The Maggid of Mezeritch

The old tombstone at the gravesite of the Maggid of Mezritch and his disciples Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli and Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaKohen in Anipoli

The Maggid of Mezritch (also known as the Mezritcher Maggid, or simply, the Maggid) was the foremost disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement. One year after the Baal Shem Tov's passing, he was appointed as his successor and leader of the Chassidic movement as a whole. During his tenure, opposition to Chassidic teachings grew — yet at the same time, many of the greatest Torah scholars of the generation joined the movement. After the Maggid's passing, the leadership of Chassidus (the Chassidic movement) was distributed among his many disciples. The Alter Rebbe — Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad — was among the most distinguished and beloved of his students, and regarded the Maggid as his "spiritual father."

Life History

Rabbi DovBer was born to Rabbi Avraham and Rebbetzin Chava in the town of Lukatch, near Rovno, Ukraine. There is no Chabad tradition regarding his exact birth date.

His father was a descendant of the Talmudic sage Rabbi Yochanan HaSandlar, and earned a modest living as an elementary Torah teacher. On the advice of the town's rabbi, he sent his gifted son DovBer to study in Lvov at the advanced Torah academy of Rabbi Yaakov Yehoshua, author of the classic legal work Pnei Yehoshua.

Rabbi DovBer married (in his first marriage) Rebbetzin Keila, and after his marriage served as an elementary Torah teacher in Mezritch, as his father had done before him. At the same time, he began studying Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). Later, he served as a traveling preacher — known in Hebrew as a maggid — in the towns of Turchin, Koritz, and Dubna. He lived in a small, run-down house and suffered severely from a painful leg ailment. For many years after their marriage, the couple remained childless. When Rabbi DovBer was thirty-six years old, his wife suggested that he divorce her so he could remarry and have children — but he firmly declined.

When the Baal Shem Tov visited Rabbi Yaakov Yehoshua (the Pnei Yehoshua), he told him to relay a message to Rabbi DovBer: that his legs could not be healed until he came to see him. Acting on this guidance, Rabbi DovBer traveled to Mezhibuzh, the Baal Shem Tov's home base, where he became a devoted follower and disciple. The Baal Shem Tov promised him that he would be blessed with a great and celebrated son. In 5501 [1741], his son Rabbi Avraham — known as "the Malach" (meaning "the Angel") — was born.

Leader of the Chassidic Movement

The gravesite of the Maggid of Mezritch

After the passing of the Baal Shem Tov, his son Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch was appointed as his successor. However, the Chassidic movement needed a strong and towering leader who could firmly withstand the growing opposition, and Rabbi Tzvi was not well suited for this role.

On the second day of the festival of Shavuot — 7 Sivan 5521 [1761], one year after the Baal Shem Tov's passing — Rabbi Tzvi stood at his holy Shabbat table with most of his father's disciples present. He announced that his father had appeared to him in a dream and instructed him to transfer the leadership of the Chassidic movement to his greatest disciple, Rabbi DovBer of Mezritch. As he spoke, Rabbi Tzvi blessed the Maggid and removed the outer garment that had belonged to his father the Baal Shem Tov, placing it upon him. He then vacated his place at the head of the table, went to sit among the other disciples, and the Maggid took his seat at the head. The Maggid then delivered his first discourse as leader, beginning with the Hebrew words Mareihem U'maaseihem ("Their appearance and their deeds").

Unlike the Baal Shem Tov, who had traveled from place to place, Rabbi DovBer settled permanently in the town of Mezritch. From there, he dispatched his outstanding disciples to spread Chassidic teachings throughout Poland and beyond. By 5525 [1765], three major Chassidic centers had already been established outside of Mezritch under his disciples' leadership: in Lubavitch (under Rabbi Yissachar Ber of Lubavitch), in Karlin (under Rabbi Aharon of Karlin and Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin), and in Horodok (under Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk).

The Maggid deeply wished to emigrate to the Land of Israel, but was prevented from doing so by Divine providence.

In 5532 [1772], a severe plague broke out in Mezritch. Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli, one of the Maggid's disciples, brought the Maggid and his household to the town of Anipoli for safety. The Maggid lived there for approximately seven months, until his passing on 19 Kislev 5533 [1772].

His Torah Teachings

Unlike the teachings of his master the Baal Shem Tov — which were delivered briefly and in pointed, concentrated form without extensive explanation — the Maggid's teachings were broad, detailed, and presented with clear, systematic elaboration.

It is told that when the Maggid would deliver his Chassidic and Kabbalistic discourses, all of his disciples would be overcome with such powerful spiritual inspiration that it would manifest in physical reactions — with one exception: the Alter Rebbe.

Only two of his disciples — Rabbi Schneur Zalman (the Alter Rebbe) and the Rabbi of Wolpe (some accounts add Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk) — received his teachings in their entirety.

Some accounts indicate that in the Maggid's study hall, substantive legal Torah scholarship was taught alongside Chassidic teachings — not Chassidus alone — as can be inferred from several passages in the Alter Rebbe's writings.

The Maggid did not author books himself. His Chassidic teachings were recorded in writing by his disciples, who later published them (see the section on his books below). The Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, seventh leader of Chabad) commented on this:

"As is known, the Maggid's books were written by his disciples (the Maggid's disciples, with all the spiritual distinction that implies). Additionally, according to Chassidic tradition, the Maggid himself reviewed the books before they were printed — whether all of them were complete or only portions were complete, in any case he reviewed them while still in manuscript form, and certainly saw several sections, especially the primary ones."

His Relationship with the Alter Rebbe

The Alter Rebbe first came to the Maggid in 5524 [1764]. Before making the journey, the young Rabbi Schneur Zalman — then a newly married Torah scholar — deliberated whether to travel to Vilna or to Mezritch. He ultimately decided: since in Vilna they teach how to study Torah more effectively, and in Mezritch they teach how to pray more deeply, he would go to Mezritch — because he already possessed strong Torah knowledge, but he had not yet learned how to pray with true devotion and spiritual depth.

After two weeks of observing and absorbing the Maggid's approach, he decided to remain and become his devoted disciple. From that point until the Maggid's passing — a period of eight years — the Alter Rebbe would travel to the Maggid for extended stays.

The relationship between the Maggid and the Alter Rebbe was like that of a father and son. The Alter Rebbe would refer to the Maggid as "the Abba" (Father) or simply "the Rebbe." Among all his great disciples, the Maggid particularly treasured this student, whom he affectionately called "Zalmanyu" or "the Litvak" (the Lithuanian).

When the Alter Rebbe first arrived in Mezritch, the Maggid arranged for him to study Chassidic teachings together with his son, Rabbi Avraham "the Malach." The Maggid said that the Alter Rebbe would teach Rabbi Avraham the revealed dimensions of Torah law. During their study sessions, the Alter Rebbe would discreetly move the clock hands forward — without Rabbi Avraham noticing — in order to extend their time studying Chassidus.

Among other instructions, the Maggid directed the Alter Rebbe to compile his renowned legal code (the Shulchan Aruch HaRav), explaining the reasons behind the laws and incorporating the rulings of later legal authorities.

When the Alter Rebbe was later imprisoned by the Czarist government, the Maggid appeared to him in his prison cell together with the Baal Shem Tov, and instructed him that upon his release he should continue spreading the Chassidic teachings of Chabad with even greater intensity.

It is related that on one Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) when the Alter Rebbe was staying with the Maggid, the Maggid noticed that the Alter Rebbe had not appeared at the festive table. After waiting a long while, he sent several disciples to search for him. The disciples made their way to the Maggid's synagogue, from which they could hear the Alter Rebbe's voice. When they entered, they found him rolling on the floor in a state of profound spiritual ecstasy and total absorption in God, clutching two table legs he had torn off in his fervor, while singing:

"And let every creature know that You created it... And let every being know that You formed it... And let everything that has breath in its nostrils know that the Lord, God of Israel, is King and His kingdom rules over all..."

The disciples returned to the Maggid and described what they had witnessed. The Maggid responded:

"Rabbi Zalmanyu has reached such an elevated spiritual level that he can cause inanimate objects themselves to reflect upon and recognize that God created them..."

Opposition to the Chassidic Movement During His Leadership

In 5530 [1770], negative reports about the Maggid and his disciples were brought before the Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, the preeminent rabbinic authority of his generation), and the Gaon accepted this testimony and issued a call to distance from the Chassidim.

In the book Beis Rebbi it is related that when a formal ban of excommunication (cherem) was issued against the Chassidim, the Maggid's disciples decided to respond with a counter-ban against those who had issued the original decree unjustly — as is permitted under Jewish law for such situations.

Later that night, the Maggid's disciples fell asleep — all except the Alter Rebbe, who feigned sleep. After some time, the Maggid entered the room carrying a candle and went from disciple to disciple, illuminating each one's face as he looked upon them. When he reached the Alter Rebbe, he exclaimed with amazement: "This small Jew will become the rabbi of all the provinces of Reisen!"

Awakened by his words, the disciples stirred, and the Alter Rebbe also pretended to wake up. The Maggid then addressed them all: "Know that with this, you have lost your head" — "but you have gained this: that whenever there is controversy between Chassidim and their opponents, the Chassidim will always prevail!" Indeed, shortly after this, the Maggid passed away.

His Passing

On Sunday, 17 Kislev 5533 [1772] — two days before his passing — the Maggid told the Alter Rebbe that in the final three days of a person's life, all he perceives is the divine word of God that animates every physical thing in creation. Two days later, on Tuesday, the Maggid grasped the Alter Rebbe's hands and said to him: "The 19th of Kislev is the day of joyous celebration for both of us." And on that very day — 19 Kislev — the Maggid passed away and was buried in the town of Anipoli.

The Jewish burial society (Chevra Kadisha) and the Maggid's disciples divided among themselves the honor of performing his ritual preparation for burial (tahara). In a formal legal proceeding, it was determined that the burial society members and those disciples who were formally registered in their hometown's burial society ledger would handle the preparation. The Alter Rebbe was among those qualified, being registered in the ledger of his hometown of Liozna. In the lottery the disciples drew to determine which part of the body each would attend to during the preparation, the Alter Rebbe received the note inscribed with the words rosho kesem paz — a Biblical phrase meaning "his head is like the finest gold" — signifying that he would attend to the immersion of the head. When the Maggid's body was brought to the immersion pool (mikvah), the Alter Rebbe declared that they should allow their Rebbe to immerse on his own — and indeed, the Maggid immersed himself three times.

His Ethical Will

At least two ethical wills (tzavaos — formal written instructions left before one's passing) of the Maggid are known to exist. The first will was signed, in addition to the Maggid himself, by his greatest disciples: Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, and the Alter Rebbe. In this will, the Maggid stipulates, among other things, that after his passing, only these five disciples who signed at the bottom of the document may handle his ritual preparation and burial — and that no one else is permitted to touch his body.

The second known will was addressed personally to his son, Rabbi Avraham "the Malach." In it, the Maggid instructs his son whom to associate with among his disciples, and what to learn from each one:

• From Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk — seek counsel and guidance
• From Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaKohen — learn the refinement of character traits
• From Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli — learn humility
• And regarding the Alter Rebbe — follow everything he says and emulate all his ways, for everything that comes from his mouth carries the weight of minor prophecy, and even had he lived in the time of the Baal Shem Tov himself, he would have been counted among his greatest disciples.

Restoration of the Gravesite

In the cemetery of Anipoli, a memorial enclosure (ohel) was built over the area where the Maggid was buried, alongside several of his disciples, including Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli and Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaKohen, author of the work Ohr HaGanuz ("The Hidden Light"). During World War II, however, the cemetery and the enclosure were destroyed. After the war, the area was eventually restored: a concrete layer was poured over the site where the enclosure had stood, and a new joint monument (matzeiva) was erected for the Maggid and his disciples.

A Chabad chassid named Rabbi Aharon Chazan — whose wife, Mrs. Nechama Leah, was an eighth-generation descendant of the Maggid and a seventh-generation descendant of Rabbi Avraham the Malach — was living in Russia at the time. Before emigrating to the Land of Israel in 5726 [1966], he visited the Maggid's gravesite and was dismayed by the severe neglect he found there. Despite the enormous difficulty of obtaining construction materials in the Soviet Union at that time — particularly for the purpose of maintaining a holy site — he arranged for concrete to be poured over the Maggid's resting place to protect and preserve it. Upon his arrival in the Land of Israel, he described the condition of the gravesite to his close friend the Skulener Rebbe, who wrote to him that he wished to transfer responsibility for the site's ongoing care to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

"And also regarding the holy gravesite of the light of Israel, the Great Maggid of Mezritch, I ask that your honor write me the full details, so that I may show your letter to the Lubavitcher Rebbe and others.

I have already spoken by telephone with a member of the household of the Rebbe, Rabbi Chadakov, and he told me that we should prepare a detailed summary to present to the Rebbe — namely, the current state of the site, how much the restoration will cost, who will carry out the work, how funds should be transferred, who will oversee the matter, and so forth."

— From a letter of the Skulener Rebbe to Rabbi Aharon Chazan

His Family

• Father: Rabbi Avraham Friedman of Lukatch
• Mother: Rebbetzin Chava
• Wife: Rebbetzin Keila (first marriage)
• Son: Rabbi Avraham "the Malach" (the Angel)
• Daughter: Dabba
• Father-in-law: Rabbi Shalom Shachna of Turchin
• Sister: Ruchama, wife of Rabbi Noach Altshuler — grandfather of the Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, third Rebbe of Chabad)

His Disciples

• The Alter Rebbe — Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad-Lubavitch
• Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev
• Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk
• Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk
• Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl
• Rabbi Yissachar Ber of Lubavitch
• Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli
• Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk
• Rabbi Aharon of Karlin
• Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin
• Rabbi Shmuel Shmelka of Nikolsburg
• Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (known as the "Hafla'ah")
• Rabbi Asher Tzvi of Ostroh, author of Mayan HaChochma
• Rabbi Aharon Shmuel of Ostroh
• Rabbi Chaim Chaikel of Amdur, author of Chaim V'Chesed
• Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaKohen
• Rabbi Yona of Polotsk
• Rabbi Yisrael Hopstein, known as "the Maggid of Kozhnitz"
• Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz, known as "the Chozeh (Seer) of Lublin"
• Rabbi Avraham the Doctor
• Rabbi Aharon Gordon
• Rabbi Baruch of Mezhibuzh
• Rabbi Aryeh Leib, known as "the Grandfather of Shpoli"
• Rabbi Chaim Wolper, known as "the Volper"
• Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov
• Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Ostroh
• Rabbi Yisrael of Polotsk
• Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov
• Rabbi Uziel Meisels
• Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Nadvorna
• Rabbi Zev Wolf of Zhitomir
• Rabbi Yaakov Shimshon of Shepetovka

His Books

The Maggid did not write books himself; his teachings were recorded and published by his disciples:

• Maggid Devarav L'Yaakov ("He Declares His Word to Jacob") — Edited during his lifetime and at his personal request. Printed in Koritz in 5541 [1781] by the Maggid of Lutsk.
• Ohr Torah ("The Light of Torah") — Printed in Koritz in 5562 [1802]. Based on a manuscript held in the possession of Rabbi Yeshaya of Dinowitz.
• Ohr HaEmes ("The Light of Truth") — Printed in Hushatin in 5659 [1899]. Based on a manuscript owned by Rabbi Tzvi Chassid, a disciple of Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov. The title page indicates that the work contains the Maggid's teachings as recorded by Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev.
• Darchei Yesharim ("The Ways of the Upright") — Zhitomir, 5565 [1805]. Attributed jointly to the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Premishlan, and the Maggid of Mezritch.
• Kisvei Kodesh ("Holy Writings") — Warsaw, 5644 [1884]. Based on a manuscript held by Rabbi Yisrael of Kozhnitz. The publisher attributed the content to the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, and Rabbi Yisrael of Kozhnitz.
• Shmuah Tovah ("Good Tidings") — According to the first printing, these are Torah teachings written by his disciple Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. Warsaw, 5698 [1938].
• Likkutim Yekarim ("Precious Collected Teachings") — A compilation of the spiritual practices and conduct of the Baal Shem Tov's disciples. Published in Lemberg in 5552 [1792] from a manuscript owned by Rabbi Meshulam Feivish Heller. The publisher attributes the content to the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Premishlan, and Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov.
• Dibros HaMaggid ("The Teachings of the Maggid") — Most were recorded in real time by his distinguished disciple Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev.

Almost none of the books from the Maggid's personal library have survived to our day. One rare exception is the book Tiferes HaKodesh, which uniquely bears the Maggid's own signature.

See Also

• Sholosh Tenuos (Niggun)

Further Reading

• Rabbi Avraham Chanoch Glitzenstein, Sefer HaToldos — The Maggid of Mezritch, Kehot Publication Society, Kfar Chabad, 5736 [1976].
• Nathaniel Laderberg, "The Gate to Nothingness — Chassidic Teaching in the Philosophy of Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezeritch", Reuven Mass Publishing, Jerusalem, 5771 [2011]. From the series 100 Gates — Jewish Philosophy and Cultural Criticism.
• Avinoam Bir, "The Journey to the Destination — The Nature of Mystical Experience in the Philosophy of the Maggid of Mezeritch", Daat 81 (2016), pp. 278–299.

External Links

• His book Maggid Devarav L'Yaakov — HebrewBooks
• His book Ohr Torah — HebrewBooks
• Exciting Discovery: The Hidden Study Hall of the Maggid of Mezeritch Revealed — 17 Kislev 5781 [2020]