HaRav Shlomo Zalman Schneerson of Kopust

The Rebbe Rabbi Shlomo Zalman, son of Rabbi Yehuda Leib Schneerson of Kopust, was born in Lubavitch in the summer of 1830 and passed away on 27 Iyar 1900 (May 26, 1900).

Life History

Born to Rabbi Yehuda Leib Schneerson of Kopust in 1830. He was named after the Alter Rebbe and his grandfather, Shlomo Freides. The Tzemach Tzedek was the sandek at his bris milah. Until he was twelve years old, he studied nigleh (revealed Torah) with his father, and from then on studied Chassidus with him. Additionally, the Rebbe Tzemach Tzedek was very close to him and would study with him together with the Rebbe Maharash. He studied together with the Rebbe Maharash and the son of R' Nechemia of Dubrovna under Feishe the melamed.

He married the daughter of the Chossid Rabbi Yaakov Leib Luria of Liepli on 10 Teves 1847. The wedding took place in Lubavitch. The Rebbe Tzemach Tzedek participated in the wedding and delivered many Chassidic discourses during the wedding and sheva brachos. Afterward, he lived in Liepli for ten years, secluding himself in his room and engaging in nigleh and Chassidus. After these ten years, his father-in-law lost his wealth, and Rabbi Shlomo Zalman returned to his parents' home in Lubavitch.

He served as Rebbe for thirty-four years. In 1900, he fell ill and traveled to Moscow for medical treatment, but after several days returned home and passed away on 27 Iyar.

His successors after his passing were his brothers, Rabbi Shalom DovBer of Retzitza and the Rebbe Rashan, Rabbi Shmarya Noach of Bobruisk. However, most of the Chassidim traveled to Lyady, to Rebbe Yitzchak DovBer Schneerson, who passed away in 1910.

Rebbe of Kopust Chassidim

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman was the grandson of the Rebbe Tzemach Tzedek. Five of the Tzemach Tzedek's sons served as Rebbes. When most of the Tzemach Tzedek's Chassidim became followers of his second son, Rabbi Yehuda Leib (the Maharil), who established the "Chabad-Kopust" court south of Vitebsk (today in Belarus) after his father's passing. The Maharil was the oldest son who served as Rebbe and had even acted as Rebbe during his father's lifetime, and had known his great-grandfather, the Baal HaTanya, founder of Chabad Chassidus, which is why most Chassidim flocked to him. However, a beis din established to determine the Tzemach Tzedek's successor ruled that the Rebbe Maharash, Rabbi Shmuel Schneerson, should fill his father's position.

The Maharil passed away half a year after his father, but his sons continued to lead the court, primarily his son Rabbi Shlomo Zalman. In a letter written after his father's passing, he expressed regret that Chabad Chassidus had deviated at the end of the Baal HaTanya's days from its original path, which combined avodah shebalev and Chassidic fervor with intellectual contemplation of Godliness, and related that his father had restored the crown to its former glory, and he intended to continue this path. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman served as Rebbe for thirty-four years and conducted himself with great humility and modesty, becoming filled with shame and embarrassment when addressed as "Rebbe." Many Chabad Chassidim were among his followers.

His Chassidic Discourses

He invested greatly in his Chassidic maamarim (discourses), and would demand from his chassidim to memorize them until they knew them by heart. In the early years, he would say each maamar three times. His maamarim are characterized by explaining deep concepts in Chassidus in a concise and clear language.

His sefer "Magen Avos" (which equals his name - Shlomo Zalman in gematria) contains Torah explanations based on the teachings of his grandfather the Tzemach Tzedek. It was first published in Berditchev in 1902 with an introduction by the author's son. The sefer contains many "maamarim" from his handwriting following the order of the Torah portions, Jewish holidays and more, and was brought to print by his son, Yehuda Leib. The sefer contains seven parts, where the seventh part contains maamarim that were not written by Rabbi Shlomo Zalman, but were reviewed by him. The sefer is called "Magen Avos" since these words equal "Shlomo Zalman" in gematria. Another sefer by Rabbi Shlomo Zalman is "Drushim Yekarim," which contains two maamarim that were recorded by Rabbi Gedaliah Avraham Yankelzon from Poletzk, and was printed in Vilna in 1903. The son of the 'Magen Avos' warned about copyright infringement and errors that would be found in the aforementioned sefer (HaMelitz 27.9.1903).

For many years there was a strict instruction not to learn from this sefer, due to Rabbi Shlomo Zalman's involvement in crowning his father in Kapust which was against the opinion of the Rebbe Maharash, but in our generation this stricture was nullified by the Rebbe's instruction. On 25 Tishrei 1970, the Rebbe told his brother-in-law the Rashag (printed in Toras Menachem Menachem Tzion Part 2 p. 374) that the maamarim in Magen Avos are "geshmake maamarim" (enjoyable discourses), "so that they can be learned, even though in the past... there was a common saying among chassidim not to learn them." And in "Igros Kodesh" of the Frierdiker Rebbe (Vol. 14, p. 358), he wrote to one of the chassidim who was unsure whether to learn from the sefer "Magen Avos" that "I have already said about this, that whatever one learns - if the learning is proper - is good. And regarding what is written about what is told, about such matters it is said 'he who stops his ears from hearing.'"

He passed away on 27 Iyar 1900 and is buried with honor in Kapust.

Like other grandchildren of the Tzemach Tzedek, the Frierdiker Rebbe refers to him as 'Rebbe' and a leader of Chabad Chassidus.

His Seforim

Extended entry – Magen Avos

• Magen Avos - seven volumes
• Drushim Yekarim - one volume containing two long and deep discourses

Family

• His (only) son Rabbi Yehuda Leib. His wife Pearl was the daughter of Rabbi Avraham Dov Magazanik from Berditchev, descended from Rabbi Mottel of Chernobyl.
• His son-in-law Rabbi Yisroel Yechiel Alter Henlin - Rabbi of Plotzk.
  • His son, DovBer (Boris). Married Chaya-Rochel daughter of Rabbi Wolf Winarow. September 30, 1919 in Odessa. Passed away there in 1962.
  • His daughter, Tzipporah. Married Gedaliah son of Rabbi Yitzchak-Yoel Raffalovich on 15 Sivan 1902 (HaMelitz 17.7.1902).
  • His son, Menachem Mendel. Married Musha daughter of Rabbi Yechezkel Meisel (HaMelitz 3.11.1902).
  • His son, Shalom. Passed away in 1974 in St. Petersburg.
  • His daughter, Mussia.
• His son-in-law, the Gaon Rabbi Chanoch Henich Ginsburg - Rabbi of Smolensk
• His daughter Rochel Leah, wife of the Gaon Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Wishlitzky
• His daughter Rivka, passed away in 1939 in Petersburg (Leningrad)

Famous Chassidim

Among his famous chassidim were Rabbi Chaim Meir Heilman, author of a book on Chabad history called "Beis Rebbi", and Rabbi Yosef Rozin, the "Rogatchover". The Chabad synagogue in the Meah Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem originally belonged to Chabad-Kopust.