The 24th of Tevet is a special day in the Jewish calendar. On this day, Chassidim around the world mark the yahrzeit of the founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe. His contribution to the development of Chassidic thought, Jewish education, and the spiritual life of the Jewish people cannot be overstated. The Alter Rebbe laid the foundations of Chabad teaching, in which the deepest spiritual ideas are inseparable from responsibility for another person, from a living concern for the fate of every Jew.
On this significant day, our website presents with special attention a video prepared by JEM (Jewish Educational Media), which reveals one of the remarkable stories associated with the life of the Alter Rebbe and conveys the very essence of the Chabad Chassidic approach.
The video tells of an event related by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1959. It concerns the day of Yom Kippur – the holiest day of the year, when the Alter Rebbe, in a state of the highest spiritual elevation, interrupted his prayers and left the synagogue to go to a young woman who had recently given birth. He personally attended to her, understanding that at that moment, saving a human life was the highest form of serving Hashem.
This story vividly illustrates the fundamental principle of Chabad: even when at the heights of spiritual attainment, a true leader does not detach from reality and does not close his eyes to the needs of another person. On the contrary, concern for a person, for their life and well-being, becomes the highest expression of faith and responsibility.
On the yahrzeit of the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, we invite you to watch this video and reflect once again on the idea that true spirituality is manifested not only in prayer and study but also in concrete actions taken for the sake of another person.
