Reb Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Son of the Rebbe Maharash)
| Reb Menachem Mendel Schneerson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1867 |
| Passing | 1942 |
| Bastia (Corsica, France) | |
| Burial place | Bastia (1942), Tzfat (reinterned in 1955) |
Reb Menachem Mendel Schneerson was the son of the Rebbe Maharash. He lived in Russia and France, passed away and was buried in Corsica. His body was later transferred to Eretz Yisroel and buried in the old cemetery in Tzfat.
Life History[edit | edit source]
Born to the Rebbe Maharash and Rebbetzin Rivka on 6 Adar 1867 during the year of mourning for the Tzemach Tzedek, after whom he was named. In 1873, he was registered with his brother Reb Avraham Sender Schneerson in the "Malbish Arumim" registry.
As a child, he once asked his father where Hashem is, and the Rebbe Maharash answered that "His glory fills the whole world." The Rebbe notes in his writings in the name of the Frierdiker Rebbe that despite being a child, he accepted this answer.
On 6 Adar 1880, his bar mitzvah was celebrated, and his father the Rebbe Maharash said a maamar beginning with "Naaseh Adam etc. B'tzalmeinu Kidmuseinu". At his bar mitzvah age, he wrote a long poem in Aramaic known among chassidim as the "Masa HaHiskashrus", in which he greatly praised his father.
On 14 Sivan 1882, he married in his first marriage Sarah, daughter of Reb Akiva Kornitzer of Krakow - son-in-law of Reb Shimon Sofer, author of "Michtav Sofer", and grandson of the "Chasam Sofer". At the wedding in Lubavitch, the Rebbe Maharash said several maamarim. That year he was accepted into the Chevras HaMitzvos in Lubavitch. After several months, he divorced. In winter 1886, he began working in business.
He assisted his brother the Rebbe Rashab in communal work and was sent by him on many missions.
In 1888, he married in his second marriage Rebbetzin Basya, daughter of Reb Nachum Dov Ber of Ovruch (son of Reb Yosef Yitzchak of Ovruch), sister of Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah (wife of the Rebbe Rashab).
Life in Russia and France[edit | edit source]
By 1902, he was living in Vitebsk and was in business partnership with his brother-in-law Reb Moshe Aryeh Leib Ginzburg. After the Frierdiker Rebbe was arrested that year, he helped secure his release.
The Rebbe once related:
"The Frierdiker Rebbe told that his uncle (the younger brother of the Rebbe Rashab) once translated a concept from Chassidus into Russian to influence one of the important people in Russian society at that time. But this was a one-time event and was not known or publicized."
Due to his financial situation, he had to leave Russia in 1904 and moved to Paris, France, leaving his family in Lubavitch.
Later he moved to the French region of Corsica, where he established a mechanical wood-cutting factory in the city of Bastia. (Corsica had a Jewish community established in the late 19th century with the first Jewish immigrants. The Jews who came to the island settled in Bastia where Reb Menachem Mendel lived.)
He passed away on 23 Tishrei 1942 in Bastia and was buried there.
Transfer of His Grave to Eretz Yisroel[edit | edit source]
In Corsica there was a law that every grave would be plowed over twenty years after its establishment. This was expected to happen with Reb Mendel's grave. In 1955, the Rebbe instructed Reb Binyamin Eliyahu Gorodetsky to transfer Reb Mendel's body from Corsica to Eretz HaKodesh. Reb Gorodetsky fulfilled this instruction and sent the coffin by ship to Haifa. Meanwhile, Reb Efraim Wolf received instructions to photograph the body before burial and send the photo to the Rebbe.
The ship arrived at Haifa port on a cold and rainy winter night in 1956, and the burial took place late at night in the old cemetery in Tzfat. Under these conditions, Reb Wolf couldn't find a photographer willing to come in the middle of the night to take the requested photo. However, Reb Efraim himself checked the condition of the body and noticed that it remained intact despite about fifteen years passing since Reb Mendel's passing! Shortly after, Reb Wolf traveled to the Rebbe and during his yechidus, the Rebbe asked to hear the details about the burial and condition of Reb Menachem Mendel's body.
Placement of the Matzeiva[edit | edit source]
Text of the matzeiva: Here lies The Chassidic Rav Reb Menachem Mendel Son of the Rebbe Maharash Of Lubavitch
In summer 2011, his matzeiva was renovated through the efforts of the Chassidim Unity Organization for Greeting Moshiach.
Death Certificate[edit | edit source]
In summer 2011, two bochurim went on shlichus to Corsica. They knew that Reb Mendel lived his final years on the island and decided to investigate in the local government offices. They approached the local Interior Ministry and after investigation received a copy of the local death certificate, which shows the date of passing as 23 Tishrei 1942.
Journey to America[edit | edit source]
In Sivan 2012, another previously unknown chapter was revealed. It turns out that after leaving for France, he traveled to America for business purposes. There he was mistakenly suspected of being another Schneerson who was Lenin's secretary and was therefore called for investigation by the FBI. Eventually the mistake was clarified and he was released. Many documents about this matter appear in the organization's archives.
Family[edit | edit source]
From his second marriage:
- His son Yisroel DovBer
- His daughter Mussia who passed away in her youth
- His daughter Chana (Uzerman)
From his third marriage:
- His son Binyamin - passed away as a youth
- His daughter Sarah, also known as Mendele (Edma). Edmee-Minette Schneersohn (born 1907) lived most of her years in Paris. In her later years she married a chassid and moved with her husband Yisroel Greenberg to Bnei Brak but did not have children. She was buried in Tzfat and on her matzeiva is written: "Here lies the woman Sarah of the Schneersohn family, daughter of the chassidic Rav Reb Menachem Mendel son of the Rebbe Maharash. Passed away on 8 Kislev 1986. May her soul be bound in the bond of eternal life."