Editing Baruch (father of the Alter Rebbe) (section)

== Birth of the Alter Rebbe and His Childhood Years ==
When a year passed after his marriage and his wife Rebbetzin Rivka had not conceived, R' Baruch was distressed. After consulting with his friend R' Yitzchak Shaul, he decided to go to the Baal Shem Tov, and with his wife Rebbetzin Rivka's agreement, they traveled in the month of Menachem Av 5504 to Mezibuzh to the Baal Shem Tov.

The Baal Shem Tov would hold a feast every year on 18 Elul and give a Torah teaching. So it was on 18 Elul 5504, which fell on Wednesday. In the l'chaim blessing that the Baal Shem Tov gave R' Baruch, he said "At exactly this time next year you will embrace a son." Even before this, the Baal Shem Tov had mentioned that there was a new soul that needed to descend to the world. At that time R' Baruch was with the Baal Shem Tov, but even he didn't understand what this meant. And from the Baal Shem Tov they concealed the matter (that it referred to the soul of the Alter Rebbe).

Before R' Baruch and his wife Rebbetzin Rivka's return journey from Mezibuzh, they entered to receive the Baal Shem Tov's farewell blessing. Rebbetzin Rivka, who was in a state of great spiritual awakening, said to the Baal Shem Tov, "When Hashem fulfills the holy blessing of our teacher the Baal Shem Tov with a living and healthy son, we will dedicate him to Torah and divine service in the path of our teacher the Baal Shem Tov." R' Baruch asked the Baal Shem Tov if he should move to live elsewhere, and the Baal Shem Tov answered that for the child's soul it would be better to live in a place with few people, meaning few sinners. The Baal Shem Tov saw the great spiritual awakening of R' Baruch and Rebbetzin Rivka, blessed them, and they traveled home happy and content.

As is known, Rebbetzin Rivka was learned, and had daily study sessions in a fixed schedule, but this was done privately, and besides her husband R' Baruch, no one knew about it. When Rebbetzin Rivka returned home from her visit to the Baal Shem Tov, she traveled to her sister-in-law Rebbetzin Devorah Leah in Vitebsk, to tell her what the Baal Shem Tov had said to them, what she had heard and seen of the Baal Shem Tov's ways of conduct, and what she had heard about his holy disciples' great wonder at the Baal Shem Tov's order of divine service and conduct that Tishrei, which was different from all other years. Rebbetzin Rivka asked her sister-in-law to give her a schedule of what to study in her fixed sessions, and since she was confident that the Baal Shem Tov's blessing would be fulfilled, she wanted her to give her a schedule of conduct in prayer and study during pregnancy. Rebbetzin Rivka was confident in the Baal Shem Tov's blessing and promise, and how happy she was to tell her husband R' Baruch that the Baal Shem Tov's blessing was being fulfilled with good fortune.

Even though they were certain that the Baal Shem Tov knew about the fulfillment of his blessing, R' Baruch and his wife Rebbetzin Rivka decided to inform him of it, and at the beginning of the second month of Adar, R' Baruch traveled to the Baal Shem Tov. R' Baruch told the Baal Shem Tov that his blessing had succeeded, and his wife the Rebbetzin had conceived. The Baal Shem Tov was very happy to hear this news and was particularly interested in when the pregnancy had begun.

When R' Baruch told him the date, the Baal Shem Tov instructed him to recite the Shehecheyanu blessing without saying Hashem's name and kingship, to travel home immediately to deliver a mazal tov message from him to the Rebbetzin, and warned him with several cautions. R' Baruch returned home happy and content.

On Wednesday, 18 Elul 5505, the Alter Rebbe was born at his father's estate.

For Yom Kippur 5506, R' Baruch traveled to the Baal Shem Tov. When he entered, the Baal Shem Tov warned him not to tell anyone that he had a son, or the name they had given him. When R' Baruch was about to travel back home, the Baal Shem Tov gave him instructions on how to conduct himself with the child, to protect him in general, and during summer times to be with him in the fields. The Baal Shem Tov strongly warned him to guard the child from onlookers in general, and from talkative women in particular.

When R' Baruch came to the Baal Shem Tov for Rosh Hashanah 5507, the Baal Shem Tov asked him in detail about the child's upbringing, and again warned him not to tell anyone about this child. After Sukkos when R' Baruch was ready to return home, the Baal Shem Tov gave him a schedule of conduct for a full year for the child, and strongly warned him about protecting the child from onlookers, and not to tell about his wisdom as some parents do.

When R' Baruch came to the Baal Shem Tov for Rosh Hashanah 5508, he again inquired about the child's schedule of conduct. R' Baruch told the Baal Shem Tov that when he arrived home, his wife the Rebbetzin said that on the child's birthday on 18 Elul, he began to speak better, and during the year 5507, the parents noticed that the child had an extraordinary memory and unusual comprehension - whatever the child heard once was as if stored in a box for him. The Baal Shem Tov again strongly warned R' Baruch to conceal that Hashem had blessed them with a son, and when asked, he should answer briefly that they hope to Hashem that surely it will be successful.

When R' Baruch entered to receive permission to travel home and receive a farewell blessing, he told the Baal Shem Tov about their decision to bring the child to him on the next 18 Elul, when they would need to cut his hair and leave his peyos. The Baal Shem Tov agreed, and warned again to protect the child from onlookers, and that the mother and aunt Devorah Leah should travel with the child, that they should come on 18 Elul after prayers, and after he cuts his hair and leaves his peyos, they should travel back immediately. And they should be careful that no one knows about this.

When R' Baruch arrived home, he found that during the two months he wasn't home, the child had become well-versed in many chapters of Tehillim. He felt that the child had an unusual comprehension and extraordinary memory, and whatever he heard once he would always remember.

On Wednesday, 18 Elul 5508, Rebbetzin Rivka and her sister-in-law Rebbetzin Devorah Leah came with the child to Mezibuzh, to the Baal Shem Tov. Immediately after the Baal Shem Tov initiated the child with his peyos and blessed him, he warned them to travel back home immediately, and not to talk between themselves about where they had been, and he blessed them with a good year and proper journey.

When the Alter Rebbe was six years old, he studied with his brother R' Mordechai in the fruit garden, the verses "These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land" with Rashi's commentary. R' Mordechai couldn't understand how one could know which soil was better for growing certain fruits. His brother the Rebbe explained it to him and demonstrated with conclusive proof, saying that one can hear how the water springs flow in the ground, and under the white stone hill, the Alter Rebbe told him, a strong water spring passes. Over time, the spring burst through the white stone hill, and a large pool of water formed, which years later during a cattle plague brought blessing and goodness to all the surrounding towns, and they called the pool "The White Spring" (Byeli Rotches).

When his son reached the age of 10, his father R' Baruch began teaching him Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat. R' Baruch himself was a great gaon and expert in Seder Nezikin, and as he himself related, he received his extensive knowledge in this from his father-in-law R' Avraham the Gardener, who was also a gaon and expert in Seder Nezikin. Thanks to R' Baruch's expertise in this area, both the Alter Rebbe and R' Moshe's brother became great scholars and experts in Seder Nezikin. The Alter Rebbe once said that he received his pleasure in Choshen Mishpat from his father R' Baruch, and received giluy Eliyahu and ruach hakodesh from his mother Rebbetzin Rivka (and the Rebbe Rashab once remarked that what was printed on the title page of the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch in the Kopust edition, the verse "May your spring be blessed," hints that the Alter Rebbe's knowledge of Choshen Mishpat came from his father R' Baruch).

In his home, the Alter Rebbe would see how his father cherished and honored simple people, and this influenced him deeply. Later, the Alter Rebbe would say that from his father R' Baruch he learned what ahavas Yisrael is, from his uncle R' Yosef Yitzchak he learned what ahavas haTorah is, and from the Maggid of Mezritch he learned what ahavas Hashem is.

From time to time, the chassidim who visited R' Baruch would also converse with the Alter Rebbe, who was then a child of about ten, and they were greatly amazed by his great genius and talents. However, his father R' Baruch was very displeased with this, as mentioned earlier, having received instruction from the Baal Shem Tov not to let others know about or publicize his son. Once when Rabbi Meir Eizik of Harki, who was one of the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid, a renowned scholar engaged in chassidic ways, was staying with them and conversed with the Alter Rebbe, he was greatly impressed by the depth of his knowledge. When Pesach arrived, R' Baruch told him to return to his city and not rely on the substitute rabbi who remained there. When R' Eizik returned to his city, he discovered that indeed the substitute had erred in a matter of halacha, and thanks to his return to the city, everyone was saved from a stumbling block.

Towards the Alter Rebbe's Bar Mitzvah, many geonim gathered at R' Baruch's estate from Vitebsk, Minsk and Plotzk. The geonim who took central roles in the celebration were: R' Baruch, father of the Alter Rebbe; R' Yosef Yitzchak of Shrei, R' Baruch's brother-in-law; R' Moshe Reuven, son of the gaon R' Avraham from Beshenkovitz, who filled his place as head of the yeshiva there; and R' Avraham Meir, student of the Seder HaDoros. R' Moshe of Pozna, R' Baruch's grandfather, also arrived, and together they held a great celebration that lasted seven days, with each day having a seudas mitzvah with many Torah insights. As told, the Bar Mitzvah boy's own insights surpassed everyone else's, and then the geonim ordained the Alter Rebbe for rabbanus, and the local rabbi wrote this in the Chevra Kadisha ledger as a memorial for generations.