As we have just celebrated 40 years since the beginning of the Rebbe’s takana that everyone learn Rambam daily, people have encouraged me to tell stories about the Siyum HaRambam, how it developed, and how it came to be that I had a connection with it.
The Rebbe launched the Mivtzah Rambam in 5744 (1984), exactly 40 years ago. The first one, upon the conclusion of the first cycle of three chapters daily, took place on Isru Chag of Pesach 5745 (1985).
I was a bit involved in the first siyum. I had a connection with the New York Hilton, where the siyum was held. So I had a little, but not much, involvement.
For the second siyum, 28 Adar I 5746 (March 9, 1986), we had a pretty large committee. Some of the committee members are unfortunately no longer with us, like Reb Dovid Raskin, Reb Mendel Shemtov, Reb Zalman Shagalov, and Reb Yonah Avtzon, zichronam livracha. The other members, yibodlu l’chayim aruchim gezunt un shtark, were Reb Nochum Sternberg, Reb Nochum Pinson, Reb Zev Yechezkel HaKohen Katz, Reb Moshe Yehuda Kotlarsky and Reb Hillel Dovid Krinsky. So we had a pretty large committee.
The year before, in 5745, the master of ceremonies had been HaRav Yosef Halevi Weinberg, zichrono livracha. But in 5746 he was abroad in South Africa, so the committee was looking for someone to be the master of ceremonies.
I must tell you, not only didn’t I think about it, it didn’t even enter my mind. But the committee somehow pushed it on me. I should be the emcee and be involved in the arrangements. That’s how it started.
During one of our meetings, I suggested to the chaverim that perhaps we should write to the Rebbe that we were asking the Rebbe to participate with a dollar for each person. I must tell you, my chaverim – those who are no longer with us, and yibodlu l’chayim aruchim, those who are with us – were very, very careful and responsible individuals. They were careful to say, “We don’t know whether we can do that.”
But when I insisted, they said, “You know what? We cannot give you permission to do it. But if you want to do it on your own, you want to ask the Rebbe on your own, you can do that.”
I listened to what they said. I wrote the Rebbe on my own. I asked if the Rebbe could participate with a dollar for each person.
The Rebbe sent out six thousand dollars. Our committee was elated. They were walking on air. The Rebbe sent out 6,000 dollars, and we let it be known to the entire community. We made an imprint on each dollar, “Hishtatfus Kevod Kedushas Admur Shlita b’Siyum HaRambam.” (“The participation of the Rebbe in the Siyum HaRambam”).
Not only that, I went to my dear friend Reb Shmuel Melamed – he was in the stamp business, still is, and I said to him, “I know that you have transparent envelopes. Can we possibly have some for the Rebbe dollars?”
“How many do you need?” he said.
I said, “The Rebbe gave us 6,000 dollars. Can you spare us 6,000 envelopes?”
Reb Shmuel Melamed did it b’sever panim yafos. He very graciously gave us 6,000 envelopes. We printed another imprint on the envelope, “Hishtatfus Kevod Kedushas Admur Shlita b’Siyum HaRambam” and we gave out the 6,000 dollars.
Reb Nochum Sternberg was in charge of organizing exactly how to distribute them. We had people standing at all the entrances, giving the dollars to every man, woman, and child present.
It made a tremendous impact on everyone. After that, in the subsequent years, the Rebbe also gave us dollars every time.
What I want to tell you is that this year, just a few weeks ago, I saw that in Israel, they made an auction, and they auctioned off a lot of things: dollars from the Rebbe, nickels from the Rebbe, dimes from the Rebbe. One of the things they auctioned off was a dollar that the Rebbe gave to the Siyum HaRambam. I heard from many people that they kept this dollar holy, the dollar with the envelope and the imprint.
