Today is the 24th of Tevet, the day when chassidim worldwide observe the yahrzeit of the founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, also known as the Alter Rebbe, who passed from this world 213 years ago, on the 24th of Tevet, 5573 / 1813, after five months of wandering through Russia.
In the Dnipro Jewish Community, the yahrzeit of the outstanding legal scholar, kabbalist, first head of Chabad, and the first Lubavitcher Rebbe is traditionally observed on a wide scale. Many community members make pilgrimages to the Alter Rebbe’s ohel in the city of Hadiach, special gatherings and study sessions are held, as well as chassidic farbrengens.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi is one of the greatest sages and tzaddikim in human history. It was he who created the coherent philosophical concept of Chabad Chassidus. His pen produced the fundamental and seminal work – the book “Tanya.” Jews all over the world study many of his other works related to Jewish law and pray in synagogues using siddurim compiled according to his guidelines.
On our website, we have published many stories about the Alter Rebbe, his great achievements and wisdom, and the miracles that occurred with him during his imprisonment on false charges in the Peter and Paul Fortress. These stories are invariably shared at the festive meal on the 19th of Kislev, when chassidim celebrate the New Year of Chassidus – the Alter Rebbe’s liberation from imperial imprisonment.
In 2013, when the world marked the 200th anniversary of this great man’s passing, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine opened the “Admor Hazaken” pilgrimage center in Hadiach, where he is buried. This center assists tens of thousands of Jews from Ukraine and around the world in making pilgrimages to the Alter Rebbe’s ohel.
