Wriitng a sefer Torah

⁠⁠[15:33, 8/17/2017] Rabbi Lipszyc Weekly Story: ⁠⁠⁠Rabbi Lipszyc's Story of the Week Sponsored in honor of Baby Boy Brusowankin To Sponsor the story of the week, Contact Mendy at 513-456-7595 To receive Rabbi Lipszyc's Story of the week via Whatsapp add the number 513-456-7595 to your phone contacts, and then send a text to with the message "Join".  My wife and I were married on Yud-Bais Shvat 5730 (January 19, 1970) two days after what was otherwise known as Yud Shvat Hagadol (the great Yud Shvat.) A little history is in order here. During World War II, the Rebbe Rayatz (the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe) commissioned the writing of a new Sefer Torah, “with which we will go to greet the advent of Moshiach.” The Rebbe Rayatz wanted that every Jew should have a part in this Torah so he requested every Jew to buy a letter in this Torah. As the Torah was nearing completion, the Rebbe Rayatz instructed that the last few verses not be finished until just before the revelation of Moshiach. He then called into his office Rabbis Shmuel Levitin, the Mashpia (chassidic mentor) of the Lubavitcher Yeshiva, and Rabbi Elia Simpson, his personal gabai, and gave them the unfinished sefer Torah, instructing them that they would personally hand this Torah to Moshiach. [Years later, when one of his former students became a salesman for a life insurance company, he tried to sell Rabbi Levitin some life insurance. Rabbi Levitin responded that he already has the best life insurance, the Rebbe Rayatz told him he was going to personally hand this special Torah to Moshiach.] The Rebbe Rayatz had also publicly stated that Moshiach would be coming in his lifetime. So when the Rebbe Rayatz passed away on the 10th day of Shvat (Yud Shvat) in 5710 (1950,) chassidim questioned his son-in-law, his successor, how could that be, since the Rebbe Rayatz had said that Moshiach would be coming in his lifetime? To this the new Rebbe explained that the generation of the Rebbe extends until 20 years after his passing.  Of course, from the very first talk that the Rebbe gave, when he accepted the nesius, he made it very clear that our generation was the generation that will greet Moshiach. As we started to get closer to the year 5730 excitement grew, that it’s about to happen, the long golus is about to come to an end, since it would be 20 years after the petira of the Frierdike Rebbe. As we entered the year 5730, we all felt that for sure in less than half a year we expected the geulah. Now imagine the excitement when two months before Yud Shvat the Rebbe called in Rabbis Levitin and Simpson and told them he wanted the special Moshiach's Sefer Torah prepared for finishing it and making a siyum sefer Torah on Friday, the 9th of Shvat, (in 5730 Yud Shvat fell out on a Shabbos.) The Rebbe gave very specific instructions. The Rebbe said he wanted the complete sefer Torah checked for mistakes and fading letters. He wanted 3 sofrim (Rabbis Matlin, Shashitsky and Zirkind) to each take 8 hour shifts every day so that they finish checking the entire Torah in the shortest possible time. The Rebbe also announced that we must get as many Jews as possible to buy letters in this Torah for just a nominal fee of $1.00 each. At this point, most everybody (not just Chabad Chassidim) believed that this was it, Moshiach was about to make an appearance, and Yud Shvat 5730 was the target date. Friday, the 9th of Shvat was the siyum. A most awesome experience! Bear in mind that Fridays in the month of Shvat were generally the shortest Fridays of the year, yet 770 was packed and not just with Chabad Chassidim, but from many communities. The program was not short, there was the finishing of the sefer Torah, the Rebbe spoke a maamar, there were hakafos, etc. It was awesome to behold how time just stood still, nobody seemed to be nervous about Shabbos coming. And it was also interesting to note how the sunbeams shining through the windows shone straight down on the Rebbe.   So what was my personal connection, (after all these stories are personal stories that happened to me.) Well actually I was personally affected in two ways: 1. When my kallah and I chose the date of the wedding, my reckoning was that Yud Shvat Moshiach was coming. Yud alef Shvat everyone would be shikur under the table. Thus the earliest possibility of having a wedding with Moshiach himself as Mesader Kiddushin would be Yud bais Shvat. I didn’t have the chutzpa to actually write my reasoning to the Rebbe, but I was definitely thinking about it, when I wrote in the date to the Rebbe. The Rebbe acknowledged that he got the gist of my thinking, when he circled the date and wrote back “bais yomim achar Yud Shvat.”  The 2nd way in which I was affected – As a choson having his aufruf on Shabbos Yud Shvat, and being a Kohein, it was my right to have the very first Aliya in Moshiach’s sefer Torah. When the gabbaim realized this, they called me in and pleaded that I give up this right. Why? Because the sofer who finished the Sefer Torah was a Kohein as well. Since the Rebbe always got maftir and in Chabad we don’t add aliyos to the parsha, if I insisted on my right, the Sofer himself would not get an aliya in Moshiach’s Sefer Torah. The gabbaim told me that the Rebbe would want me to do so, (I’m not sure that I believed that,) and they would give me Kohein on Shabbos of Sheva Brachos. It was a difficult decision for me to make, but I felt that I shouldn’t deny the sofer that right, so I agreed. To every one’s surprise the next Shabbos, the Rebbe told the gabboim to use Moshiach’s Sefer Torah for shacharis, so I got my aliya in Moshiach’s sefer Torah.  Right afterwards, the Rebbe said to put this special Torah away, and it is only used on special occasions. Support Rabbi Lipszyc's work by Donating at https://chabadcrimeaorg.clhosting.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/2511910/jewish/Crisis-Relief/lang/en or sending checks to: Chabad of Crimea World Friends, 1601 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11213