Story of Berdichiver and L Rebbe wishing Yidden new year is interesting, do you know more of their motivation?
Not exactly sure.
Though I feel it’s necessary to point out an incident pointing in the other direction:
Someone once ended a December letter with “We hope that the coming year will be a successful and fruitful one!”
The Rebbe circled “coming year” and wrote (you can find a picture in his handwriting online):
!?
התחיל כבר בר”ה