It was Shabbat, in the summer of 1991, and I was a student in the yeshivah at 770 Eastern Parkway. My close friend, Rabbi Zalman Notik, was getting married that week, and so we were also celebrating his “aufruf,” when the groom is called up for the reading of the Torah — the portion of Naso.
At 1:30 PM, the Rebbe held a farbrengen — as he did every Shabbat in those years — after which we went to celebrate with the groom in a home in Crown Heights. It was around 8:00 that evening when suddenly someone burst in shouting, “Farbrengen!” — the Rebbe is holding a farbrengen!
Another farbrengen, unscheduled, and so late in the day!? Most of us thought it was a prank. But I decided not to take any chances. I ran toward 770, and as I got closer, I saw others teeming hurriedly in the same direction.
The scene that greeted me when I entered 770 was like no farbrengen I had seen before. The Rebbe was sitting at the edge of the platform at the front of the synagogue, where he normally prayed, speaking to a few dozen chasidim clustered around him. Usually at farbrengens the Rebbe sat behind a long table to the side of the room, set off from the crowd, with the elder chasidim positioned closest to him. Now, there was no table at all — just the Rebbe on a chair, encircled mostly by yeshivah students.
I later learned that only minutes before sunset, the Rebbe had suddenly walked into the synagogue from his room upstairs, holding his prayer book in one hand and a cup of water and towel in the other. The Rebbe washed his hands, made the blessing for bread, and — once the few people who happened to be in the room at the time recovered from their shock — the farbrengen began.
By the time I had weaved my way towards the front, the Rebbe was finishing the first of three talks. He then asked that we sing the chasidic melodies associated with each of the Rebbes of Chabad, starting with the Three Stanzas, composed by the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezritch, and the Alter Rebbe. “Through this,” he said, “we will leave the Exile!”
The Rebbe’s words had an electrifying effect, and the atmosphere soared with emotion and excitement — everyone felt something extraordinary was happening. The Rebbe strongly encouraged the singing, but for the most part his face was serious and there was a certain intensity to his demeanor.
In the second talk, the Rebbe noted that according to the mystics, Shabbat afternoon is when the full “divine delight” of the holy day is revealed. He went on to speak about serving G-d with joy and pleasure, especially through Torah study. This message, he emphasized, was particularly directed at the yeshivah students — who made up most of the crowd.
As news spread of the surprise farbrengen, people poured in. We could feel it in the pressing of the crowd, which soon had the capacious room filled to overflowing. A little after 10:00 PM, the Rebbe announced that it was time to conclude. Then, after the Havdalah service, he stayed to distribute wine from his cup. This was known as Kos Shel Bracha, and typically it would only take place at the conclusion of festivals.
Only after midnight did the distribution end. The chasidim then carried with a farbrengen of their own, singing and continued on reverse
