Yom Huledes

A person's birthday - yom huledes is the day when they mark their date of birth each year, and on this day their mazel (spiritual fortune) is especially strong. It's fitting to increase in simcha (joy) on this day as a way of giving thanks to Hashem, and to use the day for adding in matters of avodas Hashem (divine service).

SOURCES

There are many traditional sources that discuss the practical meaning of different birthdays. The halachos (Jewish laws) depend purely on the birthday itself, not on mental maturity or other conditions. For example, a boy becomes bar mitzvah and obligated in mitzvos at 13, a girl becomes bas mitzvah at 12, and so forth.

The Yerushalmi tells us that when Amalek fought other nations, he would position soldiers whose birthday fell on that battle day at the front lines. This strategy helped him defeat his enemies because a person's mazel (spiritual fortune) is especially powerful on their birthday - as we say, "their mazel rules and assists them."

The Gemara teaches us that Hashem completes the years of tzaddikim (righteous people) from day to day, meaning they merit to pass away on their birthday, like Moshe Rabbeinu and Dovid HaMelech who were both born and passed away on their respective birth dates.

The Mishkan wasn't erected until Rosh Chodesh Nissan, even though it was ready in Adar, so it would coincide with Yitzchak's birthday. Similarly, the First Beis HaMikdash wasn't dedicated until Tishrei, when both Avraham and Yaakov were born. And Haman's evil decree was nullified in the merit of Moshe's birthday - both his birth and passing were on the seventh of Adar.

The Alter Rebbe teaches that Adam HaRishon's neshama (soul) is renewed every Rosh Hashanah, as this was the day of his creation. A person has no fear of anything on their birthday, and it represents an especially potent and healthy mazel.

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS

The earliest source for celebrating birthdays with joy comes from Pharaoh's birthday celebration in the Torah. Throughout history, many gedolim (great rabbis) marked their birthdays in meaningful ways. The Ben Ish Chai wrote that making one's birthday into a yom tov (festive day) is a beautiful custom, which his family practiced.

The Chasam Sofer and his descendants, as well as the Chofetz Chaim, would complete a tractate of Talmud and make a seudas mitzvah (festive meal) on their birthdays. This was also the custom among Ruzhiner chassidim.

Chassidim have a special birthday blessing from the Baal Shem Tov: "Mazel tov, may Hashem give you long life, healthy days and years, both physically and spiritually." The Alter Rebbe received this nusach (text) of the blessing while in Mezritch.

A birthday is considered especially auspicious for making requests from Hashem. Many tzaddikim taught to mark the day with increased tzedakah (charity), strengthened avodas Hashem (divine service), cheshbon hanefesh (spiritual accounting), and special tefillos (prayers).

While some authorities preferred not to mark birthdays or saw them as less significant, the Rebbe explained that this is similar to other aspects of Torah that were revealed when their time came - and once revealed, they become an integral part of Torah.

in chassidus chabad

Our Rebbeim would mark their birthdays by, among other things, saying a Chassidic maamar, though not publicly. This was founded on the words of our Sages in the Yerushalmi that on one's birthday their mazel is stronger, and based on the possuk "these days are remembered and re-enacted," meaning that each year these matters return to their source.

The Rebbe made birthdays into something for everyone (nachalas haklal), and after the histalkus of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka even launched the Birthday Campaign (mivtza yom huledes).

In HaYom Yom on Yud Alef Nissan, there appears a pisgam about birthdays, speaking about how this day is for cheshbon hanefesh.

There are approximately ten birthday minhagim, some established by the Frierdiker Rebbe. These include: hisbonenus and cheshbon hanefesh, adding in limud haTorah, increasing in tzedakah.

The Rebbe explains that the essence of a birthday is when a person becomes a metzius bifnei atzmo (an independent entity), since a fetus is considered part of the mother's body.

Since the birth of a Jewish child brings the Geulah closer, the simcha in the birth of a Jewish child isn't just a private joy for the family and those close to them, but for all of Klal Yisroel.

Additionally, the Rebbe points out that since on the day of Bar Mitzvah there should be great simcha like on the day of the chuppah, and each year the hamshachos (spiritual influences) of that day are reawakened, there should be simcha on the birthday because of the reawakening of the Bar Mitzvah hamshachos.

Regarding a ger (convert), the Rebbe writes that their birthday is the day they converted, since a ger who converts is like a newborn child.

With the Rebbe, there were several Chassidim who came for yechidus and the Rebbe corrected them regarding their birthday date, and when they checked their birth certificates, they discovered the Rebbe was correct and they had been celebrating their birthday on the wrong date all those years.

YECHIDUS FOR BIRTHDAYS

For many years, Chassidim would have a yechidus with the Rebbe in connection with their birthday. Generally, unlike yungeleit who would sometimes enter for yechidus multiple times, bochurim would only enter once a year, close to their birthday.

The Rebbe gave priority to Chassidim who wanted to enter yechidus for their birthday, and they would enter without waiting their turn. The mazkir would write their names separately from the rest of the list, since the Rebbe made this conditional that their yechidus would be dedicated only to receiving a bracha for their birthday, and not deal with other matters.

This minhag continued until Tishrei 5735, when the Rebbe announced at the Shabbos Bereishis farbrengen that from now on this practice would stop. He explained that this wasn't actually practiced in previous generations by Chabad Rebbeim, and the cheshbon was that dedicating time for this would accomplish great things, but when it became clear this wasn't the case, the Rebbe decided to stop this practice.

MAZEL GOVER

The strengthening of one's mazel on their birthday means there's an additional koach from the source of the neshama that affects them with greater intensity on their birthday.

The special hashpa'ah that a person has on their birthday isn't just regarding themselves, but also regarding their family members, children, and grandchildren.

BIRTHDAY CAKE

One year, the Rebbe turned to his mazkir Reb Chaim Yehuda Krinsky on his birthday, Tes Vov Kislev, and asked: "Today is your birthday, did they prepare a birthday cake for you?"... Reb Krinsky shrugged his shoulders as if to say "I don't know," and the Rebbe said: "You should have a birthday cake." The next day, when the Rebbe met him, he asked again with a smile if there indeed was a birthday cake.

On another occasion when a child and his mother passed by during "dollars" (when the Rebbe would distribute dollars for tzedakah) close to Pesach, and the child told the Rebbe his birthday would be next week, during Chol Hamoed Pesach, the Rebbe inquired about the cake, and when the child didn't know what to answer, the Rebbe turned to the mother and said "there should be a cake - before or after the birthday."

CHASSIDIC BIRTHDAY

The day when a Chassid first comes to the Rebbe is considered among Chassidim as their "Chassidic birthday." This concept is mentioned in HaYom Yom. The Rebbe instructed several times to Chassidim who wrote to him about the date they first came to him, about keeping birthday minhagim.

The Rebbe also explained the reason for this, since "when a Chassid comes to his Rebbe - there becomes by him a complete bitul of his previous existence, and he becomes a new entity," therefore this day is considered for him like a birthday, and in some ways the first time coming to the Rebbe is even higher than the birthday itself, since on the birthday there's also an aspect of descent where one forgets the Torah learned in the mother's womb, which isn't the case when coming to the Rebbe.