Yud Tes Kislev is the “Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus.” The daily study cycle of Tanya (instituted by the Previous Rebbe) begins afresh every 19th of Kislev. Likewise, the first entry in Hayom Yom (the book of daily Chassidic thought and instruction that was compiled by the Rebbe), is for the 19th of Kislev. It begins with the words penned by the Rebbe Rashab (the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe), who first proclaimed the 19th of Kislev to be “Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus.”
In a letter dated Kislev 16, 5662, the Rebbe Rashab writes:
“Gather together on the 19th of Kislev … Rejoice with the joy of the festival [marking the event] that caused our souls to be redeemed in peace and the light of our souls to be bestowed to us. Today is the Rosh Hashanah of the teachings of Chassidus, which were bequeathed to us by our saintly ancestors.
… This day marks the beginning of … the true and ultimate purpose for which man was created upon Earth, namely, to elicit the revelation of the illumination of the most innermost dimension of our holy Torah – which on this day, in a collective manner, casts its illumination over the entire year.
Today’s task is to arouse our hearts to an absolutely true and sincere innermost desire and will for our souls to be illuminated by the radiance of the innermost dimension of His Torah.”
