A grand farbrengen dedicated to the 18th of Elul – Chai Elul, the birthday of two great luminaries of Chassidus: the founder of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, and the founder of the Chabad movement, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe – took place at the central Golden Rose Synagogue. Chai Elul holds a special place in the Chassidic calendar, and the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, emphasized that this day infuses special vitality into the spiritual work of the month of Elul.
The farbrengen, held in one of the halls of the Golden Rose Synagogue, was attended by numerous congregants, rabbis, emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and members of the Jewish Community of Dnipro. The honored guest of the farbrengen was the esteemed Rabbi Shimon Neumann, father of Rabbi Moishe Neumann, a teacher at the Dnipro Tomchei Tmimim yeshiva, who came to Dnipro for his grandson’s bar mitzvah.
Addressing the gathering were Rabbis Shimon Neumann, Yom Tov Shufotinsky, Moishe Leib Weber, and Moishe Neumann. They spoke about the spiritual legacy of the Baal Shem Tov – the founder of Chassidus – and the Alter Rebbe – the founder of the Chabad movement, author of the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav – about how the revelation and spread of Chassidus transformed the Jewish world, infusing the service of the Almighty with special joy and vitality, and how the teachings of Chabad enable a deep grasp of Chassidic ideas, combining them with daily life and the practical observance of mitzvos.
In an atmosphere of spiritual elevation, the participants sang Chassidic niggunim, shared stories and reflections, spoke about the significance of Chai Elul for every Jew, and about the preparation for Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year. Special attention was given to the well-known Chassidic understanding of the 18th of Elul as a day that brings “chayut” – life-force – into the month of Elul. According to Chassidic tradition, beginning with Chai Elul, each of the remaining twelve days before Rosh Hashanah corresponds to one of the twelve months of the passing year, offering an opportunity to reflect on it, take spiritual stock, and correct what needs correcting, so that one may enter the Jewish New Year with renewed strength.
“Chai Elul is a special day on which we celebrate the birth of two great luminaries, whose teachings transformed the Jewish world and continue to illuminate the path of each of us,” said Rabbi Reuven Kaminezki. “Such farbrengens give us the opportunity not only to revisit their great spiritual legacy but also to reflect on how to apply Chassidic ideas in our daily lives – adding meaning to Torah study, observance of mitzvos, and love for every Jew, strengthening our beloved united and cohesive Jewish Community of Dnipro under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
