Levi Yitzchak Schneerson: Difference between revisions

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson (also known as R' Levik; 18 Nissan 5638 (1878) - 20 Menachem Av 5704 (1944)) was the father of the Rebbe, Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk, a kabbalist and one of the prominent rabbis and spiritual leaders in the Soviet Union. He was arrested and exiled for his activities in spreading Judaism and passed away in exile.

Born on Sunday, 18 Nissan 5638 (April 21, 1878) in the town of Podovronka near Homel, Belarus, to Rabbi Baruch Shneur Schneerson and Rebbetzin Zelda Rachel Schneerson. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was named after his grandfather Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, who was the son of Rabbi Baruch Shalom (son of the Tzemach Tzedek) and passed away at a young age.

Some say he studied at the Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva in Lubavitch for a short time in the early years while others dispute this claim. However, the Lubavitcher Rebbes did not mention this.

When Rabbi Levi Yitzchak reached marriageable age, the Rebbe Rashab suggested the match between him and Rebbetzin Chana, who was the daughter of Rabbi Meir Shlomo Yanovsky, Rabbi of Nikolayev. The wedding date was set for the Thursday after Shavuot, but due to the bride's illness, her father wanted to postpone the wedding. The bride's father Rabbi Meir Shlomo Yanovsky sent a special messenger to the Rebbe Rashab to get his consent to postpone the wedding, but the Rebbe instructed to hold the wedding as scheduled and gave his blessing. The wedding took place on Friday, 11 Sivan 5660 (1900) in Nikolayev at the home of a wealthy Jew named Brishkovsky.

From 1902, he participated in public assemblies where activities for Russian Jewry were formulated. Some of these assemblies were organized by the Rebbe Rashab. During the Russo-Japanese War, he took a major part in sending matzos to Jewish soldiers on the battlefield, as well as in collecting material for Beilis's defense in the famous trial.

In 1908, Rabbi Dov Zev Kozevnikov, the Chassidic Rabbi of Yekaterinoslav (today Dnipro), passed away. The city's "Ashkenazi" Rabbi was also elderly and frail. Due to the situation that arose, community leaders hurried to choose new rabbis. The Misnagdim took Rabbi Pinchas Gelman as their rabbi, while for the Chassidim, the Rebbe Rashab suggested appointing Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, who was serving at that time as Rabbi of Nikolayev, also in Ukraine.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's words made a strong impression and the community leaders began dealing with establishing a new mikvah. (See many more details about Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's rabbinate in Yekaterinoslav in the article "Dnipro").

The Rabbi tried to immigrate to the Holy Land shortly after his brother Rabbi Shalom Shlomo Schneerson immigrated to Israel. Appropriate documents were submitted to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and through them visas were approved for the Rabbi and Rebbetzin. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel announced this in a letter they sent to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak in Yekaterinoslav:

The immigration of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and his family ultimately did not materialize, for a reason unknown to us today.

After the Communist revolution, he fought with self-sacrifice for Torah observance despite the authorities' prohibition. His activities for Judaism were known to all and there were often severe friction with the authorities until it was decided to arrest him.

The secret police men who arrested Rabbi Levi Yitzchak tried in every way to force him to confess that he acted against the authorities, through very harsh prison conditions, and would transfer him from one prison to another. Once they even put him in solitary confinement for 32 days, but Rabbi Levi Yitzchak stood firm and did not admit to any guilt attributed to him.

After several months of investigation, he was sentenced to five years exile in Kazakhstan. For a month Rabbi Levi Yitzchak made his journey by prisoner train from the prison in Yekaterinoslav. Despite the difficult travel conditions, the only thing that bothered him most was the lack of water for morning hand-washing. For eleven days there was no water at all. Even drinking water was given to prisoners in small measure. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, who even in this difficult situation was careful to observe minor commandments as major ones, gave up his meager drinking water for the sake of fulfilling the commandment of hand-washing alone.

Even while in Chi'ili he continued spreading Judaism, ensuring Jewish burial for many Jewish deceased and also for prayers with a minyan.

For over four years Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was in his exile in Chi'ili. After Passover 5704 (1944) Rabbi Levi Yitzchak arrived exhausted and weak from his place of exile in Chi'ili to the city of Alma-Ata, capital of Kazakhstan. There too he worked extensively to make Jewish life flourish and even served as rabbi in the local synagogue.

Another aspect of this day is that it is forty days before Rosh Hashana, and serves as preparation for it - just as the first of Elul is forty days before Yom Kippur (which is also called Rosh Hashana in the book of Ezekiel), and in it begins the appropriate work.

Throughout all the years since Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's passing, the Rebbe was very interested in his father's gravesite, and cared for the preservation of the place and its holiness. Over the years the Rebbe even sent funds for preserving the place and precise instructions for renovation and renewal.

The one who built the tombstone was R' Gabriel Ochanov.

In 1989, Rabbi David Nachshon and R' Avi Taub built an ohel around the tombstone. The preparations took time, and the two visited the gravesite several times, until they built the ohel in practice in Elul 1989.