This Year in Jerusalem

The first Satmerer Rebbe, R’ Yoel Teitelbaum, writes the following thought in Vayo’el Moshe.

When Yaakov first meets Rachel, he is at a well with some shepherds, waiting for enough to come by to move the stone that protects the well. As she approaches, he asks the shepherds if all is well with his cousin Lavan, and they answer, “All peaceful, vehinei Racheil bito ba’ah im hatzon — and here is Racheil his daughter, coming with the flock.” (Bereishis 29:6)

A few lines later, “When he is still speaking to them, veRacheil ba’ah im hatzon — and Racheil came with the flock that belongs to her father.” (Ibid v 9)

Notice that one time “ba’ah” is used to mean that Racheil was on her way, the other that she had arrived already. Rashi clarifies with a grammatical point; it makes a difference which syllable gets the trop mark and stress. The first usage was “ba’AH“, with the stress (tipechah) on the second syllable, meaning “she is coming”. The second, “BA’ah” (revi’i on the beis)– “she came”.

Everyone assumes that the line said at the end of Yom Kippur and the Pesach Seder is “Leshanah haba’AH biYrushalayim — The coming year in Jerusalem”. But the Satmar Rav said this is a mistake.

We voice this desire at the close of Yom Kippur, shortly after the year began on Rosh haShanah, and on Pesach, shortly after the beginning of the year of months, the beginning of Nissan. We say it when a year just arrived. The line should not be said with the stress as “ha’AH” but rather say “BA’ah” — We are speaking of the year that just came!

Leshanah haBA’ah biYrushalayim habenuyah!
May the year that just began be spent in a rebuilt Jerusalem!

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  1. YM says:

    Beautiful Idea. Thank you very much.

  2. y says:

    rBv Belsky said this erev pesach

  3. the “FIRST”?

    Try
    1. Rebbe Moshe Teitelbaum of Ujhel (1759-1841), the Yismach Moshe, disciple of the Chozeh of Lublin.
    2. Rebbe Eleazer Nissan Teitelbaum of Drobitsch (d. 1854), son of Yismach Moshe.
    3. Rebbe Yekusiel Yehudah Teitelbaum of Sighet (1808-1883), the Yetev Lev, son of Rebbe Eleazer Nissan.
    4. Rebbe Chananyah Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum of Sighet (d. 1904), the Kedushas Yom Tov; son of Yetev Lev.
    5. Rebbe Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum of Sighet (1884-1926), the Atzei Chaim, eldest son of Kedushas Yom Tov.
    6. Rebbe Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum of Sighet (1911-1944), son of Atzei Chaim and son-in-law of his uncle Rebbe Yoel.
    5. Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum (1887-1979), Satmar Rebbe, author of Divrei Yoel and VaYoel Moshe; youngest son of Kedushas Yom Tov.

  4. And my d’var torah at the Shvi’i shel Pesach meal was based on the vort of the Kuznitz Maggid (found in his Avodat Yisrael) that “ma’asei yadai tov’im v’atem rotzim lomar shira”. Many take that to be an expression of the extreme humanism of Judaism but Reb Yisrael says that it is based on a misunderstanding and if you review the Medrash in Sanhedrin 95b you’ll find that the army of Sanchariv was killed by a “blow” – “vayach” and the debate is whether an actual smack or the clapping of hands together or, as he suggests, by the singing of angels on high that caused their deaths. And similarly, the angels at the Kri’at Yam Suf wanted to burst into song so as to kill the Egyptians that way bu HKBH said – “whoa! not that way! we must have middah k’neged midah – they drowned bnei yisrael and they themselves will be drowned.

  5. micha says:

    RYM,

    I was under the impression that since his predecessors were called “Sigheter” (as you yourself list), the VaYoel Moshe was the first to be called rebbe of Satmar.

    Your second comment is more appropriate for a different post, which, unfortunately, has awaited completion for months. But if this is true, why is it the motivation for the gemara suggesting, and the Medrash Rabba giving as THE reason, that we don’t say Hallel on the 7th day of Pesach because of the inappropriateness of shirah?

  6. It’s ironic that you use the formulation “HaBenuyah” in a post featuring R’ Yoel of Satmar…

  7. micha says:

    Actually, I would think the VaYoel Moshe would have stressed the difference between living in modern Jerusalem and living in one with a rebuilt Beis haMiqdash.

    -mi

  8. I’m not arguing with the content or sentiment of your piece. I’m just pointing out that as far as I know, “HaBenuyah” is a Zionist-influenced addition to the Haggadah. Last night I briefly checked a number of pre-statehood Haggaddos, and none had it.

  9. Rich Wolpoe says:

    ” The line should not be said with the stress as “ba’AH” but rather say “BA’ah” — We are speaking of the year that just came!”

    SR said BA’ah is preferable

    But

    “Leshanah haba’AH biYrushalayim habenuyah!”

    This prefers ba’AH?
    I’m confused!

    “May the year that just began be spent in a rebuilt Jerusalem!”

    Miyyom kippurim zeh ad yom kippurim haba!

    Zissen Pesach
    RRW

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