In his later years, the Rebbe, of righteous memory, would distribute dollars and blessings for many hours every Sunday. The dollar (or an equivalent amount) was to be given to charity.
A few weeks before the Rebbe's 90th birthday, a Canadian journalist arrived at the Sunday afternoon dollar distribution. That day, the Rebbe had been standing and handing out dollars since noon, and now it was nearly 7 p.m.
The journalist waited at the end of the line, approached the Rebbe and asked, "Tell me, of what significance is 90?"
Without hesitation, the Rebbe responded that 90 is the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letter tzaddik, which means "righteous." He told the journalist that we must always strive to be more righteous. What was adequate for yesterday is not enough for today, and we must prepare for a better tomorrow.
The Rebbe lived up to this message, always striving toward a better world. It says in Job, "Man is created to toil" (5:77); we must battle the challenges of today, and blaze a path to progress, increased goodness and positive change.
