Amid intense battles in Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu was gifted a rare set of Tanyas printed in Lebanon during the First Lebanon War in 1982. The Tanyas, and a lulav and esrog set, were presented to the Prime Minister during the annual pre-Sukkos visit with Chabad rabbonim.
By Anash.org reporter
More than forty years after a unique printing operation took place in Lebanon during the First Lebanon War in 1982, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu received a rare set of Tanyas.
The printing of the Tanya was initiated at the request of the Rebbe as part of a project to print the book in thousands of locations around the world. The Tanyas were presented to the Prime Minister along with a beautifully bound set of lulav and esrog ahead of Sukkos.
The rare books, which were printed in cities including Beirut and Tyre, were gifted to the Prime Minister by a delegation of Chabad leaders as part of a traditional pre-Sukkos visit. Netanyahu was surprised to hear about the operation that printed the books in the heart of Lebanese cities and received a brief overview of the global Tanya printing project and its spiritual significance. To date, the Tanya has been printed in nearly ten thousand editions and translated into over ten languages. It is considered the second most printed book, after the Torah.
“With strategies you shall wage war,” the Prime Minister quoted the possuk to the delegation, discussing the existence of both public actions and those hidden from the public eye. “We need courage, strategy, and siyata diShmaya. War is a lengthy endeavor; it is not a request-based plan. There are better days and less favorable days, but the main goal is to strive for victory.”
“We have the divine command that one who comes to kill you, rise early and kill him first,” said Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky, rov in Rehovot and a member of Beis Dib Rabbonei Chabad. “Over the years, the Prime Minister has personally received messages regarding security matters for the land of Israel, which need to be implemented.”
Rabbi Michoel Halperin, rov in the French Hill neighborhood of Yerushalayim and a member of the Beis Dib Rabbonei Chabad, quoted the possuk, “Hashem gives strength to His people; Hashem blesses His people with peace,” adding that “we must first remember that we have Hashem—before ‘strength,’ and with Hashem’s help, we will see many victories.”
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Aharonov, chairman of Tzach, presented the rare Tanyas to the Prime Minister. The inscription on the base read: “Holy Tanya books printed according to the special instruction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe during the Second Lebanon War in the Lebanese cities and in the capital, Beirut, to add strength and courage for victory over all the enemies of the Jewish people, ‘with a strong hand and an outstretched arm.’ ‘Hashem will fight for you, and you shall be silent.'”
Rabbi Aharonov also recalled Netanyahu’s meeting with the Rebbe at the Hakafos exactly forty years ago. “I remember that meeting well; the Rebbe’s words are unforgettable,” Netanyahu said. “Years later, the Rebbe told me that I would have to stand before 119 people…”
Rabbi Ariel Lemberg and Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Leibowitz presented the Prime Minister with handwritten notes from the Rebbe relating to standing firm against international pressures regarding Israel’s security.
During the meeting, Netanyahu received the Sukkos edition of the ‘Kfar Chabad’ weekly, featuring an image of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump praying at the Rebbe’s Ohel. For some time, Netanyahu read an article published by the weekly’s editor, Menachem Cohen, which revisited Netanyahu’s meeting with the Rebbe forty years ago, noting that over the years, the Prime Minister has adopted a firmer stance against our enemies.
Netanyahu repeatedly emphasized the need for “siyata diShmaya” in the current situation, stating, “We need a lot of strategy in war. We rely on miracles, but also on ourselves, and we need much divine assistance.”
Video: Itai Beit-On / Government Press Office
Sound: Ben Peretz / Government Press Office
Stills: Kobi Gideon / Government Press Office
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