By COLlive reporter
In 5748, a sensitive question that came from a grieving couple in Jerusalem named R’ Yaakov and Devorah Leah Blau was written in to the Rebbe.
Writing the inquiry was Rabbi Binyomin Klein OBM, one of the Rebbe’s secretaries, and as he has often done, the Rebbe replied on the same piece of paper.
The Blaus said that the upcoming date of the 24th Sivan will be the 5th birthday of their son Shmuel, of blessed memory, who passed away on the 17th of Kislev earlier that year.
The Rebbe crossed out the word “whether” in the beginning of the sentence asking if “to mark this day according to the customs of a birthday (that can be practiced).”
In addition to agreeing that the parents should mark their late child’s birthday, the Rebbe instructed:
1. Contribute to charity (in the numerical value of the child’s first name).
2. Hold a chassidic farbrengen.
(Source: Heichal Menachem volume 3)
what a comfort to a grieving family.