We are at the forty-fourth lesson in the Shalsheles HaYachas, in the account of the Rebbe's life, in the fourth section. We have reached the year 5688.
The Shalsheles HaYachas states: "5688 - during the month of Tishrei he stayed in Yekaterinoslav". Let us elaborate a little. At the beginning of the month of Tishrei, during the Yamim Nora'im - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - the Rebbe stayed in Leningrad with his future father-in-law, the Rebbe Rayatz; while in the second half of the month, on Sukkos and Simchas Torah, the Rebbe traveled to Yekaterinoslav, to his parents.
This visit was in advance of parting from his parents, since the Rebbe was about to leave Russia, and these were the last festivals he spent with his parents. Rebbetzin Chana, the Rebbe's mother, describes that on that Simchas Torah the Rebbe was unusually fresh and joyous, and he gladdened all those present in the shul and in the home in an altogether exceptional way.
The continuation: "On Isru Chag of Sukkos he travels (accompanied by his mother the Rebbetzin, may her soul rest in Eden) to Kursk and from there to Leningrad". As mentioned, on Simchas Torah the Rebbe stayed with his parents in Yekaterinoslav, and after Simchas Torah, on 24 Tishrei, he parted from his father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, and traveled with his mother, Rebbetzin Chana, to Leningrad.
The Rebbe's mother recounted this train journey in her diary. The train was packed with very simple non-Jewish laborers, and in that period the hatred of religion and of Jews was at its height. The time for Shacharis arrived, and she sees her son take out his tefillin and stand up to pray. According to her description, an enormous fear fell upon her, lest they strike him and lest a pogrom break out there. And then she saw a great wonder, which remained a wonder in her eyes all the days of her life: the passengers stood around the Rebbe like a protective wall, and until he finished his prayers unhurriedly they stood around him, and no one was able to approach him. All her life it remained in her eyes a wonder of wonders how such a thing happened on that train journey.
It is known that the Rebbe Rayatz left Russia already then, on 29 Tishrei, with his entire family, on his way to Latvia, to Riga. The Rebbe did not leave together with him exactly, even though the Rebbe Rayatz had seen to it that the Rebbe too would have an exit permit from Russia. This was not at all a simple matter, and the Rebbe Rayatz insisted upon it, because he wanted his whole family to leave Russia.
It is told that he was required to explain why he was requesting that the entire family leave with him: his mother, the Rebbetzin, his daughters and his son-in-law. And when they saw the Rebbe's name, who was not yet his son-in-law, they asked him: "What connection does he have to you?" He answered: "He is designated to be my daughter's groom." They said to him: "Find another groom outside of Russia." He said to them: "A groom like this I will not find anywhere in the world." And indeed the Rebbe was granted a permit to leave, but in practice he did not leave together with the Rebbe Rayatz.
The Rebbe Rayatz left already on Shabbos Bereishis, while the Rebbe was still in Russia, in the city of Kursk, as mentioned here, and from there he traveled together with his mother to Leningrad. The Rebbe left Russia on 29 Tishrei, the eve of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, and his destination was the place where the Rebbe Rayatz was staying - Riga in Latvia. The Rebbe's mother related that many chassidim came to escort him and to take leave of him before he left Russia.
The Shalsheles HaYachas continues: "And on Sunday of Parshas Bereishis he makes his way to Riga, where he serves as the personal secretary of his father-in-law, his honorable holiness". The secretaries of the Rebbe Rayatz still remained in Russia - Rabbi Chaim Lieberman, Rabbi Elchonon Morozov, and for a certain time also Rabbi Bentzion Shemtov and Reb Chatshe Feigin - and in Riga he had no secretary with him at all. Therefore the Rebbe took it upon himself to help and to manage his father-in-law's correspondence and all his affairs. There are letters written in the Rebbe's handwriting, with the signature of the Rebbe Rayatz; he truly served as his secretary during that period.
The next thing related here: "In the month of Marcheshvan he participates in a meeting of the "Vaad for the Strengthening of Torah and Religion" (which was founded by his father-in-law in Russia and transferred to Riga". This was a committee whose purpose was to help the Jews of Russia, and the Rebbe had been a partner in it already while he was in Russia. After leaving Russia, the committee was established in Riga, headed by the Rebbe Rayatz, and a very important meeting was held, in which few participated - but people of the very highest importance.
One of them, whom the Rebbe notes in one of the sichos as having participated in that meeting, was the well-known Rogatchover Gaon. The entire discussion at the meeting revolved around the question of what could be done and how, in order to help the Jews who remained in Russia. The Rebbe related in one of the sichos that in practice they asked the Rogatchover Gaon to take an active and practical part, but he did not agree, because he did not want the matter to take away from him the ability to learn; but on a one-time basis he participated in the meeting.
The journey to Berlin:
"Before the festival of Pesach he travels to Berlin". In the month of Nissan of that year, 5688, the Rebbe left Riga and headed for Berlin in Germany, and there he stayed in the following years - some four years. And here it is noted that in the middle of that year and until its end he met with his father-in-law, the previous Rebbe, even though he had already moved to Berlin.
In the last passage it is related that "in the summer months he travels several times to Bulduri to visit his father-in-law". The Rebbe Rayatz and his family traveled in the summer, in the month of Tammuz, to the resort town of Bulduri in the place called Jurmala, and stayed there for several weeks; and the Rebbe traveled there from Berlin during the summer, to be together with his father-in-law. His bride, the daughter of the Rebbe Rayatz, was there as well. With this the account of the year 5688 concludes.
We will open the year "5689" with the first words only, up to the preparations for the Rebbe's wedding, which took place, as is known, in 5689. 5689: "For the month of Tishrei he travels to Riga". As we have seen, the Rebbe spent much time in Berlin in Germany, but in Tishrei of 5689 he traveled to Riga in order to be with the Rebbe Rayatz.
An interesting thing is told, that at the conclusion of Rosh Hashanah the chassid Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim Althaus approached the Rebbe Rayatz and said to him: "I want to wish you mazal tov." Mazal tov for what? "Today you have gained another chassid," a new chassid - and he was referring to the Rebbe. He saw with what special hiskashrus the Rebbe was bound on that Rosh Hashanah, and he saw his bittul, and he was so moved that he said to the Rebbe Rayatz: "You have gained a new chassid."
We will stop here, and next time we will begin with the preparations connected to the Rebbe's wedding.