seen, we weep along and feel along with everyone's pain. He mentioned the siyum on Maseches Kiddushin and half of Shas and urged everyone to strengthen themselves in Torah learning with mesirus nefesh, for only in this way will we overcome the wicked and the decree of drafting yeshiva students be nullified. G-d forbid to make compromises or negotiate on this matter; we must stand strong. He concluded with abundant blessings for the entire gathering.

Afterward, Rabbi Dovid Weisshaus shlit"a of Beit Shemesh made the siyum on Maseches Kiddushin and half of Shas, and R' Mendel Kaufman of Williamsburg, one of the leading askanim and a member of the chaburah's board, recited Kaddish.
Then everyone broke out in joyous dancing for an extended time.
The Rebbe left the event at around 12:30 on the way to the airport, where chassidim accompanied the Rebbe shlit"a with song and music, unable to part from these elevated days.
At the airport, the heads of our holy kehilla and mosdos in Eretz Yisroel bid farewell to the Rebbe shlit"a. They thanked him from the depths of their hearts on behalf of the entire holy kehilla for the elevated days the Rebbe spent among our holy kehillos in Eretz Yisroel, and especially for the wonderful support the Rebbe brought from America, which was distributed to the poor of Eretz Yisroel, including all the klei kodesh, teachers, kollel members and others. The Rebbe warmly wished them well and left his holy blessing.

At around 2:00 the plane took off on the way to Athens, Greece, a flight of about an hour and a half, and at around 5:30 the Rebbe's plane took off from Athens, Greece, on the way home to New York.
Shortly after takeoff, the Rebbe davened Mincha on the plane. Baal tefillah: R' Mendel Kaufman.

Baruch Haba B'shem Hashem

At around 8:50 in the evening, the Rebbe's plane landed at Newark Airport, where the Rebbe was awaited by many chassidim who came to greet him. Also waiting were the talmidim of Yeshiva Gedolah, shiur dalet, headed by the roshei yeshiva HaGaon Rabbi Aryeh Dov Kornbluh shlit"a and HaGaon Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov Rosenfeld shlit"a.

The Rebbe davened Maariv at the airport. Baal tefillah: R' Mendel Kaufman. After Maariv, the Rebbe recited Kiddush Levana outside.

The Rebbe arrived at his holy residence in Kiryas Yoel at around 11:00 and was awaited by hundreds of chassidim with song and music, and the entire community came to greet the Rebbe shlit"a.

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

▫️ Satmara Niyes 🌴 ▫️