1. The Birth of the Tzemach Tzedek
The 29th day of Elul, in the year 5549 (1789), marks the birth of the Tzemach Tzedek, the third Lubavitcher Rebbe. This date is significant as it is Erev Rosh Hashanah, the final entry in the Yemei Chabad calendar for the year. The Tzemach Tzedek was born right before the year 5550 began.
His father was Reb Shalom Shachna, and his mother was Rebbetzin Devorah Leah, a daughter of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman. This made the Tzemach Tzedek a direct grandson of the Alter Rebbe.
2. Family Connections and Marriage
The family relationships within the Chabad leadership were deeply intertwined. The Tzemach Tzedek married his first cousin—the daughter of the Mitteler Rebbe, Rabbi Dovber, who was himself a son of the Alter Rebbe and a brother of Devorah Leah, the Tzemach Tzedek's mother. This means that both his mother and his father-in-law were children of the Alter Rebbe.
These close family ties further strengthened the continuity of the leadership within Chabad.
3. Relationship with His Grandfather, the Alter Rebbe
There was a unique closeness between the Tzemach Tzedek and his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe. This bond was deepened by a dramatic story: Devorah Leah, his mother, gave up her life so that her father—the Alter Rebbe—could continue to lead and teach Chassidus to Klal Yisrael. After her passing at a young age (not in childbirth), the Alter Rebbe undertook to raise her son himself.
This special relationship is also reflected in Torah sources: sometimes a connection passes from father to daughter to grandson in a particularly meaningful way. The verse ishah ki sazria in Parshas Tazria is applied in Chassidus to the bond between parents and children—a man may have a unique bond with his daughter, and a woman with her son.
4. Naming and Early Childhood Customs
The Tzemach Tzedek's name was Menachem Mendel, after Reb Menachem Mendel of Horodok (Vitebsk). After the passing of the Maggid of Mezritch, Reb Menachem Mendel of Horodok was a leader of the Chassidim before moving to Eretz Yisrael; he passed away shortly before the birth of the Tzemach Tzedek.
At his birth, it is said that his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, gave a special cloth he had kept for many years to be used as the baby's first wrapping after his bath—as he had also done at the birth of his own son, the Mitteler Rebbe.
5. Celebrations Surrounding His Birth
On Shabbos Teshuvah—the Shabbos between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—of the following year, 5550, there was a shalom zachar for Menachem Mendel's birth. On Friday afternoon before Shabbos, the Alter Rebbe invited all the townspeople and guests to a feast marking the occasion.
He instructed that his sons, his sons-in-law, and about thirty select elder chassidim should wash for bread at this meal; others were invited to join after eating but before bentching. Beans and lentils were served, as customary at such events. The meal took place in a large shul in an open courtyard to accommodate the many people.
During these celebrations—both at night and on Shabbos day—the Alter Rebbe displayed extraordinary joy, more openly than those present had ever seen before.
6. The Alter Rebbe's Teachings at the Celebration
At this festive meal, the Alter Rebbe shared some of the teachings he had received from his own teacher, the Maggid of Mezritch—specifically those about leil shimurim, "the night of watching" before a child is brought into the covenant of Avraham Avinu. He delivered a Chassidic discourse and then instructed those present to sing together.
Afterward they recited birkas hamazon over a cup (kos shel berachah), from which he distributed wine to all the participants—a sign of blessing and unity among those gathered.
7. The Legacy and Achievements of the Tzemach Tzedek
The Tzemach Tzedek played an essential role in publishing many of the works of his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, both in nigleh (the revealed Torah) and in Chassidus. According to Hayom Yom, he was arrested 22 times over his lifetime, and attributed his survival and protection to the approximately 22,000 hours he spent immersed in studying his grandfather's teachings.
One famous story recounts how an official decree meant to keep him imprisoned in Petersburg was destroyed when an intoxicated official set fire to it—burning only that decree and thus securing his release through clear Divine providence.
Notes
Rebbetzin Devorah Leah – his mother. See 3 Tishrei – her yahrtzeit and 11 Tishrei – the Alter Rebbe brings him to cheder.
Reb Menachem Mendel of Horodok – see 1 Iyar – his yahrzeit.
The Tzemach Tzedek – see 3 Sivan – accepting the leadership, 26 Menachem Av – leaving Petersburg after being imprisoned 22 times and 13 Nissan – his passing.
The Mitteler Rebbe – his father-in-law. See 10 Kislev.