Editing The Mitteler Rebbe (section)

== Accepting the Nesius (Leadership) ==
At the time of his father the Alter Rebbe's histalkus on the 24th of Teves 1813, the Mitteler Rebbe was in the city of Kremenchug, where he had gone to prepare the place for the Alter Rebbe's arrival. Immediately after the histalkus, the family members traveled to Rabbi Dov Ber in Kremenchug, where he accepted upon himself the nesius.

Some of the Alter Rebbe's chassidim chose as their Rebbe one of the Alter Rebbe's great students, Rabbi Aharon of Strashelye, who began conducting himself as an Admor.

In the first three months following the Alter Rebbe's histalkus, there was a great awakening among Chabad chassidim throughout Russia. Chassidim in several major Russian cities sent a delegation to the Mitteler Rebbe requesting that he establish his residence in one of the Russian cities. The chassidim of White Russia also sent a delegation requesting him to return to White Russia and establish his residence in one of its cities. Ultimately, the Mitteler Rebbe decided to accept the request of the White Russian chassidim, and after Shavuos of 1813, he left Kremenchug and began his journey to White Russia. This journey was called the "Coronation Journey" which served as a kind of practical acceptance of the Mitteler Rebbe's nesius.

The Mitteler Rebbe's journey to Vitebsk lasted about three months. In every place he arrived, he delivered deep maamarei chassidus and received chassidim for yechidus. The entourage was received with great honor everywhere by chassidim, Jews, and also by government officials and police officers who received instructions from the Interior Ministry to show special respect to the Mitteler Rebbe, the son of the Alter Rebbe, who had done much for the homeland by assisting in the war effort against Napoleon of France. During the journey, many chassidim joined the Mitteler Rebbe.

==== Lubavitch ====
The journey concluded with the Mitteler Rebbe choosing the town of Lubavitch as his residence, arriving there with thousands of chassidim on the 18th of Elul 5573. Upon arrival, the Mitteler Rebbe told the chassidim that the Alter Rebbe had studied in Lubavitch during his youth under Rabbi Yissachar Ber of Lubavitch. He added that the Alter Rebbe had appeared to him and requested that he establish his seat in Lubavitch.
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Prince Tchekhovskiy, who ruled over the town, commanded his workers to cut trees from his forests to build homes for the Rebbe and the chassidim.

From Lubavitch, the Rebbe's teachings - Toras Chassidus Chabad - began spreading throughout White Russia and Lithuania, and the number of visitors to Lubavitch steadily increased.

A year after establishing his residence in Lubavitch, many of the elder chassidim who had been close to his father, the Alter Rebbe, began coming to hear Chassidus from him. All were filled with amazement at the leadership of the new Rebbe and the chassidic discourses (maamarim) which he delivered abundantly, as was his way. Sometimes he would deliver Chassidus multiple times during the same Shabbos, each time for several hours. On one Shavuos, the Rebbe said Chassidus 11 times in one day! Regarding this, his uncle Rabbi Yehuda Leib, the Alter Rebbe's brother, remarked: "Lav kol mocha sovil da" (not every mind can bear this).

During his nesius (leadership), the number of chassidim multiplied two and threefold compared to their numbers during the Alter Rebbe's time. The elder chassidim related that in his first year of leadership alone, fifteen thousand new chassidim joined in White Russia alone, and in the second year, 5575, the entire Chernigov region became a center of Lubavitch Chassidus.