Editing The Alter Rebbe (section)

== The Alter Rebbe’s Passing ==
[[File:אוהל אדמוהז.jpg|thumb|The Tzion Of The Alter Rebbe]]
==== His Final Days ====
On Friday, 8 Teves 5573 (1813), the Alter Rebbe reached the village of Piena and received news of the destruction wrought in White Russia. On Thursday, 21 Teves, the Alter Rebbe davened Maariv for the last time. His sons later recounted that this tefillah was marked by extraordinary clarity and dveikus.

Before his passing, the Alter Rebbe stated:

''"Whoever grasps my ‘handle’ (i.e., follows my teachings and ways), I will do good for them in this world and the next."''

He also said: "The transition from this world to the Next World is a simple matter and depends only on the one who transfers. There are those who are in their final moments for a long time, apparently their transferor is among the tormentors. There are those whose final moments last only a few moments, apparently their transferor is among the good messengers. The obligation of departing from the body depends on the time of life in the body, and the verse explains 'better is my death than my life,' that the good and life after death depends on bodily life according to how one lived while the soul was in the body, and from this comes my excitement."

Moments before his passing, the Alter Rebbe wrote on a note the teaching about the lowly soul: "The truly lowly soul in its root - its service is physical Torah."

The Alter Rebbe instructed to close the room where he lay and only allow in those who wanted to pray, and if two Jews who were lax in their Judaism happened to come there - the homeowner should try to frighten them and bring them to teshuva. As reward for this, the Rebbe promised long life to the homeowner (the non-Jew).

==== The Passing ====
On Motzei Shabbos Parshas Shemos, 24 Teves 5573, immediately after Maariv and Havdala over coffee, at 10:22 PM - he passed away.

==== Burial in Haditch ====
Since there was no Jewish cemetery in Piena, the Alter Rebbe’s body was transported by sled to the town of Haditch, about 300 kilometers away. Along the way, the entourage experienced a frightening incident when a non-kosher animal attempted to enter under the sled. After driving it away, the journey continued without further disturbance.
[[File:פנים אוהל אדמור הזקן.jpg|thumb|The Resting Place of the Alter Rebbe - Interior View]]
The Alter Rebbe was laid to rest in the Jewish cemetery in Haditch, where an ''ohel'' was later built over his gravesite. Following the burial, the Tzemach Tzedek moved to Haditch to reside near the holy resting place of his grandfather.

==== His Resting Place - Haditch ====
Since there was no Jewish cemetery in the village of Piena, they transported the Alter Rebbe the next day by snow sled to the town of Haditch, about 300 kilometers away, where there was a Jewish cemetery.

When they were transporting the Alter Rebbe for burial in Haditch, the wagon stopped in the middle of the road and it appeared that the Alter Rebbe raised himself and was lying in the air. The escorts were very frightened and then they noticed that an impure animal had gone under the wagon. They chased it away and the Alter Rebbe returned to lying as before.

The Alter Rebbe was brought to rest in the Jewish cemetery in Haditch and later an ohel (structure) was built over the gravesite.

After the burial, the Tzemach Tzedek moved to live in Haditch, near the holy resting place.