The menorah used by the Frierdiker Rebbe will be displayed in a new exhibit at the Central Lubavitch Library.
In honor of the upcoming yom tov of Chanuka, the Central Lubavitch Library will be updating their exhibit to include the menorah of the Frierdiker Rebbe, seen by the public for the first time.
The menorah was lit by the Frierdiker Rebbe on a step stool by the door of his yechidus room on the second floor of 770.
Displayed in the exhibit is the actual menorah, as well as a picture of the Frierdiker Rebbe lighting the menorah on Chanuka 5710/1949 – the last Chanuka before Yud Shvat 5710.
Additionally displayed is a contemporary picture of the menorah in the same spot in the yechidus room, on the same stepstool. In the background of the picture is the Frierdiker Rebbe’s chair, the same chair seen in the picture from 5710.
Rabbi Sholom Ber Levine notes that from the picture of Chanuka 5710, one can note various Chabad customs, which, years later, were transcribed in Sefer Haminhagim.
Firstly, the menorah was lit in the doorway, even though the windows faced a רשות הרבים – public domain (Eastern Parkway), and not a courtyard. Secondly, the Frierdiker Rebbe is wearing a gartel but has his regular hat, and not the spodik he would wear on Shabbos and yom tov. Lastly, one sees there was no minyan present by hadlakas neiros, unlike other Chassidic courts.
This exhibit joins the other exhibits on the 3rd floor of 770, where, a whole year, one can see kisvei yad of all 7 Rabbeim, and other manuscripts and rare seforim.
The chair is not the same chair as in the picture of the fridiker rebbe
If you look closely the picture in the picture of the fridiker rebbe you can see that the chair has a pattern on it which is not on the other picture
Oe can also see in the bottom of the picture of the fridiker rebbe that the chair had wheels on it which in the other picture it does not
based on the space between the windows, it seems clear that the picture of the frierdiker rebbe is NOT in the same place as the current picture.
we can assume that the room behind the frierdiker rebbe is actually the dining room of the house, based on the space between the windows, (and the fact that the dining room is the only other room in the house that has three windows next to each other as seen in the picture).
in addition, proof can be brought from the fact that there seem to be more chairs (by a table) behind the frierdiker rebbe, which would point to the dining room table, as well as the light in the top right corner of the original picture, (as there is a light in that area of the dining room).
also, proof can be brought from the fact that there is in fact a doorway in that area of the dining room (to the main hallway of the house), which further serves to prove that the room is in fact the dining room.
in conclusion, it seems clear that the room is the dining room, meaning another thing to prove in the minhagim of hadlakas menorah, that the frierdiker rebbe lit the menorah in the place where he ate, as is brought in seforim.
as a side note, the fact that there is a picture of this, it seems to imply that there WERE other people in the room when the frierdiker rebbe lit the menorah, (unlike the way the article stated)!