Palace for Melech HaMoshiach
"Palace for the Rebbe King Moshiach" is an initiative, supported by the Rebbe, to build a palace for the Rebbe in Kfar Chabad.
History edit
Rabbi Zusha Rivkin, a Chabad chassid from Kfar Chabad, initiated an idea to build a house for the Rebbe in Kfar Chabad. When his brother R' Chaim traveled to New York in 5738 (1978), he asked him to present this idea to the Rebbe.
R' Chaim entered into 'yechidus' (private audience) with the Rebbe and explained the idea. The Rebbe responded, "He wants to build a house for me in Kfar Chabad?" and immediately continued with a broad smile, making a decisive gesture with his holy hand - "A palace!" Later, the Rebbe continued and said, "But not as it is now. And meanwhile, he should wait."
Zusha received the instruction and meanwhile approached an architect and asked him to prepare an outline plan for a palace. The plan was quickly prepared and sent to the Rebbe. The Rebbe's response was: "Received with thanks. For the time being, wait with the building." The Rebbe attached ten coins to the response: five lira coins and five half-dollar coins.
During the decade and a half that passed, R' Zusha did not stop requesting the desired building permission again and again. But the Rebbe did not grant the sought-after approval and replied that the time had not yet come and they should wait.
On the 16th of Shevat 5752 (1992), R' Zusha's wife, Mrs. Naomi Rivkin, passed before the Rebbe during a 'general-yechidus' and said that her husband was asking if he could begin building the palace. The Rebbe replied: 'Ask a rav in the Holy Land.' Zusha approached Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi, the Mara D'Asra of Kfar Chabad, and told him about the Rebbe's instruction to build a palace and to ask a rav in the Holy Land. After clarifying the details, the Rav approved the construction. On the following Sunday, Mrs. Rivkin passed by the Rebbe during the distribution of dollars and told him about the Rav's agreement. The Rebbe gave her an additional dollar, saying: "As the Rav instructed, so shall you do, and with great success. Blessing and success."
Now Zusha had three possible locations in Kfar Chabad for building the palace. Zusha flew to the Rebbe, and on Friday, the 26th of Shevat, a few minutes before ten in the morning, the time when the Rebbe leaves his room for Shacharit prayer, he waited for the Rebbe near his room with an aerial photograph marking the possible locations for building the palace: near Beit Menachem, near the Tzeirei Chabad building in Israel, and near 770. The Rebbe received the photograph from R' Zusha's hand and immediately said: "May you have abundant livelihood!" After a few hours, the Rebbe issued (through his secretary Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner) a response in which he circled the words from his letter: "near Beit Aguch" [=next to 770, Agudas Chassidei Chabad house].
Regarding the building of the palace, the Rebbe wrote to R' Shmuel Shmueli at the beginning of Adar Rishon 5752 (1992): "For some people, houses in different countries and especially in the Holy Land as is well-known and customary. The Mitteler Rebbe had a property in the Holy Land. To this day, there is a Schneersohn house in Hebron."
Laying the Cornerstone edit
Laying the cornerstone for the palace
On Erev Shabbat, R' Zusha brought in a bottle of mashke to receive during the distribution of mashke, on which was written: "For the Palace," and during the farbrengen on Shabbat Kodesh, the Rebbe gave him the bottle while R' Zusha did not announce what it was intended for. On Saturday night, R' Zusha asked the Rebbe on what date to hold the cornerstone laying ceremony, and also - whether to make it a national event. The Rebbe's answer was (in essence): to hold the cornerstone laying on a 'Yoma D'Pagra' (festive day), Purim Katan, and not as a national event, "I will mention it at the Ohel." Before returning to Israel, the Rivkin couple passed by the Rebbe during dollar distribution. The Rebbe gave R' Zusha an additional dollar and said: "This is for the buildings." Then he said to his wife with a broad smile: "Surely she also participates in the buildings." Then the Rebbe gave him another dollar, a third, and said: "This is for the other buildings."
Without publicity, the news of the cornerstone laying spread by word of mouth, and many hundreds of Anash Chabad chassidim from all over the country participated in the event. Rabbis of Anash and elder chassidim sat on the platform of honor. The rabbi of Kfar Chabad, Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi, the elder of Chabad rabbis Rabbi David Chanzin, and the elderly chassid Rabbi Alter Hilvitz gave moving speeches about the privilege of building the Rebbe's property.
Immediately after the ceremony, after midnight, R' Zusha received a phone call from the Rebbe's secretary, Rabbi Groner, who told him that the Rebbe wanted to know who the dignitaries were who attended the ceremony and whether pictures were taken. R' Zusha replied that he would prepare a list and send it the next morning, but the secretary made it clear that R' Zusha had to answer immediately because the Rebbe was listening to the conversation. R' Zusha immediately began to list the names of the various participants, and when he just mentioned the name of one of the elder chassidim, R' Alter Hilvitz, Rabbi Groner interrupted him and said that the Rebbe was very pleased that he was there and that was enough.
After Laying the Cornerstone edit
Following the cornerstone laying ceremony, during a friendly gathering that Rabbi Zusha held with several of his friends, including architect Mordechai Menashe Gorlik and the Mara D'Atra Rabbi Ashkenazi, to examine the standards for building the Rebbe's estate, an idea emerged - to build a house for the Rebbe based on the model of his home on President Street in Crown Heights. The Rebbe responded with a sharp reply: "If they want to build, they should contemplate what they want and decide. After several years they decided to ask me?! And through a farbrengen?! I will mention it at the tziyun (gravesite)" [8].
An architect and engineer drew up a detailed plan for the palace and even came to Kfar Chabad to see the designated area and decide exactly where - near 770 - it would be best to locate the palace. After a comprehensive tour of the place and examining all aspects, the architect wrote his conclusions: "The plot located west of 770 - the Agudas Chassidei Chabad building - is worthy in every sense of recommendation to be the estate on which the palace for Melech HaMoshiach will be built, for the following reasons: a. The plot is suitable for the size of the building. b. The plot overlooks the entire coastal plain and can be seen from afar. It gives a feeling of where heaven and earth meet. c. The palace that will be built on this plot will create a beautiful and respectable square together with 770 - the Agudas Chassidei Chabad building - and will be called 'Melech HaMoshiach Square'."
After a period during which Rabbi Zusha tried to advance the project alone with the help of his wife, they reached the conclusion that for the benefit of the matter, it was desirable to establish a committee, and Rabbi Zusha invited several people to join the effort. On 26 Adar Sheini, 5752 (1992), the first meeting was held, attended by Rabbi Zev Zalmaniv, Rabbi Shlomo Garbarchik, Rabbi Moshe Halperin, and Rabbi Zimroni Tzik. At the meeting, it was decided that it would also serve as a founding meeting for the establishment of an organization. Rabbi Zev Zalmaniv was appointed treasurer of the organization, and they sat down to plan with the architect.
Towards 11 Nissan 5752 (1992), there was a strong desire to begin construction before this special day, and after efforts and rushing around, on Friday, 7 Nissan 5752, the foundation pillars of the palace were already standing.
In the weeks that followed, the committee gathered for discussions regarding the various functions the palace was intended to serve, what the dimensions should be, etc., and things that everyone thought were necessary were decided upon, and a budget framework was established. At this stage, the committee decided that there was a need to formulate a policy regarding public participation. The question was asked by the Rebbe in parallel with the submission of the plans and maps. Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner, the secretary, wrote the Rebbe's response: "a. For his letter and the attached [=maps], he gave his agreement and blessing. b. They can receive participation from the public. c. Blessing and success." In accordance with the Rebbe's response, the committee issued a call to the public to participate in the construction, and an option was set for basic participation worth $100, with a guarantee that each donor would receive a certificate of honor confirming their participation alongside the immortalization of their name in the golden book of the palace building.
Rabbi Zusha raised before the Rebbe the possibility of selling the Rebbe's dollars in his possession to those who would donate for the construction of the palace, and to promise in the Rebbe's name that they would be blessed with what they needed. The Rebbe agreed to the idea but stipulated that it be for a large sum.
For various reasons, the completion of the palace has been delayed until now.
In the month of Tishrei 5770 (2009), Rabbi David Drai, a resident of the Crown Heights neighborhood, established an organization whose goal was to build the palace, following a special letter he received from the Rebbe in Igrot Kodesh. As soon as he got deeply involved, he worked to open an internet site on the subject, following which people informed him that they were willing to assist in favor of building the palace. In these days, he is working to approve the organization as one that can benefit from income tax funds.
Following his appeal to the Kfar Chabad committee, the relevant parties informed him that if he succeeded in raising at least half of the money needed for construction, it would be possible to work towards obtaining building permits.
On 10 Shevat 5779 (2019), a women's conference was held in Kfar Chabad, and it was decided to have a massive signing of people to show support for the construction of the palace. Rabbi Shneur Lider joined energetically with Rabbi Shneur Schneerson from Ramat Aviv in the matter of building the palace, and as of the month of Tammuz 5780 (2020), there are more than 3,500 signatures [9]. At the same time, it was published that there are commitments of more than 10 million shekels for the construction of the palace.
On 28 Elul 5780 (2020), the Tanya book was printed at the site.
In the year 5781 (2021), the 'Young Married Men's Committee' in Kfar Chabad began organizing a monthly Kiddush Levana (Sanctification of the Moon) at the palace site. In the month of Adar, the Kfar Chabad committee discussed the palace issue, and in a letter written to the palace committee in the month of Sivan, it was written that "it was decided that the consent of the Mara D'Atra Rabbi Meir Ashkenazi and the Chabad Rabbinical Court should be obtained; after their consent, the general assembly will discuss it." In the month of Tammuz, a plan was received from architects Chaim Dotan and Mordechai Gorlik, dividing the work on the construction of the palace into three stages and proposing the work on the construction of the palace at $60,000,000.
On 27 Tammuz 5782 (2022), Rabbi Meir Ashkenazi signed an approval for the construction of the palace.
At a gathering for the construction of the palace held at Beit Moshiach 770 in Tishrei 5783 (2022), Rabbi Shneur Schneerson said that in the coming months, a significant breakthrough is expected which he cannot disclose, but in a cautious assessment, it can be assumed that it is the final stretch towards the start of construction. He further noted that tens of thousands of shekels are already ready for this stage in the bank account, and he reviewed some of the actions that have progressed in recent years in this regard.
Further Reading edit
- What About the Palace?!, Nachshon Peretz, Beit Moshiach Weekly Issue 1298, pages 22-27.
- The Evolution of the Rebbe's Approvals for Building the Palace for the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach, Rabbi Yosef Ashkenazi, Rabbi Ashkenazi (Book) Part 2
External Links edit
- Documentation of the cornerstone laying ceremony for the palace from the Va'abita Niflaot archive
- Palace for Melech HaMoshiach - An article about the palace in the newspaper 'The True and Complete Redemption' Sivan 5752 (pp. 3-7)
- The Palace for Melech HaMoshiach - A film documenting the history of the initiative, the Rebbe's references to the subject, and a simulation of the structure (link not active, 18 Adar 5781)
- Yitzchak Yehuda Holtzman, Palace for Moshiach, Kfar Chabad Weekly Adar 5772
- M. Fried, Torah Scroll? Palace! A sharp opinion article
- Torah explanation: Why do we need to build a palace for the Rebbe?
- The Story of the Palace - Half a Jubilee to the Cornerstone
- Newspaper articles regarding the construction of the palace - Chabad Info
- Compilation "Palace on its Judgment Sits," published by the Committee for Building the Palace (printed by Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva Beer Sheva)
- Video clips related to the palace - link to the Geulah website
- Enough with the cornerstone - We're starting to build! on the Chabad FM website