Thousands of people gathered this past weekend at the gravesite in Haditch, Ukraine, of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder and father of the Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic group which became a worldwide phenomenon affecting the lives of millions and known to almost every Jew, on the 199th anniversary of his death.
Among the participants in the public celebration of the Rebbe’s life were the Chief Rabbi of the Ukraine Rabbi Moshe Azman, the chairman of the United Torah Judaism faction and a member of the Jerusalem City Council Rabbi Yaakov Halperin, and Rabbi Yitzchak Kogan from Russia.
Arutz Sheva’s Russian language website reported that despite the cold and harsh winter weather, a bar mitzvah and a wedding were held as well.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, who was also known as Baal HaTanya [writer of the Tanya] for authoring the much-studied book of Hassidic philosophy called the Tanya, passed away 199 years ago on the 24th day of the month of Tevet, as he and his family were fleeing Napoleon’s army.
The Rebbe fell ill in the village of Pena and died two weeks later. He was laid to rest in Haditch.
He was a direct descendant of the Maharal of Prague, the great scholar also known for creating the ‘golem of Prague”, and was a student of the Maggid [inspiring orator] of Mezeritch, one of the five disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hassidism.
Some of the other holy works written by the sage, who was also called the Alter Rebbe [Rebbe Hazaken in Hebrew, meaning the elder rabbi] are the Shulchan Aruch HaRav and the Sidur Torah Or written according to prayer services of the revered 16th century Tzfat mystic, the Ari Z’l.
so special!!
go mushky levitansky!!!! u rock!!!
The Alter Chassidim, the Heileghe young ones, the Yidden, just plain Yidden are amazing.