Today, the 25th of Av, marks the 102nd birthday of R’ Berel Baumgarten, a special chossid and devoted shliach of the Rebbe to Argentina. A recording of Rosh Hashana nusach, made for JTS students with whom he held a kesher, was restored and released.
Today, the 25th of Av, marks the 102nd birthday of R’ Berel Baumgarten ע”ה, a special chossid and devoted shliach of the Rebbe to Argentina.
While still in America, Reb Berel was one of the founders of Tzach, and was in close contact with the Rebbe regarding all of his outreach activities. Reb Berel would go to the dormitory of the JTS, a conservative rabbinical college, and learn Tanya with the students there. This way, he was mekarev many to a life of proper observance of Torah and Yiddishkeit.
Rabbi Shmuel Lew שי’, a close friend of Reb Berel, relates:
Reb Berel asked the Rebbe how he could be teaching Tanya in a conservative seminary. The Rebbe answered that as he was only visiting the students as a friend, in an unofficial capacity, once he was already visiting them, why talk about the “Japanese pagodas,” when one can speak Chassidus?
In a letter to the Rebbe, dated the 24th of Elul 5715, Reb Berel reported: “After learning with the students (of the seminary), I assisted them in the nusach of the Yamim Nora’im, by recording for them several portions of the piyutim of davening into a tape recorder.”
While this recording is not around, released here for the first time is another tape of Reb Berel’s heartfelt Rosh Hashana nusach, recorded in the year 5722.
The audio has been restored and compiled from several different tapes by his great-grandson, Rabbi Mendel Baumgarten, who is in the midst of publishing Reb Berel’s life story in an upcoming book, titled “המשלח והשליח”.
Reb Berel’s son, Rabbi Pinye Baumgarten שי’, mashpia of Anash in Argentina, relates:
“When my father davened, the walls of the shul would shake with his heartfelt tefillos. Many prominent rabbonim and roshei yeshivos of other communities in Buenos Aires would come especially to hear his davening. One of them stated that without Reb Berel’s davening, he would not be able to properly attain a hirhur teshuva.”
Also published here is a recording of Reb Pinye’s heartfelt Motzei Shabbos selichos in the main shul of Anash in Buenos Aires, from the year 5778.
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Reb Berel’s nusach for Rosh Hashana:
Reb Pinye leading selichos:
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