The surest way to commemorate the Tosher Rebbe's yahrtzeit

In our times, as the world has become one giant global village with open access, it feels like a challenge from generations past —but for hundreds of chassidim, it’s a 2020 reality. On the 27th of Av, yahrtzeit of the Tosher Rebbe zy”a, the highway leading to Montreal is usually filled with petitioners, eager to visit the tziyun of the tzaddik and participate in the yahrtzeit tish of his son, the current Rebbe. But this year, the Canadian border is closed to American citizens, making the annual pilgrimage impossible.

Yet ahead of the yahrzeit, the current Rebbe offered a note of comfort. Being there in person is nice, he said, but to connect with the avodah of the previous Rebbe and tap into his zechusim, one has only to follow in his ways. The Rebbe suggested reciting the entire Tehillim on the Shabbos preceding the yahrtzeit — before Shacharis, as per to the minhag that meant so much to his father — and on the yahrtzeit itself, after reciting Tehillim, lighting a candle and giving a pidyon to tzedakah, to do that which was most precious to his father: a toiva fahr a Yid, a favor for another Jew.

Any sort of favor, for any sort of Jew. That, the Rebbe said, is the surest way to commemorate the yahrtzeit, bringing close even those who are geographically distant.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 823)