The moments were pregnant with expectation. The entire Lubavitch community of Crown Heights and thousands of guests from around the world were gathered in 770. Telephone connections were made with Lubavitch centers throughout the world.
But the table where the Rebbe would sit and deliver his farbrengens had not been set up….
In 5738 (1977), on the eve of Shemini Atzeres, in the middle of Hakkafos, the Rebbe had felt chest pains. Everyone was asked to leave the shul except for a small minyan. He completed the Hakkafos, went up to his room, and began receiving medical treatment. It was discovered that he had undergone a severe heart attack; he would undergo a second in the early hours of the following morning.
The chassidim were in utter shock throughout those two nervous days of celebration. On the one hand, Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah are days – indeed, the days – of rejoicing. On the other hand, with the Rebbe unwell, how could one genuinely rejoice?!
Towards the late afternoon on Simchas Torah, the Rebbe’s secretariat notified the chassidim that after the conclusion of the holiday, the Rebbe would speak from his room. Anxiously, throughout the world, those who held the Rebbe dear gathered, awaiting his words.
Shortly after Havdalah was recited, the Rebbe’s voice could be heard. Since the Rebbe spoke from his room and hardly any chassidim were present, his words were not preceded by a niggun nor were they punctuated by any niggunim – his entire address was delivered all at once. Nevertheless, from their content and style, the chassidim appreciated that in published form, it was appropriate to separate the Rebbe’s words into a maamar, a formal chassidic discourse, and sichos, talks. His words were later transcribed submitted to the Rebbe, who edited them and assented to their formal publication. In the pages that follow, that maamar appears in English translation for the first time.

When the Essence is Revealed

The maamar summarizes the Jews’ service during the month of Tishrei, underscoring how the essential connection all Jews share with G‑d is expressed by all the festivals of the month. The core of every Jew’s soul is an actual part of G‑d. Each of the festivals of Tishrei inspires us to draw this potential from the hidden reaches of our hearts to our conscious minds.
As a natural consequence, these festivals also emphasize the theme of achdus, Jewish unity. For when the essential Divine potential at the core of the Jewish soul is expressed, all divisions among Jews are erased and the essential connection we all share is highlighted.

“And Yaakov proceeded on his way”

Although the holidays of Tishrei raise a Jew above his ordinary level of experience, they are not intended to be insular events, spiritual peaks that remain transcendent, above connection to our everyday lives. On the contrary, a Jew’s Divine service involves harnessing the essential energy generated by these festivals and drawing it down into his day-to-day reality. In simple terms, throughout the duration of the entire year, a Jew’s conduct should evince the fact that he experienced an arousal of the essence of his soul during the Tishrei holidays. Even though days, weeks, and months elapse, nevertheless, the spiritual awakening of that month should not fade. but rather continue to exert its influence throughout the coming year.