יוֹם הוּלֶּדֶת אֶת אַדְמוּ"ר מְהוּרַשַ"בּ נִשְׁמָתוֹ עֵדֶן — שְׁנַת כִּתְרָ"א, כִּלְשׁוֹן הַצֶּמַח צֶדֶק. נִקְרָא עַל שֵׁם אַדְמוּ"ר הָאֶמְצָעִי וַחֲצִי שֵׁם אָבִיו שֶׁל הַצֶּמַח צֶדֶק.

בְּכָל שָׁנָה בְּיוֹם הוּלַדְתוֹ הָיָה אַאַמוּ"ר אוֹמֵר דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹקִים חַיִּים, אֶלָּא שֶׁהָיָה בַּחֲשָׁאִי, מִלְבַד כְּשֶׁאֵרַע בְּשַׁבָּת קֹדֶשׁ. בְּיוֹם הַהוּלֶדֶת הָאַחֲרוֹן בְּעָלְמָא דֵין אָמַר מַאֲמָר נָתַתָּ לִירֵאֶךָ נֵס לְהִתְנוֹסֵס מִפְּנֵי קוֹשֶׁט סֶלָה. כְּשֶׁסִיֵּם אָמַר לִי בְּיוֹם הוּלֶּדֶת צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר חֲסִידוּת. יִתֵּן הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרֵךְ לְךָ מַתָּנָה שֶׁתֹּאמַר חֲסִידוּת בְּיוֹם הוּלֶּדֶת שֶׁלְךָ אֶלָּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בְּחֶסֶד וּבְרַחֲמִים — האָט עֶס געֶדוּיעֶרט זִיבּעֶן יאָהר.

On this day the Rebbe Rashab was born, in the year 5621 (1860). The Tzemach Tzedek would refer to that year as כתר"א (kisra),1 which is Aramaic for “crown.” The Rebbe Rashab was given the name of the Mitteler Rebbe and half of the name of the Tzemach Tzedek’s father.2

*

Every year, on his birthday, my revered father [the Rebbe Rashab] would deliver a maamar, but unless the day fell on Shabbos, it was delivered in private.

On his last birthday in this world,3 he delivered a maamar based on the words, Nasata Liyreiecha Nes [...].4 When it ended, he told me: “On one’s birthday one should deliver a discourse of Chassidus. May G‑d grant you the gift of delivering a discourse of Chassidus onyour birthday — but may this take place with kindness and mercy.”

It took seven years [for this blessing to materialize].5

To Fill In the Background

What do the cryptic closing words of the Rebbe Rayatz mean?

It was not until 5687 (1927), seven years after his father’s parting blessing, that it blossomed into fulfillment. During these seven years, the Lubavitch movement as a whole and the Rebbe Rayatz in particular bore the full brunt of the Communist efforts to stamp out religious observance throughout Russia. On 15 Sivan of the above year, the Rebbe was arrested and placed under capital sentence for his “counter-revolutionary activities” in disseminating Yiddishkeit.6 Subsequently, that sentence was commuted to exile and on Yud-Beis Tammuz of that year, the Rebbe Rayatz was informed of his imminent release.

On that day, his birthday, which has since become a day of annual celebration, he was finally able to deliver a discourse of Chassidus, “with kindness and mercy.”