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Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. Adar I 25, 1935,
Pukersdorf, Austria.
Liberation
. . .On Tuesday, the 12th of Tammuz (July 12), coinciding with the Rebbe's birthday in 5640 (1880), the Rebbe appeared at the headquarters of the G.P.U., accompanied by Rabbi Althaus, for his obligatory weekly appearance. The local G.P.U. official greeted him genially and informed him of his release: "You are totally freed from the need of any further appearances.
"The order has been received to grant you full freedom, and I regard it as a personal privilege to be the first one to inform you of your complete amnesty." Rabbi Althaus reacted with intense emotion; his face went from deep livid to palest white and back; the Rebbe had to calm him and help him regain his composure.
The Rebbe's daughter Chaya Moussia called the family in Leningrad by telephone to inform them of the liberation, with the added warning to keep the information secret. She also sent a telegram to make sure they understood clearly. They signed the telegram, in the place of the name, Bli Pirsum — "without publicity."
The news of the Rebbe's release spread with lightning speed. Even before he returned to the house of the Shochet, the news was already known. Upon his arrival home, the Rebbe viewed an unusual and moving spectacle—the chassid Reb Michael Dworkin was dancing round the house, in his hand a bottle of wine, and upon his lips a melody with Russian words, singing with great feeling: "Nyet, nyet nikavo"—"Nothing exists aside from
G-d!"
The small son of the chassid danced about in somersault fashion, his feet flailing above and his hands firmly placed against the fence.
On that very day, the 12th of Tammuz, a large gathering of Jews assembled in his lodging in Kastroma and he delivered the Ma'amar (chassidic discourse) beginning:
"G-d is among those that help me."
The day was a legal holiday and the G.P.U. office could not issue the actual Certificate of Release until the following day.
The order from Moscow was so emphatic that when the Rebbe arrived the next day to receive his release papers, the official asked that he write next to his signature that the delay was not their fault.
After receiving the Certificate of Release, the Rebbe delivered the ma'amar "Blessed be the One Who bestows good upon the unworthy, who has bestowed good upon me", before the large number of people who again gathered in his dwelling.
On the 14th of Tammuz (July 14), at nine in the morning, the Rebbe left the city of Kastroma a free citizen, and on Friday the 16th he arrived in Leningrad accompanied by two emissaries especially chosen by the Jewish community of Kastroma. Because of the aforementioned danger, only a brief stay in Leningrad was planned...
…Many years later, on the 12th of Tammuz 5705 (1945), the Rebbe declared:
I was confined for nineteen days. At such a time one is subject to the ordeal of controlling one's eyes, sealing one's ears, and desisting from speech. In that period of my life, I lost all sense of gratification that is derived from material things, not only for a while, but permanently. Then I did not think of myself at all.
What thoughts could I have about myself while being constantly confronted with the fragility of life? I heard the begging of the prisoners, pleading for life, only to see them taken out to be shot ten minutes later. My own idea then was that the initial decay of a seed is a preliminary necessity for later flourishing and growth. I never experienced a sense of solitude; I was always mindful of the fact that I possessed revered ancestors: my father, grandfather, great grandfather, and all the luminous, holy figures whose courage and merit would endure eternally. I reflected on my father's discourse, 'She girds her loins with strength' which I had heard thirty years before…
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