Day of Hilula
Ramban
י״א בניסן
Acre, Land of Israel
In Jewish tradition, the day of a tzadik's passing — the 'Hilula' — is not a day of mourning, but a day of spiritual elevation and awakening. According to the teachings of Kabbalah, on this day the soul of the tzadik ascends to a higher realm, and their light and merits shine upon the world. Many Jews mark the day through Torah study, reciting Tehillim, lighting a memorial candle, and good deeds for the elevation of the soul — to connect with the tzadik's path and qualities.
His Life and Legacy
The legacy of the Ramban is felt in every field of Torah. His commentary on the Torah — combining peshat, midrash, and Kabbalah — is one of the crown jewels of sacred literature, and is studied in every study hall. His novellae on the Talmud and his glosses on the Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot are a foundation of halachic study and the enumeration of the commandments. The Iggeret HaRamban — his ethical will to his son — became an eternal educational text in Israel, and is cited in books of morality and in prayer books. And above all — the renewal of the Jewish settlement in Jerusalem after the Crusader destruction is his historical legacy, and he is considered the renewer of the Jewish settlement in the city. Streets and Torah institutions in Israel are named for him, and his tomb in Haifa is a pilgrimage site.
"Accustom yourself to speak all your words softly to every person always"