The Rebbe Rashab

Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn, the Rebbe Rashab

Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn — the Rebbe Rashab (20 Cheshvan 5621 (November 5, 1860) – 2 Nissan 5680 (March 21, 1920)) was the fifth Rebbe in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, son of Rabbi Shmuel (the Maharash) and Rebbetzin Rivkah Schneersohn. He founded the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Lubavitch — the mother of all Chabad yeshivas worldwide. He is known as the Rambam of Chassidic Teaching — a title conferred upon him because of the extraordinary depth, breadth, and systematic precision of his Chassidic discourses, which the elder Chassidim compared to the monumental legal code of Maimonides (the Rambam) in their comprehensiveness and clarity.

Life

Childhood and Youth

The Rebbe Rashab was born on the second day of the Torah portion of Chayei Sarah, 20 Cheshvan 5621 (November 5, 1860), to his father Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn (the Maharash) and Rebbetzin Rivkah Schneersohn, in the town of Lubavitch.

Regarding his birth, it is told that a year earlier, on 10 Kislev 5620 (1859), his mother dreamed that she saw her own mother, Chaya Sarah, and her grandfather, the Mitteler Rebbe (the second Chabad Rebbe). Her mother appeared with a joyful expression and said: "Rivkah, you and your husband should commission the writing of a Torah scroll." The Mitteler Rebbe added: "And you will have a good son — and do not forget to name him after me." Her mother continued: "Rivkah, do you hear what my father is saying to you?" — and with that the dream ended.

Nine days later, on the night of 19 Kislev — the Chabad festival of liberation — she dreamed again. This time, in addition to her mother and grandfather, an elderly man appeared. Her mother again said: "Rivkah, you and your husband should write a Torah scroll." The Mitteler Rebbe said: "And you will have a good son." The elderly man said: "Amen — so may God declare." Her mother concluded: "Grandfather, please bless her" — and the elderly man blessed her. Her mother and the Mitteler Rebbe answered "Amen" aloud, and she awoke.

She then related both dreams to her husband, the Maharash, who said that he wished the Torah scroll to be written on specially fine parchment made from the hides of ritually slaughtered kosher animals. The Tzemach Tzedek (the Maharash's father, the third Chabad Rebbe) instructed that the first writing of the Torah scroll be done privately, in the presence of his sons alone and in his own room. Less than a year later, the promised son was born and was named Shalom DovBer — after two of his grandfathers: Rabbi Shalom Shachna Altschuler and the Mitteler Rebbe, whose Hebrew name was DovBer.

The bris (circumcision) was held on 26 Kislev 5621 — having been postponed from 27 Cheshvan at the Tzemach Tzedek's instruction. During the bris celebration, the Tzemach Tzedek explained the child's name according to Chassidic teaching: "Rashab — basar shavar (he who breaks down the physical body) — one must break down the coarseness of the body. And he was born on 20 Cheshvan 5621, which contains two letter kaffs, alluding to the Supernal Crown (Kesser Ila'a)."

On 20 Cheshvan 5624 (1863), the Rebbe Rashab's first haircut (upsherin) was held. By the Tzemach Tzedek's instruction it was done privately. The night before, the Rebbe Rashab slept in the Tzemach Tzedek's room. When he awoke, the Tzemach Tzedek instructed his attendant, Rabbi Chaim Ber Chaimson, to pour water over the child's hands for the morning hand-washing, and then recited the morning blessings together with the child, answering "Amen" after each of his blessings. After the prayer, he called his son and daughter-in-law — the child's parents — and said to them:

"The flask of spiritual oil that our teacher the Baal Shem Tov gave to his disciple our teacher the Maggid of Mezeritch, to anoint the Alter Rebbe to the leadership of his generation for all future generations — through that power my father-in-law, the Mitteler Rebbe, was anointed; and I, through that power, anointed you, the Maharash; and through that power I hereby anoint this child."

As was customary, the Rebbe Rashab was brought to the cheder (the traditional Jewish school) on the day of his upsherin, enrolled in the study hall adjacent to his grandfather the Tzemach Tzedek's room. During the enrollment celebration, the Tzemach Tzedek threw candies at the child, saying they had been thrown by the angel Michael. The child took this simply and literally, and refrained from eating the candies. On the eve of Passover, when the pockets of the children's clothes were being checked, the Tzemach Tzedek called his grandson and asked him what he had done with the candies — and the child was obliged to eat them then and there.

Each day, the Rebbe Rashab would enter together with his brother Rabbi Schneur Zalman Aharon Schneersohn to visit their grandfather the Tzemach Tzedek, who would engage with them warmly and inquire about their studies, and regularly gave them various coins. In his childhood he often played with his elder brother the Raza (Rabbi Schneur Zalman Aharon), and the Chabad tradition preserves many stories from that period. The Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson] regularly told these stories and drew from them practical guidance in divine service.

"My son the Rashab was never a boy — even in his youth he was God-fearing, orderly, and so diligent that his conduct would be in the path of Chassidus. And by the time of his bar mitzvah he was already a Chassid engaged in structured divine service."

— Words of the Maharash about his son (Sefer HaSichos 5701, p. 27).

From the age of five, the Rebbe Rashab showed remarkable diligence in his studies. By age eight he was present during the delivery of Chassidic discourses, and at nine his father the Maharash began guiding him in a deeper, more inward way. By the time of his bar mitzvah, he was already thoroughly versed in the entire Hebrew Bible (Tanach), all six orders of the Mishnah, and the Shulchan Aruch (the standard Code of Jewish Law).

By age fourteen he had committed the entire order of Nashim (the Mishnah's section dealing with family law) to memory. In 5635 (1875), he began serving as one of his father the Maharash's memorizers (chozrim) — the disciples who would commit the Rebbe's oral discourses to memory — and to write them down as transcriptions.

After his marriage, the Maharash instructed his son the Rashab to eat only at a separate table of a specific size. For sixteen years the Rashab ate at that same table without knowing why. His days were filled with Torah study.

Marriage

Further information: The Wedding of the Rebbe Rashab

The match between the Rebbe Rashab and his cousin Rebbetzin Sterna Sara had been proposed by their grandfather the Tzemach Tzedek when the Rashab was only four years old.

As the time of the wedding approached, the Maharash instructed his son the groom to be examined and receive rabbinical ordination (semicha), as was the custom of the Rebbe's household. The Maharash wished for the wedding to take place in the town that represented the sacred Jerusalem of the exile — in Lubavitch. In practice, due to various circumstances, this did not come to pass, and the wedding was held in the town where the bride resided: Avrutch.

On the evening following Shabbos, the Torah portion of Teitzei, 11 Elul 5635 (September 10, 1875), the wedding took place in the city of Avrutch. The plan was for the groom and bride together with Rebbetzin Rivkah Schneersohn to return immediately after the wedding to Lubavitch — but due to an unexpected delay, they arrived in Lubavitch only on Saturday night.

The groom's father, the Maharash, did not attend the wedding due to his health, though his wife Rebbetzin Rivkah traveled with the groom to the wedding. A week before the wedding, on Sunday 5 Elul, the Maharash traveled out to accompany his son as far as the village of Ochremovo. There he delivered a Chassidic discourse and shared wondrous teachings. When he finished the discourse, he said to his son the groom: "What is now being revealed is the dimension of Mochin d'Imma (the intellectual faculty of Understanding) — and therefore the mother of the groom is traveling along. But in the future era, when Mochin d'Abba (the intellectual faculty of Wisdom) will be revealed, I myself will be there."

The Maharash told his son not to wear the traditional fur hat (shtreimel) at his wedding, and in general to wear it only in Lubavitch. In the carriage there was a box containing a feathered hat — a gift from the groom and his mother to the bride. The Maharash asked for the hat and removed its feather.

The Maharash's wish was that the groom and bride and all those accompanying them return to Lubavitch immediately after the wedding, so that at the very least he could celebrate the Shabbos of the Seven Blessings (Sheva Brachos) with them. However, the bride's father attempted to keep them with him longer. As a result, they left Avrutch later than planned and could not arrive in Lubavitch before Shabbos, arriving only on Saturday night. Upon his return, the Maharash said to him: "I have greetings for you from Father (the Tzemach Tzedek), from Grandfather (the Mitteler Rebbe), and from the grandfather's father (the Alter Rebbe) — with an understanding heart."

Despite the groom's absence, the Maharash was in a state of extraordinary, transcendent joy throughout all seven days of the wedding celebration, and delivered no fewer than thirty-two Chassidic discourses. On the Shabbos of the Seven Blessings, the Rebbe led Chassidic gatherings (farbrengens) three times.

Assuming the Leadership

A map of the town of Lubavitch, where the Rebbe Rashab served as Rebbe.

Further information: The Upheaval in Lubavitch

On 13 Tishrei 5643 (September 26, 1882), the Maharash — the Rebbe Rashab's father — passed away. This affected him profoundly. The process by which the Rebbe Rashab came to formally accept the leadership stretched over approximately eleven years.

Several days after the passing, on the second day of Sukkos — 16 Tishrei — the Rebbe Rashab delivered a Chassidic discourse beginning with the words Keser Yitnu Lecha ("A crown they shall give You"). On Chanukah he delivered another discourse. Both discourses were copied and sent to Chassidim, who received them with great joy. Among Chabad Rebbes, the delivery of a Chassidic discourse publicly serves as the signal of accepting the leadership.

During the year of mourning, the Rebbe Rashab followed an extraordinary pattern of conduct. He prayed in his father's room; after prayer he would lock the door and remain there all day — eating, studying, and sleeping in that room. He refused to receive anyone and did not answer questions or requests for guidance. He devoted all his time to prayer and Torah study, and was entirely occupied with inward spiritual work and self-examination. During that year and in the years that followed, he traveled several times to other cities and distant regions for the sake of his health.

In 5650 (1889–1890), the Rebbe Rashab began accepting people for private audiences (yechidus) on a temporary basis. On Rosh Hashanah of 5654 (1893), he also began praying in his father's established place, formally receiving Chassidim for private audiences on a regular basis, and answering their written questions. He also began distributing his Chassidic discourses so that Chassidim could copy, circulate, and study them.

The Chabad Chassidic community felt strongly that the Rebbe Rashab should accept the leadership formally and completely. On one occasion, Rabbi Gershon DovBer of Nevel said to the Rebbe Rashab regarding his reluctance to accept the leadership: "The Alter Rebbe kindled the light of Chassidus — and you wish to extinguish it?" When the Rebbe Rashab heard this, he burst into tears. After many entreaties, he agreed to formally and fully accept the leadership.

His Teachings

The Rebbe Rashab is called "the Rambam of Chassidus" — a title referring to the great medieval codifier Maimonides — because, like Maimonides, his discourses present complex subjects in a systematic, thorough, and carefully organized manner, with every concept explained in its own right, with full reasoning and clarity. His discourses were published over the years in multiple volumes.

His sacred letters (igros) were published in a six-volume collection.

Transmission of the Discourses

The Rebbe Rashab would deliver Chassidic discourses on Friday nights, Shabbos, festivals, and other special occasions. After the team of memorizers (chozrim) had carefully committed the discourse to memory throughout the night, the transcribers (mani'achim — those who recorded the discourse in writing) would enter the Rebbe's presence the following morning and repeat the discourse before him. He would then correct their errors and explain deeper layers of the teaching.

The memorizers who served the Rebbe Rashab included:

• Rabbi Meshulam Yedidya Kuratin (known as "Rabbi Shilem") — who served as the lead memorizer
• Rabbi Yisrael Noach "the Small" Hatzkevietz
• Rabbi Eliyahu Yechiel Simpson
• Rabbi Mordechai Chefetz
• Rabbi Alter Simchovitch
• Rabbi Moshe Rozenblat (known as "Rabbi Moshe the Memorizer")
• Rabbi Yaakov Landa

Communal Leadership

Throughout his tenure as Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom DovBer worked extensively to improve both the material and spiritual condition of Jews in general, and of Russian Jewry in particular.

He first became involved in communal advocacy in 5640 (1879–1880), keeping his father the Maharash informed about decrees being enacted against Jews in Russia. In 5652 (1891–1892), the Russian government decided to expel all Jews from Moscow. The Rebbe Rashab attempted by various means to annul the decree but was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, when the expulsion was carried out, he worked to resettle the Jews of Moscow in appropriate locations.

In 5655 (1894–1895), he became more deeply involved in communal advocacy, particularly in strengthening the Chabad Kollel in the Land of Israel. In 5657 (1896–1897), he began fighting the establishment of schools by the Society for the Promotion of Enlightenment (the Haskalah movement), and tried to prevent a school being opened in Lubavitch itself, by approaching Baron Naftali Hertz Ginsburg. After the school had already been established, he fought to prevent public funding from being allocated to it.

In 5662 (1901–1902), he established a weaving and spinning factory in Dobrovna to employ Jews, and sought support from the Jewish organization ICA to fund the enterprise.

During the Russo-Japanese War (5664–5665 / 1904–1905), he arranged for matzos and Passover provisions to be supplied to Jewish soldiers serving in the Russian army. In 5665 (1904–1905), he established a special committee to handle this matter, and in the summer of that year he proposed for the first time — at a conference of the Chabad Kollel — the establishment of a Chabad yeshiva in Hebron. The yeshiva Toras Emes was founded several years later, in 5672 (1912), in the Romono Building in Hebron.

In 5665 (1904–1905), a rabbinical assembly was held in Vilna at which the Russian government demanded that rabbis study secular subjects. During the assembly, the Rebbe Rashab declared:

"All the nations of the earth must know this: only our bodies have been handed over to exile and to the dominion of foreign governments — but our souls have not been given over to exile or to any government's dominion. We must declare openly, for all to see, that in all matters pertaining to our faith — Torah, commandments, and Jewish customs — no authority and no coercive power may be exercised over us, the children of Israel. We must proclaim with the most resolute Jewish stubbornness, with the thousand-year Jewish willingness to sacrifice oneself: 'Do not touch My anointed ones, and do not harm My prophets!'"

In 5670 (1909–1910), a general rabbinical assembly was convened in Saint Petersburg by the government authorities to address fundamental questions regarding the material and civil condition of the Jewish people. Forty-two representatives of Jewish communities across Russia participated. The government sought to establish rules and regulations that ran contrary to traditional Jewish practice — foremost among them, the status of religious rabbis. When government representatives threatened that if the rabbis did not concede, pogroms would be unleashed across the country, the Rebbe Rashab responded: "We have no fear of this whatsoever, for there is no Heavenly decree for such a thing, God forbid."

The Rebbe Rashab played an active role in the Beilis Trial — the infamous blood libel case in which Mendel Beilis was falsely accused of ritual murder — and established a special committee to defend Beilis.

The Rebbe Rashab was one of the most prominent rabbinic leaders to oppose Zionism. He championed the publication of the book Ohr LaYesharim, which presented the views of the leading Torah authorities of the generation against Zionism. He himself contributed a letter to the book, in which he wrote: "And if, God forbid, they succeed in seizing the land as they imagine, they will defile and pollute it with their abominations and wicked deeds, and will thereby prolong the duration of the exile." The Rebbe Rashab was initially among the founders of Agudas Yisrael, but withdrew from it due to what he saw as its closeness to Zionism and its broad emphasis on immigration to the Land of Israel without regard to spiritual condition.

Much of his communal work was conducted in cooperation with the greatest rabbinic leaders of his era, including Rabbi Chaim of Brisk, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, and the Chofetz Chaim. With some of them he maintained ongoing written correspondence, and in a number of cases met them in person.

Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva

"Our holy master the Rebbe Rashab, beyond the greatness of his holiness and the loftiness of his righteousness as the Rebbe and leader of the Chabad Chassidic community — from his early years he was known in the world of Chabad scholars as a wondrous genius in Chabad thought. The elder Chassidim would crown the Rebbe Rashab with the title 'the Rambam of Chabad teaching' — for every subject explained in his Chassidic teachings and discourses is a firmly established, precisely ordered law with all its rationale and explanation, each matter stated exactly as it should be. Every Chassidic discourse of the Rebbe Rashab is a spring of the ocean of wisdom; it is a complete tractate."

— HaTemim, issue 6, p. 4.

Further information: Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva

On Sunday, 15 Elul 5657 (September 12, 1897) — in the midst of the seven days of wedding celebration for his son Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (who would become the sixth Chabad Rebbe) — the Rebbe Rashab called a conference of fifty of the leading rabbis and prominent supporters who had gathered in Lubavitch for the wedding, and announced his decision to found the Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch yeshiva. The distinctive innovation of the yeshiva would be the formal, analytical study of Chassidic teachings alongside the standard yeshiva curriculum of Talmud and Jewish law. The students, who would be called "Temimim" (the Complete Ones), were to be centers of God-fearing men, genuine servants of God from the depths of their hearts. Two days later, on Tuesday 17 Elul, the Rebbe Rashab chose the first eighteen students of the yeshiva.

Three years after the yeshiva was founded, on Simchas Torah (the festival celebrating the conclusion of the annual Torah reading cycle) of 5661 (1900), the Rebbe Rashab delivered a talk to the Temimim students based on the Talmudic teaching: "All who go out to the wars of the House of David must write a conditional bill of divorce for their wives." In the talk he explained the mission of the Temimim students and set out additional points of the divine service required of them as "the soldiers of the House of David."

His Health

The Rebbe Rashab had a frail constitution and throughout his life suffered from various illnesses. As a result, a significant portion of his life was spent traveling to health resorts and consulting with specialist physicians. In 5644 (1883–1884), he began traveling for the first time to health resorts, primarily in warm coastal regions. In 5646 (1885–1886), he traveled to the Yalta mountains — though unlike other such journeys, this time he brought his entire family with him.

The passing of his father, the Maharash, broke both his spirit and weakened his health. In his twenties he was compelled to leave home to consult the finest physicians at health resorts and to recuperate in restorative surroundings. With only rare exceptions, he never brought his son with him.

In Kislev of 5651 (1890), he fell ill with a severe fever for approximately two months. During the first month he was confined to his room; on 24 Tevet he emerged from his room to pray. In the summer of that year, he traveled three times (each time for five days) to the village of Mazinkes near Lubavitch for his health. After Chanukah of 5657 (1896), he was compelled to travel to Moscow for medical treatment. The doctors told him that only a few months remained of his life. As a result he contemplated immigrating to the Land of Israel, or leaving his home and relocating to a place where he could devote himself entirely to Torah study and divine service.

In the winter of 5663 (1903), he traveled to Vienna with his son Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak and met with the physician Sigmund Freud, due to a loss of sensation in his left hand. Freud administered electrical treatment to the Rebbe Rashab, and the two also engaged in extended discussion. In the course of their conversation, the Rebbe explained how to create a connection between the mind and the heart so that the mind can enrich the heart from a spiritual standpoint.

Photograph of the Rebbe Rashab, taken shortly before his passing.

His Final Years

The Move to Rostov

Further information: The Journey to Rostov (5676)

In the month of Cheshvan 5676 (November 1915), the Rebbe Rashab left Lubavitch and moved to Rostov-on-Don as a result of World War I.

His Passing

The gravesite enclosure (ohel) of the Rebbe Rashab in Rostov-on-Don

Further information: The Passing of the Rebbe Rashab

In the winter of 5680 (1920), the Bolsheviks captured Rostov following the long civil war that had raged across the former Russian Empire. Due to the dangers on the roads and the conditions of the occupation, the Rebbe's court was reduced in size, and the Rebbe asked that people not come to him. Prayer services and the delivery of Chassidic discourses took place in small, private gatherings.

At the end of the month of Adar (March 1920), the Rebbe Rashab fell ill. On the night following Shabbos, in the early hours of 2 Nissan 5680 — at four o'clock in the morning — it became apparent that these were the Rebbe Rashab's final moments. His eyes closed with an expression of spiritual devotion and his breathing grew faint. His son Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak cried out: "Tatte! Tatte!" (Yiddish: "Father! Father!") — and repeated this several times. On the final occasion, as the Rebbe Rashab stopped breathing and Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak called out again, the Rebbe opened his eyes, gazed at him, and two tears fell from his pure eyes — then his eyes closed again. The Rebbe Rashab straightened his head, arranged his hands and feet, and his holy soul ascended on high in holiness and purity.

"After the passing, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak wrote to all the Chassidim: 'In the first month, on the eve of the second day, some twenty minutes past five o'clock in the early morning, the heavens opened — the uppermost heavens — and the pure soul ascended to pour itself into the embrace of its Father. In holiness and noble serenity, our holy Master surrendered his soul to God, the God of all spirits. And the eyes of the Merciful Father were closed to me and to all my brothers, the disciples of the House of God — and in a single moment I became an orphan: I, you his students, and together with us the entire holy community.'"

After the passing, the officers of the Chevra Kadisha (the burial society) called upon several members of the Chassidic community to go to the cemetery and select an appropriate place for the Rebbe's burial. Rabbi Moshe DovBer Rivkin, Rabbi Shmuel Gourarye, Rabbi Natan Gourarye, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Gourarye, Rabbi Zalman Havlin, and Rabbi Y. Levin went and chose a site next to the house of the sun. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak came to inspect and approved the location. The elder and distinguished members of the community performed the ritual preparation of the body (tahara) and later reported that throughout this sacred process, a kind of vitality seemed to remain on the Rebbe Rashab's pure face, with a faint smile resting on his lips. The coffin was built from the planks of the synagogue's reading table and from the Rebbe Rashab's own prayer lectern (shtender). The Rebbe Rashab was wrapped, in addition to the burial shrouds, in the Shabbos tallis with which he had prayed during his final days.

All the Jews of Rostov participated in the funeral. Before the burial, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak turned to Rabbi Avraham Baruch Pevzner, Rabbi Eliezer Krasik, and one additional Chassid, declaring them a special rabbinic court, and stated that the burial was being conducted on a conditional basis — and that he reserved the right to later transfer the holy remains to the ancestral graves in Lubavitch.

The gravesite enclosure (ohel) was erected over the Rebbe Rashab's grave.

Transfer of the Ohel

In the winter of 5699 (1939), the Rostov city authorities planned to demolish the cemetery in order to build on the site. The Chassidim decided to transfer the ohel to another cemetery at 155 Tokacheva Street. The sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, approved the transfer. Instructions for how to handle the transfer of the holy remains were received from Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn — the father of the Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson].

The transfer was carried out in the month of Adar 5700 (1940). A quorum of ten Chassidim performed the transfer, among them: Rabbi Tzamach Kotman, Rabbi Mendel Kantor (a servant in the Rebbe's household), Rabbi Moshe Wolf Labok, Rabbi Nachman Lukshin, Rabbi Avraham Katznelson, Rabbi Yona Eidalkof, and Rabbi Chaim Yisrael Epstein.

At the new cemetery, no tombstone was erected over the gravesite. The marker for the Rebbe Rashab's resting place was a tree that stood at the head of the grave and a small mound of earth. To prevent others from being buried too close to the Rebbe, the Chassidim piled up six additional mounds nearby, as though others were also buried there.

In 5749 (1988–1989), with the approval of the Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson], a tombstone and fence were erected by Rabbi Dovid Nachshon and Rabbi Avi Taub.

Following the Rebbe Rashab's passing, his only son, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, assumed the leadership as the sixth Chabad Rebbe.

His Emissaries in Russia

The Rebbe Rashab sent senior and married graduates of the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Lubavitch as his emissaries to Jewish communities throughout Russia, in order to strengthen Jewish observance and Chassidic life in those communities.

His Emissaries to Sephardic Jewish Communities

The Rebbe Rashab also worked among Sephardic Jewish communities through dedicated emissaries:

• Georgia — He sent Rabbi Shmuel Levitin, Rabbi Avraham Levi Slavin, and others to Georgia.
• Bukhara — He sent Rabbi Shlomo Yehudah Leib Eliezerov and Rabbi Avraham Chaim Naeh to Samarkand in Bukhara.
• the Caucasus — He sent Rabbi Shemaryahu Sasonkin to the Caucasus region.

His Portrait

Further information: Portraits and Paintings of the Chabad Rebbes

A drawing by Rabbi Nachum Yitzchak Kaplan, reviewed and approved by Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka

A photograph discovered in 5780 (2020) with the inscription on the back: "Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn, 5668 (1908)"

The Rebbe Rashab was particular about not being photographed. The only occasion on which he agreed to be photographed was in 5680 (1920), shortly before his passing, when there were plans for the Rebbe and his family to travel out of Rostov. A passport photograph was required, and the Rebbe was photographed — this is the well-known photograph of him.

Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka — wife of the Rebbe — noted that the photograph does not faithfully capture his true appearance. As a result, Rabbi Nachum Yitzchak Kaplan drew from memory a portrait of the Rebbe Rashab's face wearing a shtreimel. After the Rebbetzin reviewed and corrected it, she expressed her satisfaction with the result.

In 5780 (2020), a previously unknown photograph was discovered bearing the Hebrew inscription: "Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn, 5668" — and in Russian on the postcard: "Moscow, 1908." A discussion arose as to whether this is indeed a photograph of the Rebbe Rashab or of a relative.

His Melodies

1. Min HaMeitzar — a melody set to the verses recited before the sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, beginning with the verse "From the straits I called to God" (Psalms 118:5).
2. Blessings Before the Shofar Sounding (melody) — a melody for the blessings recited before the sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
3. Verses After the Shofar Sounding (melody) — a melody for the verses recited after the sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
4. Rostov Niggun — a melody sung in the Rebbe Rashab's household during the period of his residence in Rostov.
5. Preparatory Niggun for the Four Movements — a melody beloved by the Rebbe Rashab, sung as a preparation for the famous Niggun of Four Movements.

His Works

• Igros Kodesh (Sacred Letters) of the Rebbe Rashab — his letters, published in six volumes.
• BeSha'a SheHikdimu — 5672 — an extended Chassidic series (hemshech) in which the fundamental principles of Chassidic teaching are explained in depth.
• Sefer HaMaamarim (Rebbe Rashab) — a multi-volume series of the Chassidic discourses delivered by the Rebbe Rashab throughout his years of leadership.
• Sefer HaSichos — Toras Shalom — the informal Chassidic talks delivered by the Rebbe Rashab at gatherings during the festivals and holidays of the year.
• Glosses to the Discourse "Posach Eliyahu" — 5658.

Treatises

• Chinuch LaNoar — a treatise containing the Rebbe Rashab's first ethical will.
• Kuntres UMaayan MiBeis Hashem — a treatise containing a series of Chassidic discourses on the verse "And a spring will go forth from the house of God and water the valley of the Shittim" (Joel 4:18), explained according to Chassidic teaching.
• Kuntres HaTefillah — a treatise with an extensive explanation of the divine service of prayer: its purpose and significance in a person's spiritual life.
• Kuntres Etz HaChaim — a treatise written by the Rebbe Rashab for the students of Tomchei Temimim, explaining the desired conduct and standards of behavior for the students.
• Kuntres HaAvodah — a treatise for the Temimim students, explaining the proper path of divine service according to Chassidic teaching.

He also wrote a contribution to the book Ohr LaYesharim.

His Family

• His only son: Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak — the Rebbe Rayatz (sixth Chabad Rebbe)
• His granddaughter: Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka — wife of the Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson]
• His granddaughter: Chana Gourarye
• His granddaughter: Sheina Hornstein

Further Reading

Early Years

• A Secret Gathering in the Holy Room of the Tzemach Tzedek, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue of 25 Kislev 5781, p. 34.
• Menachem Bronfman, The Early Years, on his childhood, Kfar Chabad Weekly, issue 1882, p. 45.
• The engagement document of the Rebbe Rashab, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 206.
• Rabbi Zalman Hertzel, Weddings of the Nesi'im — the chapter on the Rebbe Rashab and Rebbetzin Sterna Sara.

Assuming the Leadership

• Rabbi Menachem Ziegelboim, Accepting the Leadership — the Rebbe Rashab, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 595.

Passing

• Rabbi Moshe DovBer Rivkin, Ashkavta DeRabbi — a documentation of his final illness, passing, and funeral. Description of the passing and funeral: pp. 99–108.
• Rabbi Schneur Zalman Berger, The Chabad Community in Rostov, Chabad in the Holocaust series, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 595.
• Rabbi Schneur Zalman Berger, The Mashpia Who Did Not Return — the journal of the passing, by Rabbi Avraham Baruch Pevzner.
• The Passing and Ohel of the Rebbe Rashab, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 273, 2 Nissan 5760.
• Letter of Rebbetzin Sterna Sara to Rabbi Shmuel Bezpalof about the passing, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 643, p. 14.
• The Passing and Funeral of the Rebbe Rashab, Lev HaAri, p. 62.
• Rabbi Schneur Zalman Berger, Geza Chassidim — documentation of the transfer of the Ohel of the Rebbe Rashab.
• Menachem Ziegelboim, Istalkei Yakira — the story of the passing of the Chabad Rebbes, p. 175, 5773 (2013).
• Rabbi Elishiv Kaplon, B'Soch HaGolah — the Jewish community in Rostov.

Biography and Special Episodes

• Diary of Tishrei 5673 in the Presence of the Rebbe Rashab, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 200.
• Rabbi Shalom DovBer Levin, History of Chabad in Tsarist Russia, Kehot Publication Society, New York, 5770 (2010).
• Rabbi Avraham Chanoch Glitzenstein, Sefer HaToldos — Admor HaRashab, Kehot.
• Rabbi Shalom Yaakov Chazan, The Rebbe Rashab — Guide and Helper in Supporting the Livelihood of the Chassidim, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 317.
• Rabbi Shalom DovBer Reichman, Stories Published for the First Time about the Rebbe Rashab, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 317.
• Schneur Zalman Berger, History of Chabad in Saint Petersburg, chapter 9 — The Rabbinical Conference of 5670 (1910) attended by the Rebbe Rashab and Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak.
• Schneur Zalman Berger, The Rabbinical Conference in Saint Petersburg, 5670, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 923.
• Schneur Zalman Berger, Our Home in Rostov — the Court of the Rebbe Rashab in His Final Years, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 1353.
• Yosef Yitzchak Bloy, Tomchei Temimim, Kehot, 5772 (2012).
• Heichal HaBaal Shem Tov — Heichal HaShalom — a special thematic issue of Heichal HaBaal Shem Tov marking 100 years since the Rebbe Rashab's passing, issue 40, year 14 (p. 121ff.), Summer 5780 (2020).
• The Rebbe of Lubavitch is the Mountain of Moriah — a collection of 68 previously unpublished stories about the Rebbe Rashab from the notes of Rabbi Chananya Yosef Aizenbach, Kfar Chabad Weekly, issue 1882, p. 37.
• Ten Chabad Facts About the Rebbe Rashab, Beis Moshiach Weekly, 2 Nissan 5780 (2020), p. 37.
• Eat Your Food in Small Pieces — a collection of stories about the Rebbe Rashab for his yahrzeit (anniversary of passing), by the storyteller Rabbi Shalom DovBer Reichman, Beis Moshiach Weekly, 2 Nissan 5780, p. 36.
• Menachem Bronfman, The Rambam of Chassidic Teaching — a comprehensive survey of the Rebbe Rashab's teachings, Kfar Chabad Weekly, issue 2002, p. 28.
• Zusha Wolf, The Chabad Rebbes and Georgian Jewry — the dispatch of Chassidim to Georgia to spread Jewish observance, Tiferes Raphael Institute Press, Tammuz 5776 (2016).
• Zusha Wolf, The Chabad Rebbes and Bukharan Jewry — the dispatch of Chassidim to Bukhara, World Congress of Bukharan Jews, Menachem Av 5776 (2016).
• Lev Leibman, The Fifth President and the Hall of Music, Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 993, p. 52.