We are at the forty-sixth lesson in the chain of the generations, in the account of the Rebbe's life, in the sixth part. We stopped near the end of the year 5689, at the passage beginning with the words "In the month of Shevat".
"In the month of Shevat he returns with the Rebbetzin (may her soul rest in Eden) to Berlin - where he remains until the winter of 5693". As we learned, the Rebbe's wedding was on 14 Kislev, and about eight weeks later, on Monday, 10 Shevat, the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin left Riga and traveled to Berlin, where they would live for most of the following three years.
In the summer of 5689 the Rebbe Rayatz traveled to visit the Holy Land, and afterwards to the United States. His journey began in Berlin - first he came to visit the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin, and from there he continued to the Land; afterwards he stayed almost a full year in the United States, and returned to Poland.
"Several times during these years they travel to meet his honor, the holiness, the Rebbe Rayatz, in Riga" - during the years he was in Berlin, the Rebbe traveled from time to time to Riga to meet the Rebbe Rayatz.
And another journey is recounted here: "and likewise at the wedding of his daughter" - the wedding of the youngest daughter of the previous Rebbe, "the Rebbetzin etc., Mrs. Sheina, and her husband, the rav, the chassid etc., R' Menachem Mendel HaKohen [Horenstein] may Hashem avenge his blood", which took place on 10 Sivan 5692, "in the town of Landvarov, Poland, and more". And as it is written here, "may Hashem avenge his blood" - they were murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust, the daughter of the previous Rebbe and her husband, and they had no children. The Rebbe, of course, traveled to take part in his sister-in-law's wedding in Poland, and this is a fourth journey.
We have reached the year 5692 - about 5690 and 5691 there is no description here. About 5692 it is recounted: "5692 - he travels on the mission of his honor, the holiness, his father-in-law, to visit the rav, the gaon, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski", the rav of Vilna and one of the Torah giants of Lithuania in those years. The Rebbe Rayatz sent with him a letter to Rabbi Chaim Ozer, that he should sign it and join in a certain public proclamation.
There is an interesting story here: when the Rebbe came to Rabbi Chaim Ozer on his father-in-law's mission, he waited until they would bring him into his room. Meanwhile, those present learned that the young man waiting was the son-in-law of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. This was in a yeshiva, and some of the students gathered and began to speak with him in matters of learning - and the Rebbe sat silently, and did not respond or relate to it at all. Reactions began there: "Chassidim don't know how to learn"; after all, this is the son-in-law of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and even so he answers nothing.
Meanwhile time passed, and the Rebbe's turn came to enter to Rabbi Chaim Ozer. The Rebbe entered and delivered the message in the name of the previous Rebbe, and as he left he turned to those present and said: "Whoever has a question can present it now, now we can talk". They immediately began to ask, and little by little more gathered, and they were all astounded by the erudition and depth they heard from him.
Meanwhile word reached Rabbi Chaim Ozer inside that this young man was an immense scholar. He came out and asked the Rebbe: "Why did you not speak earlier, and cause them to speak lashon hara about chassidim, that chassidim don't know how to learn? We asked you and you did not answer, and why only now do you take part and answer them?" The Rebbe answered him: "Before I delivered the Rebbe's mission, I did not want to occupy myself with anything; I was focused on the mission" - and he did not want even to answer anyone a word. And once he had completed the mission, he was ready to answer.
"He meets with the rav, the gaon, Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz" - in that same year, 5692, on 13 Tammuz. The gaon Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz, head of the Kamenitz yeshiva and author of the seforim "Birkas Shmuel", came to visit the Rebbe Rayatz, who was then staying in the resort town of Druskininkai. At that time the Rebbe Rayatz was resting in his room, and he said that until he would be ready to come out, the Rebbe should speak with him in the meantime.
The Rebbe conversed with him, and the chassid Rabbi Shmuel Zalmanov was present there, and he related that at this meeting references in the Bavli and the Yerushalmi flew through the air; there was between them a very deep discussion in halacha and Torah, and Rabbi Baruch Ber was greatly impressed by the Rebbe.
And about the year 5693 it is recounted: "5693 - he meets with the rav, the tzaddik etc., Rabbi Chaim Elazar of Munkatch - author of "Minchas Elazar"". The Rebbe Rayatz was staying at healing springs, and the Rebbe accompanied him, and there he met the Rebbe of Munkatch, the gaon Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapiro, author of "Minchas Elazar", well known and famous, who before the Holocaust had thousands of chassidim. The Rebbe was in contact with him over the years in extensive exchanges on matters of halacha, and many times he engaged with him in his sichos, in Likkutei Sichos, in many places. And at their meeting there were discussions and conversations in halacha between them.
With whom else did the Rebbe meet? "And the rav, the gaon, Rabbi Shimon Shkop", head of the Grodno yeshiva and author of the sefer "Shaarei Yosher". He too came to visit the Rebbe Rayatz, and Rabbi Shmuel Zalmanov tells about this meeting, that in it too the Rebbe and Rabbi Shimon Shkop engaged in discussions of halacha and Torah.
In the final part here, about that same year, 5693: "At the end of the winter he was compelled to move his residence to Paris". The Rebbe left Berlin and Germany and moved to Paris. In that period the Nazi party rose to power in Germany, and many persecutions against Jews began; therefore the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin left Berlin and settled in France, in Paris, where they lived for close to eight years.
It is worth noting that in this period the Rebbe served as the private secretary of his honor, the holiness, his father-in-law. In those years the Rebbe wrote letters on behalf of his father-in-law in matters that he asked of him, and served as his secretary - even though he was not physically near him, being in France, in Paris - and he carried out for him many activities and matters.