English translation — שיחה לילדי "צבאות השם" שיחיו בבית הכנסת, אחרי תפלת מנחה - יום ג' פ' נשא, י' סיון ה'תשמ"ב.

They recited the twelve verses and the sayings of our Sages¹.

Afterwards they sang "We Want Moshiach Now"².

This gathering now is in the days after the Festival of Shavuot,

the time of the giving of our Torah,

and accordingly it is understood that it is in the spirit of the festival.

On this festival, all Jewish souls and all Jews in particular gather together to hear the reading of the Torah,

the Ten Commandments,

for just as it was the first time at the giving of the Torah,

when the entire Jewish people and all the souls of all generations

heard the Ten Commandments from the Almighty Himself –

so too afterwards, in every year at the time of the giving of our Torah,

when we read the Ten Commandments in the holy Torah,

one must imagine

that the one who reads the Torah,

the Ten Commandments,

does so with the power and as an agent of the Almighty,

in order to renew again with new strength and with new vitality and with new light the hearing and the acceptance of all the Ten Commandments,

and afterwards to take with them the strength and power and light for every day of the entire year.

This was specifically said to Jewish children,

who are "our guarantors"³ –

they were the guarantors in whose merit the Torah was given to all Jews,

That is, through the promise that Jewish children will conduct themselves as it is written in the Ten Commandments and in the Torah that comes after and before the Ten Commandments,

since the Almighty believed that surely every Jewish child and all Jewish children will conduct themselves thus,

therefore He said the Ten Commandments and gave the entire Torah to the Jewish people and to every Jew until the end of all generations.

If this is so regarding every Jewish child,

then surely this is so regarding all those who are in "Tzivos Hashem",

who were certainly present at the Torah reading of the Ten Commandments and at the prayers in general,

and listened and hearkened and absorbed within themselves that which was read in the Ten Commandments,

and with a resolution to take this with them for every day of the entire year,

so that it should be evident in their deeds and in their speech and in their heart,

in their thoughts,

and in a manner as you just said⁴ that "the matter is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it"⁵,

which is especially when one comes from the time of the giving of our Torah,

then the "the matter is very near to you" is even greater in all these matters of "in your mouth and in your heart" and "to do it",

And as said earlier, this hearing of the Ten Commandments is in a manner that it should influence their conduct throughout the entire year.

A special emphasis is added to this,

when one gathers together afterwards and then one sees how one relates to another in a manner of "love your fellow as yourself"⁶,

which is indeed "a great principle in the Torah"⁷,

with love and with respect one for another –

through which the "the matter is very near to you" becomes even greater,

and in a manner of joy,

as you just said⁴ "Yisrael rejoices in its Maker"⁸,

that each one of you rejoices with the Almighty,

and accordingly he rejoices with His Torah which He gave at the time of the giving of our Torah this year anew,

and with even more strength,

and one also influences this upon "your fellow",

upon friends,

that it should be so with them as well.

A more special emphasis in this –

when one has a letter in one of the general Torah scrolls,

for then the connection with the letter in the Torah that belongs to you is renewed openly at the time of the giving of our Torah⁹,

and this also gives you the power to influence yourselves even more strongly in waging war and vanquishing the evil inclination,

and to help those around you

(a boy –

all the boys around him,

and a girl –

all the girls around her),

and also to ask the parents that they should do more in Torah and mitzvos "in your mouth and in your heart, to do it",

until this has an effect on the entire world,

that the Almighty's blessings should be evident in the world,

for He created the entire world as you just said,

"In the beginning, Hashem created the heavens and the earth"¹⁰.

Even though we are still in exile,

that Moshiach has not yet come,

one can still ask with what power will one overcome the exile and prepare to receive Moshiach "now" –

The Ten Commandments immediately begin with "I am Hashem your God, who took you out of the land of Egypt"¹¹:

Right at the beginning, the Almighty says to every Jew and to every child and especially to the children of "Tzivos Hashem",

that each one of you should know that "I am Hashem your God"¹²,

that the Almighty says about Himself,

that He is your God and your strength,

"who took you out of the land of Egypt" that I Myself took you out of exile,

from the land of Egypt,

which gives the certainty also in the present exile,

since when one goes with the "commander-in-chief",

with the Almighty Himself,

who took us out of Egypt today¹³,

as you just said¹⁴ that "a person is obligated to see himself as if he went out

(today)

of Egypt" –

then surely He will also take out each one of you and each one of us and the entire Jewish people from the present exile,

and it will be Moshiach "now",

and we will all go together to greet Moshiach our righteousness,

and with him together –

go to the Holy Land,

and there in Jerusalem, the holy city,

and there itself in the Holy Temple,

and do all these things with a joy of "Yisrael rejoices in its Maker"

(as said earlier),

which will bring the joy of the Almighty,

of "Hashem rejoices in His works"¹⁵,

And since the Almighty receives even more joy, as it were, through the joy and through the conduct of you,

it is therefore understood that He gives even more blessings to each one of you and to the entire family,

and through you –

to the entire Jewish people,

and through this to the heavens and the earth and "the heavens and the earth"

(including their offspring¹⁶).

And all together,

every child and all children,

every adult and all adults –

the completeness of the people,

go in health and in happiness,

together with the completeness of the Torah,

for one has utilized the "the matter is very near to you" to learn even more Torah and to do even more mitzvos,

and to think even more good thoughts,

and one then comes to the Holy Land

(as above)

in the completeness of the land,

that it is entirely within its borders,

and one merits to see "the upright will dwell in Your presence"¹⁷ –

to be among those righteous and upright who will see Your presence in the Holy Temple, speedily in our days, literally,

"now".

The Baal Shem Tov said¹⁸ that in every thing there is a lesson, not only in general but also from every detail,

and so too in our matter,

that in addition to the general lesson mentioned above from the fact that this gathering is in the days that follow the Festival of Shavuot,

there is a special lesson from the fact that in these very days it is the tenth day of the month of Sivan,

and the third day of the week.

What is the lesson for each one of "Tzivos Hashem" as well as for each one of the Jewish people.

The lesson from the fact that the gathering takes place on the third day of the week:

It has been mentioned several times in connection with the third day of the week,

that regarding the third day of the act of Creation, the Torah states¹⁹ twice "that it was good",

which is connected²⁰ with "good for heaven and good for the creations"²¹.

The meaning of this in service –

that one is good in fulfilling all the commands of the Almighty,

through which one makes the Almighty rejoice,

"Hashem rejoices in His works",

and one also does good to the creations by fulfilling "love your fellow as yourself",

through which one also makes,

by way of distinction,

every Jew around him happy and "happy".

This is the special emphasis and special power that is given from the fact that one gathers together on the third day of the week,

that one renews the resolution of "love your fellow as yourself",

and also the resolution of "Shema Yisrael"²² and of "it is near to you",

to make the Almighty rejoice also with a renewed "that it was good",

and one does this in a good mood and with joy and with a good heart.

Then one is even more successful in vanquishing the evil inclination,

for when he sees that a child and a Jew in general is happy about doing a mitzvah and learning Torah,

he loses the hope that he will be able to accomplish anything with the child,

and he knows and sees that he has completely lost and that he has been vanquished in the war,

and vanquished with joy and with a good heart.

To this is added even more emphasis from the fact that the day is

(also)

the tenth of the month

(of Sivan):

The interpretation of the tenth of the month is,

that furthermore:

One need no longer have any wars with the evil inclination,

and it becomes as it is said in the lesson of Tehillim for the tenth day of the month,

right in the first chapter²³:

"He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for many were with me",

that the Almighty redeems and rescues a Jewish soul with a Jewish body and in a manner of "peace",

that one need not have any war with the evil inclination,

because one has already demonstrated to him that one is happy and joyful with learning Torah and fulfilling mitzvos.

And all his advice and words will be "take counsel and it will be foiled" and "speak a word and it will not stand" because "for God is with us"²⁴,

because we have the Almighty with us,

then the victory and the redemption "from the battle that was against me" comes,

that one need not have any wars with him at all,

rather this is in a manner of peace.

As said, this is the special lesson of the tenth day of the month.

May it be His will that each one of you should carry out in such a manner his good and firm resolutions in every day of the coming year.

Accordingly, this will be a year of "He redeemed my soul in peace" for the entire Jewish people,

that the Almighty will take out in a manner of peace every Jew and all Jews from exile,

and we will all go together

(as mentioned earlier)

to the Holy Land, to Jerusalem the holy city, and to the Holy Temple,

which is the Holy Temple that "Your hands established"²⁵,

which the Almighty Himself built²⁶,

and there will be

(as mentioned earlier)

"only the righteous will give thanks to Your name" that each one of you and each one of the Jewish people,

(for "Your people are all righteous"²⁷,

as you just said)

will praise the Almighty in a manner of rejoicing,

and it will be "the upright will dwell in Your presence",

in the Holy Temple,

"the Sanctuary, Hashem, Your hands established",

and in a manner of "now", literally.

There is yet another lesson from the verse "He redeemed in peace":

The Torah interprets²⁸,

that how does one bring about "He redeemed in peace" –

through the fact that every Jew and all Jews do the three things of "one who engages in Torah, in acts of kindness, and prays with the community" –

"Whoever engages in Torah, in acts of kindness, and prays with the community, I consider it as if he redeemed Me and My children from among the nations of the world",

That is, when one learns Torah as it should be,

with engagement,

and one engages in acts of kindness,

which is the matter of charity,

and one prays with the community,

one prays as it should be in a synagogue with the community –

then the "He redeemed in peace" occurs,

one is taken out of exile.

For these three things take out every Jew and all Jews from the exile of the evil inclination,

therefore "whoever engages etc. I consider it as if he redeemed Me and My children from among the nations of the world",

when he does these three things he takes out his Godly soul,

together with his body,

together with all those around him who pray and learn and give charity with him,

from the exile of the evil inclination,

This is compared and is additional to the "He redeemed me",

that the Almighty redeems every Jew and all Jews

(as above)

"from among the nations of the world",

and brings them in a manner of peace

(as above)

to the true and complete redemption in our Holy Land.

Based on the above,

since we have just prayed the Minchah prayer together,

which is "one who prays with the community",

and you have also fulfilled the "one who engages in Torah" by learning with strength and with vitality the twelve verses and the sayings of our Sages,

which are the Written Torah and the Oral Torah –

now each one of you will also be given

(through the guides)

two coins,

each of which has the value of ten

(like the tenth of the month),

so that one of them should be given for

(charity,

for)

acts of kindness,

Accordingly, all three things of "one who engages in Torah, in acts of kindness, and prays with the community" will be present,

and this will further hasten that Moshiach should come "now" literally.

And since one must demonstrate that one is truly joyful with having gathered together and learned Torah together and prayed together and now resolved to give charity –

we will also sing three joyful melodies,

as is customary several times:

The melody

(on the words of the verse)

"Take counsel and it will be foiled, speak a word and it will not stand, for God is with us" with joy,

A second melody, also a joyful one, on

(the words of the verse)

"Only the righteous will give thanks to Your name, the upright will dwell in Your presence",

And the third joyful melody

(which is also a prayer and request that the Almighty fulfills) –

(on the words)

"May the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days, and grant us our portion in Your Torah"²⁹.

And afterwards, all together and each individually will receive the money for charity,

and strengthen themselves even more in the resolution that that which the Almighty has commanded him that "the matter is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it" –

he will do it every day and all days,

and will also influence all his friends,

and girls –

their friends,

that they should also do so –

And "He will turn the heart of fathers to children –

through children"³⁰ also influence the parents,

and upon the entire Jewish people,

And it will be a joyful year and a healthy year and a blessed year,

and a year in which immediately after Shavuos one strengthens even more the preparation to receive the face of Moshiach Tzidkeinu,

Who will come "now" literally.

[They sang "U'tzu eitzah v'sufar ki imanu Kel". "Ach tzaddikim". "Yibaneh Beis HaMikdash bimheirah v'yameinu v'sein chelkeinu b'Sorasecha".

The Rebbe shlita gave to the male and female counselors shlita two ten-cent coins,

to give to each and every one of the boys and girls shlita two coins:

one –

to give to tzedakah,

and the second –

to do with it as they see fit.

Before leaving he began to sing "Ki b'simchah seitz'eihu"]