On Monday afternoon, erev Sukkos, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu hosted a delegation of shluchim in his office for a special pre-Yom Tov visit. During the meeting, the Prime Minister recited a perek of Tehillim with visible emotion and received a beautiful set of Daled Minim as a gift.

At the start of the meeting, Netanyahu read Tehillim chapter 124 from a Tehillim used by the Rebbe. The Tehillim was presented to him by Rabbi Chaim Yankel Leibowitz, who noted that these are days when Klal Yisroel needs special siyata diShmaya. The Prime Minister read each word slowly and carefully, with those present repeating after him.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Aharonov, Chairman of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad, spoke about the heavy responsibility resting on Netanyahu’s shoulders to ensure the security of Eretz Yisroel despite tremendous external pressure. He also recalled the Rebbe’s strong words regarding the Camp David Accords.

The Prime Minister reminisced warmly about his meetings with the Rebbe, especially their encounter on Simchas Torah in 770. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky, senior member of Chabad’s Beis Din, and Rabbi Meir Ashkenazi, Rov of Kfar Chabad, reminded him of the blessings he received then and urged him to continue standing firm on matters of Israel’s security.

“Today I understand well what the Rebbe meant,” Netanyahu reflected. “His words have stayed with me all these years. Sometimes only with the passage of time do we fully grasp his intent—but the truth is, his words were always exact, then and now. I have love and admiration for the Rebbe.”

Rabbi Or Ziv, Chabad’s shliach in Jerusalem’s Katamon neighborhood and liaison to the Prime Minister’s Office, recalled that even on Yom HaZikaron, a particularly stressful day, Netanyahu made sure not to miss putting on tefillin. Also present at the meeting were Rabbi Ariel Lemberg, secretary of Agudas Chassidei Chabad; Rabbi Shimi Segal, Chabad’s spokesman and shliach to the Knesset; and Rabbi Menachem Cohen, editor of Kfar Chabad Magazine.

The Prime Minister spoke about the ongoing efforts to bring the hostages home and the need for Divine assistance. “We need siyata diShmaya, and we also need to navigate wisely,” he said. “It’s the combination of spirit and strategy that will lead to success.”

The meeting, which lasted over twenty minutes amid a busy day of consultations, ended with words of gratitude. “I want to thank you, Chabad chassidim, for being everywhere,” Netanyahu said. “Any Jew, anywhere in the world, can find a Chabad House nearby. Thanks to you, sukkahs are being built across Israel and around the globe.

“Your work brings Jews closer to their heritage and to one another. The Daled Minim you brought express that unity so beautifully—each kind is different, yet together they are one. That unity, rooted in our heritage, gives us the strength to overcome our enemies and, with Hashem’s help, to bring all our captives home and secure the eternity of Am Yisroel and Eretz Yisroel. Chag Sameach to all the Jewish people!”