Shabbos with Skver

רבי דוד טוורסקי שליט''א

Rosh Chodesh Shabbos Channukah. The Triple Crown of Shabbosim is a very special time and Baruch Hashem my wife and I were blessed to spend such a special Shabbos in New Square. I had heard many great things about New Square from friends and was very excited to spend time with the Skver Chassidim and their Heilega Rebbe. Before we left we spoke with a friend who is a Skver Chasid living in California. He gave us some idea of what to expect, but even this couldn’t prepare us for the New Square Shabbos Experience. We arrived in New Square a few hours before Shabbos and were shown our room.

We entered to see a table filled with an array of delicious foods. The Rebbetzin came down and told us that she expects all of the food to be eaten because she doesn’t have room in her refrigerator. After speaking with her for a few minutes, it turned out that she was the aunt of a friend of mine, and the only Skver Chasid I knew before coming to New Square. Our friends were coming to meet us for Shabbos from upstate New York. The Husband, my good friend is the head Mashgiach for the Chalav Yisroel farm under the heckshurs of Skver, Satmar, OU and a few more, so rest assured your holy milk is safe. After being introduced to the Family we were staying with, we did something unusual for being in New Square. We davened Mincha before Shkiah because everyone needed to go home and light Chanukah Candles after watching the Rebbe light his. It was something spectacular. The Rebbe's bracha was so emotional, so energetic, and most of all sincere. He began to weep as he blessed Hashem and this was quite startling at first. With every word he said it pierced me like a holy arrow and culminated with thousands of Chasidim saying "AMEN" in unison.

The thousands of Chasidim were standing on bleachers and as the Rebbe finished the blessings they began to rush down from their seats. The mass of Chasidim turned into a massive river of Streimels as the Rabbi pulled me into its current. They rushed out the door and the Rabbi turned to me and said, "When Moshiach comes the Yidden will be running just like this". We came home and lit Candles for Shabbos and Chanukah and then experienced another first. We took a nap between Mincha and Maariv. We awoke and went to maariv and davened a beautiful Kabblos Shabbos. A nice Chasid offered me a chair next to him, which ended up being my Skver friends father. He gave me a little history about the Skver Chasidim and their Rebbe and then we went to the Son in Law and Daughters home of the Rabbi we were staying with.

During the meal we spoke of Chassidus and Torah and each sung a Niggun to bring joy to Hashem. Then we went to the Tish to be by the Rebbe, which is something that impacted me unlike anything before. I’ve been to Tish's before but nothing was like the Tish in New Square. As the thousands of Chasidim climbed the bleachers we sat next to our Rabbi friend. While we eat our meal the Rebbe is learning and then at the Tish we all come together and eat Sharayim of the Rebbe and then all bench together. The Rebbe made Motzi on two massive Challahs and twelve showbreads surrounding them and we began to sing. The niggunim of Skver are something special as they have the ability to bring your Neshama to amazing heights. The unity of the Chasidim as they sung was so powerful I could feel my neshama inside me bursting with joy. The Rebbe would recite a verse from a zemiros and the Chasidim would repeat back to him with awesome energy. I felt as if Olam Hazeh was truly the waiting room of Olam Habo. This feeling was what I was waiting for when I read the verse "Shabbos is 1/60th of Olam Habo". I had an intense feeling all over me as I sang along praising Hashem with fervency. The Rebbe ate meticulously dipping everything into salt three times and brought the food up to his mouth. Bite, Chew, and Swallow. No gorging or rushing to fill his face, simply eating for the sake of energy to learn Torah Lishma. We sang more and he gave over some Torah in Yiddish, which I couldn't understand but just his voice kept me captivated. There inside me formed a desire for Teshuva as the singing and Rebbes words spun in my head. After benching I left in a daze my mouth fixed with a huge smile. I knew I wasn’t alone as my friend was equally on the same high.

We went to sleep that night with the joy still fresh in our minds knowing that there was still a beautiful Shabbos day to spend in New Square. We awoke and went to shul. The davening is quick, as they want to have more time for the Tish. My friends father told me they used to daven really slow and give everyone who had a simcha an aliyah and guests as well but davening would go till 3:00pm. So now they daven quick and end with an intense Mussaf led by the Rebbe. We ate lunch and sung some more and then went to another Tish that was just as intense as the one Friday night. There was so much energy I could feel it passing through me. After the Tish we went to my friends Uncle's home and spoke with the family about Torah, and Chassidus, and also Kosher Milk. The table was covered with little bowls of nosh so we could cover the 100 Bracha requirement on Shabbos. Then we washed and went back for the Shalosh Seudos Tish, which was a Dark Tish. This was the climax for me. Its pitch black and the Rebbe begins to sing and he cries and cries out the words and his Chasidim repeat the verse with such energy I was overcome. I began to cry and my mind was consumed with a begging to connect to Hashem, to become a better Yid to bring sanctification to Hashem name in this world. I couldn’t contain myself. B"H it was dark because I must have looked crazy. I shuckled back and forth tears streaming down my face banging on the table singing along. Then it was silent and the Rebbe spoke and the lights came on. Shalosh Seudos went almost 2 hours after Shabbos ended. Went home and our friends who we were staying with during our stay in New York came from Passaic, NJ and we went to see the Rebbe light the menorah. We wanted to speak with the Rebbe after but that wouldn’t happen till 1:00am so we left still drunk off the holiness of the Rebbe, his Chasidim, and their home.

Our host said they loved having us and they know we had a good time if we come back which we plan to do, iy"H on our way to Eretz Yisroel in the summer. The Skver Chassidim are very special people. Hachnasas Orchim is their Mitzvah and they truely bring Ahavas Yisroel into this world. A Skver Chasid told me, "Streimel, Black Hat, Long Coat, No Coat, Long Beard, Short Beard we are ALL Jews with Holy Neshamas. We see this in Mumbai. Our Enemies don’t care if we are a Lubavitcher, a Toldos Aaron, a Bobover, a Jews just making Teshuvah, or an Israeli. ALL they see are Jews" Skver taught me a lot of unity as there were more than just Skver Chassidim coming together to be with such a Holy Rebbe and praise Hashem.

New Square is a special place, to visit but not a place I could live. Either way, the town is full to capacity. The rules in New Square are outside men can come learn in the yeshiva but they have to marry a Skver girl and become Skver. If a Skver Chasid marries a girl from outside New Square he has to move out. Its seems harsh but they don’t have any room left.

Ill end with a story of the previous Skver Rebbe. He came to Brooklyn without a single Chasid, as they all perished in the Shoah, may G-d avenge their blood! He opened a shul and soon a following started to grow. Final it was to the point that they had to leave Brooklyn so he purchased farmland by Monsey and began to build New Square. The Previous Rebbe was a Malach and all sorts of Jews became is Chasidim. The Rabbi we stayed with told us how his father became a Chasid of the previous Rebbe. He came from Israel to visit New Square and had yichud with the Rebbe. The Rebbe told him, "You aren’t going back to Israel, you are one of us." So he stayed and sent for his whole family to come to New Square and now they are 4th Generation Skver B"H.

I really feel a deep connection to the Skver Rebbe and his Chasidim. Still looking for my Rebbe, but the Skver Rebbe holds a special place in my heart. He is a truly Holy Tzaddik and one of the Gadols of our Generation. With his help and inspiration Moshiach will SOON be on his way. Amen.