רַבֵּנוּ הַזָּקֵן הָיָה בְּעַצְמוֹ הַקּוֹרֵא בַּתּוֹרָה

The Alter Rebbe himself served as the Torah reader.

פַּעַם אַחַת לֹא הָיָה בְּלִיאָזנאָ שַׁבָּת פָּרָשַׁת תָּבֹא

Once he was not in Liozna for Shabbos Parshas [Ki] Savo, and

וְשָׁמַע אַדְמוּ"ר הָאֶמְצָעִי

the Mitteler Rebbe heard

וְהוּא עוֹדֶנּוּ נַעַר קוֹדֶם הַבַּר מִצְוָה

— at that time a boy before bar-mitzvah —

הַקְּרִיאָה מֵאַחֵר

the Torah Reading from another person.

הָעָגְמַת נֶפֶשׁ מֵהַקְּלָלוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹכֵחָה הֱבִיאַתּוּ לִכְאֵב לֵב

He experienced such distress upon hearing the curses in the tocheichah

עַד שֶׁבְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים נִסְתַּפֵּק רַבֵּנוּ הַזָּקֵן אִם יוּכַל לְהִתְעַנּוֹת

that on Yom Kippur, the Alter Rebbe was unsure whether [his son] would be able to fast.

כְּשֶׁשָּׁאֲלוּ אֶת אַדְמוּ"ר הָאֶמְצָעִי הֲרֵי בְּכָל שָׁנָה קוֹרִים פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ

When the Mitteler Rebbe was asked [to explain the severity of his response], for after all, this same passage is read every year,

עָנָה: כְּשֶׁאַבָּא קוֹרֵא העֶרט זִיךְ נִיט קֵיין קְלָלוֹת

he replied: “When my father reads it, they do not sound like curses.”

Text and Translation courtesy of Sichos in English

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