By COLlive reporter
Two rare audio recording of the bidding for shul honors at the main shul of 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, NY, was recently discovered.
Known as the “selling of Mitzvos,” this time-honored custom gives people the chance to give charity in exchange for opening the Aron Kodesh, receiving an Aliya to the Torah and the like.
While usually held in the presence of the Rebbe on Shabbos and Yom Tov, the auction was twice held on a Motzoei Shabbos at 770 – in the years 5739 and 5740.
Heard on both recordings is Rabbi Yehoshua Pinson, the head gabbai of 770 who would lead the auction every year, while wearing a shtreimel hat.
Rabbi Pinson, a member of the Agudas Chassidei Chabad International, ran the 770 shul’s affairs with dedication for over 30 years. He is credited with instituting the custom to read the Rebbe’s daily Hayom Yom entry after the morning Shachris prayers.
In the first recording from 5739, he can be heard being instructed by the Rebbe to open the bidding with a Dvar Torah and then leading the auction with dedication.
Here is the second recording from 5740:
Only rare for those who never interested themselves in finding them. These tapes were always sold by WLCC immediately after each farbrengen, Thank you very much Reb Chaim Boruch Halbershtam and his co-workers Reb Yonoson Hackner, Reb SDB Eber, and – Lehavdil bein chaim lechaim – Reb Y.Y. Kazen OBM.
If we (I include myself as a resident of CH) would not chase out most of Lubavitch from 770 we would’ve raised 10 times the amount they raise now for the Rebbe’s shul and we would be able to build the shul and make it three times larger as the Rebbe wanted. Now you must be a member of a certain party in order to be able to be part of 770 and if you play some major role in the other party then the chances that you’ll be physically abused and perhaps even removed from 770 is a high… Read more »
First of all thank you very much to collive for posting
Just Got a few questions
“Recently discovered”
what does that mean?
Where was this recording till now?
And who gave it to collive?
In the 50’s 60’s 70’s and 80;s Lubavitch (and the frum world in general) was very small, and basically a community of poor immigrants and the american kids were just coming of age. if you follow the Rebbe’s Sichos in the early 90’s you will find the theme of Ashirus and Harchovoh B’gashmiyus very often. (most famously in miketz-vayigash-vayechi 92) I personally believe that the Rebbe opened up new channels of parnososh with those sichos. around that time, the amount of serious gevirim in Lubavitch started to multiply exponentially (Y.G. being the most notable example, but he is small fry… Read more »
Thank you for the recording.
Shia Pinson was hurrying because the Rebbe was waiting, that (among other factors) may factor in to the low numbers
Based on inflation, $1 in 1978 is now worth $3.78 so the sums are not so paltry though I do think that much more would be able to be raised now, mostly because Lubavitch has grown and more of us are capable of giving
Wow
I remember it well…
The rebbe asks for devar torah and he says a story!!!
Also it is amazing how little money was raised even for those years. Could we all imagine now if the rebbe was sitting there what would be raised!!!!!!!
Thank you for this Jem of a recording.