Hai Balol, the birthday of the two great luminaries – the founder of Chassidism Ba’al Shem Tov and the founder of Chabad Chassidism Ba’al HaTanya and Shu’a Rabbi Shnior Zalman of Liadi – has become a holiday in the last two decades in the town of Hadych in Ukraine where Rabbi Shnior Zalman Z.I. is buried.
Thousands of Jews from all over Ukraine would arrive in convoys of organized buses, alongside many guests – sometimes entire communities – who arrived on organized flights from the Holy Land, the USA, the European Union countries and the countries of the former Soviet Union. The elders of the influential people would come to gather at the place on the occasion of the great day, while they led the young people of the flock to the service of God in preparation for the new year.
In the last year, due to the war in Ukraine, the large hospitality complex built close to the Holy Zion continues to operate as usual, but the guests have decreased almost completely.
Despite this, as part of the tradition, guests will continue to come to Haditch this year on the occasion of the 8th of Elul. It is estimated that about 200 Jews from the surrounding villages and towns, along with a few who will be able to come from Israel and the USA, will come to pour Tskun Lechsham in Zion to petition and be blessed for a new year.
Rabbi Schnior Zalman Deitsch, the messenger and manager of the complex, says that “although these will be a few guests from every city in the country, this great tradition will not stop at any price. In Gaza, we will do everything possible to receive all the guests and organize for them an OSL as well as Torah lessons and meetings.”
Referring to the maintenance of the place, Rabbi Deitch reveals that despite the war, all 20 maintenance workers in the complex were not fired and they continue to come to work every day. “Some of them are naturally responsible for guarding the compound due to the fragile situation in Ukraine and for fear of looting, and others are responsible for cooking 3 meals a day for the 50 Jews of the area who moved to live in the compound, for distributing food twice a week to 150 Jews in the surrounding villages, for pruning the vegetation, for lighting, for managing the accounts, for cleaning The snows, etc.
The reason for their continued employment, according to him, is the request of all Chabad rabbis to guard the holy compound in any situation. He quotes a letter written by His Hod K. K. Rebmor of the Rebbe of Lubavitch to his acting son, K. K. Rebmor of the RAJ in which he wrote: Total preservation,” and says: “Even during the most difficult period of communism, there were Hasidic people who secretly took care of the maintenance of the Zion. If some of them die, it will certainly cause a loosening of the preservation and maintenance of the place and God forbid we do that.”
For the benefit of the public, it is possible to transfer names for prayer at Ba’al Hatnia on the day of Hilula by phone at 054-7871822 or by email [email protected]