Following the Rebbe's horaah that one learn from the teachings of the Alter Rebbe
on Chof Daled Teves, along with chapters of Mishnayos beginning with the letters
of his name, Yagdil Torah has prepared a updated learning guide for this day. The
compilation features specially selected portions of the Alter Rebbe's teachings,
stories and the full mishnayos. It will be distributed throughout the Shuls in
Crown Heights, in the Heichal Halimmud and in our office. It is also available for
download here.

The following is a true and amazing story which shows the importance of learning in connection to a Yom Hilulah of our Rabbeim, told to Yagdil Torah by one of the important "Anash" of Crown Heights. It is regarding the pamphlets (Kovtzei Limud) that are published by Yagdil Torah in honor of the Yom Hilulah of the Rabbeim.

Besides the great holiness of Torah learning in general, the story reveals the unique quality of learning Mishnayos and especially when the learning is in connection to a Yartzeit, and more specifically to a Yom Hilulah of our Rabbeim.

Whenever we mark the Yom Hillula of one of the Rebbeim, I have the practice of learning chapters of Mishnayos whose first letters spell out the name of that Rebbe, and of giving Tzedaka in the amount corresponding to the numerical value of the name.

"A number of years ago, I was out of town on Yud-Gimmel Nisssan (the Yom Hillulah of the Rebbe Tzemach Tzedek). A family member had been hospitalized and I was at the hospital without a Mishnayos. I felt bad for not being able to recite the Mishnayos, but I thought to myself: 'What can I do? The Rebbe will surely understand. Bli-neder when I have a Mishnayos, I will recite the chapters corresponding to the name of the Tzemach Tzedek'.

"On Motzoei Yom Tov (Pesach), I phoned my parents to see how Yom Tov was by them. My father told me the following: 'On the first night of Pesach, I dreamt that I [had an audience] with the Rebbe Tzemach Tzedek. In my dream, I was upset that you did not ask the Tzemach Tzedek for a bracha. The Rebbe Tzemach Tzedek, however, gestured with his hand, as if to say, don't worry about it. Then he said in Russian: "Idi ee krepki budyet" ["Go, and it will good"]."