The year 5723, commemorating one hundred and fifty years to the Alter Rebbe’s histalkus, was dedicated by the Rebbe to a massive expansion in publishing the Alter Rebbe’s works.
After allocating various jobs to yungeleit, at the Purim farbrengen the Rebbe publicly said that their work is not satisfactory. “It’s certainly not deliberate; everyone must have good excuses. But all the excuses have not delivered another half an hour, or a quarter of an hour of Chassidus study...”
Following the farbrengen, the Rebbe delivered a message through Harav Chodakov that from now on they will be working directly under the Rebbe. Every two weeks, they will need to come in and present how much work they accomplished.
Despite months of diligent work, with the yungeleit investing themselves, and handing in their work, they were still not meeting the Rebbe’s expectations. One Friday, 15 Sivan 5723, when the Rebbe came back from the Ohel, he expressed his disappointment to Harav Chodakov:
“Ich bin arois fun maine gedorim, az andere zolen aroisgein fun zeiere gedorim, I went out of my limits, to get others to go out their limits. Yet, it hasn’t happened...”
(Sichos Kodesh 5723 p. 407)
