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Lubavitch (Hebrew: לוּבַּבִיץ, English: Lyubavichi, Russian: Люба́вич, Polish: Lubawicze) is a small town in Russia in the Smolensk region near the Belarus border. | |||
'''Lubavitch'' | The town of Lubavitch was the residence of most of the Chabad Chassidus Nesi'im, and served as the center of Chabad Chassidus activities for 102 years (1813-1916). As is customary in Chassidic courts, even today, many years after leaving the town, Chabad Chassidus continues to be called "Chabad Chassidus Lubavitch." | ||
In the Lubavitch cemetery are the Ohalim of the Rebbe Tzemach Tzedek and his son the Rebbe Maharash. The area where our Rebbeim previously lived now serves as a museum documenting the history of our Rebbeim in the town of Lubavitch. | |||
For many years, Lubavitch was abandoned. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Rebbe sent Rabbi David Nachshon and R' Avi Taub to rebuild the Ohel. Today, Rabbi Gavriel Gordon operates Chabad activities in Lubavitch, alongside the restoration of the cemetery and Chabad buildings. | |||
== The Name == | |||
The original name given to the town by its founder is unknown, and it's uncertain if it was given a name at all. Only later was it named "Lyuba" (meaning "love" in Russian and Polish). Over time, the suffix "vich" was added, creating the complete name "Lubavitch." | |||
The Maharil (brother of the Alter Rebbe) writes that the name was given after the first nobleman who established the town, whose name was "Lubyetzki." | |||
However, the Frierdiker Rebbe writes that the name "Lyuba" was given to the town because of the Ahavas Yisroel that characterized its founder, a Jew named R' Meir, who was known for his love for everyone. R' Meir performed many acts of chesed for all, and his name became renowned throughout the region. The town he established was named "Lyuba" (love) after him. | |||
== Location == | |||
The town of Lubavitch is located in the center of the agricultural settlement "Lyubavichi" in the Rudnyansky district of Smolensk region (near the Belarus border). It is close to the towns of: Babinovitch, Dobromysl, Rudnya, Liozna, Liadi, and Haditch. | |||
In the past, due to wars between Russia and Poland, the town frequently changed hands between the countries. In 1521, Vasily III of Russia signed an agreement transferring several towns in the Smolensk region to Poland, including Lubavitch. Ivan the Terrible signed a similar agreement in 1556. Over the years, the town also moved between the districts of Orsha, Smolensk, Vitebsk, and Mohilev. | |||
== General Description == | |||
Lubavitch was never a large city, although at certain times hundreds of chassidim would flow to it from all across Russia. The town's area is about one and a half kilometers by one and a half kilometers. In the north of the town flows a large river called "Berezina River," and in the west flows another, smaller river (Khuditsa River), called the "Monument River." | |||
The town is surrounded by large forests, giving it the appearance of an isolated place. As the Frierdiker Rebbe writes in Sefer HaZichronos: | |||
"Lubavitch, located in the Mohilev province (in the Babinovitch district, and later in the Orsha district) and situated on the Dnieper River in White Russia, was always surrounded by large forests that gave it the appearance of an isolated place, giving its residents a sense of seclusion. Thus, Lubavitch became an attraction for people who wanted to be alone with themselves and draw closer to Hashem and His creation. This is why many hidden tzaddikim tied their fate to Lubavitch and left their mark on it, until people who learn about Lubavitch's history, from its founding, are impressed by it as a legendary city, connected to a fascinating and intense chapter of Jewish life." | |||
The town center previously served as the main marketplace, where shops were concentrated. Every Sunday there was a market of non-Jews from surrounding villages, who would bring their produce to sell and buy what they needed from the shops. The town also held an annual fair for one month (January), which attracted people from Shklov, Vitebsk, Mohilev, and other places. | |||
In the past, there were several shuls in the town (in addition to the Rebbe's shul): Binyamin's Shtiebel, the Beis Medrash (that was its name), Golde's Minyan, Tomskeer Minyan, the shul near the Ohel, and Chachluka Minyan. Additionally, the town had a water-powered flour mill (by the river bridge), a bathhouse and mikvah, horse stables, a lumber warehouse, and a pharmacy. On Chachluka Street was the post office (with telegraph). The nearest train stations to Lubavitch are in Rudnya and Krasna. In the past, the roads were unpaved, and there were wagon drivers who would travel to the train station. | |||
The town's street names changed several times over the years. In Sefer HaZichronos, the Frierdiker Rebbe writes that from the town center (marketplace) there were three main streets: "Brum" Street leading to Dobromysl, "Shilva" Street leading to Rudnya, and "Chachluka" Street leading to Rossasno. In addition to these streets, there were several alleys: "Siritsa," "The Cold Alley," "Vigan," and "River Alley." | |||
In "Lubavitch and Its Soldiers," the street names are listed as: "Shileve, Chachluka, Petersburg, Sheier Gas, also called di Kalte Gas (where the non-Jews lived), Brukgas, the street before the marketplace square, and the marketplace square." | |||
== Population == | == Population == | ||
Throughout most of its years, the town was primarily populated by Jews who lived peacefully with their non-Jewish neighbors. | |||
In 1755-1756, Lubavitch had 75-80 Jewish families. | |||
In 1784, there were about 50 Jewish families in Lubavitch. | |||
In 1813, there were about 110 Jewish families in Lubavitch. | |||
In 1860, Lubavitch had 1,516 people, of whom 978 were Jews. | |||
In the years following, the population grew to about 300 Jewish families and about 100 non-Jewish families. | |||
After our Rebbeim left, many Jews left the town, and when World War II broke out, only about 110 Jewish families remained in Lubavitch. | |||
The town today (1998) has 545 non-Jewish residents. No Jews live in the town. | |||
== History == | == History == | ||
The town of Lubavitch is first mentioned in a document from 1494. Some speculate that the town was established after the Spanish Expulsion in 1492, when Jews began settling in Poland. However, some date its establishment to before the Spanish Expulsion. | |||
The Frierdiker Rebbe relates the following about the city's establishment: | |||
"The story of Lubavitch's founding, in the distant past, is connected with an interesting Jewish personality whose memory has not been forgotten through the generations until our time. The man's name was Rabbi Meir, and he was counted among those tzaddikim who wanted to live only by the work of their hands. Since he did not want to remain in his old place of residence, but rather to establish a new foundation for his existence and that of additional Jews - he left, together with three other families, his city and went to search for some remote corner to settle there and earn a living through manual labor. It seems his dream was to establish a Jewish village... The area that was chosen, upon which Lubavitch was established, was very suitable for realizing this idea, as it was surrounded by forests and located on the bank of a river. Rabbi Meir and the families who went with him immediately devoted themselves to work: they chopped wood in the forest and built themselves houses. | |||
According to the story, Rabbi Meir was especially distinguished in his great love for Jews, and even for non-Jews. His ahavas Yisroel was unlimited, and he showed love toward others as well. He frequently quoted the saying: 'Whoever is pleasing to people is pleasing to Hashem,' and it is clear that people are pleased with one who relates to everyone with friendship and kindness. And not only did Rabbi Meir value humans, the chosen of creation - but also every created being, even four-legged animals or those that fly in the sky. Naturally, this Rabbi Meir frequently performed acts of chesed with Jews and non-Jews. Thus his name quickly became renowned throughout the area and even spread to distant places... Thus 'Lubavitch' became a symbol of ahavas Yisroel, love for creation, and above all, of course, ahavas Hashem, Creator of all. | |||
Rabbi Meir was the first in a line of hidden tzaddikim over hundreds of years who saw Lubavitch as their home. Therefore, Lubavitch later merited to become an 'ir v'eim b'Yisroel' (a mother city in Israel), from which came authority and leadership that were recognized throughout the Jewish world." | |||
In Lubavitch there was a community of Jews long before Chabad Chassidus established itself there. Already around 1680, "Lubavitch was a town with a rich past behind it." | |||
In Sefer Hazichronos it is related that two hidden tzaddikim lived in the town of Lubavitch in 1680 or 1690, Reb Binyamin and Reb Wolf. This Reb Binyamin established the oldest synagogue in Lubavitch which was called "Binyamin's Shtibl" (although in truth this synagogue was rebuilt several times throughout its history, after being destroyed by fires). | |||
It is also related there about other hidden tzaddikim who lived there in the generation after them: Reb Yosef (the town's rabbi), Reb Zevulun the Sofer, Reb Binyamin and Reb Wolf (second generation) and Reb Yissachar Ber. All of these were students of the Baal Shem Tov (and later students of the Maggid of Mezritch).[[File:Lubavitch today.jpg|alt=Lubavitch today|thumb|Lubavitch ]] | |||
[[File:The city of lubavitch.jpg|thumb|A drawing of the map of the town of Lubavitch, as reproduced by the students who studied at the yeshiva]] | [[File:The city of lubavitch.jpg|thumb|A drawing of the map of the town of Lubavitch, as reproduced by the students who studied at the yeshiva]] | ||
== The Period of [[the Alter Rebbe]] == | |||
A painting of the town of Lubavitch in 1812 | |||
In the years 1756-1757, the Alter Rebbe, when he was a child of about 11-12 years old, was sent by his father to the town of Lubavitch to study with the Gaon Rav Yosef. Rav Yosef handed him over to his son-in-law Rav Yissachar Ber of Kabilnik to teach him. For two years (1756-1757), the Rebbe studied in Lubavitch. During this period, he stayed in the apartment of Rav Naftali the 'Batlan' and Tzere-Dvashe the shopkeeper. His designated place of study was in the second room of the "Poalei Tzedek Mashkimei Kum" Beis Medrash. On the site where the Alter Rebbe studied, the courtyard of our Rebbeim was later established. | |||
The Frierdiker Rebbe writes about this: | |||
"Lubavitch was also the place of Torah where the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman, wandered in his childhood to study Torah. And from whom? From that same Rabbi Yissachar Dov! Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the teacher and founder of Chabad, did not know then about Chassidus in general and had not even heard, presumably, about the Baal Shem Tov - he was then a boy of twelve years old. He certainly heard then the foundations of Chassidus as explained in the sermons of Rabbi Yosef the Maggid. Rabbi Shneur Zalman learned Torah not only from Yissachar Dov but also from his teacher's father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef the Maggid, and apparently also from Rabbi Zevulun the Scribe, as these three were always together. The spirit of Chassidus was felt in all their words, in all details of their behavior, and in their relationship with people, especially simple people..." | |||
"...Later, when Rabbi Dov Ber moved to Mezeritch and led the Chassidic movement from there, attracting the greatest and finest people of that period, Rabbi Shneur Zalman also became connected to him. Thus, Rabbi Shneur Zalman became a double 'grandson' of the Baal Shem Tov, both as a student of Rabbi Yissachar Dov of Lubavitch and as a student of Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch, the successor of the Baal Shem Tov. Through this double connection to the Baal Shem Tov, his connection with Lubavitch, the town where he studied in his youth under Rabbi Yissachar Dov, was also strengthened. This laid the foundation for the connection of Chabad Chassidus with the town of Lubavitch, although the Alter Rebbe himself established his court in Liozna and later in Liadi, and only in the second generation of Chabad Chassidus was its capital established in Lubavitch by the Mitteler Rebbe." | |||
Rabbi | Later, when our Rebbe was with Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Horodok, he met again with Rav Yissachar Ber. And over the years after our Alter Rebbe founded Chabad Chassidus, the roles reversed and Rav Yissachar Ber became a chassid of our Alter Rebbe. | ||
Also, Rav Yissachar Dov's son, Rav Yosef of Lubavitch, was among the greatest students of our Rebbe. Similarly, the chassid Rav Tzvi Hirsh Zarchi, from the students of the Alter Rebbe, lived in Lubavitch. In the Alter Rebbe's responsa (Chapter 17), there is a halachic question sent to our Rebbe from "Rav Binyamin Moreh Tzedek of Lubavitch." | |||
In 1812, a force of Napoleon was stationed in Lubavitch for two weeks. | |||
== The Period of [[the Mitteler Rebbe]] == | |||
When his father, the Alter Rebbe, passed away on the 24th of Teves 1812, the Mitteler Rebbe was staying in the town of Kremenchug where he accepted upon himself the nesius (leadership). After a journey (known as the "Coronation Journey") through the towns of Russia, the Mitteler Rebbe chose the town of Lubavitch as his place of residence, arriving there (with his entire family) together with thousands of chassidim on the 18th of Elul 1812. | |||
Upon his arrival, the Mitteler Rebbe told the chassidim that in his youth, the Alter Rebbe had studied in Lubavitch under Rabbi Yissachar Ber of Lubavitch. He added that the Alter Rebbe had appeared to him and requested that he establish his residence in Lubavitch. | |||
Prince Chehovsky, who ruled over the town, ordered his workers to cut down trees from his forests to build houses for the Rebbe and the chassidim. As soon as the chassidim settled in Lubavitch, they also built a mikvah there. Later, they built the mikvah on the riverbank, not far from the courtyard of our Rebbeim. | |||
After the Mitteler Rebbe settled in Lubavitch, Anash (chassidim) began streaming there from all over the country. From Lubavitch, the teachings of Chabad Chassidus began spreading throughout White Russia and Lithuania, and the number of travelers to Lubavitch continued to grow. When the number of guests arriving in Lubavitch increased greatly, our Rebbe was compelled to establish special regulations limiting permission for these travels. | |||
== Period of [[the Tzemach Tzedek]] == | |||
The Tzemach Tzedek settled in Lubavitch together with his uncle and father-in-law, the Mitteler Rebbe, in late 1813. After the passing of the Mitteler Rebbe in 1827, he accepted the leadership of Chabad and led the movement from Lubavitch for nearly forty years. During this period, he established a yeshiva in Lubavitch. | |||
The Rabbi of Lubavitch during the period of the Tzemach Tzedek: From 1832 onwards, it was Rabbi Yissachar Ber HaLevi Horowitz, and after him - Rabbi Avraham son of Rabbi Avigdor HaKohen. | |||
The Tzemach Tzedek was the first among the Chabad Rebbes to remain in Lubavitch until his final day - on the 13th of Nissan 1866, and there is his honored resting place. In his will, he wrote not to build a structure over his grave, neither from bricks nor from wood. However, in practice, there was concern that non-Jews would dig in the grave to search for gold that might have been buried there, so they were compelled to build an ohel with high walls around his grave, without a roof. Later, they added and built another room on the southern side of the ohel to serve as a beis medrash adjacent to his grave. | |||
== Period of [[the Rebbe Maharash]] == | |||
The Maharash lived in Lubavitch all his life. The Rabbi of Lubavitch during the period of the Maharash was Rabbi Avraham son of Rabbi Yosef Zeligson. The Maharash passed away in Lubavitch on the 13th of Tishrei 1882, and there is his honored resting place, in the ohel that was built for his father, the Tzemach Tzedek. | |||
== The Destruction of Lubavitch == | |||
'''Extended article - The Destruction of Lubavitch''' | |||
The "Destruction of Lubavitch" refers to the eleven-year period between the histalkus of the Rebbe Maharash until his son the Rebbe Rashab accepted the nesius (13 Tishrei 5643 - Rosh Hashanah 5654). During this time, both sons of the Rebbe Maharash - the Rebbe Rashab and his older brother the Raza - refused to accept the nesius, leaving Chabad Chassidus without an official nasi. This period is called "destruction" because during it, the dimensions of Chabad Chassidus significantly diminished. | |||
== The Period of [[Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneerson - The Rebbe Rashab|the Rebbe Rashab]] == | |||
'''Extended article - Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch''' | |||
In the summer of 5657 (1897), the Rebbe Rashab established Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch. He also began building a mikvah, but there were enormous obstacles, and it was decided to renovate the previous mikvah instead. The rav of the town of Lubavitch during the period of the Rebbe Rashab was Rabbi Dovid Jacobson. | |||
During World War I, at the beginning of 5676 (1915), when the German army approached the Lubavitch area, the Rebbe Rashab decided to leave Lubavitch, and on 16 Cheshvan 5676, the Rebbe and his family left Lubavitch. While on the way, the Rebbe Rashab remarked to his son, the Rebbe Rayatz, that the Mitteler Rebbe had settled in Lubavitch in the month of Cheshvan, and now - one hundred and two years later, in Cheshvan 5676, they were leaving Lubavitch. He explained to him an interpretation based on the number 102 - the number of years that the center of Chabad Chassidus was located in the town of Lubavitch. | |||
After the Rebbe's departure from Lubavitch, Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim continued learning in the yeshiva for another two and a half years. The last students left the town of Lubavitch, on their way to the yeshiva in Kremenchug, in late summer 5678 (1918). | |||
Before the last group of yeshiva students left Lubavitch, they arranged all the remaining possessions, dividing and hiding them as much as possible. They dug deep in the basement of the Rebbe's house and hid the items there. After the departure of the last ones, the local non-Jews destroyed the Ohel (it was only rebuilt in 5726). | |||
After the departure of the last yeshiva students from Lubavitch in late 5678 (1918), the municipality took over the Rebbe's courtyard. At the beginning of Nissan 5681 (1921), after the first year of the histalkus of the Rebbe Rashab, all the houses in our Rebbes' courtyard burned down within half an hour, and everything in the basements was looted and broken by the non-Jews. | |||
Following the departure of the Rebbe Rashab and Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim from the town, the residents experienced a severe economic downturn, as most of the residents had earned their livelihood from inns and similar work dependent on the many visitors who frequented the town. The Communist regime ruling at that time added to the economic difficulties, and most of the town's Jews left for larger cities. | |||
== Period of [[the Rebbe Rayatz]] == | |||
The Rebbe Rayatz was born on 12 Tammuz 5640 (1880) in Lubavitch. In the summer of 5653 (1893), his bar mitzvah was held in the Rebbe's courtyard in Lubavitch, and in late 5657 (1897), his wedding took place there. When Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim opened, he was appointed as the yeshiva's director. After his wedding, they built another room in his father's house for his residence. Later, he moved to another house in the Rebbe's courtyard. | |||
In early Nissan 5681 (1921), after the Rebbe and yeshiva students left Lubavitch, some anash who still lived in Lubavitch transferred the shul to the stone house. The mikvah building was destroyed, and in early 5682 (1921), the Rebbe Rayatz sent them money to repair the mikvah. | |||
the town of Lubavitch | On Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul of that year (5682), the Rebbe Rayatz traveled to Lubavitch to pray at the holy ohel. While there, he delivered a maamar chassidus in the shul in the stone house. This was the only time he visited Lubavitch after accepting the nesius. During the period when the courtyard was destroyed, the ohel was also destroyed. The beis midrash connected to the ohel was also destroyed and the non-Jews stole the fence walls. In 5684 (1924), the Rebbe Rayatz tried to repair the ohel, but the general situation continued to worsen over the years. | ||
The village shul was closed by the Communists in mid-winter of 5696. | |||
== During the Holocaust == | |||
When the war broke out, only about 120 Jewish families remained in the town, constituting about half of the town's residents. | |||
Due to its proximity to the border, it was easy for the Nazis to capture it, and two years after the war broke out, in Sivan 5701, "Operation Barbarossa" of the Nazi forces to conquer the Soviet Union began, and in a short time succeeded in conquering considerable territory. The Germans came from the direction of Smolensk and destroyed and conquered everything in their path. On 26 Tammuz 5701, Lubavitch was captured and annexed to German territory. | |||
At the end of Menachem Av (about a month after the city's capture), an order was issued that all Jews in the town were required to wear a yellow patch (round) on their outer visible garment. After a period, a new order was issued, and Jews were ordered to wear a yellow band. Jews were forbidden to visit public places and to speak with the non-Jewish population. Anyone who violated these decrees was sentenced to death. However, in practice, they executed even those who did not violate the decrees, including a group of young boys. In the period that followed, there were several instances of desecration of the Torah and elderly Jews, such as being forced to dance on Torah scrolls Rachmana litzlan and the like, after which they were shot to death by the Nazis. | |||
On Shabbos Shuva, 6 Tishrei 5702, all remaining Jews were ordered to report to the town's central square and were allowed to take only their personal belongings. Upon arrival at the square, their personal belongings were forcibly taken from them, 17 Jews were arrested and executed, and the rest were transferred to a ghetto under guard by local police and SS troops who arrived from Rudnia. The ghetto was in one small, crowded street with 19 houses, where about 500 Jews were crammed, approximately 25 Jews in each house. The ghetto had no regular supply of food and heating materials, and the Jews suffered from starvation and exhaustion from prolonged work. During the day, they were sent to infrastructure work for the Germans, so they could continue their conquest of Russia. | |||
The liquidation of the ghetto took place on 14 Cheshvan 5702. SS men and local police dragged Jews toward the local church, from where they were taken in groups and shot in a sewage ditch on the outskirts of the town. The Nazis murdered 483 Jews during the ghetto liquidation operation, Hashem yikom damam. These Jews were buried in a large mass grave in Lubavitch. | |||
There were locals who assisted the Nazis. However, in the forest area around Lubavitch and up to Smolensk, there were many partisans who carried out, under the direction of Soviet authorities, retaliatory actions against the Nazis (one action: burning the bridge that passed through the town over the river). Many non-Jewish Soviet citizens, including some local school teachers, were executed on suspicion of helping the partisans. | |||
== Modern-Day Lubavitch Today == | == Modern-Day Lubavitch Today == | ||
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For Chabad followers, Lubavitch represents not just a physical place but a source of inspiration—a reminder of the transformative power of faith, wisdom, and perseverance. As the movement continues to grow and thrive worldwide, the memory of Lubavitch remains a central pillar of its identity, ensuring that its profound impact will never be forgotten. | For Chabad followers, Lubavitch represents not just a physical place but a source of inspiration—a reminder of the transformative power of faith, wisdom, and perseverance. As the movement continues to grow and thrive worldwide, the memory of Lubavitch remains a central pillar of its identity, ensuring that its profound impact will never be forgotten. | ||
Here's the complete English translation, maintaining Judaic terms and formatted with headings: | |||
== The Nazi Period and [[World War II]] == | |||
In 1942, Jewish residents from Krasnaya were brought to Lubavitch and murdered by the Nazis. On 7 Adar 1942 (February 24, 1942), Jews from Lubavitch, Liozna, and other towns were brought to Rudnia and eliminated there. In total, approximately 700 people (Jews and non-Jews) were murdered in Lubavitch. | |||
When the Russians began pushing back the Nazis, fierce battles took place within the town, and most of it was destroyed. The monuments of the Tzemach Tzedek and the Maharash were damaged and fell. Due to Communist oppression, it was not possible to renovate the site. Only on Erev Rosh Hashanah 1944 (September 29, 1943), was the town liberated, following a series of Soviet victories across the USSR. Lubavitch was destroyed, with only ten houses remaining at the edge of the town. | |||
== The Town Today == | |||
Guest houses have been built in the town in recent years. The mikvah, the zal, and Chatzar Raboseinu Nesienu have been restored. | |||
The Ohel of Raboseinu Nesienu and the holy sites in the town have been renovated and restored. | |||
Many Anash travel to Lubavitch to visit the Chatzar Raboseinu and pray at the tziyunim of our Rebbeim. The Rebbe's shliach, Rabbi Gavriel Gordon (chairman of Lubavitch Russia - Holy Sites organization) works to maintain the Chatzer and oversee the site's operations. | |||
== The Cemeteries in Lubavitch == | |||
The Jewish cemetery in Lubavitch is located at the western edge of the town, near the small river. The cemetery spans an area of approximately 70 by 150 meters. In this cemetery are located the Ohalim of the Tzemach Tzedek and the Maharash. | |||
Near them are buried: Rebbetzin Sterna (wife of the Alter Rebbe), Rebbetzin Sheina (wife of the Mitteler Rebbe), Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka (wife of the Tzemach Tzedek), Rebbetzin Rivka (wife of the Maharash), and other women and daughters of Raboseinu Nesienu whose names are unknown to us. Also buried in the cemetery are: Rabbi Baruch Shalom Schneerson (firstborn son of the Tzemach Tzedek and the Rebbe's great-great-grandfather), Avraham Sender Schneerson (son of the Maharash, who passed away at only eight years old), and Rabbi Yissachar Ber ("The Maggid of Lubavitch" and the Alter Rebbe's teacher in his youth). | |||
Following World War II, the cemetery was destroyed. In 1966, Rabbi Abba Dovid Gurevitz came to Lubavitch, repaired the destroyed monuments of the Tzemach Tzedek and Maharash, and built a fence around them. The Ohel was rebuilt in 1989 by Reb Dovid Nachshon and Reb Avi Taub. In 2015, the cemetery was cleaned, bushes were cut down and burned, and some monuments were placed on concrete foundations. In total, about 200 monuments have been preserved in the cemetery, all with Hebrew inscriptions. In recent years, renovation of the cemetery continues, and new monuments are occasionally discovered. | |||
There was another, older cemetery in Lubavitch, which according to tradition is the burial place of many kedoshim. However, due to its age, not a single monument remains standing. Today, a sign marks the location of the old cemetery. | |||
== Courtyard of Our Rebbeim == | |||
[Note: This chapter is incomplete. Please contribute to Chabadpedia and complete it. There may be more details in the discussion page.] | |||
A map of the courtyard of our Rebbeim is located in the northern part of the town. This is where they and their families lived, and where their shul and beis medrash were located. The Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim was also established in this courtyard area. | |||
Today, a museum has been built on the site chronicling the history of our Rebbeim in the town. The 'zal' (study hall) and the homes of our Rebbeim have been restored. | |||
== The Schneerson House == | |||
[Extended article - The Schneerson House in Lubavitch] | |||
The Schneerson house in Lubavitch today is a large building located on a spacious plot in the town of Lubavitch. It currently serves as a hachnosas orchim (guest house) and as a museum dedicated to the heritage of Chabad Chassidus and the town's history. The house was purchased in 1989 and is registered in the Rebbe's name. A large monument was erected in the town commemorating its Jewish residents who were murdered during the Nazi occupation. | |||
== Quotes from Our Rebbeim About the Town == | |||
From Sefer Hazichronos: "On one occasion, the Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek said: 'Lubavitch is founded on love. In the Gemara there is a discussion: 'Is a name significant or not?' Rabbi Meir holds that 'a name is significant' - he would analyze names (as the Gemara relates about a man named Kidor, and Rabbi Meir said this name hints at improper behavior, as it is written: 'For they are a generation [dor] of reversals'). The founder of the settlement of Lubavitch was called Rabbi Meir, a man of tzedakah and chesed, and through his conduct, he imbued the place with a spirit of love - 'a name is significant.' It is also said: 'Whatever the man called each living creature, that remained its name,' because the life-force of the created being comes through the 'channel' of the correct name. 'Lubavitch' is a 'channel' for chassidic love and friendship. A person must have compassion on himself and others, and each person should help his fellow improve their good middos and ways of serving Hashem according to Chassidic teachings.' These are the words of the Tzemach Tzedek. It is therefore no wonder that 'Chabad' and 'Lubavitch' became synonymous names, enriching and influencing each other." | |||
== See Also == | |||
* Lubavitch - The Town of Chabad (book) | |||
* Gabriel Gordon | |||
* Lubavitch Russia - The Holy Sites | |||
== Further Reading == | |||
* Elishiv Kaplan, "Lubavitch - The Town of Chabad" 2017, 566 pages | |||
* History of the Town of Lubavitch by Rabbi Shalom Ber Levin | |||
[[Category:Villages]] | [[Category:Villages]] | ||
[[Category: Chabad communities that have become extinct]] | [[Category: Chabad communities that have become extinct]] | ||
[[he:ליובאוויטש]] | [[he:ליובאוויטש]] | ||