Torah Review II

This week's selection is from 5724, 1964. It's the farbrengen for Sukkos, known as the Simchas Bais Hashoeva farbrengen, which was widely attended in those years by many young Yeshivah students from other groups, possibly because they were off from Yeshivah then and it was something Jewish, Torah'dik, Sukkos'dik and exciting to do. The Rebbe would gear his talks more towards them, although still uniquely his style and Chabad Chasidus.

It's the first section, the rest will be published in the weeks to come:
19th of Tishrei, 5724
You can listen along with the farbrengen here:
19th of Tishrei, 5724 audio
Don't mind the date of 17th Tishrei posted there, it is an error copied from the original archive on wlcc.org.
You can read in the original Yiddish as well, beginning on page 39:
19th of Tishrei, 5724 in Yiddish

The Yiddish seems to be a pretty much direct transcript as well, and is unique in that it carries the Maamar in the Yiddish transcript also. Usually, the Maamar is not included in the transcripts, and they only note that at this point a Maamar was said. The Maamar would (hopefully) be recorded separately in Hebrew. In fact, what happened is that some Maamarim were lost, either temporarily and are being restored now by Vaad Hanachos B'Lahak, or permanently.

This week is therefore not as unique, as it was previously available in its entirety. Nevertheless, there is always something unique in the Rebbe's Torah.

One of the concepts presented here is that Halachah and Torah change the physical reality of the world. In this case it is in the context of Simchas Bais Hashoeva being the ultimate expression of Simcha, part of which was instrumental music, yet the instruments could not be played until after the Yom Tov was over, until Chol Hamoed. Was the Simcha of the first day incomplete? Did the Anshei Knesses HaGedola, who instituted reciting the Brocha "Zman Simchaseinu" beginning the first night of Sukkos, also forbid the use of instruments on Yom Tov, thereby preventing this Simcha?

The Rebbe's response is that Torah changes the past as well. Just as the Teshuvah of the first half of Tishrei changes the state of the sinner so that intentional sins become actual merits, meaning that the past has changed to one in which you performed a Mitzvah as opposed to performing a sin, so too once you celebrate Simchas Bais Hashoevah with the proper instruments and reach the level of Simcha which is impossible at any other time, your first day of Sukkos retroactively becomes one of that same joy.

Similarly, although "there is no joy other than with meat" specifically of the korbonos, the korbonos were not brought until the first day of Yom Tov, meaning that there was not true joy on the first night of Sukkos when the meat was not available. Retroactively, once the meat is eaten and enjoyed, the first night attains that same joy and pleasure.

[An aside: this concept is discussed elsewhere by the Rebbe, based on the clear statement in the Gemara that the Sages determine the setting of the new month and therefore which day the holidays begin on, even if reality has to change to suit their determination. In this Sicha, the Rebbe brings other sources for this.]

You may question, what of the reality? We still must judge the one who repented to such a degree that it is as if he performed a Mitzvah - if he is guilty, he will still pay. We still remember that the joy our body felt was not as complete as now, when instruments play.

The Rebbe discusses this in the Maamar in regards to Mitzvos in general and those of Tishrei in particular, that now unfortunately only our soul feels this change in the fabric of reality. When Moshiach comes, our body will feel this change as well.