The 24th of Tevet marks the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe — founder of Chabad Chassidism.
In the year 1812, during a harsh winter journey while fleeing Napoleon’s advancing army, the Alter Rebbe, physically weakened yet spiritually resolute, arrived in the town of Hadyach. There, after immense suffering and complete self-sacrifice for the sake of the Jewish people and the dissemination of Chassidic teachings, he returned his soul to its Divine source.
In Chabad, a yahrzeit is not viewed as a day of loss, but as a day of elevation. From that moment onward, the Alter Rebbe’s teachings — Chabad Chassidism, the Tanya, and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav — began to spread with even greater strength, illuminating Jewish life across the world.
Today, thousands of Chabad Houses on every continent continue to walk in his path, bringing Torah, warmth, and a living connection to Judaism to every Jew, wherever they may be.
This year, in honor of the 24th of Tevet, many who were traveling to Hadyach to pray and draw inspiration at the sacred resting place of the Alter Rebbe stopped along the way at the Chabad synagogue in Chișinău. There, they joined in prayer, Chassidic gatherings and farbrengens, immersed in the mikvah, and continued their journey spiritually strengthened — prepared to pray at the resting place of the Rebbe, the faithful shepherd of Israel.
