1 כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה חֲסִידִים חָשְׁבוּ יוֹם בּוֹאָם לְליוּבּאַוִויטְשׁ לְיוֹם הוּלֶדֶת שֶׁלָּהֶם. מוֹרִי הָרַשְׁבַּ"ץ בָּא בַּפַּעַם הָרִאשׁוֹנָה לְליוּבּאַוִויטְשׁ אוֹר לְיוֹם שִׁשִּׁי פָּרָשַׁת מִשְׁפָּטִים שְׁנַת תּר"ח, וּבְכָל שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה הָיָה עֵר כָּל אוֹתוֹ הַלַּיְלָה, וּמְכַוֵּן לְהָנִיחַ תְּפִלִּין בָּהּ בְּשָׁעָה אֲשֶׁר נִכְנַס לְהַצֶּמַח צֶדֶק בַּפַּעַם הָרִאשׁוֹנָה.

Many chassidim used to consider the day they first came to Lubavitch as their birthday. My teacher, the Rashbatz,2 arrived in Lubavitch for the first time on the Thursday night of Parshas Mishpatim, 5608 (1848). Every year, [on that evening,] he would stay awake throughout that night, and [in the morning] put on his tefillin at precisely the hour that he had entered the study of the Tzemach Tzedek [for yechidus] for the first time.3

A Chassid to Remember

To appreciate the uniqueness of this story, one has to know something about the personal history of the Rashbatz.4 Before being attracted to Chassidus, he had already been recognized as a distinguished young Torah scholar. After joining the chassidic community in his hometown of Shvientzian, he was nurtured along its path of spiritual growth. When he had reached a significant stage of development, the local chassidim sent him to study with the distinguished chassid, R. Michl of Opotzk. Under his tutelage the Rashbatz grew further, until R. Michl felt that he was ready and sent him to the Rebbe.