We are at the thirty-ninth lesson in the chain of the generations, in the life story of the Rebbe Rayatz, part nine.
About the year "5708" it is written: "Founds Kfar Safria Chabad (near Tel Aviv in the Holy Land, may it be rebuilt and reestablished) for refugees from Russia". The reference, of course, is to Kfar Chabad, which was established at the directive of the Rebbe Rayatz. Its purpose was to absorb the chassidim who left the Soviet Union after the World War, so that they would have a place to live and a means of livelihood.
The land on which the village was founded was the land of an abandoned Arab village called Kfar Safria, and for that reason the Rebbe mentions "founds Kfar Safria Chabad". In the first years the residents' livelihood was based entirely on agriculture, and over time the place developed.
The proposal to establish the village came from below to above: a chassid by the name of Rabbi Eliezer Karasik suggested to the Rebbe Rayatz that such a settlement be established in the Land. In Tishrei 5708 Rabbi Karasik traveled with another one of the chassidim to the Rebbe Rayatz and presented the idea and their plan. Afterwards Shazar entered for yechidus with the Rebbe Rayatz, and the Rebbe clarified with him all the possibilities in terms of what could be done in the Land and on the part of the state - what it would be able to contribute to this. After the Rebbe heard everything, he announced that he had decided that they should indeed establish the village.
At first there was a delay, since at that time the War of Independence broke out, but in practice the plan was carried out in the year 5709. The official dedication of the village was on 12 Tammuz 5709, and toward the establishment of the village and the dedication of the place the Rebbe Rayatz sent them an interesting letter, and also sent them a special Torah scroll.
About the year "5709" it is written: "Arouses [others] to found the "Vaad HaMesader" to save the education of the children immigrating to the Holy Land, may it be rebuilt and reestablished, in the transit camps, and succeeds". In that period, after the war, thousands of Jews came to the Land, and they were settled in transit camps. At first there were some twenty camps in the Land, containing thousands of Jews - it began with over thirty thousand, and in time their number rose to more than seventy thousand people. They lived there, but there was no meaningful educational system.
Later, problems also arose with regard to employment, since they were not occupied with anything. Gradually the camps turned into ma'abarot, but the educational system was not properly serious. Therefore the Rebbe Rayatz established a committee that dealt with the education of the children - thousands of children who were wandering about without proper educational investment. This was the Rebbe Rayatz's activity in the year 5709.
And we come to the last year, "5710 - in the weeks before his passing, lays the foundation and the framework for the work of education and the strengthening of Torah in the country of North Africa" - that is, Morocco. The passing was in Shevat, and shortly before that, in the winter of 5710, the Rebbe Rayatz founded and initiated the shlichus in Morocco in North Africa.
Immediately after the passing of the Rebbe Rayatz, the Rebbe wrote a letter to Rabbi Chaim Lipsker, who was then in Paris - he had left Russia at that time, and his way station with his family was in Paris. From the content of the letter it emerges that one of the things the Rebbe Rayatz spoke with him about before the passing was the education of Jewish children in the countries of Africa. The Rebbe Rayatz wanted a branch to be established there that would assist the Jews living there, and he designated Rabbi Lipsker as the one who would occupy himself with this - that he should travel there, examine what was needed, and organize and direct the work. This was the last directive of the Rebbe Rayatz before the passing.
"As a result of this" - as a consequence of the fact that the Rebbe Rayatz's wish was indeed fulfilled - "there were founded there, as of now", and this was written at the time the Rebbe published the "Hayom Yom", already during his leadership:
"A teachers' seminary
A yeshiva
A yeshiva ketana
A Talmud Torah for boys
A Talmud Torah for girls
All of them under the general name "Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch"". Here the matters are presented briefly, whereas all the expansion and detail of the extensive activity in Morocco is found in the book "Toldos Chabad B'Maroko", in which one can see the entire program - what exactly was done and who worked at it, most wonderful things.
This was in fact the last shlichus of the Rebbe Rayatz, and at the same time the first shlichus of the Rebbe - and the matters connect together. And this was in Morocco.
The last thing with which we will conclude is the passing of the Rebbe Rayatz: "Shabbos Kodesh, Parshas Bo, 10 Shevat, 5710, at eight o'clock in the morning, he passed away, and his resting place of honor is in New York". The Rebbe Rayatz had not been in good health for a long time, but no one at that time imagined that this would happen, and for the chassidim it was a very great shock and upheaval.
It is worth mentioning, although the matter is known to all, that that day - 10 Shevat, the day of the previous Rebbe's passing - is also the day of the passing of his grandmother, the Rebbetzin of the Rebbe Maharash, Rebbetzin Rivkah, who of course passed away many years earlier, but on that same date. And in honor of this date the Rebbe Rayatz published the maamar of chassidus for 10 Shevat, the famous maamar "Basi LeGani". And although it was officially issued in connection with the grandmother's day of remembrance, the Rebbe spoke during the first year after the previous Rebbe's passing that in this maamar the Rebbe Rayatz left over all the advice and guidance - everything one needs to know in this period is found in this maamar. It is a sort of testament maamar of the Rebbe Rayatz, the twenty chapters of "Basi LeGani" that he published for the yom tov.
To such an extent, that in that period very interesting incidents occurred: one chassan was in doubt, after the passing, whether to hold his wedding at its set time or to postpone it, whether it was appropriate. The Rebbe said to him: the answers - everything is found in the maamar. He opened the first maamar for him and showed him that at its end it speaks about a wedding, about the pages that were gathered in honor of the bride - here is the answer, and certainly everything should be done. The Rebbe related to the fact that all matters are found within the Rebbe's "Basi LeGani".