This Saturday is the twenty-first Yahrtzeit, the anniversary of the passing, of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Born in Nikolaev, Ukraine in 1902, the Rebbe's life encompasses many of the epochs of the 20th century: The rise and fall of Communism, the Holocaust, modern Israel, the cultural revolution of the Sixties and the dawn of the age of the Internet.

During that time, the Rebbe, headquartered in Brooklyn, transformed a small group of Russian chasidim, survivors and refugees into a worldwide movement that spans continents and countries, across the smallest communities and largest cities, college campuses big and small.

What is more, the Rebbe believed that every person, regardless of their background, could be empowered as a conduit to spread goodness and kindness in the world. Together, those combined acts could illuminate the world, elevating it and bringing true transcendence.

While far from even a partial summary of the vast accomplishments of the Rebbe, the following is a glimpse at how the Rebbe, through his vision and the dedication of his emissaries in the Chabad movement, have forever changed the Jewish world.