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Yud Bais Tammuz 2026, Previous Rebbe, Russia & America, Love for each Yid, R Chaim Ozer- RC Dalfin
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So good day to everyone.
Today is Yud Tamuz.
It's two days before
Tamuzb
is known in
the day of redemption referring to the
redemption of the previous
from his incarceration
and death sentence
in Russia during the time of the
communist Stalinist KGB
And for us and not only for us but for
every every Jew as I'll tell you in a
moment it's a it's a it's a special day.
So if I bring a little bit today we'll
talk a little bit about it. The in the
year after he was
given freedom
he he they the first time was 1928. This
happened in 1927.
he wrote a letter and he said,
"Not only did God redeem me, but he
redeemed everyone the shame.
He redeemed every Jew that's called a
Jew by a nickname.
even by a nickname.
And that's a very very important
statement. And that means not only did
did Hashem save my life, but he saved
every Jew. Even a Jew who all he knows
or she knows is that they're Jewish.
They know no Tyra. They do no mitzvah,
but they know one thing. They were born
to a Jewish mother or had a proper
Jewish conversion. They're Jewish. They
were also redeemed on in 1927 on this
day of Yud Bay.
And the Rebba, our Rebba would fab every
single year based Tamos from 1951 when
he becically became Rebe till 1992
in 1991. the last time that he spoke uh
at a faban about this and what was Reb's
point Reb's point was
that his father-in-law's
release was a release and a redemption
for all Giddon for all Jews
regardless of their religiosity or
non-religiosity
Because
the breakthrough
to withstand Stalinism, communism,
which sought to destroy and obliterate
Judaism,
God
didn't work. and and the Fred and and
the Rebba was very clear in teaching us
that the previous Reb was the sole
individual who stood up to to to the
communist the way he did risking his
life literally and in over the years of
research and documentation and books I
could tell you that this is a fact. It's
not a it's not wishful thinking.
Even though there have been books
written where people have challenged
various aspects
but
no one will deny
no one deny the fact that the one and
the only one who
was willing to to actually give his life
away
by keeping Judaism going, keeping the
open, keeping the mikvah open and and
instructing his to do the same was
the
bas. So even though today 2026
it's 99
right uh next year 2027 will be n 100
years since the event took place. So
it's 99 years and we're living in
Florida in Ramad Bamesh in Brooklyn
and in a sense that time period is
finished but everyone knows very well
that today once again anti-semitism is
rampant
and
the there are similarities to what was
going on in Europe
crystal and post crystal that was in eur
in Poland and in Germany. And then
there is the secularism that has been
creeping in to Jewish communities
with of which is when when in you know
when in Rome do like the Romans and all
of that. So this this fight for survival
is very very is very appropriate.
So we have to say and my wonderful wife
brought me some wine to say
if anyone would like to say
I titled here
at the work of the previous
And it's and the work of
should should not be seen as only aidic
thing or only a kabad thing but it
should be seen as yiddeskite world
jewelry and that is why
after the after the announced and
celebrated based tamas as a yumptive As
I told you in the last class, we don't
say tabas and Sunday
because the previous didn't go out mark
from jail on the actual 12th of tamos
which is shabas this year shabas because
it was a holiday in Russia. So even
THOUGH HE HAD A PAPER THAT YOU SCOT YOU
CAN GO OUT SCOT-FREE IT YOU CAN'T WALK
OUT BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS LOCKED UP AND
THE OFFICE IS closed you got TO STAY
OVER ANOTHER day
you know here when Rashkin went out you
know from from his 20 from his eight
years immediately they told him you're
free and he WALKS OUT FIVE MINUTES after
he was told he's FREE HE WALKS OUT THE
door
Russia wasn't that way YOU'RE FREE BUT
YOU CAN'T LEAVE
because of a technicality.
So he left on Yudgiml. So that's why
kabad makes not only the festival for
yud the 12th but also the 13th giml
which this year is Sunday and we don't
say so the so when gudenski
was the rav the chief rabbi of vna vna
was a a bastion a for
the witfak
movement of of Judaism
nassid
Moiser
was someone who was was good was close
to the the Rebet the previous Reb's
father and the previousb
and he distributed funds to everyone
including the previous rebba for his
institutions. So when they came to kind
of complain they said look here again
Kaba is making a new holiday
another holiday where they don't say
you know another festive day. So you
know what he said? He said by
them by the
there's additional positive energy
that's added and added
and by us it's becoming less and less.
That's because of the secularism that
crept into the enlightenment movement
that crept in into the youth of Russia
and and and of Europe. So there was a um
a a a a downturn in religious observance
by the youth. So alluded to that by them
it goes only more and more the youth is
celebrating another festival another
part another part of that's you know
another reason to to be more religious
to be more involved in in in in Torah
and by us it's less and less. So what we
see are statement is that that the y of
is for every Jew. And then I want to now
and I want to now just show you
historically how this is true. More al
more points.
So in Cincinnati
um there was a rabbi named Elezar
Silver. They called him laser reb laser
silver. He was the president of the
union of Orthodox Rabbis in the 1930s
and 40s and 50s till his passing in late
in ' 68 or ' 69 I forget now.
And he was a powerhouse, a real
powerhouse. He was a litak
and he he was
had tremendous knowledge in Tyra and he
was a sharp fellow and he was an
activist. He's the one that got visas
for Jews to be safe for the Holocaust.
He had his his his hands in Washington
on behalf of the Jewish community. His
name was again Rabbi Elezar
Silver.
I wrote a book called Kabad and Rabbis.
I found in the archives. I told you I
went I was invited to to be a fellow at
the archives in Cincinnati and I found
tremendous amount of letters and and
correspondence from reformed rabbis and
reform leaders with Rabbi Silver and uh
he doesn't mince his words. He stands
firm
and I also went to his grave site. This
is online you can see my YouTube about
me at his grave site. So the the point
is like this that Rabbi Al Elazar silver
he rolled the red carpet out for the
previous reb you know he was a lit he
wasn't aid but he knew one thing who is
the one that fought Stalin one man Rabbi
Yseph and for that we open all doors for
him okay you know there's one thing Mark
to to celebrate your Jewishness our
Jewishness
with learning and dabbing and fine.
There's another thing to getting down
and getting down and dirty. Put your
Judaism in the street. You know, they
they want to run over you AND YOU STAND
UP AND SAY, "I'm here. Too bad. What are
you going to do about it?" And today,
this message, man, this message is so
much more important. and Bar Hashem that
initi
the Israeli government and the soldiers
no one's perfect but stood up to the
enemy and stood up to America stood up
to you know people who who said no back
down and uh you know accused us of
genocide and things like that and I'm
not take making a political statement
I'm not a politician but the fact that
we stand up that's the only way the
world will understand really. So when we
talk about the Holocaust, never again,
you know, Mayor Kahana's slogan, never
again, the concept is right. Never again
do you bow down. Enough with this bowing
down because if they because we see now
look here's in America, Canada,
Australia, look free countries and and
and they and they try killing us. They
try hurting us. So the previousb already
99 years ago shared this message. The
message is that every Jew, even if
you're just a Jew by the name Jew and
you don't know anything, you stand up
and you fight the enemy. And how do you
do it? By bringing light into the world.
You don't fight the enemy by becoming
more dirtier and more disgusting. You
know, my father is greater than your
father. You don't do that. What you do
is
you bring light, more light, more terra,
more mitzvah, more helping. That's how
you overcome the en the enemy. We've
been learning in the mimemer. We just
finished the mime.
So appropriate that this is a day after
we finish the mimer and the and the and
the author of the third
he he shares with us the idea that if
you don't if you want God to not look at
your weaknesses and shortcomings you
don't look at someone else's weaknesses
and shortcomings.
It's very very important very important
because it's easy it's so easy to find
shortcomings in others and but the
shortcomings in ourselves which we know
about cuz we're not foolish we hide we
cover up ah you know big deal I'll get
I'll I'll make it up right why don't you
have that same attitude towards someone
else this is what we learned in the m
and that said that when we do that and
and and that's the meaning of what Hill
said to the convert who asked him I I
teach me the entire Torah on one foot.
So he said what you don't like doing to
yourself don't do to the others. So that
so the explains what he really was
telling him was you don't like when
people make a big deal about your
shortcomings. Don't make a big deal
about other people's shortcomings.
We discussed
how do we reconcile that with the the
mitzvah which says
scold your scold shall you scold your
friend and the gum says I feel a may
upon him even a hund times keep on
telling him you're doing wrong YOU'RE
DOING WRONG UNTIL HE gets it so the
alterb in chapter 32 reconciled this and
he and he explained that he
YOUR FRIEND. FIRST YOU HAVE TO BECOME
FRIENDS. ARE YOU FRIENDS?
You a friend a two friends can tell each
other and should tell each other, "Hey,
you're a jerk. Hey, you're you know you
you need to improve." THAT'S WHAT
FRIENDS ARE. FRIENDS are not just eating
popcorn, drinking beer, and going to the
bowl game or or playing golf or or
kibbitzing. That's one aspect of
friends. The other aspect is,
hey guy,
shape up. It's it's important for you
and friends should be able to talk that
way because when you talk that way with
a friend, you're not talking at him or
her. You're talking with him or her. You
know what I'm saying?
And this is the message in chapter 32 in
Tanya which is relevant to this whole
idea of reconciling giving criticism mus
and looking the other way.
So buyers, you're there. You need to get
the message out to all of all the litak
and all the
to everyone. You have to get the message
out that we have to look with our right
eye at another Jew and at yourself. You
could look you should look with a left
eye. And even that if you look too much
at yourself with the left eye, it's also
self-deprecation and no good. In other
words, when when a person realizes they
have a weakness, whatever it is, whether
it be whatever whatever, right? Whatever
we have, everyone has a shortcoming and
they dwell on it and they eat themselves
up and they say, "I'm a I'm so bad. I'll
never have redemption. I'll never have
this, never that is so unhealthy and so
not Jewish."
At the same time, saying I'm THE
GREATEST GUY, GREATEST GIFT THAT GOD
gave to humanity IS JUST AS BAD BECAUSE
YOU'RE NOT. It's false. It's a lie and
it's ego.
Got to be balanced. When you learnus,
listen to me. When you learnus, and we
we've been learning, you know, we're
learning deeply for 10 years almost.
We're learning,
your whole paradigm changes. the way you
look at yourself, the way you look at
someone else, the way you look at your
community. And the previous
took that another step. I'm just reading
now, finishing an article on a Jewish
woman who came from a German background,
German Jewish background, and became
kidic. She married aid and she became a
teacher in her youth like in the 20s
to strengthen Judaism at the time in
Germany. You know, women to go to the
mikvah before they have relations with
their husband and and the use of the
mikvah and and to learn Torah. And here
it is. A woman a hundred years ago, more
than 100 years ago, whatever
is championing championing the the whole
idea of women's involvement in Tyra.
This is a very important and the
previous rebounds
with her in letters. I'd like you to
show me other rabbis rebas that did that
100 years ago. You won't find it. And if
you do, you'll find maybe one letter.
He's going back and forth with her.
Why? Because the previous Reb saw that
the future of Yiddishes Kite is the
woman, the Jewish home. And if you don't
get the Jewish women to be involved and
knowledgeable of Tyra, both the revealed
Talmud,
etc., and the hidden and andidis
then there's going to be a breakdown and
there's going to be a breakup and
there's going to be a problem. So he
gives power, independence
and support
to this woman who became an aator, a
speaker, a motivator. Today they would
call her an influencer. Her name was
Adel or Papenheim
and she married Schneer Zalman Dubin
whose father Kaduben was a a coun a
consulate member in the parliament of um
Orga. He was a very prominent person
very prominent respected by all. He did
he did tremendous amount for Lati and
Judaism. So his son Schneer Zalman or
they called him Zman married Edith Adel
Papenheim
and it's fascinating because a girl from
Germany you know they were orthodox but
German jewelry you know is a in a sense
a very different type of jewelry than
jewelry it's a different you know both
are keeping shabas but one is more kind
of rigorous and punctual yakas what they
call yakas
Yakuz yeah
right and to get together withid
that itself is a very interesting story
but it happened and she became
she became a kabadnik and she
corresponds with the one who's
celebrating with bamos
and he he gives her food for thought and
then she translated
into German an article that he wrote in
Hebrew I
Yiddish Hebrew about the importance of
of bringing Torah and mitzvah into one's
home.
So he was working with this young 22 23
year old. She was born in 1917 and I
believe perished in the Holocaust in
1943.
So she was a young woman. So here, so my
point again is we see clearly how the
previous Rebuk
was all about
the the Jew who's just called Jew by
name, by nickname, not even by name.
It's not even by name, right? Mark,
there's a Jew who's called MARK DUKER.
EVERYONE KNOWS MARK DUKER IS A JEW. Then
there's a Jew that
No, he doesn't even know. Oh, he just
knows. Like I told you the other day the
story with the guy who helped me make
dominion. The first R the first Shabas.
I was in Marin County.
His name was, I believe, Brown. And I I
I saw him fixing uh greasing, you know,
fixing changing the oil or something
under his car. And I asked him, "Are you
a Jew?" And he said, "Yes." And then I
took him by the arm and he said, "I
don't I don't relate. I don't identify
with Judaism. I know nothing about
Judaism.
I said, that's that's that's another
story. But right now, we need a minion
and you're Jewish and you could be
number 10 for the minion.
So the previous
his
which means our redemption, our I mean
all of Judaism, all of Ta.
Now naturally if you you go into Slabka
or another place and say this they might
laugh at you. Let them laugh. But their
forefathers who came from Russia know
THEY KNEW QUITE WELL WHAT THE PREVIOUS
Reb did. You know today it's a world
where the youth many you know don't know
the history and they they don't care.
They just look at what's present and the
future. But it's important to reflect
back to understand the humble beginnings
and who the individuals were. And he
wasn't the only individual. I mentioned
I mentioned the sofair of his grander of
Krakow. I mentioned this
the people there were many that but in
this that that brought tremendous amount
for the Yiddish. BUT IN THIS AREA of not
running away and having self sacrifice,
it was one man and one man only.
And by the way the the his father told
him in 1920 uh several months I believe
before he passed away he said you know
in the mimer that he said I think onash
right he passed away in so in the mimer
he spoke about
and I think he said to his son that this
will help you in the future and the says
it took seven years for for him to
realize what his father said in in 1920
in 1919. 19 I rash
took him seven years to realize that the
what he was talking about that this will
help you in the future
came to fruition 7 years later in 1927
when his life was threatened and and
ultimately was saved Thomas.
So again a help that
the sh should enlighten us and bring to
each and every one of us our families
only Simus goodness and we should stand
up for what's right and not capitulate
to the uh whims of the time to the ills
of the time to the opponents of the time
and only by standing strong and being
proud and not taking a yarmaka off if
you wear yarmaka when you go on a rain
in Europe because you're afraid they're
going to kill you or hurt you.
IF IF YOU WANT PUT ON A CAP YORK
>> OR IN NEW YORK, PUT ON A CAP. PUT ON A
BASEBALL CAP. OKAY.
With your beard, if you wear a beard,
I'm just saying you're titus.
Yesterday I was in a doctor's office and
I saw a Jew who's, you know, is elderly
and um, you know, and and he was saying
that he doesn't know Torah. He's a
Bishua. But meanwhile, he he also said
that he he he's been going to classes
over the years and he learn and he gave
a look in his in his uh shelf how many
gamoras art scroll gumas he went
through. He finished. I said to him,
"YOU'RE YOU'RE THE BEST JEW. WHAT WHAT
ARE YOU PUTTING YOURSELF DOWN?" And then
he got up to they took him to, you know,
to to do some test, whatever. I saw HIS
SENSES SENSES STICKING OUT OF HIS PANTS
ON BOTH SIDES in a nice organized way.
And I said to him, "YOU GOT TO BE
KIDDING. YOU'RE YOU'RE SUCH A HOLY JEW.
HOW MANY Jews are IN HERE IN FLATBUSH
WALKING AROUND WITH THEIR TITS STICKING
OUT?"
And he's not he didn't go to yeshiva.
You you understand that? So, so, so the
only way is to stand up and be proud.
WEAR YOUR TITS OUT. WHO ARE YOU
EMBARRASSED FOR? You know, your yabaka,
your beard, your pettis, whatever. It
does it doesn't mean to but you know be
be properly dressed and wellkept and and
organized not like a not like you know
you know um a gun you know but the
concept is to be proud. So the
represents that pride of Jewishness,
another thing
>> two things. Oh, can I just ask a
question?
>> Sure, please.
>> I have a question. Is there is there an
is there an Indian to make a kiddish
this week?
>> Yes,
for sure.
>> Okay. SHE WAS BASED THOMAS AND SHE WAS
BASED THOMAS and and and and your wife
Za Tom WAS A OF THE PREVIOUS HE PAINTED
THE SPECIAL picture
>> and he and and he says that he he says
that he sat on the lap of the previousb
that's what he says.
>> YES.
>> SO FOR SURE YOU SHOULD MAKE A KDISH FOR
FOR and you should AND YOU SHOULD
MENTION SOME OF THESE THINGS.
YOU'RE THE
YOU'RE the in the I'm not joking.
>> I'm not alone. Hill is my vice my vice
president.
>> Okay. So, you and Hill together.
TOGETHER. WHAT ELSE DID YOU IS THAT ALL
YOU WANTED TO ASK? YOU SAID TWO THINGS.
>> YEAH. That's it. That's it.
I want to just say before we finish that
that when the freed came to America in
1940,
you know, he had health issues and he
came he came he was already on in a
wheelchair pretty much. When he came in
1929, you could see online in the in the
gem video of him coming off the boat. He
looks like a prince, like a king.
you know, not only is he younger, but
his his posture, he looks beautiful. You
look at him in 1940, comes off the boat
in a wheelchair.
Uh, you know, so his health was
deteriorating, but he he lived from 1940
to 1950 when he passed away, he lived in
Brooklyn. He he he lived here and he
accomplished a lot and he used the Reb
and then his other son-in-law and Rabbi
Mandel Niss Mandel and Rabbi Khadakov
Rabstein different people and Elder
Rab Jacobson Rab Simpson Rabkin
Battle Battle um forget his last name
now
they all contributed to
to make his work easier.
And this type of
activity
laid the groundwork for the Reb's work
from 1951 and on. And the Reb always
said, "I am a fillin for my
father-in-law.
I am here to take his vision and his
programs
to the next level." You understand? So
when we celebrate Thomas,
it's a it's not only his nephesh, his
self-sacrifice in Russia's 1927,
it's also his his abas for every single
Jew and he brought it to America and
that was also revolutionary because at
the time
although it was you know during and post
Holocaust
the
there was this attitude, you know, that
if you're a Ben Torah, if someone sits
and learns, whether it be a or you're a
rabbi or
all that, you're more important. And the
previous completely disregarded that he
said all Jews are important. There's no
differences between Jews.
And then he started you know that he
started the uh shabas campaign shabas
and all that the previous started that
in the 1940s 41 42 43
then he started release time and there
are rabbis of the litfish movement today
that are results of the release time I
don't want to say names but I'm but I
know okay so the didn't
just deal with his
andis
and discourses and and meditation and
praying dvening at at length. He he took
it in a way to impact the current
situation in America in the 1940s. And
trust me, Yiddish Judaism in the 1940s
was was down. It was down. it, you know,
we went through a very tough period,
rough period, the Holocaust,
you know, and Stalinism and all that.
>> What? What?
I didn't hear what' you say.
>> Right.
>> 194.
>> Right. Right. It was means, you know, it
it's it's meager. It's weak. It's it's
it's it's on the down and the freed
you know with his people and then he
sent out these rabbis young rabbis in
their 20s to start yeshiva's day schools
in Worcester in Baltimore in Newark in
PHILLY IN ROCHESTER IN Boston
you know there were 14 kabad yeshivas
that he he he started and his son-in-law
older son-in-law is Barari was director
of them under his leadership
which was AGAIN AND THIS WILL by the way
people don't know or don't want to KNOW
IT WAS BEFORE TORAH MASUR TO MASARA'S
first school was in 1944 45
started already A SCHOOL IN 1941 IN
NEWARK WITH RAB SHA BEAR Gordon
Masha is not he's off he's he's from
Newark well Mark is from from Newark
that area Mark there was now Now
>> Gordon,
>> right? You know, Reb Gordon. SO NOW, NOW
CREDIT TO BE GIVEN TO RABBI TITS OF
ELIZABETH, Rabbi Pinus Tites, who was
the king of Elizabeth who made a
yeshiva. No question about it.
But it was it was a co-ed yeshiva and
all, you know, but no question he was a
king and did a tremendous amount. And by
the way, he was from from Russia, from
the Dinsk, and he was very close to the
previous and the Reb. He would come h to
the Reb's house to have private meetings
and then when he went to Russia he did
work for Russian jewelry. He brought the
Reb gave him missions to do. But Rabbi
Gordon's father, Rabbi Josh Gordon,
who's kabad.org teaches so wonderfully
and special. His father was bear Gordon
and HE WAS SENT BY THE REB TO OPEN a
yeshiva in in Newark in 1941 I believe
41 or 42.
SO THAT WAS BEFORE TORAH MASARA and then
in 43 a yeshiva opened up uh either in
New Or I forget. I'm not saying there
weren't other yeshivas around. I'm just
saying that the Torah Msara movement
started in 44 45 and God bless them.
They've done tremendous amount continue
and it's very important. So the fadea
saw the importance of sending out young
guys from 770 and he got criticism for
that. Why are you taking a 22 23 23 year
old who's in the prime of his learning
before he marries and you're sending him
OUT AS A SINGLE GUY TO BUFFALO, NEW YORK
to open a yeshiva or to wor to New Haven
or to Newark.
THIS WAS BEFORE THEY GOT MARRIED.
Then they got married. this he sent them
as and and and they and there were
rabbis who were critical and the said
you have a point BUT THERE'S A FIRE
BURNING AND THERE JEWISH CHILDREN ALL
OVER THESE CITIES THAT DON'T THAT GO TO
PUBLIC school and don't learn and don't
know anything and we need to bring to
teach them so we have to when a fire is
burning you do everything to extinguish
the fire
I've told you a little bit about
help and
he should bring to all of us true
redemption, real redemption.
We should feel and see and and and and
EVERYONE SHOULD
not only you but everyone else in their
respective shoes make a fabin and talk
about some of these things. share with
people. Don't be shy and and and Hashem
will help that we will see the ultimate
mashia
of Mamesh. Monday we will continue
learning a new mimer in the I'll let you
know which mimer zun shalom have a great
day.