Earlier this week I was recruited to petition a legislator to sign a congressional letter advocating for the release of a federal prisoner who has served a veritable life sentence for a non-violent crime and should be released on moral, ethical and humanitarian grounds. His story broke my heart and I hope he experiences his long awaited redemption very soon.
Two hundred twenty two years ago the founder of the Chabad movement, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe, was imprisoned for 53 days on false charges of treason and was released on the 19th of Kislev. It was a truly joyous occasion - just as anyone’s release from imprisonment is - but the celebration of this auspicious day only intensified with time and today there are thousands of celebrations happening all over the world. This is because his release was a watershed moment in history, earning it the name “Rosh Hashanah (the new year) of Chassidus.”
Let me explain how the Alter Rebbe’s release from prison connects to Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first human beings. From the moment of their creation, humanity was entrusted with the mission of leading and developing the universe. But for thousands of years, the purpose of creation and the intellectual process of appreciating the divine plan in creation was accessible only by a select few through the study of Kabbalah, remaining a mystery for everyone else. Then the Chassidic movement was founded by the Baal Shem Tov with the express goal of bringing these hidden treasures to the masses. Two generations later, the Alter Rebbe was sharing the deepest insights of the esoteric levels of the Torah in such relatable terms, essentially transforming the Jewish paradigm in ways that we take for granted today. The inherent value of every mitzvah, the impact every individual can have on the world and our essential bond with G-d are but a sampling of the topics he revolutionized. In fact almost every Chassidic discourse has some variation of the question “Why was the world created?” worked into its syllabus. Revolutions have consequences and the fierce resistance his teachings faced from within the Jewish community led some radicals to cross every red line and convince the government that the Alter Rebbe was a threat to the czar, leading to his arrest. Based on the premise that everything in our world is a reflection of a spiritual reality, however, the Chassidic masters explain that the resistance to Chassidus was mainly playing out on a spiritual plane: Would the Alter Rebbe be allowed to continue sharing G-d’s secrets in such an unprecedented manner? His miraculous release on 19 Kislev 222 years ago was a resounding endorsement of the Chassidic mission statement and marks a turning point in the way we access the deepest teachings of the Torah and apply them to our day to day life, setting the stage for an era of global peace, serenity and divine awareness through Moshiach. On Rosh Hashanah we celebrate creation and on 19 Kislev we celebrate our ability to properly understand its purpose and how to achieve it. Sounds to me like a good reason to celebrate Rosh Hashanah again. As we celebrate the “chassidic new year” this Shabbat, the 19th of Kislev, I wish you a “Shana Tova” and invite you to peruse through our online library of chassidic texts and audio and video classes and see how you can benefit from these precious teachings.