The Meaning of Rosh Chodesh Kislev Today

by Rabbi Yosef Katzman

Walk into 770 on an ordinary weekday, in the middle of a posheter Mitvoch—just a plain, ordinary Wednesday. Not on a Yom Tov, not on a special Chassidic occasion, and not during a Farbrengen.

Walk into any Lubavitcher Yeshiva anywhere in the world, large or small, and you will find the Tmimim immersed in their studies, learning Nigleh and Chassidus with a profound Hiskashrus and an endless love for the Rebbe.

Visit any Yeshiva on a Friday, after the regular study sessions have ended, and watch hundreds upon thousands of Temimim heading out on Mivtzoim—to spread Yiddishkeit, to put Tefillin on another Jew, to reach another Jewish soul, to bring light into yet another corner of the world.

And remember one thing: They were all born many years after Gimmel Tammuz!

They never saw the Rebbe with their own eyes. They never heard his holy voice in person. They never had the privilege of standing before the Rebbe and receiving a dollar, a smile, or even a glance.

And yet—what love! What Hiskashrus! What Mesiras Nefesh!

Now go a little further.

Meet the Shluchim scattered across the globe, especially the younger Shluchim, members of the generation born after Gimmel Tammuz.

Watch as they leave their homes, their families, and everything familiar to them, setting out for the most remote corners of the world, with genuine Mesiras Nefesh, to bring the light of Torah and Chassidus to another Jew, to another Jewish soul.

And ask them one simple question:

Why? For whom are you doing all this? What gives you the strength?

Then listen to the answer that comes pouring out from the depths of their souls:

For the Rebbe!

For a Rebbe whom we never had the privilege of seeing face to face, yet who is our entire life!

For the Rebbe whom we love with all our heart and all our soul!

For the Rebbe for whom we live, for whom we dedicate our every action, and for whom we are prepared to give our very lives!

And all of this—for what?

To bring our beloved Rebbe Nachas Ruach.

Just a little more Nachas Ruach.

Even if only one tiny drop of Nachas Ruach!

Think about that for a moment.

An entire generation of Chassidim who never saw the Rebbe physically, yet they live and breathe the Rebbe. They think Rebbe, they learn Rebbe, they spread the Rebbe’s teachings, and they devote their very lives to fulfilling his holy wishes.

What love could possibly be deeper than this? What Hiskashrus could possibly be stronger?

And this is precisely what we celebrate on Rosh Chodesh Kislev!

But why Rosh Chodesh Kislev? What happened on this particular day that revealed such an extraordinary love within us?

Because back then, in 5738 (1977), something happened that we had never experienced before.

For the very first time, we truly discovered what it meant to miss the Rebbe!

For five long weeks, beginning on Shemini Atzeres, we were unable to see the Rebbe as we had always been accustomed to.

The Rebbe was there, in 770, but we could not see him.

And suddenly, we felt the emptiness.

The absence.

The terrible, aching longing.

Until then, we had been privileged to see the Rebbe, to hear his voice, to participate in his Farbrengens, to live in his presence. All of this had been an inseparable part of our lives.

And suddenly—

We missed the Rebbe!

How much we loved him! How desperately we needed him! How terribly we longed to see him again!

It was precisely his absence that revealed the true depth of our love.

Precisely when we could no longer see the Rebbe, we discovered just how deeply our entire lives were bound up with him, how much he was part of our very existence.

And then came Rosh Chodesh Kislev.

For the first time in those five long weeks, the Rebbe emerged from his residence in 770.

And the joy that erupted from the hearts of the Chassidim was beyond anything words could possibly describe.

It was not merely the joy of seeing the Rebbe recover.

It was an explosion of love! A love whose true depth had been revealed through longing!

And therein lies the secret of Rosh Chodesh Kislev.

On this day, that extraordinary, profound, tangible love was revealed in all its intensity—the very real, flesh-and-blood love of Chassidim for their Rebbe!

And that love has never ceased.

It is not bound by time or place.

It does not require physical sight to remain alive and burning.

It passes from generation to generation, from father to son, from teacher to student, giving rise to a new generation of Chassidim whose every fiber is bound to the Rebbe.

Our precious Rebbe! Our beloved Rebbe!

Look at your children!

Your Tmimim and your Shluchim!

A generation that never had the privilege of seeing you, yet lives with you every single moment of their lives.

And their one desire, their one aspiration, their one heartfelt wish—is to bring you Nachas Ruach!

אַ רבי בלייבט אַ רבי, און חסידים בלייבן חסידים!

A Rebbe remains a Rebbe, and Chassidim remain Chassidim!

And this is the great joy of Rosh Chodesh Kislev—the celebration of the love, the longing, and the unbreakable Hiskashrus of Chassidim to their Rebbe!

אַ טאַטע בלייבט אַ טאַטע, און קינדער בלייבן קינדער!

A father remains a father, and children remain children!

The love of Chassidim for their Rebbe is like the love of children for their father—a deep, pure, unconditional love. A love that knows no boundaries. A love that flows from the very essence of the soul. A love that never, ever ends!

Gut Yom Tov Chassidim.