The Alter Rebbe

A painting of the Alter Rebbe, by Shalom Feiglin

Rabbi Schneur Zalman Boruchovich of Liadi (18 Elul 5505 — 24 Teves 5573) is known among Chabad chassidim as the Alter Rebbe (Der Alter Rebbe in Yiddish — literally, "the Old Rebbe"). He is also known as the Maggid of Liozna, the Gra"z, the Baal HaTanya, and the Baal HaShulchan Aruch — or simply The Rav.

He was among the greatest disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch, the founder of Chabad Chassidus, and the first Rebbe in the dynasty of Chabad Rebbeim. He authored the Tanya — the foundational work of Chabad Chassidus — and wrote the Shulchan Aruch HaRav.

Life History

His Birth

A colorized reconstruction based on the portrait of the Alter Rebbe

The Alter Rebbe's parents, Rabbi Boruch Poyzner (a descendant of the Maharal of Prague) and Rivka, were married on Friday, 17 Elul 5503. For nearly ten months they remained childless, and on the advice of Rabbi Yitzchak Shaul, a close friend of Rabbi Boruch, the couple traveled to seek the blessing of the Baal Shem Tov. In the month of Menachem Av 5504, they arrived at the Baal Shem Tov, who promised them that within a year they would have a son. Rabbi Boruch and Rivka stayed for a while with the Baal Shem Tov, and at the Baal Shem Tov's birthday celebration on 18 Elul, he turned to Rabbi Boruch and said: "At this very time next year, you will be embracing a son."

Before they left Mezhibuzh, they went in to the Baal Shem Tov to receive a farewell blessing. Rebbetzin Rivka told the Baal Shem Tov that when Hashem would fulfill his holy blessing, she would dedicate the child to Torah and avodah in the path of the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov blessed them, and they traveled home in joy. Exactly one year later, on Wednesday, 18 Elul 5505, Schneur Zalman was born, in a small village near the town of Liozna.

In the month of Adar 5505, Rabbi Boruch traveled to the Baal Shem Tov to tell him that his blessing had been fulfilled and his wife had conceived. The Baal Shem Tov inquired about the time of conception, and upon hearing the answer, instructed Rabbi Boruch to don a gartel and recite the blessing of Shehechiyanu without Hashem's Name and Kingdom.

The Baal Shem Tov then gave him instructions for how his wife should conduct herself during the pregnancy and after the birth, and cautioned him not to tell anyone that a son had been born — and if asked, to say simply: "Hashem will help."

On Yom Kippur of 5506, Rabbi Boruch traveled again to the Baal Shem Tov and received from him a detailed regimen for raising the child. By the age of one the child had begun to speak, and by age two his parents recognized that he possessed an extraordinary memory and comprehension, and he had already memorized many chapters of Tehillim by heart.

When Rabbi Boruch came to the Baal Shem Tov on Rosh Hashanah of 5507, he mentioned his intention that on 18 Elul of the coming year, when his son would turn three, the Baal Shem Tov would perform the upsherin — his first haircut. When he reached the age of three (in 5508), his parents and his aunt (his father's sister, Rebbetzin Devorah Leah) brought him to the Baal Shem Tov in Mezhibuzh. The Baal Shem Tov left him his peyos, blessed him with Birchas Kohanim, and warned his parents to return home immediately and not to reveal where they had been. When the child asked who the Jew was that had cut his hair, his mother replied that it was "Grandfather."

His Childhood and Youth

Rabbi Schneur Zalman was known as a disciplined child, punctual and devoted in his studies. He demonstrated remarkable success in Torah knowledge and grasped even the most complex subjects in their full detail. On 17 Kislev 5510, he was accepted to serve the Chevra Kadisha in Liozna until his bar mitzvah. By the age of fifteen he had completed the entire Shas three times, and at sixteen — on the eve of 17 Kislev 5521 — he was accepted as a full member of the Chevra Kadisha. He was thoroughly familiar with the siddur Sha'ar HaShamayim of the Shelah HaKadosh and conducted himself according to its practices.

At the age of eight he wrote a commentary on the Torah incorporating the commentaries of Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and the Ramban. When he was ten years old, he had a dream in which Rabbi Reuven Baal Shem — a hidden tzaddik — told him that he was being summoned to a heavenly tribunal. When he entered the shul in Liozna, Rabbi Reuven Baal Shem led him to a table where the judges began to declare: "These three elders — Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and the Ramban — are bringing you to a din Torah, for you wish to deprive them of the merit of enabling the many to learn through their commentaries, by composing a commentary that incorporates all three." The young Schneur Zalman was shaken by these words and promised to burn his commentary. The elders then turned to him, blessed him that he would innovate Torah teachings and paths of avodah in the service of Hashem.

When he awoke he fasted, and after dreaming the same dream a second time, he burned his commentary.

At the age of nine, his father brought him to the town of Lubavitch to study Torah under the gaon R' Yissachar Dov. When he turned eleven — approximately two years after arriving in Lubavitch — Rabbi Yissachar Dov told Rabbi Boruch that his son no longer needed teachers, and Rabbi Boruch brought him home to Liozna.

From the age of eleven, in addition to Gemara and halachic works, he began studying Kabbalah and mussar. He also began engaging in public activity, going to the marketplace in Liozna to encourage the Jewish merchants — who were struggling in trade — to take up farming instead. Many families made the transition at his urging.

His Bar Mitzvah

At the bar mitzvah celebration in 5518, the leading gaonim of that generation attended from Vitebsk, Polotsk, and Minsk. His father Rabbi Boruch and his grandfather Rabbi Moshe held seven days of festive celebration, with a seudas mitzvah each day at which much Torah was shared. The Alter Rebbe's Torah insights surpassed all others and were recorded by his brother R' Yehuda Leib Minowitz. All the gaonim conferred upon him the titles "Gaon" and "Tanna hu u'falig."

Shortly after his bar mitzvah, he traveled to Vitebsk to stay with his uncle Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Shrei for several months. There he heard about the Chassidic approach and the path of the Baal Shem Tov — though without yet knowing that these teachings were from the Baal Shem Tov. He later recounted that during his time at his uncle's home, he felt each day the atmosphere of Yom Tov joy.

His Marriage

When the Alter Rebbe came of age — at fourteen — his fame as a gaon had already spread throughout the surrounding region.

R' Yehuda Leib Segal, one of the wealthy and respected men of Vitebsk, took him as a chassan for his daughter, Moras Sterna.

The wedding was initially set for the month of Elul 5519, but Rabbi Boruch, the Alter Rebbe's father, had left home at the start of Elul and the wedding was postponed. His father-in-law-to-be, R' Yehuda Leib Segal, pressed to hold the wedding in the winter of 5520, but Rabbi Boruch did not agree. After Pesach, Rabbi Boruch again left home and returned in Tammuz, at which point he set the wedding date for Friday, Erev Shabbos Nachamu, 12 Menachem Av 5520.

After the wedding, he was supported by his father-in-law R' Yehuda Leib Segal in Vitebsk.

One of the conditions the Alter Rebbe stipulated before agreeing to the match was that the five thousand gold coins brought as a dowry be placed at his disposal, to do with as he saw fit. Indeed, in the first year of his marriage — with the full agreement of his wife — he gave the entire sum to support families who wished to earn their livelihood from farming. With this money he helped them purchase land and agricultural equipment. Thanks to this investment, large Jewish agricultural settlements were established along the Dvina River that flows through Vitebsk. The Alter Rebbe visited these settlements many times, encouraged the Jews to set fixed times for Torah study, and would tell them stories of Torah and teachings of Chazal.

By the age of eighteen he was thoroughly versed in the entire Talmud with all its commentators, including the works of the Rishonim and Acharonim.

In Mezritch

Although he had not met the Baal Shem Tov since his upsherin at age three, he referred to the Baal Shem Tov as his spiritual grandfather: "R' Baruch of Mezhibuzh is a physical grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, and I am a spiritual grandson." There are two ways to understand this — either through his first teacher R' Yissachar Ber of Lubavitch, who was a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, or through his primary teacher, the Maggid of Mezritch, who was also among the greatest disciples of the Baal Shem Tov.

After Pesach of 5524, with the agreement of his wife, he set out to fulfill the teaching "exile yourself to a place of Torah."

After deliberation, he chose to travel to Mezritch to study under Rabbi DovBer, the Maggid of Mezritch. His primary reasoning was that in Vilna they teach how to learn — and that he already knew — while in Mezritch they teach how to daven, and that he had not yet learned how to do properly.

When he decided to remain in Mezritch, the Maggid revealed to him the words of the Baal Shem Tov — that he was a new neshamah from the world of Atzilus clothed in a body in a revealed manner, and that his task was to reveal and explain the Torah of the Baal Shem Tov in ahavas Hashem and ahavas Yisrael, and to reveal the path of Chabad Chassidus — for one must love a Jew simply because he is a Jew.

The Alter Rebbe said that in Mezritch he learned: what Hashem is, what Yisrael is, and what the power of a niggun is.

While in Mezritch he studied as a chavrusa with Rabbi Avraham the Malach — the Maggid's son.

After a year and a half in Mezritch, he returned home to Vitebsk and began disseminating the Chassidic approach founded by the Baal Shem Tov. The Alter Rebbe made a revolution in Vitebsk — even the gaonim of Vitebsk were deeply moved by his immense genius. When his father-in-law, the wealthy R' Yehuda Leib Segal, saw that his son-in-law had "been captured" by the Chassidic path, he began to make his life difficult. He even pressured his daughter to accept a divorce, and when she refused, he drove her from his home.

At the age of twenty-two — in 5527 — the Alter Rebbe was appointed as the maggid of the city of Liozna.

At the age of twenty-five — in 5530 — at the instruction of the Maggid, he began composing the Shulchan Aruch known as the "Shulchan Aruch HaRav." When the Maggid commanded him to compose the Shulchan Aruch, he stood to his full height, placed his hands on the Alter Rebbe's head, and blessed him with Birchas Kohanim.

In 5531, he traveled on a secret mission from the Maggid of Mezritch to Rabbi Yosef Kolbo of Shklov.

The Founding of Chabad Chassidus

Main article: The Founding of Chabad Chassidus

When the Alter Rebbe returned from Mezritch for the first time, he related that the Maggid had revealed to him that one of his tasks in this world was to reveal the path of Chabad Chassidus. In 5532, when the Russians conquered the entire region of Vitebsk and Liozna from the Poles, he established the path of Chabad Chassidus — the service of Hashem through Chochma, Bina, and Da'as.

As the approach spread through the Alter Rebbe's efforts and those of his emissaries, hundreds of young scholars joined the movement. At the Alter Rebbe's side in establishing Chabad Chassidus stood his brother Rabbi Yehuda Leib Pozner. Over the following four years, Chabad Chassidus spread among hundreds of additional devoted seekers, and after the passing of the Maggid of Mezritch and the journey of the leading disciple Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk to Eretz HaKodesh, when the leadership of Chassidus in Lithuania passed to the Alter Rebbe, thousands of additional families joined Chabad Chassidus. By 5540, Chabad chassidim numbered approximately 15,000 families throughout Russia.

During this year — 5532 — he conducted efforts to convince the Jews living in Vitebsk to move across the border into Russia proper.

Nasi of Chabad Chassidus

The Histalkus of the Maggid of Mezritch

The gravesite of the Maggid of Mezritch, the Alter Rebbe's teacher

Main article: Asifos Talmidei HaMaggid

On 18 Kislev 5533, the Maggid of Mezritch asked his disciple the Alter Rebbe to do everything in his power to ensure that his son Rabbi Avraham the Malach would succeed him — and if he was unwilling, that Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk would take his place. The following day, 19 Kislev 5533, the Maggid passed away, and his great disciples dispersed to different countries to spread the teachings of Chassidus. Rabbi Avraham "the Malach" settled in Volhynia and Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk in Russia. The Alter Rebbe and the other disciples of the Maggid immediately submitted a letter of attachment (kesher) to Rabbi Avraham the Malach, the son of the Maggid of Mezritch.

In those years, the opposition to Chassidus was at its height, and meeting this challenge required a steadfast leader capable of standing firm against the opponents. For this purpose, an assembly was convened under the leadership of Rabbi Avraham the Malach, at which it was decided to establish a leadership committee — whose chairman would be empowered to issue directives to all Chassidic centers as he saw fit, for the good of the movement's growth. The Alter Rebbe was chosen as chairman. In this capacity he served for three years, traveling extensively to strengthen the disciples of the Maggid in their respective locations.

In 5536 (1776), the Alter Rebbe established the chedarim in Liozna, to which young scholars gathered from across the region and dedicated themselves to Torah study according to the approach and schedule he laid out for them. During this period, the character of Rabbi Schneur Zalman's leadership began to take on its distinctly Chabad flavor, which sharpened over the years. Within a short time it became known throughout the Chassidic world that a new stream had emerged — the Chabad stream.

In 5537, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk traveled with three hundred people to Eretz Yisrael. The Alter Rebbe deliberated greatly whether to join. At first he thought not to go, reasoning that "upon whom can I leave our brethren, the Jewish people," and recalling the Maggid's teaching that the Baal Shem Tov had not been able to make aliyah because "there are souls that specifically need Eretz Yisrael and there are souls that specifically need the Diaspora." At the last moment — after Rabbi Menachem Mendel had already departed — he decided to join, and traveled with several of his disciples to Mohilev, where the group had stopped. He sent word that he wished to join the journey. Rabbi Menachem Mendel and the leading disciples tried to persuade him to remain in White Russia and take upon himself the leadership of the Chassidic community. The Alter Rebbe did not agree. Only after the Maggid appeared to him in a dream and instructed him to remain — and after he spent an entire week in private session with Rabbi Menachem Mendel, several hours each day — did he resolve to stay in Russia. After the group continued on its journey, Rabbi Menachem Mendel continued to lead the chassidim through letters and emissaries that arrived frequently from Eretz Yisrael. During this time the Alter Rebbe went to stay in Mohilev.

The Move to Liozna

During this period, the Alter Rebbe received offers of rabbinical positions from both Vitebsk and Liozna, and he chose Liozna after they agreed to his condition: that they provide for the material needs of himself, his three brothers and their families, the scholars and students of the chedarim, and the chassidic guests arriving from Russia and Lithuania. In the month of Elul 5536, the Alter Rebbe set out for Liozna, and in the month of Shevat 5538 he arrived there.

By then the Alter Rebbe was already leading thousands of chassidim, though he had not yet assumed the formal title of "Rebbe." The deep longing of his chassidim for a living Rebbe in their midst grew steadily more intense, and they expressed this desire to Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. He instructed them by letter that although they remained bound to him, they were permitted to seek wisdom and guidance from "the tzaddikim, chassidim, rabbis, and complete ones... whose every word is like burning coals of divine counsel and knowledge" — "the great ones of the community, renowned in Torah and fear of Hashem, who are present with them in their places of residence." This was a reference to three tzaddikim: Rabbi Yisrael of Polotsk, Rabbi Yissachar Ber of Lubavitch, and "the honored Rav, our teacher R' Schneur Zalman (the Alter Rebbe) — may Hashem protect him and may his name endure forever. And the threefold cord, etc. In whose hands, with Hashem's help, lies their good — from the great goodness that is hidden and concealed — to illuminate their eyes and give them life, and their faith and deeds are true."

This letter granted Rabbi Menachem Mendel's chassidim in Russia permission to seek counsel from these three leaders. This arrangement continued for a period, with Rabbi Menachem Mendel as the undisputed leader while the three tzaddikim served as his deputies in guiding people in the way of Hashem on various spiritual matters. Over time, Rabbi Menachem Mendel perceived that despite his efforts to lead the community from afar, some chassidim had begun to seek Torah guidance from various tzaddikim in Eastern Europe. There were those who sought to bring the "Chozeh" of Lublin from Poland and crown him leader of the chassidim in Russia.

When Rabbi Menachem Mendel saw that this trend was growing, he resolved to appoint the Alter Rebbe as the undisputed leader of the chassidim in Russia.

The Journey to the Vilna Gaon

After the histalkus of the Maggid of Mezritch, the Misnagdim intensified their battle against Chassidus. Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk and the Alter Rebbe traveled to Vilna in 5534, seeking to meet with the Vilna Gaon and persuade him that the chassidim had not departed from the path of Torah — thereby bringing an end to the Misnagdim's campaign against the Chassidic movement. However, the Gr"a refused to receive them and left Vilna, returning only after the Alter Rebbe and Rabbi Menachem Mendel had departed.

The Alter Rebbe writes:

"From the very beginning we informed them and went to the Gaon the Chassid, may his light shine, to his home to debate with him and remove his complaints against us — when I was there together with the Rav the Chassid, our teacher R' Mendel of Horodok, of blessed memory — and he shut the door before us twice... And when they began to press him greatly, he departed and left the city and remained there until the day of our departure from the city... and the war of the Misnagdim continued with full force."

Rabbi Menachem Mendel and several of the Maggid's disciples, seeing that they could not quiet the Misnagdim's battle, resolved to travel to Eretz Yisrael.

Debates with the Opponents of Chassidus

Main article: The Great Debate in Minsk (5543)

During the five years in which the Alter Rebbe served as the general organizer of the Chassidic movement — from the aliyah of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk until 5543 — he conducted a number of debates against the leading Misnagdim. For this purpose he traveled specifically to the strongholds of the opponents of Chassidus, demonstrating the chassidim's mastery of revealed Torah and the righteousness of their path and approach.

The most well-known of these debates was the "Shklov Debate" and the "Great Debate in Minsk" in 5543. Following these encounters, hundreds of scholars drew closer to Chassidus, and the genuine opposition from the great Torah authorities among the Misnagdim diminished considerably — for they saw with their own eyes that the leader of the Chassidic movement was an immense gaon and scholar, and that his entire path was founded on pure faith in Hashem without any deviation from traditional Jewish practice. What remained was only the factional opposition of the extremists among the Misnagdim, who were unwilling to accept that the Alter Rebbe had decisively defeated them in debate.

His Appointment as Rebbe

In 5546, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk sent a special letter to the Alter Rebbe announcing and demanding that the time had come for him to accept the leadership of the chassidim in Russia, to be a "Rebbe," and not to evade the mission placed upon him — promising him blessing and success. In the remainder of the letter he outlines the principles by which he should lead the chassidim.

By this time the Alter Rebbe was already leading thousands of chassidim, with hundreds of brilliant scholars in his chedarim. Nevertheless, he was reluctant to formally accept the title of "Rebbe" with all that it entailed. In a letter of reply, the Alter Rebbe writes that he trembled upon hearing that he had been anointed to lead the chassidim of Russia, and that the burden was heavy upon him and he could not bear it alone. Yet he did not wish to defy his master's will, and he agreed to accept the role on condition that Rabbi Menachem Mendel mention him daily and bless him with all blessings.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel in turn sent letters to the chassidim in Russia urging them to accept the leadership and nesichus of Rabbi Schneur Zalman. In an additional letter written in 5548, shortly before his own histalkus, he sent his final communication in which he crowned Rabbi Schneur Zalman as the sole and undisputed leader of the Chassidic community in Russia. Following this, the Chassidic community of Russia formally accepted the nesichus of the Alter Rebbe.

Only fifteen years after the histalkus of the Maggid — in 5548 — did the Alter Rebbe formally accept upon himself to be the Rebbe and official leader of the chassidim.

With the Haskalah Movement

The Maskilim (proponents of the Haskalah — Jewish Enlightenment) of that era had successfully penetrated Vilna, the greatest Torah center of the time and also the center of opposition to Chassidus. The Torah scholars of Vilna, led by the Gr"a, viewed favorably the pursuit of secular studies alongside Torah study — particularly the study of Hebrew grammar. The Maskilim exploited this opening to penetrate the leading circles of Torah scholarship and draw their sons toward a secular education, which led many young men to intensive study in Berlin and from there toward the Enlightenment. An active role in this was played by Shimon Lilienfeld (Shimon the Apikores), who posed as a G-d-fearing teacher and led many children into the path of the Haskalah. Shimon sought to influence the Chassidic community as well, and for this purpose undertook a long journey to White Russia, where he even met with the Alter Rebbe — but despaired when he saw the depth of the chassidim's faith and their bond with their Rebbe.

Sefer HaTanya

The cover of the Tanya

Main article: Sefer HaTanya

The Tanya is the foundational work of Chabad Chassidus and one of the foundational works of the Chassidic movement as a whole. The book surveys the human soul and analyzes its processes in a way that guides a person toward the service of Hashem — while providing practical tools for overcoming the obstacles that stand in the way. It is related that the Alter Rebbe wrote the Tanya with answers to all the questions of all generations until the coming of Moshiach.

In 5532 (1772), after founding the path of Chabad Chassidus, the Alter Rebbe began guiding his chassidim in yechidus on matters of avodas Hashem. These teachings were recorded by the chassidim and compiled as booklets that were studied among themselves. These booklets were published in 5744 as the sefer "Tanya Mahadura Kamma." In 5535 (1775), the Alter Rebbe began writing the Tanya as a formal work, and over the course of twenty years brought it to completion in 5555 (1795), at which point he authorized it to be copied. The Misnagdim, fearing the work's influence, produced falsified copies with deliberate distortions. When this became known to the Alter Rebbe, he resolved to have it printed officially to prevent further forgeries. In 5556 (1797), he sent the Tanya to the printing house in Slavita, accompanied by the approbations of disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch: R' Meshulam Zusya of Anipoli and R' Yehuda Leib HaKohen. The first copies of the Tanya arrived from the press to the Alter Rebbe on 26 Kislev 5557.

Initially the book was met with resistance even from some Chassidic leaders, due to its intellectual character — but when they saw that it led to an increase in the service of Hashem, they ceased their opposition and ultimately embraced it. Today the Tanya is considered the foremost among the foundational works of the Chassidic movement. It is revered across all branches of Chassidus and studied throughout the Jewish world.

The Tanya has several names: "Likkutei Amarim" — the official name given by the Alter Rebbe himself; "Sefer Shel Beinonim" — named for the Tanya's central theme; "Tanya" — after the first word with which the book opens; and "Torah Shebichsav of Toras HaChassidus" — reflecting the precision of every letter in the text, comparable to the Written Torah of nigleh.

The Tanya is divided into five parts:

1. Likkutei Amarim — the first and primary section.
2. Sha'ar HaYichud VeHaEmunah (also known as Likkutei Amarim Part II) — a rational explanation of the unity of Hashem.
3. Igeres HaTeshuvah — an elucidation of the nature of teshuvah according to Chassidus.
4. Igeres HaKodesh — a collection of thirty-two letters from the Alter Rebbe.
5. Kuntres Acharon — the Alter Rebbe's explanations of several topics discussed in the first section.

Many segulos have been attributed to the study of the Tanya by the Chabad Rebbeim and other great Torah authorities — and accordingly, many are accustomed to memorize sections of the Tanya by heart. The work also carries decisive influence on Jewish faith, particularly in explaining the Baal Shem Tov's teaching of divine hashgachah pratis. Today the Tanya is considered the foundational work of avodas Hashem — Chabad chassidim study a daily portion of it according to the enactment of the Frierdiker Rebbe, completing the entire work over the course of a year.

Over the years, dozens of commentaries and elucidations have been written on the Tanya — some by the Chabad Rebbeim and some by chassidim. As of 5770, the Tanya had been printed in over five thousand editions.

His Imprisonments

The Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg

Main articles: The Imprisonment and Liberation of the Alter Rebbe and The Second Imprisonment of the Alter Rebbe

After the Alter Rebbe's formal appointment as Nasi of Chabad Chassidus and the dissemination of his approach to avodas Hashem, he encountered fierce opposition from two directions: the Misnagdim on one side, and the Maskilim on the other.

In 5559 (1798), the Misnagdim informed the Tsarist authorities that the Alter Rebbe was collecting money for the benefit of the Turks — who then controlled Eretz Yisrael — with the aim of undermining Russian rule. In truth, the funds were being gathered to strengthen the chassidim in Eretz Yisrael. On 24 Tishrei, the Tsarist government arrested the Alter Rebbe and sentenced him to death as a rebel against the crown. For fifty-three days he sat in prison in the Peter and Paul Fortress in Petersburg, until he was ultimately able to prove his innocence. On Tuesday, 19 Kislev 5559, in the late afternoon, he was released. When the news of his liberation was brought to him, he was holding a Tehillim open to the verse "Padah v'shalom nafshi" — "He redeemed my soul in peace."

The day of his liberation — 19 Kislev — became "Chag HaGeulah" (the Festival of Liberation) among Chabad chassidim, and is celebrated to this day.

The Alter Rebbe's imprisonment had been due to take place many years earlier, but when R' Zusha of Anipoli heard of it, he declared: "Zusha does not want this." And so the imprisonment was delayed until 5559.

On 24 Tishrei 5561, the Alter Rebbe was imprisoned a second time — this time under better conditions, though the charges against him were more severe. He was released from this imprisonment on 27 Kislev (the third night of Chanukah) according to one version, or 29 Kislev (the fifth night) according to another.

In Liadi

After the Alter Rebbe's second imprisonment, the authorities requested that he reside in Petersburg. The chassidim who did not live in the area were deeply pained by the distance from their Rebbe. At that time, the prince Lyubomirsky ruled in Petersburg, and he wished to meet the Alter Rebbe. One of the chassidim told the prince of the Alter Rebbe's greatness — the admiration of thousands of followers, and the suffering of the chassidim at the authorities' decree that he live in Petersburg.

When Lyubomirsky and the Alter Rebbe met, the prince told him that if he agreed to settle in one of the towns under his jurisdiction, he would arrange permission from the authorities. The Alter Rebbe agreed to settle in the town of Liadi, and the prince ordered that homes be built for the Alter Rebbe and his chassidim.

On Friday, Erev Shabbos Nachamu, 14 Menachem Av 5561, the Alter Rebbe arrived in Liadi together with five thousand chassidim and settled there. From that time forward, the Alter Rebbe and his chassidim lived in tranquility, relieved of the pressures from the Misnagdim. The Alter Rebbe's communal activities spread throughout White Russia and Ukraine, and during this period tens of thousands of additional chassidim joined the movement.

The Napoleonic War

Main article: The Napoleonic War

When the Napoleonic War against the Russian Empire broke out, the Alter Rebbe expressed his view to his chassidim: if Napoleon were to win, it was possible that the material situation of the Jews would improve — but spiritually, heresy and licentiousness would spread, G-d forbid. He therefore did everything in his power to assist the Russian army. Immediately after Napoleon's forces invaded Russia on 14 Tammuz 5572 (1812), the Alter Rebbe sent several chassidim on intelligence missions for the Russian army within the French military command. The most notable of the chassidim who undertook such missions was Rabbi Moshe Meizels.

The Alter Rebbe sent a sacred letter to all the Jews of Russia, calling upon them to stand in support and assist the Russian government with their money, their labor, and all that they had. He concluded the letter with the words: "And let not your hearts falter, and pay no heed to the enemy's temporary victories — for the final victory will belong to the side of the Tsar of Russia."

The Alter Rebbe did not wish to leave his home in Liadi during the war — primarily so as not to demoralize the Jews of White Russia. However, when Napoleon's army advanced rapidly toward Liadi, the Alter Rebbe ordered all the Jewish residents to leave the city as quickly as possible. This was on Friday, 29 Menachem Av, Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul 5572. The Alter Rebbe, together with his household and approximately three hundred Chassidic families, departed in great haste from Liadi, which was in immediate danger of invasion by Napoleon's forces.

Before the Chassidic families left their homes, the Alter Rebbe instructed them to take all their household possessions — their beds, their tables, even their fixed prayer stands (shtenders). He ordered all old items to be burned. After everyone had departed and traveled a considerable distance, he instructed them to return to the city and check whether any item or garment had been left behind. To their great surprise, the chassidim found a worn pair of slippers — whereupon the Alter Rebbe ordered the entire house in which they were found to be burned.

Shortly after the Alter Rebbe left Liadi, Napoleon himself arrived in the city and hurried to the Alter Rebbe's home. Seeing that the house was in flames, he ordered his soldiers to extinguish the fire — but the blaze had spread too widely for them to approach. When Napoleon realized that nothing could be salvaged from the Alter Rebbe's home, he turned to the townspeople and asked them to bring him any object belonging to the Alter Rebbe — a coin, a vessel, anything. Napoleon promised enormous sums to whoever could bring him such an item — but nothing was found.

For one hundred and forty days, the Alter Rebbe and the three hundred families were displaced on a difficult journey, accompanied by Russian soldiers, until they reached the village of Piena where they found rest. When they arrived at Piena, the Chassidic families were informed that the Alter Rebbe's words had been fulfilled — Napoleon's army was beginning to suffer defeats. As the Mitteler Rebbe writes: "And on 19 Kislev we heard that the enemy had suffered a defeat near Krasna and they were fleeing him like a dog — and we were filled with joy, for everything had come to pass, not a word had failed..."

When the Alter Rebbe left the city of Liadi, the seat of the Chabad dynasty moved from Liadi to its new home in the town of Lubavitch, where the Mitteler Rebbe — his son and successor — settled approximately a year later.

His Histalkus

The renovated Ohel of the Alter Rebbe in Haditch (5754)

The interior of the Alter Rebbe's tziyun

His Final Days

On Friday, 8 Teves 5573, the Alter Rebbe arrived at the village of Piena. There he learned of the destruction of White Russia. On Thursday, 21 Teves 5573, the Alter Rebbe davened his final Maariv — at length.

The Alter Rebbe's sons related that this tefillah was "with clear, settled mind and wondrous deveikus." Before his histalkus he said: "Whoever holds onto my 'handle' — I will do good for him in this world and the next world."

He also said: "The passage from this world to the next world is an easy matter — it depends only on the one who effects the transition. There are those who are dying for a prolonged time — it appears that their 'transporter' is among those who are negligent. There are those who are dying for only a few moments — it appears that their 'transporter' is among the good emissaries. And the manner of separation from the body depends on how one lived in the body. The verse explains 'Tov mosi michayyai' — that the good and the life after death comes from the life of the body, according to the manner in which the neshamah lived in the body — and this is what moves me."

Moments before his histalkus, the Alter Rebbe wrote on a note the discourse "The lowly soul": "The truly lowly soul in its root — its avodah is physical Torah."

The Alter Rebbe instructed that the room where he lay be closed, and that only those who wished to pray be admitted. He also requested that if two Jews who were lax in their observance happened to come, the host should try to bring them to teshuvah — and in the merit of this he promised the (non-Jewish) host length of days.

The Histalkus

On Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Shemos, 24 Teves 5573, immediately after Maariv and Havdalah over coffee — at 22:22 — the Alter Rebbe was nistalek.

His Resting Place — Haditch

Main articles: Ohel of the Alter Rebbe and Haditch

The village of Piena had no Jewish cemetery. The Alter Rebbe was therefore transported the following day on a horse-drawn sleigh to the town of Haditch, approximately 300 kilometers away, where there was a Jewish cemetery.

As the Alter Rebbe was being brought for burial in Haditch, the wagon stopped along the way and it appeared as though the Alter Rebbe had raised himself up and was lying suspended in the air. Those accompanying him were frightened, and then noticed that a non-kosher animal had crawled beneath the wagon. They chased it away, and the Alter Rebbe's body settled back as before.

The Alter Rebbe was brought to his eternal rest in the Jewish cemetery of Haditch, and an ohel was later built over the gravesite.

After the burial, the Tzemach Tzedek moved to Haditch to live near the holy tziyun.

His Family

• His daughter, Rebbetzin Freida — married Rabbi Eliyahu Klotzker.
• His daughter, Rebbetzin Devorah Leah — married Rabbi Shalom Shachna Altshuler.
• His daughter, Rebbetzin Rachel — married Rabbi Avraham Sheines.
• His son, Rabbi Dov Ber, the Mitteler Rebbe — married Rebbetzin Sheina Schneuri.
• His son, Rabbi Chaim Avraham.
• His son, Rabbi Moshe — married Moras Shlomit Schneuri, of the Rivlin family.

His Lineage

The Alter Rebbe's lineage traces back to the Maharal of Prague, who himself was descended through Rav Hai Gaon, the son of Rav Sherira Gaon, the son of Rav Chanina Gaon — all of whom were from the family of the Exilarchs and the Nesi'im, going back to the kings of Yehudah and King David.

The Frierdiker Rebbe writes that the Alter Rebbe was the son of Rabbi Yisrael Boruch Pozner, the son of Rabbi Schneur Zalman Pozner, the son of Rabbi Moshe of Pozna, the son of Rabbi Yehuda Leib, the son of Rabbi Shmuel Charif, the son of Rabbi Betzalel Charif — the only son of the Maharal of Prague.

According to the sefer Beis Rebbi — Rabbi Moshe of Pozna (the grandfather of the Alter Rebbe's father) was the son of Rabbi Yehuda of Kavli, who was the son of Rabbi Moshe, who was the son of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch, who was the son of the gaon R' Yosef Yaski, av beis din of the Lublin community (and some say av beis din of Lvov), and the son-in-law of the Maharal of Prague. However, in recent years, academic research has raised questions about whether a lineage to the Maharal can be established through Rabbi Yehuda of Kavli.

The Portrait of the Alter Rebbe

The portrait of the Alter Rebbe

Main article: Portrait of the Alter Rebbe

In 5559, while the Alter Rebbe was in prison, he was painted by the nobles of Petersburg, and is depicted at the age appropriate to that period. The existence of this portrait became known through a chassid who heard, in 5622, the Tzemach Tzedek mention it to his son, the Rebbe Maharash.

It is not known with certainty whether the original portrait was rendered in black pencil — as it is known from the printed copies — or in color. The earliest known surviving copy of the original portrait is an impression from its first large-format printing, made by R' Shmarya Schneersohn. It is preserved today in the Lubavitch Library.

His Works

• Igros Kodesh (Alter Rebbe)
• Amira L'Akum (sefer)
• Biurei HaZohar (Alter Rebbe)
• Hilchos Talmud Torah
• Likkutei Torah

Title page of the first printing of Likkutei Torah, 5608

• Mah Shearim (sefer)
• Sefer HaMaamarim (Alter Rebbe)
• Siddur Admur HaZaken
• Sefer HaTanya
• Piskei HaSiddur
• Kuntres HaRav
• Sheailos U'Teshuvos Admur HaZaken
• Sheailos U'Teshuvos HaRav
• Shulchan Aruch Admur HaZaken
• Torah Ohr (sefer)
• Boneh Yerushalayim
• Maamarei Admur HaZaken — HaKetzarim
• Luach Birchos HaNehenin

His Innovations and Enactments

The Alter Rebbe was a trailblazer not only in Chassidus, but in halacha and minhag as well. In addition to the Shulchan Aruch he composed, the Alter Rebbe instituted ten enactments and innovations:

• Sefer HaTanya — a path of avodas Hashem.
• Nusach HaTefillah — the Alter Rebbe's siddur, equally accessible to all.
• Polished Knives — polishing the slaughtering knife on both sides of the blade.
• Kesav Stam — a new form of the letters of the Aleph-Beis that harmonizes Kabbalah and halacha. The story goes that the Maggid summoned the Alter Rebbe and told him that there was a heavenly complaint that the revealed Torah and Kabbalah disagreed regarding the form of Stam letters, and asked him to compose a script that would unify nigleh and Kabbalah. Thus was created the Alter Rebbe's kesav, with which the Maggid was pleased.
• Division of the Shas — completion of the entire Shas each year, divided among all Chabad communities.
• Mikveh Enactment — a halachic solution facilitating immersion in a spring.
• Eruv Kablan — the sale of chametz before Pesach through an "eruv kablan" (a guarantor).
• Knot of the Tefillin — a unique method of tying the tefillin shel rosh and tefillin shel yad.

The Ten Nigunim

The musical notation of the Niggun Arba Bavos from Sefer HaNigunim

Main article: The Ten Nigunim

It is a tradition among Chabad chassidim that the Alter Rebbe composed ten nigunim mekuvanim — specially designated melodies — which carry a unique segulah: they bring those who sing them to an awakening of teshuvah and a cleaving of the neshamah to Hashem. These nigunim are customarily not sung casually, but only at specially designated times or moments of opportunity. Five of the ten nigunim are known with certainty; the others are attributed to him, though whether he composed them all is uncertain.

1. Avinu Malkeinu
2. Eli Atah
3. Arba Bavos
4. Bnei Heichala
5. Ka'Ayal Ta'arog
6. Lecha Dodi
7. Niggun Deveikus Rosh Hashanah
8. Niggun Deveikus Shabbos
9. Tze'ena U're'ena
10. Kol Dodi

See Also

• Tanya
• Association of Descendants of the Alter Rebbe
• Haditch

Further Reading

• Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Levin, Toldos Chabad B'Russia HaTzarit, Kehot, New York, 5770.
• Shterna Sara Schneersohn, Megilas Chayyav shel HaRav MiLiadi — an account of the Alter Rebbe's imprisonment and liberation, written by the wife of the Rebbe Rashab in her youth and lost over the years. In 5700 it was found by her step-nephew, Rabbi Shimshon Dov Yerushalimsky, who transmitted it to the Frierdiker Rebbe.
• Rabbi Chaim Meir Heilman, Beis Rebbi.
• Mordechai Teitelbaum, HaRav MiLiadi U'Mifleges Chabad, 5670.
• Rabbi Yehoshua Mondshein, Masa B'Berditchev.
• Rabbi Schneur Zalman Berger, Toldos Chabad B'Petersburg, chapter 4 — the Alter Rebbe in prison.
• Maasar V'Geulah Yud-Tes Kislev, special supplement in Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 207.
• Overview — Shulchan Aruch Admur HaZaken (Gedolei Yisrael and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav; how the Shulchan Aruch HaRav was received in the Lithuanian community), Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 1343.
• Rabbi Chanoch Glitzenstein, Sefer HaToldos — Admur HaZaken.
• Schneur Zalman Berger, HaTamim (Beis Moshiach supplement). A series on his great disciples.
• Rabbi Dov Tversky, Hilchesa K'Rav — an elucidation of the laws of Shabbos according to the Alter Rebbe, Kfar Chabad.
• R' Avraham Levi, Kuntres Kesav Chabad — a survey and analysis of the Alter Rebbe's script. Migdal HaEmek, Teves 5769.
• HaRishon, Toras Chabad L'Vnei HaYeshivos, 5774 (2013).
• Menachem Ziegelboim, Istalk Yikara — the story of the histalkus of the Chabad Rebbeim, p. 54, 5773.
• Rabbi Nachum Greenwald, HaRav, 5775.
• Matanya Engelman, A New Path of a New Neshamah, Kfar Chabad Weekly, issue 1992, p. 20.

External Links

• Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, The Rav, Author of the Tanya — the spiritual legacy and literary work of the founder of Chabad Chassidus, and the milestones of his life
• Ruth Zucker, A graphological analysis of the Alter Rebbe's handwriting
• A historic document regarding the Alter Rebbe's involvement in the Napoleonic War — Segulah journal
• Menachem Ziegelboim, 200 Years Since the Departure from Liadi Under Fire, The King in the Field and the Rebbe Wandering the Roads, Beis Moshiach Weekly, Elul 5772
• Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Sichos L'Noar Monthly
• The Alter Rebbe's Ohel on Google Maps: Photos, Location
• Shaul Silam, The History of the Alter Rebbe — printed as a teshura for a wedding, 3 Adar II 5774
• Menachem Bronfman, A Special Interview with the Alter Rebbe — a "translation" into Hebrew for a taste of his responses to those who studied him
• 6 Videos about the Alter Rebbe — multimedia clips on the Alter Rebbe at Beis Chabad
• 'He merited a revelation of Eliyahu': A rare letter from the Maggid of Mezritch about the Alter Rebbe