Bidspirit auction | The Last Tanya Edition Distributed

The Last Tanya Edition Distributed by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Yud-Tes Kislev 5751 (1990) - “Kol HaShevi’in Chavivin” – “All Seventh Generations Are Beloved” Likutei Amarim Tanya, by the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi. Published by Kehot Publication Society, Brooklyn, New York, 1990. An association copy distributed personally by the Lubavitcher Rebbe during the final public distribution of the Tanya in his lifetime, held at Chabad World Headquarters – 770 Eastern Parkway – on Thursday, Yud-Tes Kislev 5751 (December 6, 1990). This special commemorative edition of the Tanya, printed in a large-format edition, was distributed by the Rebbe on the Festival of Redemption, Yud-Tes Kislev 5751, marking 192 years since the liberation of the Alter Rebbe, author of the Tanya (1798–1990), and forty years since the beginning of the Rebbe’s leadership (1951–1990). Contemporary accounts describe the event as follows: “This was the Rebbe’s final distribution of the Tanya. The distribution took place on Yud-Tes Kislev 5751. During the afternoon, word spread that the Rebbe would distribute a Tanya to everyone. At 5:45 p.m. the Rebbe returned from prayer at the Ohel of the Previous Rebbe and came to Mincha and Maariv, where a large crowd had already gathered. At approximately 6:15 p.m. the distribution began, with the Rebbe standing at the customary distribution desk. The Rebbe gave each recipient a copy of the Tanya together with a one-dollar bill for charity. When several people requested an additional copy for someone else, the Rebbe declined, explaining that ‘this distribution is only for those who are present here.’” (Torat Menachem, 5751, vol. II, pp. 20–21). During his leadership, the Rebbe distributed copies of the Tanya to the public on seven occasions: during Sefirat HaOmer in 1972, on 16 Sivan 1975, on 25 Tishrei 1978, on 11 Nissan 1982, on 11 Nissan 1984, on 10 Shevat 1990, and on Yud-Tes Kislev 1990. The present edition is therefore the seventh and final Tanya distribution, personally given by the seventh and last Lubavitcher Rebbe, a fact that grants it exceptional significance among Chabad collectors and devotees. Particularly noteworthy are the Rebbe’s own remarks concerning this edition. During the farbrengen of Parashat Vayeshev, 21 Kislev 5751, the Rebbe entered carrying the very edition of the Tanya distributed on Yud-Tes Kislev, which remained on the table throughout the gathering. The Rebbe noted that 192 years had elapsed since the first celebration of Yud-Tes Kislev (1798–1990), explaining that the number 192 (קצ”ב) carries special significance. He stated that this was one of the reasons for publishing the Tanya in a new large-format edition and distributing it widely: “…to emphasize in a tangible and visible manner the completion of the mission of ‘spreading your wellsprings outward’ throughout these 192 years, at the close of the exile, at the ‘end of days’…” The volume concludes with an extensive bibliographical survey of all editions and translations of the Tanya. Within that bibliography, the present edition is listed as “Forty Years of Leadership…”, identified as printing no. 3415 of the Tanya. [3], 237 leaves. 23 cm. Condition: Very good. Original blue publisher’s binding.