Кіслев: Місяць Світла і Зв'язку

Rosh Chodesh Kislev: Celebration of Miraculous Recovery

Rosh Chodesh Kislev became a holiday in the Chassidic calendar after the Rebbe's miraculous recovery in 1977. Following the severe heart attack on Simchat Torah, when doctors feared for his life, the Rebbe returned to full activity precisely on the first day of Kislev. Chassidim around the world perceived this as a sign from Above: a month that begins with the healing of the leader of the generation carries a special power of renewal and connection with G-d. Since then, this day is celebrated with special joy, farbrengens, and increased Torah study.

9–10 Kislev: The Mitteler Rebbe — Birth, Passing, and Liberation

The dates of 9 and 10 Kislev form a unique combination in the Chassidic calendar: 9 Kislev is the birthday and simultaneously the day of passing of the Mitteler (Middle) Rebbe, Rabbi DovBer, the second Lubavitcher Rebbe. And 10 Kislev is the day of his liberation from prison. The Mitteler Rebbe was arrested on a denunciation for spreading Chassidism — a charge remarkably similar to the arrest of his father, the Alter Rebbe, twenty-five years earlier. His liberation confirmed that persecution cannot stop the light of Chassidic teaching. Birth and passing on the same day testify to the completeness of his mission: he came into the world with a definite purpose and fulfilled it entirely.

14 Kislev: Wedding of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka (1928)

On 14 Kislev 5689 (1928), in Warsaw, the wedding took place of the future Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel, and Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, daughter of the Rebbe Rayatz. This wedding was not only a personal event but a historic moment for the entire Chabad movement. The Rebbe Rayatz said of his son-in-law: "I took one soul — I received two." The union of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin became the foundation upon which the global movement of spreading Torah and Chassidism was built. Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka supported her husband throughout her life while remaining modest and avoiding publicity.

19–20 Kislev: Rosh Hashana of Chassidism

19 Kislev is the greatest holiday of the Chassidic world: the day of liberation of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, from the Peter and Paul Fortress in 1798. This day is called the "Rosh Hashana of Chassidism" because the Alter Rebbe's liberation became a heavenly sign of approval for spreading the teachings of Chassidism in the world. Before his arrest, the Alter Rebbe taught Chassidism to a narrow circle; after his liberation, he began to spread the teachings "outward" — ever wider, fulfilling the directive of the Baal Shem Tov: "When your wellsprings spread outward — Moshiach will come." The 20th of Kislev became a continuation of this celebration. Since then, on this day Chassidim around the world hold grand farbrengens, make new resolutions in the study of Chassidism, and strengthen their connection with one another and with the Rebbe.