Yisroel Aryeh Leib Schneerson: Difference between revisions

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Yisroel Aryeh Leib Schneerson (also known as Leibel, and at various times used the alias Mordechai (Mark) Guraria^[1]; 21 Iyar 5666^[2] – 13 Iyar 5712) was the brother of the Rebbe, and the son of the Gaon and Kabbalist Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson and Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson.

Life

Birth and Childhood

He was born on 21 Iyar 5666^[2] in the city of Nikolayev, the youngest son of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson. He was named "Yisroel Aryeh Leib" after his maternal uncle, Rabbi Yisroel Leib Yanovsky, who had died young, and his great-great-grandfather, Rabbi Yisroel Leib Yanovsky, a rosh yeshiva in Romanovka, Kherson.^[3] He was known by the affectionate name Leibel.

From childhood, extraordinary gifts were evident in him — he was self-taught, penetrating in his thinking, possessed of a genius-level memory, and a diligent and tenacious learner.

In the children's newspaper HaAch published at that time by Tomchei Temimim yeshiva, his name appears alongside his brothers — the Rebbe and DovBer Schneerson — as contributors on behalf of the yeshiva students. At the age of three, he could already recite Mishnayos by heart.^[4] His mother frequently had to pull him away from his learning to eat, drink, and attend to other needs.^[5] On one occasion, his father Reb Levi Yitzchak said of him: "He has the head of the Tzemach Tzedek."^[6]

He first studied at the local Talmud Torah alongside other children, and at a certain point his father engaged a private tutor for his sons.

In 5675 [1915], his grandfather, Rabbi Baruch Schneor Zalman Schneerson, said to the Rebbe Rashab of Yisroel Aryeh Leib:

My son Levik has a young son who is on the path of an iluy — a prodigy — well-versed in Gemara and Midrash and capable of learning at a high level.

The Rebbe Rashab asked: "How old is he?" and the grandfather replied: "With G-d's help, he will turn nine before Shavuos."

Rabbi Yoel Kohn, who knew him in Tel Aviv, would recount that when Reb Levi Yitzchak, the Rebbe, and Yisroel Aryeh Leib were in conversation together, each spoke in a distinct voice: Reb Levi Yitzchak in the language and idiom of Kabbalah, the Rebbe in the language and idiom of Chassidus, and Yisroel Aryeh Leib in the idiom of philosophical inquiry.

He also recounts that Yisroel Aryeh Leib would pick up a matchbox and ask: what belongs here from the world of Atzilus — the highest spiritual realm — what from Atzmos — the innermost essence — and so on, applying the deepest categories of Kabbalistic thought to the most ordinary objects.

Young Adulthood

During the Nine Days — from Rosh Chodesh Av through Tisha B'Av — he would complete an entire tractate of Gemara each day, having learned it through the night before.^[7]

On one occasion a lively debate broke out in the family around the Kabbalistic concepts of Mem-Heh and Beis-Nun — two fundamental divine names with deep significance in Chabad Kabbalistic thought. The debate went on for several months. At a certain point Yisroel Aryeh Leib interjected that the entire discussion had been about these concepts only from the outside — but the inner essence of Mem-Heh and Beis-Nun was an entirely different matter — and he offered an explanation of them through the lens of philosophical inquiry.^[8]

With the Rebbe Rayatz

In 5684 [1924], after the Rebbe Rayatz — Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, the sixth Chabad Rebbe — moved to Petersburg, Yisroel Aryeh Leib moved to the city as well, and for a period lived near the Rebbe Rayatz's home together with his brother (the Rebbe). The Rebbe Rayatz drew him close, and he would occasionally be received for private audiences — yechidus. During one such yechidus, he posed a question in the teachings of Chassidus, and the Rebbe Rayatz declined to answer, telling him it was not relevant to him. He left the yechidus shattered and broke into tears. Some time later he entered again, and without raising his earlier question, the Rebbe Rayatz turned to him on his own initiative and answered it. Coming out, Yisroel Aryeh Leib explained to the chassidim that in order to receive the explanation, he had first needed to reach a state of lev nishbar — a broken heart — and that was why the Rebbe Rayatz had initially withheld the answer.

Reb Leibel, as he was known, befriended and regularly conversed with Chabad chassidim in Leningrad, who would consult him on various matters in Jewish learning and practice. Yeshiva students from that period recall that he had the entire Hemshech Taf-Reish-Samach-Vav — the Rebbe Rashab's monumental chassidic discourse series of 5666 — by heart. During this period he also enrolled in regular university studies, while simultaneously assisting the Chabad organization Tiferes Bachurim in organizing Torah classes for students and young married men.

On the night of 5 Teves 5689 [1929], the Rebbe Rayatz told his son-in-law, the Rebbe, of a vision in which he had merited to hear Chassidus from the Rebbe Rashab together with Yisroel Aryeh Leib.^[9]

In 5690 [1930], he left the Soviet Union and moved to Berlin. He crossed the border using the passport of "Mordechai (Mitya) Guraria" — a Chabad young man from Dnepropetrovsk who had drowned in the Dnieper River. From that point until the end of his life, he used the name Mordechai Guraria. While in Berlin, he fell ill with typhus, and the Rebbe and Rebbetzin — who were living in Berlin at the time — gave him a bed in their small apartment and cared for him until he recovered.^[10]

In 5691 [1931], apparently following his brother (the Rebbe), he enrolled at the University of Berlin, where he studied for three years until 5693 [1933].

He then moved to Paris, where his brother the Rebbe was living. After a short time he resolved to make aliyah to Eretz Yisrael, for which he needed documents from Germany — where the Nazi regime was already in power. His sister-in-law, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, volunteered with extraordinary mesirat nefesh to travel to Germany and obtain the required documents for him from the Nazi government offices.^[11]

In Eretz Yisrael

At the beginning of 5695 [1935], with the help of Rabbi Chanoch Hendel Havlin, director of Yeshivas Toras Emes, and with the backing of the Rebbe Rayatz, Leibel — registered in the immigration documents under the name Mark Guraria — received a certificate of immigration to Eretz Yisrael. In the middle of 5695 he arrived and settled in Tel Aviv, where he worked as a clerk and librarian at the city library. He later opened a clothing shop (at 3 Nachalat Binyamin Street) — though some accounts say a book shop. According to another version of events, during these years he began working at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot and is considered to have been its first scientist.^[12]

On 30 Av 5699, he married Genia Roitman (born 25 Elul 5670, to Tzvi Hirsh Meir and Sara Milgrom of Lodz, then under Russian rule; her parents were murdered in the Holocaust in the Lodz Ghetto). Genia worked as a pharmacist at a Tel Aviv pharmacy.

The news of the wedding reached his parents in Chialy and brought them great joy.^[13]

During his years in Tel Aviv, Yisroel Aryeh Leib would occasionally attend Chabad chassidic gatherings at the Nachalat Binyamin shul in Tel Aviv. He also studied Chassidus weekly in chavrusa — paired learning — with the mashpia (spiritual guide) Rabbi Nachum Goldschmid, whom he had known since childhood in Yekaterinoslav, and with Rabbi Pinchas Altheus, whom he had known since childhood in Nikolayev. Before leaving for England, he approached Reb Nachum Goldschmid and asked him to work toward having the Rebbe appointed as Rebbe.^[14]

While at the Nachalat Binyamin shul, Rabbi Moshe Dubinsky and Rabbi Nachum Goldschmid would sometimes come to him with questions in Chassidus.^[15]

In 5703 [1943], when the Rebbe published the Hayom Yom — the celebrated calendar anthology of Chabad teachings — he sent a copy to his brother Yisroel Aryeh Leib. After looking through it, he was overjoyed and said with wonder:

My brother sent me his first composition. It is a great pity that the world does not know what is hidden and contained within it.

On another occasion he said of the Hayom Yom:

I always knew my brother had a good head — but to this extent!

^[14]

On 20 Cheshvan 5705, their only daughter, Dalia, was born.

After his passing, the Rebbe worked extensively on her behalf, and when she came to New York she was even hosted on the third floor of the Rebbe's home at 1304 President Street.^[16]

On 13 Shevat 5710, he sent a telegram of condolences to the Rebbe's household on the passing of the Rebbe Rayatz.^[17]

His Role in Atomic Research

Financial Support from the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe

At the start of 5708 [1948], he planned to move to England to study at the University of Liverpool. In a letter from Kislev 5708, the Rebbe Rayatz blessed him and agreed to contribute to his expenses by way of a loan, to be channeled through Rabbi Moshe Guraria of Tel Aviv.^[18]

At that time, the Rebbe also sent him funds through Rabbi Moshe Guraria of Tel Aviv, and through his brother Rabbi Shneur Zalman Guraria of Crown Heights, as is clear from a letter the Rebbe wrote to Rabbi Moshe Guraria:

14 Tammuz 5708... I received your letter of 11 Sivan... I had [already] transmitted to my brother, on my telegraphed instruction, fifty lirot, and afterward I asked his brother Rabbi Shneur Zalman [Guraria] to write to him at my request and give my brother a further fifty lirot. He has certainly fulfilled this request by now. Please let me know how much I owe Reb Shneur Zalman toward the total of the above.

The Purpose of the Journey to England: Various Accounts

The plan was initially delayed, and he traveled to England only some two years later — in the month of Iyar 5710 [1950], with the assistance of Shneur Zalman Shazar (then Minister of Education). He arrived in London on 21 Iyar and continued to the University of Liverpool. The purpose and circumstances of this journey have been described in several versions:

A post in the Charedi online forum Bhol (5771 [2011]) stated that Yisroel Aryeh Leib headed Israel's nuclear program: "He was among the leaders of Israel's nuclear project, and it was for this purpose that he was in England."^[19]

The website HaGeula published (5776 [2016]): "Yisroel Aryeh Leib was sent to England together with other Jews in order to build a pool of nuclear scientists, with the aim of later producing atomic weapons for the defense of the Holy Land."^[20]

Rabbi Yosef Ashkenazi published the following account in 5777 [2017] in his book HaRav Ashkenazi: "His friend Rabbi Nachum Goldschmid related: Knesset member Yonah Kesse had known Reb Leibel well from Yekaterinoslav. He told Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of Reb Leibel's genius, suggesting that the state send him abroad to study science, so that the knowledge he acquired could be used upon his return to elevate the standing of these fields in Israel. The university agreed to accept him and grant him a scholarship. The State of Israel funded his airfare."^[21]

Rabbi Eliyahu Shveicha published a different version in 5780 [2020]: his childhood friend, Knesset member Yonah Kesse, once encountered him on a Tel Aviv street and asked how he was managing. In response, Yisroel Aryeh Leib lowered his eyes and, with characteristic and extraordinary modesty, mentioned that he had sent an article on nuclear physics to the British Atomic Energy Authority, and that based on the article alone, he had been invited there. He indeed traveled, and was accepted as a scientist and member of that distinguished committee. Yonah Kesse noted with admiration the unassuming way in which Yisroel Aryeh Leib told him this — he had practically had to pry it out of him — and the remarkable fact that despite having no formal training in the field, he had written an article on the subject and been accepted to the committee on the basis of that article alone.^[22]

A further account was published by Rabbi Moshe Ornstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Tomchei Temimim Netanya, in 5783 [2023], drawing on diary entries and recordings of Yeshayahu Shar — who in his youth was a frequent guest in the home of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson and a friend of the sons, including the Rebbe and Yisroel Aryeh Leib.^[23] From this material — combined with information published in Toldos Levi Yitzchak, Igros Kodesh, and the Teshura Naki 5780 — it emerges that Yisroel Aryeh Leib was the first scientist to work at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, and that his aliyah to Eretz Yisrael was connected to this purpose. He was invited by the Weizmann Institute to join its inaugural staff.^[24] In a 1969 recording, Yeshayahu Shar said that Yisroel Aryeh Leib was "one of the important figures whom Ben-Gurion sent to England in connection with the atom."^[25] In light of all of this, it is reasonable to conclude that the article Yisroel Aryeh Leib sent to the British Atomic Energy Authority was cover for the real purpose: the security of the State of Israel and the development of its nuclear capabilities.^[26]

He remained in England for only about two years before passing away from cardiac complications. The precise body under whose auspices he operated, and what information he conveyed in connection with the atom, remain unknown. Much remains hidden.

His Scientific Work

His mathematical manuscript was given by the Rebbe to Professor Pesach Rosenbloom of Minnesota to prepare for publication, which Professor Rosenbloom did — without knowing who the author was. At the farbrengen of 10 Shevat 5735 [1975], when the professor came to the Rebbe and brought the published work with him, the Rebbe revealed to him that these were the writings of his brother who had passed away. Among other things, the Rebbe told him that Reb Yisroel Aryeh Leib had loved to write things from his own understanding — he was deeply independent in his thinking — and only afterward would he search for sources to support what he had written.^[27]

After the work's publication, the Rebbe wrote a letter to Professor Rosenbloom which reads in part (free translation from English): "First of all, I want to thank you again, dear Dr. Rosenbloom, for the effort, attention, and love you invested in the work of preparing my late brother's manuscript for print. Although its contents are not exactly my field, the effort and devotion you invested are very apparent. I also wish to thank you in advance for the continuation of your work on this matter, to print it in the proper manner, as it is your field."

In 5781 [2021], additional notebooks of Yisroel Aryeh Leib containing mathematical writings were discovered and transferred to a team of researchers to decipher.^[28]

Passing

After a period during which he fell ill several times,^[29] on 13 Iyar 5712, he passed away in Liverpool from a heart attack, at the age of forty(-six).^[30]^[31]

Burial

On the day of his passing, Chabad chassidim in England received a telegram from the Rebbe: "My brother in Liverpool has passed away" — and the Rebbe asked them to see to all the necessary arrangements (tahara, funeral, etc.), and that he would cover all expenses. The Rebbe initially intended to travel to England himself to attend the funeral, but he canceled the plan out of concern that the commotion his arrival would cause might reach the ears of his mother Rebbetzin Chana — from whom the Rebbe took care to conceal his brother's passing, given her age and all she had already suffered.^[32]

The Rebbe instructed Rabbi Ben Zion Shemtov to handle the funeral arrangements and the transfer of the body to Eretz Yisrael.

The bochurim of Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Manchester were dispatched to assist with the tahara. The group included Rabbi Yitzchak Dubov, Rabbi Ben Zion Shemtov, Shalom DovBer Gurkov and his brother Shmuel Dovid Gurkov, Avraham Shemtov, and Shalom DovBer Futerfas. After the tahara a funeral was held in Liverpool, from where the coffin was transported to Manchester and arrived in London on Erev Shabbos. There it remained in the home of the Gurkov family — which also hosted the local Chabad minyan — for the duration of Shabbos, with watches maintained over the coffin throughout. At the time of the transfer to the ship, a large and dignified funeral was held attended by all of Anash in London.

When the coffin arrived in Marseille, France, another large funeral was held attended by Anash from Paris. From there it continued to Patria, and then by ship to Eretz Yisrael.

Transfer to Eretz Yisrael

The Rebbe sent a telegram to the members of Agudas Chassidei Chabad in Eretz Yisrael, asking them to receive the coffin at the Haifa port and attend to the burial. On the day of arrival, members of Aguch traveled to receive it, among them: Rabbi Pinchas Altheus, Rabbi Eliezer Krasik, Rabbi Moshe Guraria, and truck driver Baruch Goffin. They were joined by several Chabad chassidim from Kfar Chabad. The iron coffin was lifted by crane from the ship to the truck, and from there they traveled to the old cemetery in Tzfas, where the local Chevra Kadisha were already present to attend to the burial, along with a Chabad minyan. The Rebbe conveyed detailed instructions to Rabbi Moshe Guraria on how to conduct the tahara, burial, and related matters — more than thirty points in all.^[33]

A few days after the burial, the Rebbe sent letters of thanks to those who had attended to the arrangements, among them Rabbi Yitzchak Dubov, Rabbi Ben Zion Shemtov, Rabbi Eliezer Krasik, and Rabbi Pinchas Altheus.

The burial is described in the book Eved Avraham Anochi:

In his letter of 20 Iyar, the Rebbe wrote to Rabbi Krasik, chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad: "I sent you a telegram today regarding the funeral. I await a detailed letter of what was done, and may G-d help us that we should serve one another only for good and joyous occasions, always and all our days."

Rabbi Krasik wrote to the Rebbe on Motzaei Shabbos Behaaloscha [the night of 15 Sivan] 5712:

At around eight in the morning, a number of us came to Haifa, arriving almost exactly as the ship came into port. We began attending to the lowering of the coffin, and in the meantime the Temimim and Anash arrived — about sixty men from Tel Aviv, Lod, and Jerusalem. By around two o'clock we had loaded the coffin onto the truck and set out immediately for Tzfas. In Tzfas the grave was already prepared, needing only some adjustments, and by around five we had removed the body from the coffin, interred it, and the stone was set.

In his letter of 3 Sivan, the Rebbe thanked the leadership of Agudas Chassidei Chabad: "And for this above all I have come — to thank you, from the depths of my heart, for attending to the funeral of my brother of blessed memory as it should be. And may it be G-d's will that from this point forward we should serve one another only for joyous and healthy things."

The Rebbe Recites Kaddish

Yisroel Aryeh Leib left no one who could say Kaddish after him, and the Rebbe recited Kaddish for him at all three daily prayers on his yahrzeit.

Concealing the Passing from His Mother

The Rebbe took care to conceal the fact of Yisroel Aryeh Leib's passing from his mother, Rebbetzin Chana, so that her health would not be undermined by the news of her son's death.^[34] During the days of shiva, the Rebbe continued visiting her daily as was his custom, and even composed letters in his brother's name and mailed them to his mother from the address "Yisroel Aryeh Leib." This practice continued until the day of Rebbetzin Chana's own passing, 6 Tishrei 5725.

Pilgrimages to His Grave

Beginning in 5730 [1970],^[35] Chabad chassidim began making pilgrimage to Reb Yisroel Aryeh Leib's grave on his yahrzeit. In 5765 [2005], the Histadrut HaChassidim organization began arranging convenient access to the site and organizing a central prayer gathering.^[36] By the yahrzeit of 5783, tens of thousands visited the grave and the gathering space constructed by the Histadrut HaChassidim.^[37]

To the students of Yeshivas Toras Emes in Jerusalem who visited the grave on the yahrzeit in 5750 [1990] and studied the maamar published for 13 Iyar, the Rebbe responded: "Received, and many thanks — may they be at ease, etc. And the present time is Pesach Sheni, Lag B'Omer, may they increase in holiness."^[38]

When Rabbi Levi Bistritsky, the Rav of Tzfas, reported to the Rebbe that the Chabad chassidim of Tzfas had ascended on the yahrzeit to the grave of Yisroel Aryeh Leib, recited Tehillim, and gave tzedakah, the Rebbe replied:

Many thanks, many thanks... May it be G-d's will that all the prayers be accepted within the prayers of all the children of Israel, "and all shall be fulfilled."

The Rebbe's Ongoing Care for the Grave

The matzevah lies horizontally, which is not the usual practice. Rabbi Pinchas Altheus wrote to the Rebbe about this on 21 and 22 Elul 5714, and the Rebbe replied on 4 Tishrei 5715:

Regarding what you write that it was placed lengthwise along the body rather than at the head — if there are other matzevos arranged this way, it should be left as is; but if not, one should not deviate from the custom of this cemetery. If it cannot be otherwise, a new matzevah should be made and set up like the other matzevos. However, it sets my mind at rest that you write that many matzevos in Tzfas are arranged this way.
— Igros Kodesh, vol. 10, letter 2,967

The Rebbe attended personally to the condition of the grave over the years and would at times ask visitors whether anything required repair.

On 11 Av 5731 [1971], before a journey by Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Groner, he was called into the Rebbe's study. Among other things, the Rebbe asked where he would be around 20 Menachem Av.^[39] When he replied that he would be in Eretz Yisrael, the Rebbe said to him in tears:

I have a brother who lies [buried] in Teverya^[40] — go there and see whether the matzevah needs repair, and place there a note.

Rabbi Groner indeed visited the grave on 20 Menachem Av and placed a letter there requesting that the Rebbe be in good health, that he lead all of Israel to the Redemption, that the Who is a Jew controversy be resolved, and that the Rebbe's wishes be fulfilled. On his return, he wrote a detailed report to the Rebbe.^[41]

In the summer of 5733 [1973], the Rebbe wrote in response to a report by Rabbi Dovid Raskin from his visit to Eretz Yisrael: "The matzevah of my brother of blessed memory — does it need any repair?"

Commemoration

Many in Anash have named their sons after him, and among them there were those to whom the Rebbe expressed gratitude for doing so.

Mr. Yaakov Cohen, who served as mayor of Kiryat Ono, was among his close friends and decided to honor his memory by establishing a Talmud Torah in his city in his name. He told the Rebbe of this during a yechidus, and as the cornerstone-laying ceremony approached — scheduled for Lag B'Omer 5724 — he asked the Rebbe to send a representative. The Rebbe dispatched Rabbi Shmuel Chafer, explaining that his father-in-law, Rabbi Chaim Yosef Rosenbloom, had known Yisroel Aryeh Leib from his time in Russia and then in Eretz Yisrael, and was therefore the most fitting person to attend.^[42] In a letter to Rabbi Chafer, the Rebbe wrote that he would surely be honored to address the gathering and should use that opportunity in the appropriate spirit.^[43]

Gemach funds called Keren Yisroel Aryeh Leib were established in his memory in Crown Heights and in Tzfas.

The RIAL Institute was established in his memory (the acronym of his given name — Yisroel Aryeh Leib),^[44] under the direction of Rabbi Professor Shimon Silman, a mathematics specialist and faculty member of Touro College in New York. The organization operates a special research fund and holds an annual Jewish science conference exploring the concrete expression across various scientific disciplines of the unfolding process of the Redemption.^[45]

In Kfar Chabad there is a synagogue bearing his name.

The Rebbe's Words About His Brother

By the Rebbe's instruction, the following titles were inscribed on his matzevah and in the dedication on the back cover of the Dvar Malchus 12 kuntres which the Rebbe distributed: "the distinguished and pious, a G-d-fearing man, of fine and elevated character."

In the years 5721, 5725, 5738, 5745, and 5747,^[46] the Rebbe delivered maamarim of Chassidus specifically for the yahrzeit of his brother.

On several occasions the Rebbe explained the significance of each of his three names — "Yisroel," "Aryeh," and "Leib" — and the lessons in divine service to be drawn from them: in the talks of Shabbos Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim, 13 Iyar 5745; Pesach Sheni 5747; and Shabbos Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim, 13 Iyar 5751.^[47] In the last of these,^[48] the Rebbe explained:

Yisroel — an acronym for Yesh Shishim Ribbo Osios LaTorah — "there are six hundred thousand letters in the Torah," corresponding to the six hundred thousand root-souls of Israel. The lesson: every Jew must remember that the source of his vitality is the Torah, and he must conduct himself accordingly.
Aryeh — meaning lion — expresses strength and perseverance. The lesson is drawn from the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos:^[49] "Be strong as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven" — to overcome whatever obstacles stand in one's path in the service of G-d.
Leib — the Yiddish word for lion, cognate with Aryeh — conveys that this same strength and perseverance must extend to the dimension of divine service that engages the material and physical world.

In 5752 [1992], the editorial staff of Otzar HaChassidim published the kuntres 13 Iyar — Forty Years to mark the fortieth year since his passing, containing biographical outlines, sichos and maamarim of the Rebbe related to the yahrzeit, and more. On the night of 10 Iyar, the Rebbe saw the kuntres and expressed visible satisfaction, leafing through it and looking at every page; at the end he studied the dedication.^[50]

His Niggun: The Pilpul

In 5783 [2023], Rabbi Moshe Ornstein revealed that the niggun Yisroel Aryeh Leib loved to sing regularly was Niggun HaPilpul — the Pilpul Melody.

"Close to a quarter century ago, the Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Moshe Ornstein revealed the personal diary of Mr. Yeshayahu Shar of blessed memory, who was a close friend of Yisroel Aryeh Leib, whose yahrzeit falls tonight. Selections from the diary were published at the time in the Kfar Chabad Weekly, and it appeared again with additions from the original manuscript in the book Shanim Rishonos, and was published a third time as an appendix to the book Abba, Part Two. In the diary, which spans twenty-two pages, Mr. Shar describes, among other things, how Reb Leibel taught him the niggun of the Alter Rebbe — the first Chabad Rebbe — and asked him to 'preserve the niggun among the public.'"

Over the years Rabbi Ornstein searched for the niggun, and by Divine Providence, in the days immediately before Yisroel Aryeh Leib's yahrzeit in 5783, a recording reached him — one that Mr. Shar had sent to the Rebbe but which had never arrived (it was returned to Shar). On the recording, Shar repeats the niggun and recounts that Reb Leibel had asked him to preserve it and spread it among the people. The niggun is the well-known Niggun HaPilpul, with several variants from the usual version. Reb Leibel had revealed to him that this was the niggun of the Alter Rebbe — something he had certainly heard at home.

At a Rambam completion celebration held at the yeshiva in Netanya in those same days, Rabbi Ornstein revealed the story and the niggun. The students rose with great emotion and sang the niggun together, with some of the variations that Reb Leibel had apparently sung.^[51]

His Photograph

In the month of Av 5782 [2022], a photograph was published which is claimed to show Yisroel Aryeh Leib. According to the publication, the photograph was taken in 1943 [5703] (when he would have been thirty-seven years old), at the wedding of his brother-in-law (Milgrom). The photograph has not been published by any authoritative Chabad body, and its identification therefore cannot be confirmed with certainty.

His Family

Wife: Mrs. Devorah (Genia) Schneerson (buried in the new Chabad section of the Tzfas cemetery)
Daughter: Mrs. Dalia Rotman, wife of Avner Rotman
Grandchildren: Ariel Rotman (born 24 Elul 5735) and Daniel Yehoshua Rotman (born 7 Adar 5738)
Brothers: The Rebbe; Reb DovBer Schneerson

External Links

Biography of Reb Yisroel Aryeh Leib Schneerson — published by the student shluchim of Yeshivas Chassidei Chabad Lubavitch Tzfas, yahrzeit 13 Iyar 5784
Shneur Zalman Berger, "The Rebbe and His Father's, Mother's, and Brother's Attempted Aliyah — The Immigration Files of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson and Yisroel Aryeh Leib Schneerson" — Chabad Info
Rabbi Moshe Ornstein Reveals: The Niggun of Yisroel Aryeh Leib — Chabad Info
Reconstructing the Archive of Reb Yisroel Aryeh Leib — COL.org.il
Eli Rubin, "Assembling the Lost Archive of Mark Gurari, the Rebbe's Brother" — Chabad.org (English)
13 Iyar — Seventy Years — published by Histadrut HaChassidim
Mrs. Dalia Rotman, the Rebbe's niece, on her relationship with her uncle the Rebbe — COL.org.il
"The Life and Works of the Rebbe's Brother" — Anash.org (English)
Chronicle of the Rebbe's Conduct at the Time of His Brother's Passing — Chabad Info
A rare letter written by the Rebbe after his brother's passing, to Mr. Asa Paz, a close friend of Yisroel Aryeh Leib — Chabad Info
"The Rebbe to Professor Rosenbloom: 'I Had a Younger Brother'" — Chabad Info (video)
Shneur Zalman Berger, "The Detailed Report from the Burial of the Rebbe's Brother" — Beis Moshiach Weekly, based on Eved Avraham Anochi — Chabad Info
Detailed survey of 13 Iyar observances by the Rebbe over the years (p. 12 ff.)
Collection of the Rebbe's responses related to 13 Iyar
13 Iyar — stories and Mishnayos — published by Histadrut HaChassidim (PDF)
13 Iyar kuntres — published by Vaad Talmidei HaTmimim HaOlami
"Aryeh-Leib — How Did the Foreign Name 'Leib' Become a Common Jewish Name?" — a developed thought from the Rebbe's sicha on the name of Yisroel Aryeh Leib, COL.org.il
13 Iyar — The Seventieth Year — a beautifully produced booklet by Histadrut HaChassidim (PDF)
"Understanding the Matter of 13 Iyar" — farbrengen with Rabbi Moshe Ornstein (video)
"When the Rebbe Was Involved in Replacing His Brother's Matzevah" — Shturem
"The Homes of Yisroel Aryeh Leib Through the Years" — Anash.org
A collection of articles and diaries about Yisroel Aryeh Leib — Vaad Or VeChom HeHiskashrus
Biography with links to sources and further reading — Anash.org

↑ This was the name of a Chabad young man who drowned, whose passport Yisroel Aryeh Leib used due to persecution in the Soviet Union. He used the name because he was on the secret police's list of known activists and did not want to be identified.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 In Rebbetzin Chana's Reshimas Zichronos, booklet 29, she writes in her own words that her son was born at the end of the month of Iyar: "End of the month of Iyar 5710 — not long ago was the birthday of our youngest son." And in Rabbi Berel Schneerson's notes, p. 68, it is recorded that Yisroel Aryeh Leib's grandfather — the author of those notes — told the Rebbe Rashab that at the end of Iyar 5675, his son Reb Levik's youngest son would turn nine. From all of the above it follows that Yisroel Aryeh Leib was born at the end of Iyar 5666. This is consistent with the records of the local archive of Nikolayev, where it is recorded that he was born on 21 Iyar 5666. However, in Sefer HaMaamarim Melukat, vol. 5, in the prefatory remarks to the maamar "Acharei Kedoshim — 13 Iyar 5721," it states that he was born on 3 Sivan 5669. For a full discussion and refutation of the alternative dates, see the book Shanim Rishonos, p. 541.
↑ Toldos Levi Yitzchak, vol. 2, p. 395.
↑ Told by Rabbi Nachum Gorlenik, who as a young man was invited in 5672 [1912] by the Rebbe's father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, to visit his home. There he saw Yisroel Aryeh Leib bent over a book with his head resting in his arms throughout the entire visit, not once raising his head. Reb Nachum assumed it was some sort of game, until it became clear to him that the child had been learning Mishnayos the whole time.
↑ Told by Rabbi Simcha Gorodetzky — Rebbetzin Chana once called him over specifically to show him her son's diligence. She called him once, twice, and he did not respond even when she tugged at his sleeve.
↑ Original in Yiddish: "Er hot dem Tzemach Tzedek's kop."
↑ Told by Rabbi Simcha Gorodetzky, who witnessed him learning through entire nights.
↑ Told by his mother, Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson.
↑ Sefer HaSichos 5689, pp. 65–66.
↑ Told by Shalom DovBer Guraria.
↑ Yemei Melech, vol. 1, pp. 392–393.
↑ Kfar Chabad, Teshura Naki.
↑ "It was a twofold and redoubled joy — first word from our youngest son, a sign of life, and the glad tidings of a wedding. It was a glimmer of light breaking through the darkness of our exile, a spark of encouragement and hope for the future." — From the memoirs of Rebbetzin Chana.
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 Rabbi Ashkenazi, p. 159.
↑ Kfar Chabad Weekly, Mendi Kurtz, "The Diligent Scholar of the Catskill Mountains," issue 2122, p. 41, 5785.
↑ Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 730, p. 31.
↑ Yemei Melech, vol. 1, p. 70; see also his letter to Rebbetzin Chana.
↑ Toldos Levi Yitzchak, new edition, vol. 2, p. 147; Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz, vol. 13, p. 455.
↑ The thread on the Bhol forum.
↑ HaGeula website.
↑ Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi in a video interview for JEM. HaRav Ashkenazi, 5777, p. 165, citing Rabbi Nachum Goldschmid.
↑ Rabbi Eliyahu Shveicha, Teshura Naki 5780, p. 21 — "Yisroel Aryeh Leib, Member of the British Atomic Energy Authority."
↑ Selections from Yeshayahu Shar's diaries were published by Rabbi Ornstein in Kfar Chabad; in subsequent years, most of the Chabad-relevant material was published in the book Shanim Rishonos. It should be noted that on several stories, clarifications have been issued that they are not fully accurate — for instance, Shar records that Rebbetzin Chana appeared to be a relative of the author Achad HaAm, which is incorrect; it was her husband, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, who had a very distant connection to Achad HaAm. This suggests that these memoirs, written long after the events, contain some inaccuracies, and should be relied upon accordingly.
↑ Kfar Chabad, issue 2007, 13 Iyar 5783, p. 50, based on the testimony of Mrs. Tzvia Greenspan, wife of Professor Ehud Greenspan, former member of the Atomic Energy Authority.
↑ Kfar Chabad, issue 2007, p. 46, from Shar's recording.
↑ Kfar Chabad, issue 2007, pp. 46, 50.
↑ "The Rebbe to Professor Rosenbloom: 'I Had a Younger Brother'" — Chabad Info.
↑ "Reconstructing the Lost Archive of the Rebbe's Brother, Reb Yisroel Aryeh Leib" — COL.org.il.
↑ Based on a letter of the Rebbe dated 4 Sivan 5712.
↑ See note 2 above regarding the date of birth.
↑ Shortly before the passing, the Rav of Liverpool spoke with him for about two hours. The details of the conversation were kept confidential — the Rav agreed to reveal them only to the Rebbe himself. According to Rabbi Moshe Ornstein, the conversation appears to have concerned Yisroel Aryeh Leib's role in the production of the atomic bomb. See Kfar Chabad, issue 2007, p. 50.
↑ According to the recollection of the Rebbe's secretary, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner — Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 1211.
↑ Told by Rabbi Gershon Mendel Garelik — HaTamim (Beis Moshiach), Iyar–Menachem Av 5764, p. 8.
↑ "How the Rebbe Concealed His Brother's Passing from His Mother — A Fascinating Chronicle" — Chabad Info.
↑ According to the instruction conveyed by Reb Chaim Mordechai Aizik Chodakov to Reb Efraim Wolf.
↑ "Prayer gathering at the grave of the Rebbe's brother, organized by Histadrut HaChassidim (Iyar 5771)."
↑ Beis Moshiach, issue 1359.
↑ Told by Reb Avraham Sternberg.
↑ The day of the passing of their father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak.
↑ So said the Rebbe, even though Yisroel Aryeh Leib is buried in Tzfas.
↑ Teshura for the Telsner-Goldschmidt wedding, 5774.
↑ Igros Kodesh, vol. 23, letter 8,814.
↑ Teshura Chafer, 5775.
↑ Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 1358, pp. 42–47 — interview with Professor Rabbi Shimon Silman, about his life story and the RIAL Institute.
↑ Report from the 5770 conference — Chabad in Israel.
↑ From a sicha on Pesach Sheni.
↑ And similarly, more briefly, in the sicha of 15 Iyar 5751, after Mincha.
↑ Sicha of 13 Iyar 5751 (PDF).
↑ Chapter 5, Mishnah 20.
↑ From a letter written at the time by one of the editors of the kuntres, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Feller — published in Kovetz Hearos UBiurim BeToras K"K Admur Shlit"a, issue 40, p. 18.
↑ "Reb Leibel's Niggun" — Beis Moshiach Weekly, 14 Iyar 5783, p. 32.

[1] This was the name of a Chabad young man who drowned, whose passport Yisroel Aryeh Leib used due to persecution in the Soviet Union. He used the name because he was on the secret police's list of known activists and did not want to be identified.

[birthdate-2] 2.0 ^2.1 In Rebbetzin Chana's Reshimas Zichronos, booklet 29, she writes in her own words that her son was born at the end of the month of Iyar: "End of the month of Iyar 5710 — not long ago was the birthday of our youngest son." And in Rabbi Berel Schneerson's notes, p. 68, it is recorded that Yisroel Aryeh Leib's grandfather — the author of those notes — told the Rebbe Rashab that at the end of Iyar 5675, his son Reb Levik's youngest son would turn nine. From all of the above it follows that Yisroel Aryeh Leib was born at the end of Iyar 5666. This is consistent with the records of the local archive of Nikolayev, where it is recorded that he was born on 21 Iyar 5666. However, in Sefer HaMaamarim Melukat, vol. 5, in the prefatory remarks to the maamar "Acharei Kedoshim — 13 Iyar 5721," it states that he was born on 3 Sivan 5669. For a full discussion and refutation of the alternative dates, see the book Shanim Rishonos, p. 541.

[3] Toldos Levi Yitzchak, vol. 2, p. 395.

[4] Told by Rabbi Nachum Gorlenik, who as a young man was invited in 5672 [1912] by the Rebbe's father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, to visit his home. There he saw Yisroel Aryeh Leib bent over a book with his head resting in his arms throughout the entire visit, not once raising his head. Reb Nachum assumed it was some sort of game, until it became clear to him that the child had been learning Mishnayos the whole time.

[5] Told by Rabbi Simcha Gorodetzky — Rebbetzin Chana once called him over specifically to show him her son's diligence. She called him once, twice, and he did not respond even when she tugged at his sleeve.

[6] Original in Yiddish: "Er hot dem Tzemach Tzedek's kop."

[7] Told by Rabbi Simcha Gorodetzky, who witnessed him learning through entire nights.

[8] Told by his mother, Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson.

[9] Sefer HaSichos 5689, pp. 65–66.

[10] Told by Shalom DovBer Guraria.

[11] Yemei Melech, vol. 1, pp. 392–393.

[12] Kfar Chabad, Teshura Naki.

[13] "It was a twofold and redoubled joy — first word from our youngest son, a sign of life, and the glad tidings of a wedding. It was a glimmer of light breaking through the darkness of our exile, a spark of encouragement and hope for the future." — From the memoirs of Rebbetzin Chana.

[ashkenazi-14] 14.0 ^14.1 Rabbi Ashkenazi, p. 159.

[15] Kfar Chabad Weekly, Mendi Kurtz, "The Diligent Scholar of the Catskill Mountains," issue 2122, p. 41, 5785.

[16] Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 730, p. 31.

[17] Yemei Melech, vol. 1, p. 70; see also his letter to Rebbetzin Chana.

[18] Toldos Levi Yitzchak, new edition, vol. 2, p. 147; Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz, vol. 13, p. 455.

[19] The thread on the Bhol forum.

[20] HaGeula website.

[21] Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi in a video interview for JEM. HaRav Ashkenazi, 5777, p. 165, citing Rabbi Nachum Goldschmid.

[22] Rabbi Eliyahu Shveicha, Teshura Naki 5780, p. 21 — "Yisroel Aryeh Leib, Member of the British Atomic Energy Authority."

[23] Selections from Yeshayahu Shar's diaries were published by Rabbi Ornstein in Kfar Chabad; in subsequent years, most of the Chabad-relevant material was published in the book Shanim Rishonos. It should be noted that on several stories, clarifications have been issued that they are not fully accurate — for instance, Shar records that Rebbetzin Chana appeared to be a relative of the author Achad HaAm, which is incorrect; it was her husband, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, who had a very distant connection to Achad HaAm. This suggests that these memoirs, written long after the events, contain some inaccuracies, and should be relied upon accordingly.

[24] Kfar Chabad, issue 2007, 13 Iyar 5783, p. 50, based on the testimony of Mrs. Tzvia Greenspan, wife of Professor Ehud Greenspan, former member of the Atomic Energy Authority.

[25] Kfar Chabad, issue 2007, p. 46, from Shar's recording.

[26] Kfar Chabad, issue 2007, pp. 46, 50.

[27] "The Rebbe to Professor Rosenbloom: 'I Had a Younger Brother'" — Chabad Info.

[28] "Reconstructing the Lost Archive of the Rebbe's Brother, Reb Yisroel Aryeh Leib" — COL.org.il.

[29] Based on a letter of the Rebbe dated 4 Sivan 5712.

[30] See note 2 above regarding the date of birth.

[31] Shortly before the passing, the Rav of Liverpool spoke with him for about two hours. The details of the conversation were kept confidential — the Rav agreed to reveal them only to the Rebbe himself. According to Rabbi Moshe Ornstein, the conversation appears to have concerned Yisroel Aryeh Leib's role in the production of the atomic bomb. See Kfar Chabad, issue 2007, p. 50.

[32] According to the recollection of the Rebbe's secretary, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner — Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 1211.

[33] Told by Rabbi Gershon Mendel Garelik — HaTamim (Beis Moshiach), Iyar–Menachem Av 5764, p. 8.

[34] "How the Rebbe Concealed His Brother's Passing from His Mother — A Fascinating Chronicle" — Chabad Info.

[35] According to the instruction conveyed by Reb Chaim Mordechai Aizik Chodakov to Reb Efraim Wolf.

[36] "Prayer gathering at the grave of the Rebbe's brother, organized by Histadrut HaChassidim (Iyar 5771)."

[37] Beis Moshiach, issue 1359.

[38] Told by Reb Avraham Sternberg.

[39] The day of the passing of their father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak.

[40] So said the Rebbe, even though Yisroel Aryeh Leib is buried in Tzfas.

[41] Teshura for the Telsner-Goldschmidt wedding, 5774.

[42] Igros Kodesh, vol. 23, letter 8,814.

[43] Teshura Chafer, 5775.

[44] Beis Moshiach Weekly, issue 1358, pp. 42–47 — interview with Professor Rabbi Shimon Silman, about his life story and the RIAL Institute.

[45] Report from the 5770 conference — Chabad in Israel.

[46] From a sicha on Pesach Sheni.

[47] And similarly, more briefly, in the sicha of 15 Iyar 5751, after Mincha.

[48] Sicha of 13 Iyar 5751 (PDF).

[49] Chapter 5, Mishnah 20.

[50] From a letter written at the time by one of the editors of the kuntres, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Feller — published in Kovetz Hearos UBiurim BeToras K"K Admur Shlit"a, issue 40, p. 18.

[51] "Reb Leibel's Niggun" — Beis Moshiach Weekly, 14 Iyar 5783, p. 32.

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