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Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidism was founded by Rabbi Shneor Zalman from the city of Liadi. He authored the classic book referred to as "The Tanya" in the year 5532 (1772). Its ideology centers on our proximity to G-d by meditation of a g-dly concept and channeling our feelings towards the love of G-d. Hence the name "Chabad", an acronym that refers to the 3 facets of the mind, namely wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. The town of "Lubavitch", the origin of Chabad followers, in Russian means "love" and alludes to the love for G-d and the love fora fellow Jew.
In 1941, the future leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, managed to survive the atrocities of the Holocaust and reached the shores of the United States along with his wife, Chaya Mushka. The two of them joined his father-in-law, Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, in order to establish a Jewish Chassidic educational network in the United States. The address of their new home was 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York, which the Chassidim call "770".
In 1950, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn was appointed seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, otherwise known to all as the "Lubavitcher Rebbe". Seemingly he only acts as the leader for his own followers. His influence, however, is far and wide and surpasses the boundaries of the movement. The Lubavitcher Chassidim, under his direction, would turn to the entire Jewish nation and would act as a tremendous human apparatus, spreading the wellsprings of Judaism and Chassidut to all.
Under the Rebbe's direction these Chassidim began to revitalize existing educational organizations and to establish new ones that would be deeply rooted on a global scale.
Under the slogan of "Ufaratzta' (taken from Genesis, chapter 28, verse 24), the Rebbe called upon his Chassidim to reach out to the public with the mitzvah (good deed) campaigns, making it easy for every Jew to perform the mitzvoth. The more well known mitzvah campaigns are: "Tefilin campaign", the "Shabbat candle lighting campaign", the "love for a fellow Jew campaign", and the "Moshiach campaign".
The building known as "770", sharing the same numerical value of the word in Hebrew "paratzta" (dissemination), became the symbol of the Chabad movement and its world center. It contains an expansive study hall, an enormous and valuable library, the Rebbe's personal study, and the secretariat's offices. The Rebbe's teachings were broadcasted all over the world from "770". From the onset of his leadership, many heads of state and world leaders visited him. Thousands of people would visit him on Sundays to receive a dollar that offered blessings and success.
The Rebbe instructed his Chassidim to build a similar structure in Kefar Chabad, Israel. Many other similar buildings were subsequently built around the world. A picture of this building is shown on the stamp.
The Rebbe emphasized on many occasions that the purpose for the surge in Jewish awareness and practice in the last few generations in particular is to realize the eventual true and complete redemption of the Jewish nation. He instructed his Chassidim to inform the world that "the time for Moshiach's arrival has come", in order that all of us should in fact prepare for it. Furthermore, he made it very clear that the redemption will take place in our generation and will start from Chabad's world headquarters "770", which is a synagogue, Torah learning hall, a place replete with good deeds, and the place where the spiritual leader of our generation lives and works. The Rebbe said that when the time for the redemption comes, this magnificent edifice will detach itself from the ground and will plant itself next to the third and eternal temple in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Israel Maidanchick
Association of Chabad Chassidim House - 770
Kefar Chabad, Israel
