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If things were so comfy in the womb, what are you celebrating?

My father-in-law, the Rebbe, taught that a birthday is a time for introspection – to take the purpose of one’s life to heart and make resolutions for the future. It is a most propitious time, for on one’s birthday his ‘Mazel’ – his ‘fortune,’ radiates with extra strength.

One should always begin to implement birthday resolutions on the birthday itself. And for best results, include your family when you make the resolutions, so they can help you and offer feedback on your progress.

My father-in-law, the Rebbe, writes that on one’s birthday one should recall and contemplate his past experiences and make resolutions to improve for the future. But if it is called a “birthday” one must also contemplate the very concept of birth.

The Previous Rebbe taught that a birthday is a time for introspection, a time to account for the past and make resolutions for the future. It is a most propitious time, for on one’s birthday his “mazel”—his “fortune”—radiates with extra strength.

In 1988, one month after the passing of his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, the Rebbe launched the Birthday Campaign in her memory. At a farbrengen marking his own birthday in 1983, the Rebbe explained the significance of the occasion.

This in-depth excavation digs deeply into scripture and Talmudic teachings about the observance of birthdays by both royals and regulars alike. Should ancient associations of birthdays and idolatrous rites disqualify us from marking the anniversary of our terrestrial arrival, or did they actually appropriate Torah truisms? Drawing from a wide range of traditional sources, this class pulls no punches in demystifying the subject—stridently leading you to unmistakably clear conclusions about its Torah-true origins.

What is the precedent for celebrating a birthday in Torah? Learn its significance on five levels of understanding.

A birthday can either be the day YOU were born, or the day G-d created you. Here's how to use the special energy of your birthday to accomplish great things.

On birthdays past, well-wishers offer the Rebbe their blessings for the special occasion.

The United States prides itself on its work ethic. Yet, somehow, it has cultivated the idea that one’s useful work life is over by age fifty or sixty. When one is no longer as strong and energetic, one is given the right to decrease in the activities relevant to his mission in life. The Torah instructs us that as long as we are alive, our mission is alive and we must do no less than previously.

Children receive dollars from the Rebbe to be given to charity in honor of their birthdays.

Arrogance is the root of all undesirable traits. How, then, can we allow people to gather here in order to honor an individual?

Make a gathering; a party in honor of your birthday, and make it large. Remember to give tzedaka at your time of celebration.

Before birth, your soul may have basked in the glory of G-d and the Torah, but only in this world can you utilize your individuality to master Torah with your own abilities. In truth, we must always be mindful of this, and approach each day as a new birth. But on a person’s birthday, this lesson is ever more potent.

In which month were you born? Learn about the history of the 12 months of the year--from Nissan till Tishrei--and how the "character" of the month that you were born in may affect your own personality traits.

In which month were you born? Learn about the history of the 12 months of the year--from Tishrei till Nissan--and how the "character" of the month that you were born in may affect your own personality traits.

Having established multiple Torah sources regarding the significance and potency of one’s birthday, we now move on to look at parties and formal celebrations. Is there an authentic Jewish tradition for such get-togethers, and is the anniversary of birth a cause for joy or sobriety? This frank and honest rumination attempts to present a clear picture of the historic reality, and the rationale the Rebbe shared with us in explaining his calling to observe and celebrate the date of our terrestrial birth!

We’ve previously established that birthday observances and even celebrations are Torah truisms. Now we explore: do birthdates retain Torah meaning after one's terrestrial passing onto their eternal reward. Intuitively, the start of one's physical life should end when the body is laid to rest; yet perhaps the day the soul occupies its destined corporeal reality continues to resonate even after the spirit separates and leaves its material envelope behind. This nuanced thesis – Halachicly buttressed – conclusively demonstrates that this day’s potency continues to resonate for posterity.

Adults and children wish the Rebbe a long life, a happy Passover and a happy birthday!

President Ronald Reagan signs a declaration proclaiming March 29, 1988 -- the Rebbe's 86th birthday -- as "Education Day U.S.A."

This Sunday, Nissan 11 (March 24), marks a centennial since the Rebbe’s birth. We offer you a few clips of the Rebbe marking the same milestone for his predecessor.

The publisher of Lifestyles magazine asks for a message for the world, in honor of the Rebbe’s 90th birthday: “The number 90 in Hebrew is “Tzaddik.” Every person, both Jew and non-Jew, must become a true Tzaddik, a righteous person.

Chasidim bless the Rebbe on his 86th birthday.