Global Celebration

Late at night, on June 14th, 1927, the Sixth Chabad Rebbe was arrested by the Soviet Secret police and taken to prison. As shocking as it was, it was hardly a surprise. As the acknowledged leader of the Jews in the Soviet Union and beyond, he was a fearless advocate for upholding Jewish traditions and the freedom for Jews to live in accordance with the Torah, despite the communist prohibitions. 

The Rebbe's original death sentence was eventually reduced to exile. The Rebbe was swiftly transported to far-off Kostroma, where he was to remain, isolated and under close surveillance, for 3 years.

Then, less than two weeks later, on the 12th day of the month of Tammuz - which was also his 47th Hebrew birthday, he was given the news that he was free and was released the following day. 

The miracle of his release is celebrated annually by Chassidim as "days of liberation" with Chassidic gatherings, inspiration, and joy. This year, these days are Thursday, July 18th and Friday, July 19th. 

In the renowned letter sent by the Previous Rebbe to his chassidim prior to the celebration of the first an­niversary of Yud-Beis Tammuz, he emphasizes the collective nature of the event:

“It was not myself alone that the Holy One, blessed be He, redeemed on Yud-Beis Tammuz, but also those who love the Torah and observe its commandments, and so too all those who merely bear the name ‘Jew’.”

By using this term, the Previous Rebbe implied that the redemption of Yud-Beis Tammuz left its impact not only on the lives of Lubavitcher chassidim, nor only on those devoted to the study of the Torah, nor only on the religiously obser­vant. The ripples of change produced by Yud-Beis Tam­muz influence the future of our entire people. 

Our Sages state, “The body follows the head.” The re­demption of the Previous Rebbe, the head of the generation, enables every member of our people to experience redemp­tion from those forces which restrict his own observance of Torah. May this personal experience of redemption spread and spiral until we merit the ultimate Redemption. May this take place in the immediate future!

Shabbat Shalom!

Candle lighting time this week in NYC is at 8:05 PM