We are at the thirty-fifth lesson in the chain of the Rebbeim, and at the fifth part of the life of the Rebbe Rayatz. We have reached the years "5688-5689" - the first two years after the Rebbe left Russia following his arrest and managed to get out of there. He first traveled to Europe, to Riga.
"Arouses others and succeeds in sending matzah to Russia" - this short line contains within it a great deal of activity. The Rebbe Rayatz never ceased caring for the Jews of Russia, and as the days of Pesach drew near he asked that they have matzos in hand. He issued a public call to help them with kimcha d'Pischa, and as related in his letters and in the record of his life, he turned to the chief rabbi in Yerushalayim at that time, Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, and a joint public call was issued together with the Chofetz Chaim and with Rabbi Chaim Ozer of Vilna - all in order to arouse the Jewish people and to create pressure on the Russian government to agree to allow matzos and kimcha d'Pischa in to the Jews of Russia.
On Rosh Chodesh Adar II the permit was received from Russia for citizens to receive matzos, and the Rebbe writes in his letters with satisfaction that over the course of twenty-six days - that is, until just before the beginning of Nissan - twenty-eight train cars loaded with baked matzah were sent, along with five thousand six hundred eighty-nine packages of flour for Pesach, and cash assistance as well.
Some time later the Rebbe writes a wondrous thing: the number five thousand six hundred eighty-nine is the number of the year - 5689, that very same year. By hashgachah pratis, this is exactly the quantity of flour packages they succeeded in sending to Russia.
"5689 - makes his journey to the Holy Land, may it be built and established, and to the United States" - after he left Russia and stayed in Europe, the Rebbe Rayatz was searching - as the Rebbe said in one of the sichos - for a suitable place to settle permanently, and for this purpose he made the journey to the United States. In the end he decided, as is known, to settle in the United States, even though this took another ten years. An additional purpose of the journey was collecting and raising funds for the Jews of Russia.
The journey began in Tammuz 5689, on 22 Tammuz to be precise, and included travel by land, by sea and by train - something that was not simple in those years. On 25 Tammuz he boarded the ship that brought him to Egypt, and on 2 Menachem Av he arrived toward morning at the train station in Rechovot. In the Land he stayed from 2 Menachem Av until Thursday, 16 Menachem Av.
During his stay he visited many cities: Chevron, Yerushalayim, Tel Aviv, Petach Tikvah, Rosh Pina, Tzfas and Meron, and additional places. For each and every place there exists a precise description and diary. Afterward he returned to Riga.
In the month of Elul, on 22 Elul, he set out on his journey to the United States. This journey lasted much longer than the stay in the Land, which lasted about two weeks: for close to a full year, from Elul 5689 until 21 Tammuz 5690, he was in the United States and visited many cities and states there as well, and afterward he returned to Europe, to Riga. And all of this is included here in one line: "makes his journey to the Holy Land and to the United States".
"5694 - moves his residence to the city of Warsaw" - the Rebbe moved from Riga to Warsaw. In that same year he also "founds Agudas HaTemimim" - whose full name is Agudas Talmidei HaTemimim, known today by the acronym Ateh. The organization was established in the month of Sivan 5694, and the founding convention was held on 3 Tishrei 5695.
The purpose of the organization is that all the content the temimim receive in Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim should be brought into actual practice, and that they be given the strength to actualize all the good treasures they received in the yeshivah. The founding convention was held in Warsaw, at the beginning of 5695, in the beis midrash of the Rebbe Rayatz, and these were those chosen:
Chairman: the son-in-law of the Rebbe Rayatz, Rav Shmuel Gourary, known as the Rashag.
Committee: eleven members.
Director of the organization: Rav Shneur Zalman Gourary.
Also in that same year - "founds branches of Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim in several provincial towns in Poland": branches of the yeshivah arose in various places in Poland, the temimim united and a yeshivah of temimim was established.
"5695 - the beginning of the publication of the journal 'HaTomim'" - a Torah journal named "HaTomim", which dealt with nigleh, with the teachings of chassidus, and with relating the history of the chassidim. The official publisher was Agudas Talmidei HaTemimim, which as mentioned was established in 5694, and officially it was published by Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim in Warsaw.
The journal was published in eight issues between the years 5695-5698, and over the course of those three years each issue appeared at a scope of about one hundred pages on average. And these were its editors:
The chassidus section: Rav Yechezkel (known as Chatshe) Feigin, the secretary of the Rebbe Rayatz.
The section of Torah lessons in nigleh: Rav Yehudah Haber, director of Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim.
General editor: Rav Shmuel Zalmanov.
Today one can obtain the eight issues bound together in two volumes titled "HaTomim", which include all the issues that were published over the years. The actual editor of all of this was the Rebbe, even though his name does not appear in the issues officially.
"5696 - transfers the yeshivah 'Tomchei Temimim' and his residence from Warsaw to the city of Otwock" - the Rebbe Rayatz moved his home, and along with him the yeshivah moved as well, and the center of the chassidim moved to the city of Otwock. And why did they move? On the last page of the second issue of "HaTomim", which was published in Kislev 5696, there appears a news item for the chassidim, that Yeshivas "Tomchei Temimim" had moved from Warsaw to Otwock.
And there the reason for the move is explained: the physical place in Warsaw was too small and too cramped, whereas the yeshivah was large and numbered many students, and this was not suitable. In contrast, a spacious, good and comfortable place was found in Otwock, containing dozens of roomy chambers, classrooms, a dormitory and so on. It is described there that there was a huge courtyard there and a forest nearby - a genuine news report of all the good conditions that were obtained for Yeshivas "Tomchei Temimim" when it moved to Otwock.
"5699 - founds the worldwide Agudas Chabad" - with this we have concluded the years in which the Rebbe Rayatz was in Poland, in Europe. Next the Rebbe Rayatz will move to the United States - his final ten years - and with this we will deal, with Hashem's help, in the next lesson.