=sceshoa1 RSC Editted Excerpts on the Shoah Excerpted from the Editted Excerpts in 'The Carlebach Hagadah', (c) 2001 , Editted by Chaim Stefansky. I HAVE NOT YET CONFIRMED THE AUTHENTICITY OF THESE EXCERPTS BY CROSS-CHECK WITH THE SOURCE TRANSCRIPTS (the identity of which I ain't yet confirmed) ------------------------------------------------------------------ EXCERPT FROM THE EDITTED EXCERPTS IN 'The Carlebach Hagadah' (c) ] 2001 Urim Publications, Editted by Chaim Stefansky [abbrev, = 'book' TEACHING #___ MaH NiShTaNaH -- How is this night different -- [book p33:] It was 1943, the second night of Pesach; the last seder in the Warsaw ghetto. There was just one bunker left; there was just one Jewish family left, with one Jewish child. Until Maschiach comes there won't be such another Seder. [start book p34] Moishele is asking the Mah Nishtanah: "Why do we go through such pain, more than anbody in the world?" Moishele is asking the deepest question in the world -- and in Heaven there's silence. the last Jewish child in the Warsaw ghetto is asking G_d the deepest question in the world. {This sounds a bit like Elie Wiesel's brand of profitably self- pitying shlock. -- sa} HIs father starts to answer, "Avadim Hahyinu, we were slaves"; but the story is so long. They story has no end until Mashicach comes. Then moishe says, "Tateh, I have one more question of my own. Will you be alive at next year's Seder to answer me? Will I be alive next year to ask the Mah Nishtanah? Will any Jew be alive anywhere in the world to ask the Mah Nishtanah?" Wehn he asked the first four questions there was silence in Heaven, but when Moishele asked his own question all the tears in heaven were flowing. HaKadosh barch Hu cried; the three fathers, the four mothers covered their faces and started crying. But Mohsele's father -- a heilige Yid -- this is what he said: "Ki v'sheim kodshecha nishbata lo, by YOUR holy NAME YOU swore to him, shelo yichbeh neiro l'olam va'ed, that his lamp will never go out." {N.B.: The transliteration is a bit difficult here, because the compiler put in Ashenazi vocalization, eg 'neiro' instead of NeR_o} Moisheles' father said to him, "I don't know if you'll be alive . I don't know if I'll be alive. But I know there will be one Moishele alive somewhere. There will still be a Moishele to ask the Mah Nistanah, because the Ribbono shel Olam, the ONE, the only ONE, promised us there would always be one Moishele." ================================================================= EXCERPTED FROM EDITTED RSC EXCERPTS IN 'The Carelebach Hagadah' [Editted Chaim Stefansky, (c) 2001 Urim Publications, NYC/Jlem] I want to tell about two last wills: the dying words of two holy Jews. Here is one story: "One night in Aushwitz my holy uncle woke me up from my sleep, and he said to me, "You're going to be the only one left. Out of our whole family there's nobody left now but you and me, and I have a feeling that tonight is my last night. Tomorrow I'll walk with our father Yitzchak to the gas chambers. So you're the only one left, and I'm delivering my last will to you. This is my testament: "I want you to know that I've been three years in Auschwitz. I swear to you that I havent' stopped learing for one second. You know that I know [start book p48] most of the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi by heart. This morning I started Mo'ed Katan and tomorrow I'll be on the seventh page. If G_d blesses you and you come out of here alive, finish the tractate for me." You see, my sweetest freinds, the last wish of the six million is to finish all the tractates of the Talmud for them. finish all the holy pages of all those holy sefarim that they never completed. What a will to give! My blessing to you is to pass it on to your children. ================================================================== TEACHING #_____ Hagadah Text: (Maggid:) "Through your blood shall you live" B_DaMI_Kha HaYI [START BOOK PAGE 52] [START RSC EDITTED EDITED EXCERPT] There was a Radomsker Chasid in Aushwitz, whoe name was Reb Naftali, and he did not give in. When Chanukah was coming he went around telling eveyone the last Torah throught the Radomsker Rebbe had said before his death. The crux of the thought {Comment (sa): I bet the Editor abridged RSC's statement here} is that the light that is lit the first night is the most important one. We even pray that it should last forever, shelo yichbeh neiro l'olam va'ed. The Nazis made it clear (as they did vefore every holiday) that anyone caught lighting a candle would be shot on the spot. You can just imagine what a person had to suffer to lay his hands on a canlde in Auschwitz, let alone that the Nazis were threatening death to anyone who did. But all the yidden knew in their hearts that this Chasid would do anything to get hold of a candle. I'm sure you've heard that , in the camps, if someone showed up for the morning roll-call not wearing shoes, he was punished with death. Well, late one night, the first night of Chanukah in fact, the yidden heart a scratching at the door of their barracks. Reb Naftali walked in -- without shoes on. But more important to him, he as holding a candle in his hand. His shoes for a Chanukkah candle; to him that was a fair trade. All the yidden told him, "You don't have to risk you life for this mitzvah! You know that if they don't kill you tonight, when they see you in the morning they'll kill you instantly." Reb Naftali said to them, "But this is what [start BOOK PAGE 53] Chanukah is all about: mesirus nefesh, risking your life for a single mitzvah." It was the first night of Chunakh, and he had his mitzvah to do. That was all that mattered to him. Reb Naftali went over to a small crack in the wall of the barracks, and that is where he put his candle, so everybody outside could see it burning. He lit the canlde and said the blessing -- and no more than two minutes later the guard burst in and started yelling, "Dirty Jews, who lit the candle?" Reb Naftali said calmly, "It was me." Right away the Nazi started beating him, and ordered him to put out the flame. But Reb Naftali paid no attention. The whole time he just sang to hmself, "haneiros Hallalu, we kindle these holy lights because of the mircles YOU did for our fathers." Needless [START BOOK PAGE 54] to say, by the time the Nazi left Reb Naftali was at the brink of death. But lo and behold, the candle was still burning! Somehow the thug had not extinguished it before he left. The next night the yidden could hardly believe their eyes. They just watched in astonimshment as Reb Naftali, who was barely alive, limped over to the crack in the wall, pulled out another candle, and lit it. [END RSC EDITTED EXCERPT] ================================================================= ======