On י"ב תמוז, תרפ"ז, the Frierdiker Rebbe was informed that he was going to be freed from his exile in the city of Kostrama.
That day, he said a מאמר beginning with the words וַאֲנִי אֶרְאֶה בְשֹׂנְאָי ,לִי בְעֹׂזְרָי ד' (Hashem is with me among my helpers, and I will see the downfall of my enemies).
The next day, י"ג תמוז, the Rebbe was actually freed.
Then, he said a מאמר beginning with the words במָלַנִי טוֹשֶגְ ,תבוֹבִים טוֹמֵל לְחַיָ וֹהַגבָרוּךְ (blessed is Hashem Who gives goodness even to those who are guilty, for He has given goodness to me), which is the ברכה one says to thank Hashem for surviving a dangerous situation.
Question
Why did the Frierdiker Rebbe first say a מאמר based on a request for the future, and only the next day say a מאמר based on a ברכה thanking Hashem for having saved him?
Answer
Both before the Frierdiker Rebbe’s arrest as well as after his release, the communist regime caused much trouble to many people, just because of their connection to the Rebbe.
Yet, when the Frierdiker Rebbe was arrested, many people reached out to government officials demanding that the Rebbe be released, and nothing happened to them. This was a miracle!
This is why the first מאמר the Frierdiker Rebbe said when he was informed of his impending release included a request rather than a thanks.
His first concern was that the people who went out of their way and risked their lives to help and save him from his imprisonment would not ח"ו be harmed.
So in the first מאמר the Rebbe emphasized that לִי בְעֹׂזְרָי ד'. Whatever efforts a person might invest, ultimately it is always Hashem Who is really the only one helping him. By emphasizing that it was all Hashem’s doing, it saved the people involved from any harm.
Further Discussion
Why didn’t the Rebbe say the מאמר even earlier? (See footnote 26 in the שיחה)
