In honor of Yud Shevat, sixty-three boys from Shmuel Zahavy Cheder Chabad Toronto made a special trip to Crown Heights last week to visit the Rebbe.

From their arrival at dawn on Friday to their departure motzei Shabbos, the boys’ itinerary was packed. They began their visit with a hachana that included mikvah, a short chassidus shiur, and shachris. The boys then went into the Ohel and read their panim and said tehilim.

After this, they drove into Crown Heights, where they were hosted by United Lubavitcher Yeshiva and treated to a special breakfast. The boys had time to enjoy the new ULY gym! (Thank you, Rabbi Yossi Langsam.) The group visited the Rebbe’s House (Thank you, Rabbi Mendel Krinsky) and Library (Thank you, Rabbi Shneur Zalman Levin). Of course, they stopped for a group photo in front of 770. Then the boys were able to enjoy some free time on Kingston Ave.

An erev Shabbos program saw them sitting at 770 behind the Rebbe’s bimah, taking in a farbrengen with Rabbi Mendel Yuzevitch, and enjoying yummy chulent and kugel sponsored by Reb Moshe Rubashkin. Following an uplifting, beautiful seder nigunnim and kabalas shabbos, the boys davened and then dispersed to their assigned Seudas Shabbos.

Shabbos morning saw the boys in chassidus classes with their Rebbeim in 770, followed by Shachris. The boys davened in either the kids’ minyan in the Reb Chaim Tashkenter Shul (Thank you, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Spilman) or in the Rebbe’s minyan.

Following Mussaf, the group enjoyed their seudah in Oholei Torah (Thank you, Rabbi Heshel Meilach Rosenfeld of Oholei Torah, for being so generous in hosting). The farbrengen went on for hours with Rabbi Mendel Broner, Maggid shiur of Oholei Torah. Rabbi Shmuli Butler spoke with the boys between Mincha and Marriv.

After Shabbos, the Toronto group packed up their belongings, bid farewell to Crown Heights, and went to Firefox Ninja Park for motzei Shabbos fun and a deluxe dairy melava malka. The group then boarded the bus, tired and inspired, for a long overnight trip home to Toronto.

The boys were chaperoned by their dedicated Rebbeim and admin staff. Rabbi Yisroel Bard-wigdor, Rabbi Yisroel Zaltman, Rabbi Daniel Blotner, Rabbi Meir Shlomo Zaltman, Rabbi Mendy Marmulszteyn.

We are so grateful to our anonymous sponsor for all your help in making this trip a reality. Most importantly, we are grateful for the Der Oibersther’s brochos for making this trip to the Rebbe such an incredibly uplifting and positive experience for our students at Shmuel Zahavy Cheder Chabad.