The Alter Rebbe

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Portrait of the Alter Rebbe, by Shalom Feigin

Rabbi Schneur Zalman Boruchowitz of Liadi (18 Elul 5505–24 Tevet 5573 / 1745–1813) is known among Chabad Chassidim as the Alter Rebbe — literally "the Elder Rebbe" in Yiddish — and also as the Maggid of Liozna, the Graz (an acronym of his name), and the Author of the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch. He was also simply called the Rav (the Rabbi).

One of the foremost disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch — the successor to the Baal Shem Tov as leader of the Chassidic movement — Rabbi Schneur Zalman was the founder of the Chabad school of Chassidism and the first in the dynasty of Chabad Rebbes (spiritual leaders). He authored the Tanya, the foundational text of Chabad philosophy, and composed the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, a comprehensive code of Jewish law.

Biography

Birth

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Colorized reconstruction based on the Portrait of the Alter Rebbe

Rabbi Schneur Zalman's parents — Rabbi Baruch Poizner (a descendant of the Maharal of Prague) and his wife Rivkah — were married on Friday, 17 Elul 5503 (1743). After approximately ten months of childlessness, they traveled on the advice of Rabbi Yitzchak Shaul, a close friend of Rabbi Baruch, to seek the blessing of the Baal Shem Tov — the founder of the Chassidic movement. In the month of Menachem Av 5504 (1744), they arrived at the Baal Shem Tov, who assured them that within a year they would have a son. Rabbi Baruch and Rivkah remained with the Baal Shem Tov for a time, and at the celebration of the Baal Shem Tov's birthday on 18 Elul (the birthday is observed on this date by Chabad tradition), the Baal Shem Tov turned to Rabbi Baruch and said: "At this very moment next year, you will be embracing a son."

Before departing from the town of Mezhbizh, they entered to bid farewell to the Baal Shem Tov. Rivkah told him that when G-d fulfilled his holy blessing, she would dedicate the child to Torah study and to divine service in the path of the Baal Shem Tov. He blessed them and they returned home joyfully. Exactly one year later, on Wednesday 18 Elul 5505 (1745), Schneur Zalman was born in a small village near the town of Liozna.

In Adar 5505 (1745), Rabbi Baruch traveled to the Baal Shem Tov to report that his wife had conceived. The Baal Shem Tov asked about the timing of conception, and upon hearing it, instructed Rabbi Baruch to put on his belt and recite the blessing of Shehecheyanu (the traditional blessing of gratitude for new and special occasions) — but without the formal name of G-d or the mention of His kingship, as a private, heartfelt expression of thanks.

The Baal Shem Tov then gave him guidance on how the mother should conduct herself during the pregnancy and after birth, and warned him not to tell anyone that a son had been born; if asked, he should reply vaguely: "G-d willing, things will be fine."

On Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) of 5506 (1745), Rabbi Baruch returned to the Baal Shem Tov and received detailed instructions on how to raise the child. By age one the boy had begun to speak, and by age two his parents recognized an extraordinary memory and comprehension — he could already recite many chapters of Psalms by heart.

When Rabbi Baruch visited the Baal Shem Tov on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) of 5507 (1746), he shared his intention that on 18 Elul of the coming year — when his son would turn three — the Baal Shem Tov would perform the upsherin (the traditional first haircut for a Jewish boy at age three). When the boy turned three (in 5508 / 1747), his parents and his aunt (his father's sister, the Rebbetzin Devorah Leah) brought him to the Baal Shem Tov in Mezhbizh. The Baal Shem Tov left his sidelocks (payot) intact, blessed him with the Priestly Blessing, and warned the parents to return home immediately and not to reveal where they had been. When the child asked who the Jewish man was who had cut his hair, his mother replied that it was "grandfather."

Childhood and youth

Rabbi Schneur Zalman was known as a disciplined and orderly child in both his time and his studies. He achieved extraordinary success in Torah knowledge, grasping even the most complex subjects in their full detail. On 17 Kislev 5510 (1749), he was accepted as a member of the burial society (a communal organization responsible for the respectful care of the deceased) in the town of Liozna — even before his Bar Mitzvah (the coming-of-age ceremony at age thirteen). By age fifteen he had completed the entire Talmud three times. And by age sixteen, on the night of 17 Kislev 5521 (1760), he was accepted as a full member of the burial society. He was thoroughly versed in the prayer book Sha'ar HaShamayim by Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz (the "Shelah"), and conducted himself according to its spiritual guidelines.

At age eight he wrote a commentary on the Torah that incorporated the interpretations of Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Ramban (Nachmanides). At age ten he had a dream in which Rabbi Reuven Baal Shem — a hidden righteous man — told him he was being summoned before a heavenly court. When he entered the synagogue in Liozna, Rabbi Reuven led him to a table where the judges declared: "These three elders — Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Ramban — are suing you for seeking to undermine their merit of inspiring the public through the study of their commentaries, by writing your own work that incorporates all three." The young Schneur Zalman was shaken by these words and promised to burn his commentary. After the elders then turned to him and blessed him with the power to produce original Torah teachings and new paths in divine service, he awoke. He fasted that day, and after dreaming a second time in the same vein, he burned his commentary.

At age nine his father brought him to the town of Lubavitch to study Torah under the renowned scholar Rabbi Issachar Dov of Lubavitch. When Rabbi Schneur Zalman turned eleven — about two years after his arrival in Lubavitch — Rabbi Issachar Dov told Rabbi Baruch that his son no longer required a teacher, and Rabbi Baruch brought him home to Liozna.

At age eleven, in addition to his study of Talmud and the legal codes, he began studying Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) and ethical literature. He also began engaging in communal activity. He would go to the marketplace in Liozna to encourage Jewish men to leave behind their struggling small-scale trade and instead earn their livelihood from agriculture. Many families made the transition to farming life at his encouragement.

Bar Mitzvah

The Bar Mitzvah celebration in 5518 (1758) — the ceremony marking a Jewish boy's entry into religious adulthood at age thirteen — was attended by some of the greatest Torah scholars of the generation from Vitebsk, Polotsk, and Minsk. His father Rabbi Baruch and grandfather Rabbi Moshe hosted seven days of festive meals, with each day featuring a formal celebration at which original Torah insights were shared. Rabbi Schneur Zalman's own Torah insights surpassed all others and were recorded by his brother Rabbi Yehudah Leib Minowitz. All the assembled scholars conferred upon him the titles "Gaon" (a term for one of the greatest Torah scholars of a generation) and "a master authority who stands on his own."

Shortly after the Bar Mitzvah, he traveled to Vitebsk to visit his uncle Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Mishraye, where he spent several months. It was there that he first heard teachings of the Chassidic school and the path of the Baal Shem Tov — though at the time he did not know they were teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. He later said that during his time at his uncle's home, he felt each day as though it were a Jewish holiday.

Marriage

When Rabbi Schneur Zalman came of marrying age — at fourteen — his reputation as a Torah prodigy had already spread throughout the region.

Rabbi Yehudah Leib Segal, one of the wealthiest and most prominent citizens of Vitebsk, chose him as a groom for his daughter, Madam Sterna.

The wedding was initially planned for Elul 5519 (1759), but Rabbi Baruch traveled away from home in early Elul and the event was postponed. The father-in-law, Rabbi Yehudah Leib Segal, then pressed for the wedding to take place in the winter of 5520 (1760), but Rabbi Baruch did not agree. After Passover, Rabbi Baruch again departed and returned only in Tammuz; the wedding was then set for Friday, the eve of Shabbat Nachamu, 12 Menachem Av 5520 (1760).

After the wedding, he lived under his father-in-law's roof in Vitebsk.

One of the conditions Rabbi Schneur Zalman had stipulated for agreeing to the match was that the five thousand gold coins of his dowry be placed entirely at his own discretion. In the first year of his marriage, with his wife's agreement, he directed the entire sum to support families who wished to support themselves through agricultural work — helping them purchase land and livestock. Thanks to this investment, large Jewish farming settlements were established along the Dvina River running through Vitebsk. Rabbi Schneur Zalman visited these settlements frequently, encouraging the residents to set aside fixed times for Torah study and sharing many Torah stories and teachings of the sages.

By age eighteen he had mastered the entire Talmud together with all its major commentators, including the medieval authorities (the Rishonim) and the later authorities (the Acharonim).

In Mezeritch

Although Rabbi Schneur Zalman had met the Baal Shem Tov only at his upsherin (the first haircut at age three), he expressed a profound spiritual connection to him, saying: "Rabbi Baruch of Mezhbizh is the Baal Shem Tov's physical grandson, and I am his spiritual grandson" — referring to the chain of spiritual transmission that ran either through his first teacher Rabbi Issachar Ber of Lubavitch, who had been a student of the Baal Shem Tov, or through his primary teacher the Maggid of Mezeritch, who was among the Baal Shem Tov's foremost disciples.

After Passover in 5524 (1764), with his wife's blessing, he set out to fulfill the Talmudic teaching: "Exile yourself to a place of Torah."

After deliberation, he chose to travel to Mezeritch to study under Rabbi Dovber, the Maggid of Mezeritch — the primary successor of the Baal Shem Tov. His central reasoning was: in Vilna (the great center of traditional Talmudic scholarship) they teach how to learn — and that he already knew. But in Mezeritch they teach how to pray — and that he had not yet learned.

When he decided to remain in Mezeritch, the Maggid revealed to him the words of the Baal Shem Tov: that Rabbi Schneur Zalman possessed a new and elevated soul from the highest spiritual realm (Atzilus), and that his mission was to reveal and elucidate the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov in love of G-d and love of one's fellow Jew, and to reveal the path of Chabad Chassidism — for one must love a fellow Jew simply because he is a Jew.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman would later say that in Mezeritch he learned three things: what G-d is, what the Jewish people are, and the power of a Chassidic melody.

While in Mezeritch he studied as a learning partner with Rabbi Avraham the Angel (the Maggid's son).

After a year and a half in Mezeritch, he returned to his home in Vitebsk and began spreading the Chassidic teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. He created a transformation in Vitebsk. Even the established Torah scholars of Vitebsk were deeply moved by his profound scholarship. When his father-in-law, the wealthy Rabbi Yehudah Leib Segal, saw that his son-in-law had fully embraced the Chassidic path, he began making his life difficult and pressured his daughter to accept a divorce. When she refused, he expelled her from his home.

At age twenty-two — in 5527 (1767) — Rabbi Schneur Zalman was appointed as the town preacher (Maggid) of Liozna.

At age twenty-five — in 5530 (1770) — he began, at the Maggid's direction, to compose the comprehensive legal code known as the Shulchan Aruch HaRav ("the Rabbi's Code of Jewish Law"). At the moment the Maggid instructed him to compose the work, the Maggid rose to his full height, placed his hands on Rabbi Schneur Zalman's head, and blessed him with the Priestly Blessing.

In 5531 (1771), he traveled on a confidential mission on behalf of the Maggid of Mezeritch to Rabbi Yosef Kolbo of Shklov.

The founding of Chabad Chassidism

Main article: The founding of Chabad Chassidism

When Rabbi Schneur Zalman returned from Mezeritch for the first time, he reported that the Maggid had revealed to him that one of his missions in this world was to reveal Chabad Chassidism. In 5532 (1772), when the Russian Empire absorbed the region of Vitebsk and Liozna from Poland, he formally established the Chabad approach to Chassidism — a path of divine service rooted in the intellect, using the Hebrew concepts of Chochmah (Wisdom), Binah (Understanding), and Da'at (Knowledge), from which the acronym Chabad is formed.

As the approach spread through Rabbi Schneur Zalman's teachings and those of his emissaries, hundreds of young scholars joined the movement. Standing at his side in establishing Chabad was his brother Rabbi Yehudah Leib Poizner. In the following four years, Chabad Chassidism spread to hundreds more dedicated adherents; and after the passing of the Maggid of Mezeritch and the emigration of the foremost disciple, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, to the Holy Land, when leadership of the Chassidic movement in the lands of Lithuania and Russia passed to Rabbi Schneur Zalman, thousands of additional families joined Chabad and attached themselves to him. By 5540 (1780), Chabad Chassidim numbered approximately 15,000 families across Russia.

During that year — 5532 (1772) — he also conducted an effort to persuade Jews living in the city of Vitebsk to transfer their residence across the border into the Russian Empire.

Leading Chabad Chassidism

The passing of the Maggid of Mezeritch

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The burial site of the Maggid of Mezeritch, Rabbi Schneur Zalman's teacher

Main article: Gatherings of the disciples of the Maggid

On 19 Kislev 5533 (1772), the Maggid of Mezeritch passed away (the eve of that date — 18 Kislev — he had asked Rabbi Schneur Zalman to do whatever he could to ensure that his son, Rabbi Avraham the Angel, would succeed him, or, if he was unwilling, that Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk would). The Maggid's leading disciples scattered to various lands to spread Chassidic teachings. Rabbi Avraham "the Angel" settled in the Volhynia region, and Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk remained in Russia. Rabbi Schneur Zalman and the other disciples immediately sent their signed pledge of allegiance to Rabbi Avraham the Angel as the Maggid's successor.

In those years, organized opposition to Chassidism was at its peak, and the movement required a strong personality to stand firm against the opponents (known as Mitnagdim — literally, "those who oppose"). For this purpose, an assembly was convened under the leadership of Rabbi Avraham the Angel, which decided to appoint a leadership council — with its chairman authorized to issue directives to all Chassidic communities as he saw fit. Rabbi Schneur Zalman was elected as chairman. In this capacity he spent three years traveling extensively to strengthen the disciples of the Maggid throughout their communities.

In 5536 (1776), Rabbi Schneur Zalman established the study houses (Chadarim — literally "rooms") in Liozna, to which young scholars from across the region gathered to study Torah according to the system and schedule he designed for them. During this period, his leadership began to take on the distinctly Chabad character that became increasingly defined over the years. Within a short time, it became known that within the Chassidic movement a new current had been born — the Chabad approach.

In 5537 (1777) Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk set out with approximately three hundred followers to immigrate to the Land of Israel. Rabbi Schneur Zalman deliberated greatly about whether to join them. Initially he leaned against going, reasoning: "Over whom can I leave our brethren, the Jewish people?" — and recalling the Maggid's teaching that the Baal Shem Tov had been unable to ascend to the Holy Land because "there are souls that specifically need the Land of Israel and there are souls that specifically need the Diaspora." At the last moment, after Rabbi Menachem Mendel had already departed, Rabbi Schneur Zalman decided to join them. They traveled to Mogilev, where the convoy had paused, and announced his wish to join. Rabbi Menachem Mendel and his leading disciples tried to persuade him to remain in White Russia and assume the mantle of leadership — but he did not agree. Only after his teacher the Maggid appeared to him in a dream and directed him to remain, and after he spent a full week in closed conversation with Rabbi Menachem Mendel for many hours each day, did he decide to stay in Russia. After the convoy continued on its way, Rabbi Menachem Mendel continued to lead the Chassidim from afar through frequent letters and personal emissaries sent from the Land of Israel. During this time the Alter Rebbe went to reside in Mogilev.

The move to Liozna

In that period Rabbi Schneur Zalman received offers of rabbinic positions from both Vitebsk and Liozna. He chose Liozna after they agreed to his condition that they would cover the financial needs of himself, his three brothers and their families, the resident scholars and students in the study houses, and the Chassidic visitors who came from Russia and Lithuania. In Elul 5536 (1776) he departed for Liozna, and in Shevat 5538 (1778) he arrived there.

By that time he was already guiding thousands of Chassidim, yet still did not bear the formal title of "Rebbe" (spiritual master). The longing of his followers for a living, physically present Rebbe grew stronger, and they expressed this desire to Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. He wrote to them that although they remained connected to him, they were free to seek wisdom and encouragement from "the righteous scholars and complete saints... all whose words are like coals of fire, with divine counsel and knowledge" — the great community figures renowned for Torah and the fear of G-d who were present among them in their places of residence. He referred to three figures: Rabbi Yisrael of Polotsk, Rabbi Issachar Ber of Lubavitch, and "His honor, the Rav, Rabbi Schneur Zalman — may G-d protect him — and may his name endure forever. The three-ply cord... in whose hands, with G-d's help, lies their good. From the great good that is stored and hidden, to illuminate their eyes and give them life, and with true faith and deeds of truth."

In this letter, Rabbi Menachem Mendel gave his followers in Russia approval to seek the guidance and heed the counsel of these three figures. This arrangement continued for a time, with Rabbi Mendel as the undisputed overall leader, while the three righteous scholars served as his local deputies — guiding the people in the way of G-d and providing advice and wisdom on the various spiritual matters that arose. In time, Rabbi Menachem Mendel sensed that despite his efforts to guide the Chassidic community from afar, some among them had begun seeking Torah guidance from various other righteous figures across Eastern Europe. Some even called for bringing the "Seer" of Lublin from Poland to assume the mantle of leadership over the Russian Chassidic community.

When Rabbi Mendel recognized that this tendency was growing, he resolved to appoint Rabbi Schneur Zalman as the sole leader of the Chassidim in Russia.

The journey to the Gaon of Vilna

After the passing of the Maggid of Mezeritch, the opponents of Chassidism intensified their campaign against the movement. Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk and Rabbi Schneur Zalman traveled to Vilna in 5534 (1774) to meet with the Gaon of Vilna — Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, the most towering rabbinic figure of the age — hoping to convince him that the Chassidim had not departed from the path of Torah, and thereby bring about an end to the opponents' campaign. However, the Gaon of Vilna refused to receive them and left Vilna; he returned only after Rabbi Schneur Zalman and Rabbi Menachem Mendel had departed.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman wrote of this experience:

From the outset we made known our coming and went to the home of the great and pious Gaon to discuss matters with him and remove his grievances against us — when I was there together with the pious Rav, Rabbi Mendel of Horodok, may his memory be for a blessing. He closed the door in our faces twice... and when they pressed him greatly, he departed and traveled out of the city, where he remained until the day of our own departure from the city... and the war of the opponents continued in full force.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel, together with several other disciples of the Maggid who saw that they could not quiet the opponents' campaign, decided to emigrate to the Land of Israel.

Debates with the opponents of Chassidism

Main article: The Great Debate in Minsk (5543)

In the five years during which Rabbi Schneur Zalman served as the general organizer of the Chassidic movement — from the time of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk's ascent to the Holy Land until 5543 (1783) — he conducted a number of formal debates with the leading opponents of Chassidism. For this purpose he traveled specifically to the strongholds of the opposition and demonstrated to them the Chassidim's mastery of the revealed, legal dimension of Torah, as well as the righteousness of their path.

The most prominent of these were the Shklov Debate and the Great Debate in Minsk of 5543 (1783). In their wake, hundreds of young scholars drew closer to Chassidism, and the substantive opposition from the greatest Torah scholars of the opposing camp diminished — as they came to recognize that the leader of the Chassidic movement was a scholar of enormous stature whose every approach was rooted in authentic Jewish faith without any deviation from traditional Jewish practice. What remained was only the political opposition of the extremists among the opponents, who were unwilling to accept that Rabbi Schneur Zalman had decisively prevailed in the debates.

His formal appointment as Rebbe

In 5546 (1786), Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk sent Rabbi Schneur Zalman a special letter informing and demanding of him that the time had come for him to take upon himself the leadership of the Chassidim in Russia and to formally serve as their Rebbe — and not to evade the mission placed upon him. He promised him the blessing of success. He also outlined in the letter the manner in which Rabbi Schneur Zalman should lead the Chassidim.

By that time Rabbi Schneur Zalman was already guiding thousands of Chassidim who depended upon him, and hundreds of brilliant scholars were studying in his study houses. Nevertheless, he was reluctant to formally take upon himself the title of Rebbe, with all the responsibility that entailed. In a letter of reply, Rabbi Schneur Zalman wrote that he trembled to hear that he had been anointed to lead the Chassidim of Russia, and that the burden was heavy upon him — he could not bear it alone. Yet he did not wish to defy his teacher's will. He agreed to accept the role on condition that Rabbi Menachem Mendel recall him in prayer each day and bless him with all the blessings. Rabbi Mendel in turn sent letters to the Chassidim in Russia directing them to accept Rabbi Schneur Zalman's leadership and authority. In an additional letter written in 5548 (1788), a short time before his own passing, Rabbi Mendel sent his final letter formally crowning Rabbi Schneur Zalman as the sole and uncontested leader of the Chassidic community in Russia. Following this, the Chassidic community in Russia accepted Rabbi Schneur Zalman's leadership.

Only after fifteen years following the passing of the Maggid — in 5548 (1788) — did Rabbi Schneur Zalman formally take upon himself to be the Rebbe and guide of the Chassidim.

Encounter with the Enlightenment movement

The proponents of the Jewish Enlightenment (the Haskalah movement, which sought to integrate Jews into broader secular European culture) succeeded in penetrating Vilna, then the greatest center of Torah learning — which was simultaneously the main center of organized opposition to Chassidism. The Torah scholars of Vilna, led by the Gaon of Vilna, looked favorably upon the pursuit of secular studies alongside Torah learning, particularly the study of Hebrew grammar. The Enlightenment advocates exploited this opening to penetrate the upper echelons of Torah scholarship and draw their children toward their own educational path, which led many young men to secular studies in Berlin and from there into full assimilation with the Enlightenment.

A particularly active role in this was played by Shimon Lillienthal (known as "Shimon the Heretic"), who disguised himself as a pious teacher and drew many children into the Enlightenment educational track. Shimon also attempted to reach the Chassidic community, traveling on a long journey through White Russia and even meeting with the Alter Rebbe. He ultimately abandoned his efforts when he witnessed firsthand the depth of the Chassidim's faith and their profound attachment to their Rebbe.

The Book of the Tanya

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Cover of the Tanya

Main article: The Tanya

The Tanya is the foundational book of Chabad Chassidic philosophy and one of the foundational works of the broader Chassidic movement. The book examines the human soul and analyzes the processes that lead to divine service, while providing tools for overcoming the obstacles along the way. It is said that the Alter Rebbe composed the Tanya with answers suited to every generation until the arrival of the Messiah.

In 5532 (1772), after establishing the Chabad approach to Chassidism, the Alter Rebbe began guiding his Chassidim in private one-on-one audiences (yechidus) on matters of divine service. The Chassidim recorded these teachings for themselves, and they were collected into pamphlets that were studied throughout the community. These pamphlets were later published in 5744 (1984) under the title Tanya — First Edition.

In 5535 (1775), the Alter Rebbe began composing the Tanya itself, and over the course of twenty years completed the work — by 5555 (1795), when he finalized it and authorized it to be copied. The opponents of Chassidism (Mitnagdim) feared the book's influence and produced forged copies containing deliberate distortions and heretical additions. When the Alter Rebbe learned of this, he decided to have the book printed officially to prevent further forgeries. In 5556 (1796) he sent the Tanya to the printing house in Slavuta, together with approbations (formal endorsements) from disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch — Rabbi Meshulam Zusya of Anipoli and Rabbi Yehudah Leib HaKohen. The first printed copies of the Tanya arrived from the press on 26 Kislev 5557 (1796).

Initially the book met with resistance even from some Chassidic leaders, due to its strong intellectual dimension; but when it became clear that this had led to an increase in devoted divine service, the opposition ceased and the book was embraced. Today it is considered the most important foundational work of the Chassidic movement, revered across all its branches and studied in Jewish communities worldwide.

The Tanya has several titles: Likkutei Amarim ("Collected Discourses") — the official name given by the Alter Rebbe himself; Sefer Shel Beinonim ("the Book of the Intermediate Person") — after the book's central subject; Tanya — after the opening word of the book; and "the Written Torah of Chassidic teaching" — reflecting the precision of every word in the book, comparable to the Written Torah in the realm of revealed law.

The Tanya is divided into five sections:

1. Likkutei Amarim — the first and primary section.
2. Sha'ar HaYichud VeHaEmunah ("The Gate of Unity and Faith," also called Likkutei Amarim, Part Two) — an intellectual explanation of the oneness of G-d.
3. Iggeret HaTeshuvah ("The Letter of Repentance") — an explanation of the concept and process of repentance (teshuvah — returning to G-d) according to Chassidic teaching.
4. Iggeret HaKodesh ("The Holy Letter") — a collection of thirty-two letters written by the Alter Rebbe.
5. Kuntres Acharon ("The Final Treatise") — the Alter Rebbe's elucidations of several topics discussed in the first section.

Many special merits have been attributed by Chabad Rebbes and other great Jewish leaders to the study of the Tanya, and as a result many people commit passages to memory. The book also exerts a profound influence on Jewish faith — particularly in its explanation of the Baal Shem Tov's innovative teaching on divine providence, the idea that G-d is intimately and constantly involved in every detail of creation. Today the book is considered a foundational work of divine service; Chabad Chassidim study a daily portion of it according to a schedule established by the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, completing the entire book in the course of a year.

Over the years, dozens of commentaries and explanations have been written on the Tanya — some by the Chabad Rebbes themselves and others by Chassidim. As of 5770 (2010), the Tanya has been printed in more than five thousand editions.

His imprisonments

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The Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, where the Alter Rebbe was imprisoned

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 the leader of Chabad Chassidism and the spread of his new approach to divine service, he encountered opposition from two directions: on one side the opponents of Chassidism (Mitnagdim), and on the other side the secular Enlightenment advocates.

In 5559 (1798), the opponents filed a report with the Russian government falsely accusing the Alter Rebbe of collecting money to support the Ottoman Turkish Empire — then at war with Russia — in an effort to undermine Tsarist rule. In reality, the funds were being collected to support the Chassidic community in the Land of Israel. On 24 Tishrei 5559 (1798), the Tsarist government arrested the Alter Rebbe, and he was condemned to death as a rebel against the crown. He spent fifty-three days imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, until he ultimately proved his innocence. On Tuesday, 19 Kislev 5559 (1798), as evening fell, he was released. At the moment the announcement of his release reached him, he was holding a Book of Psalms, open to the verse: "He redeemed my soul in peace."

The day of his release — 19 Kislev — became known as the "Festival of Liberation" among Chabad Chassidim and is celebrated to this day as a holiday.

The Alter Rebbe's imprisonment was intended to have occurred years earlier, but when Rabbi Zusya of Anipoli learned of this, he declared: "Zusya does not want this." The arrest was therefore delayed until 5559 (1798).

On 24 Tishrei 5561 (1800), the Alter Rebbe was imprisoned again, though under better conditions than the first time. The charges against him were more severe, however. He was released from this imprisonment on 27 Kislev (the third night of Hanukkah, the festival of lights) according to one account, or on 29 Kislev (the fifth night of Hanukkah) according to another.

In Liadi

After the Alter Rebbe's second imprisonment, the authorities requested that he reside in St. Petersburg. The Chassidim who did not live in that city were deeply pained by the distance from their Rebbe. At that time the city was governed by Prince Lyubomirsky, who wished to meet the Alter Rebbe. One of the Chassidim told the Prince of the Alter Rebbe's greatness, the reverence thousands of people felt for him, and the Chassidim's distress at the government's decision that the Alter Rebbe must live in St. Petersburg.

When Lyubomirsky and the Alter Rebbe met, the Prince offered that if the Alter Rebbe agreed to settle in one of the towns under his jurisdiction, he would work with the authorities to obtain permission. The Alter Rebbe agreed to settle in the town of Liadi, and the Prince ordered homes to be built there for the Alter Rebbe and his Chassidim.

On Friday, the eve of Shabbat Nachamu, 14 Menachem Av 5561 (1801), the Alter Rebbe arrived with five thousand Chassidim and settled in Liadi. From that time onward, both the Alter Rebbe and his Chassidim found relief from the campaign of the opponents; they lived with a sense of security and tranquility. His broader communal activity spread throughout all of White Russia and Ukraine, and during this period tens of thousands of additional Chassidim joined the movement.

The Napoleonic Wars

Main article: The Napoleonic Wars

When Napoleon's military campaign against the Russian Empire erupted, the Alter Rebbe shared his assessment with his Chassidim: if Napoleon were to win, it was possible that the material conditions of the Jews might improve — but from a spiritual perspective, the spread of heresy and moral abandonment would pose a grave danger. He therefore did everything in his power to assist the Russian military. Immediately after Napoleon's forces invaded Russia on 14 Tammuz 5572 (1812), he dispatched several Chassidim to carry out intelligence missions for the Russian army within the French military command. The most well-known among them was Rabbi Moshe Meizlish.

The Alter Rebbe sent a letter to all the Jews of Russia asking them to stand ready to help the Russian government with their money, their labor, and whatever resources they possessed. He concluded his letter with the words: "And you — let your hearts not be faint, nor pay heed to the enemy's temporary victories, for the final victory shall be on the side of the Tsar of Russia."

The Alter Rebbe was reluctant to leave his place of residence in Liadi during the war, primarily so as not to discourage the Jewish community of White Russia. However, when Napoleon's army advanced rapidly toward Liadi itself, he ordered all the Jewish residents to evacuate the city as quickly as possible. This was on Friday, 29 Menachem Av 5572 (1812), the eve of the new month of Elul. The Alter Rebbe, together with his household and approximately three hundred Chassidic families, fled urgently from Liadi, which faced imminent invasion by Napoleon's forces.

Before the families left their homes, the Alter Rebbe instructed them to take all household items — their beds, tables, and even their fixed prayer lecterns, which they uprooted from the walls. All old items he instructed them to burn. After all the Chassidim had left the city and had already covered a good distance, he sent them back to Liadi to check whether any item or garment had been left behind. To their great surprise, they found a worn-out pair of slippers; the Alter Rebbe instructed them to burn down the entire house in which the slippers were found.

A short time after the Alter Rebbe left Liadi, Napoleon himself arrived there with his troops and hurried to the Alter Rebbe's home. Seeing the house in flames, he ordered his soldiers to extinguish the fire, but the blaze had grown too large and they could not approach. When Napoleon realized that nothing could be salvaged from the Alter Rebbe's home, he turned to the residents of Liadi and asked them to bring him any object that had belonged to the Alter Rebbe — a coin, a particular vessel, anything — and promised enormous payment to whoever brought him something. But nothing was found.

For one hundred and forty days, the Alter Rebbe and the three hundred families traveled a harsh road, accompanied by Russian military escorts, until they arrived at the village of Pyana, where they found rest. When they arrived there, the Chassidic families received the news that the Alter Rebbe's words had come true: Napoleon's army had begun to suffer defeats, and as the Alter Rebbe's son and successor, the Middle Rebbe, later wrote: "And on 19 Kislev we heard that the enemy had suffered a defeat near Krasna and was being driven off like a dog — and we were only joyful, for all had come true; not one word, nor half a word, had failed."

When the Alter Rebbe left the city of Liadi, the seat of the Chabad Chassidic dynasty transferred from Liadi to its new home in the town of Lubavitch, where after approximately a year the Middle Rebbe — the Alter Rebbe's son and the movement's next leader — came to reside.

His passing

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The renovated Ohel (mausoleum) of the Alter Rebbe in Haditch (5754 / 1994)

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The burial chamber of the Alter Rebbe from inside

His final days

On Friday, 8 Tevet 5573 (December 1812), the Alter Rebbe arrived in the village of Pyana, where he learned of the destruction and devastation suffered by the region of White Russia. On Thursday, 21 Tevet 5573 (January 1813), the Alter Rebbe recited his final evening prayer — at great length and with deep inner focus.

His sons would later relate that this prayer was "with a clear and settled mind and wondrous devotion — a state of complete attachment to G-d." Before his passing he said: "Whoever will hold on to my 'handle' — I will do good for him both in this world and in the World to Come."

He also said: "The passage from this world to the World to Come is a simple matter and depends only on the One who transfers the soul. Some linger in this passage for a long time — their guide appears to be of those who delay. Some pass in a few moments — their guide appears to be of those who are trusted messengers. And what is required for a good passing from the body depends on the nature of one's life in the body, and the verse explains this: 'Better is my death than my life' — meaning that the 'good' and the 'life' after death are drawn from the nature of one's physical life while the soul was in the body. And this is the source of my awe."

In the final moments before his passing, the Alter Rebbe wrote on a slip of paper the beginning of a discourse on the lowly soul: "The truly lowly soul in its root — its divine service is Torah in its physical expression."

The Alter Rebbe instructed that the room where he lay be closed, and that only those who wished to pray be admitted. He also instructed that if two Jews who were lax in their religious practice should happen to come to the house, the non-Jewish innkeeper should make every effort to frighten them and bring them to repentance. In exchange for this, the Rebbe promised the innkeeper length of days.

The passing

On the night after Shabbat, the Torah portion of Shemos, 24 Tevet 5573 — immediately after the evening prayer and the Havdalah (the ceremony marking the end of the Sabbath) recited over coffee — at 10:22 in the evening, the Alter Rebbe passed from this world.

His resting place — Haditch

Main articles: The Ohel of the Alter Rebbe and Haditch

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

As the Alter Rebbe was being brought to burial in Haditch, the wagon stopped in the middle of the road. It appeared as though the Alter Rebbe had raised himself and was lying suspended in the air. The escorts were frightened; then they noticed that an unclean animal had entered beneath the wagon. They drove it away, and the Alter Rebbe settled back into his place as before.

The Alter Rebbe was laid to rest in the Jewish cemetery in Haditch, and in later years an ohel (a mausoleum building erected over the grave of a righteous person, to provide a dignified space for prayer and remembrance) was built over the burial site.

After the burial, the Tzemach Tzedek — the Alter Rebbe's grandson and the third Chabad leader — came to live in Haditch, near the holy resting place.

His family

• His daughter, Rebbetzin Freida — married Rabbi Eliyahu Klutzkir.
• His daughter, Rebbetzin Devorah Leah — married Rabbi Shalom Shachna Altschuler.
• His daughter, Rebbetzin Rachel — married Rabbi Avraham Sheines.
• His son, Rabbi Dovber Schneuri — the Middle Rebbe — married Rebbetzin Sheina Schneuri.
• His son, Rabbi Chaim Avraham.
• His son, Rabbi Moshe — married Madam Shifra Schneuri, of the Rivlin family.

His lineage

The lineage of the Alter Rebbe traces back to the Maharal of Prague, who himself traced his ancestry to Rav Hai Gaon, son of Rav Sherira Gaon, son of Rav Chanina Gaon — a family that belonged to the exilarchs (leaders of the Jewish community in Babylonian exile) and through them to the royal line of the Kings of Judah and King David.

The sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, writes that the Alter Rebbe was the son of Rabbi Yisrael Baruch Poizner, son of Rabbi Schneur Zalman Poizner, son of Rabbi Moshe of Pozna, son of Rabbi Yehudah Leib, son of Rabbi Shmuel Charif, son of Rabbi Betzalel Charif — the only son of the Maharal of Prague.

According to the book Beit Rabbi — Rabbi Moshe of Pozna (the great-grandfather of the Alter Rebbe's father) was the son of Rabbi Yehudah of Kavali, who was the son of Rabbi Moshe, who was the son of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh, who was the son of the scholar Rabbi Yosef Yaski, the chief rabbinic judge of the Lublin community (and some say of Lvov), and a son-in-law of the Maharal of Prague. In recent years, researchers have raised questions as to whether the lineage to the Maharal can be established through Rabbi Yehudah of Kavali.

The portrait of the Alter Rebbe

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Portrait of the Alter Rebbe

Main article: The Portrait of the Alter Rebbe

In 5559 (1798–1799), while the Alter Rebbe was imprisoned, he was portrayed by the nobles of St. Petersburg; the portrait shows him at the age corresponding to that period. Knowledge of the portrait's existence became known through a Chassid who overheard, in 5622 (1862), the Tzemach Tzedek — the third Chabad Rebbe — mentioning it to his son the Maharash — the fourth Chabad Rebbe.

It is not known with certainty whether the original portrait was drawn in black pencil — as it appears in all known printed reproductions — or in color. The oldest surviving copy of the original portrait is an early print of the first reproduction, in a large format. It was made by Rabbi Shemarya Schneersohn and is preserved in the Lubavitch Library.

His works

• Igros Kodesh — Admor HaZaken (Sacred Letters of the Alter Rebbe)
• Amira L'Nochri (laws regarding instructing a non-Jew to perform labor on the Sabbath)
• Biurei HaZohar — Admor HaZaken (Explanations of the Zohar, the central work of Kabbalah)
• Hilchos Talmud Torah (Laws of Torah Study)
• Likkutei Torah (Collected Torah Discourses)

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Title page of the first edition of Likkutei Torah, printed in 5608 (1848)

• Mea Shearim (a work on Jewish law)
• Sefer HaMaamarim — Admor HaZaken (Book of Discourses of the Alter Rebbe)
• Siddur Admor HaZaken (the Alter Rebbe's prayer book)
• Sefer HaTanya (the Tanya)
• Piskei HaSiddur (Halachic rulings on the prayer book)
• Kuntres HaRav (a halachic pamphlet)
• She'eilos U'Teshuvos Admor HaZaken (Responsa of the Alter Rebbe)
• She'eilos U'Teshuvos HaRav (Responsa of the Rabbi)
• Shulchan Aruch HaRav (the Alter Rebbe's Code of Jewish Law)
• Torah Or (Torah Is Light — a collection of Chassidic discourses)
• Boneh Yerushalayim (Builder of Jerusalem)
• Maamarei Admor HaZaken — HaKetzarim (Shorter Discourses of the Alter Rebbe)
• Luach Birchos HaNehenin (a table of blessings recited before partaking of various foods and experiences)

His innovations and enactments

Rabbi Schneur Zalman was a trailblazer not only in the realm of Chassidic philosophy but also in Jewish law and custom. Beyond the Shulchan Aruch HaRav that he composed, he introduced ten enactments and innovations:

• The Tanya — a defined path of divine service.
• The text of prayer — a prayer book suitable for all Jewish souls.
• Polished slaughter knives — the requirement to polish slaughter knives on both sides of the blade, ensuring maximum sharpness for ritually valid slaughter.
• Script for sacred writings — a new form of the Hebrew letters used in Torah scrolls, phylacteries (tefillin), and mezuzot, combining the legal tradition (halachah) with the Kabbalistic tradition. The story is told that the Maggid called upon the Alter Rebbe and told him there was a heavenly complaint that the revealed legal tradition and the Kabbalistic tradition disagreed on the precise form of certain letters in sacred writings, and he asked him to compose a script that would reconcile both traditions. Thus this script was created, and the Maggid expressed his satisfaction with it.
• Division of the Talmud — a schedule by which each Chabad community would complete the entire Talmud once a year, distributed among all community members.
• Enactment regarding the ritual immersion pool (mikveh) — a legal solution that facilitates immersion in a natural spring.
• Erev kablan — the sale of chametz (leavened products) before Passover to a non-Jew through the mechanism of a guarantor, ensuring the transaction is legally binding.
• The phylactery knot — a particular method of tying the head phylactery and the hand phylactery.

The ten melodies

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Musical notation of the Four Movements melody from Sefer HaNigunim (the Book of Melodies)

Main article: The Ten Melodies

Chabad Chassidic tradition holds that the Alter Rebbe personally composed ten special sacred melodies (nigunim — wordless Chassidic melodies) to which a unique quality is attributed: they move the one who sings them to awakening, repentance, and a sense of the soul's attachment to G-d. It is customary not to sing these melodies casually, but rather at special appointed times or in moments of particular spiritual receptivity. Five of the ten melodies are definitively identified; the attribution of the remaining five is traditional but subject to some uncertainty.

1. Avinu Malkeinu ("Our Father, our King")
2. Eli Atah ("You are my G-d")
3. Arba Bavos ("Four Movements")
4. Bnei Heichala ("Children of the Palace")
5. Ka'Ayal Ta'arog ("As the deer yearns")
6. Lecha Dodi ("Come, my Beloved" — the Shabbat hymn)
7. Devotional melody for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year)
8. Devotional melody for Shabbat
9. Tze'ena U're'ena ("Go out and see")
10. Kol Dodi ("My Beloved's voice knocks")

See also

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

Further reading

• Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levin, History of Chabad in Tsarist Russia,History of Chabad in Tsarist Russia, Kehot Publication Society, New York, 5770 (2010).
• Shterna Sara Schneersohn (wife of the fifth Chabad Rebbe), The Scroll of His Life — a documentation of the Alter Rebbe's imprisonment and liberation, written by the wife of the fifth Rebbe in her youth and lost for years. In 5700 (1940) it was discovered by her step-nephew, Rabbi Shimshon Dov Yerushalimsky, and delivered to the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe.
• Rabbi Chaim Meir Hillman, Beit Rabbi.
• Mordechai Titlbaum, The Rav of Liadi and the Chabad Movement, 5670 (1910).
• Rabbi Yehoshua Mondshine, Journey to Berdichev.
• Rabbi Schneur Zalman Berger, History of Chabad in St. Petersburg, chapter 4 — The Alter Rebbe in Prison.
• Imprisonment and Liberation — 19 Kislev, special supplement in the weekly Beis Moshiach, issue 207.
• Survey — Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Great Jewish scholars and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav; how the Shulchan Aruch HaRav was received in Lithuanian scholarly circles), Beis Moshiach weekly, issue 1343.
• Rabbi Chanoch Glitzenshtein, Sefer HaToldos — The Alter Rebbe.
• Schneur Zalman Berger, HaTamim (Beis Moshiach) — a series on the Alter Rebbe's leading disciples.
• Rabbi Dov Taverdovitch, Hilchesa KeRav — an explanation of the laws of Shabbat according to the Alter Rebbe's rulings, Kfar Chabad.
• Rabbi Avraham Levi, Kuntres Kesav Chabad — a survey and analysis of the Alter Rebbe's script. Migdal HaEmek, Tevet 5769 (2009).
• HaRishon ("The First"), Toras Chabad L'Bnei HaYeshivos, 5774 (2013).
• Menachem Zigelboim, Istaleik Yakira — the stories of the passing of the Chabad Rebbes, p. 54, 5773 (2013).
• Rabbi Nachum Greenwald, HaRav ("The Rabbi"), 5775 (2015).
• Masanya Engelman, A New Path of a 'New Soul, Kfar Chabad Weekly, issue 1992, p. 20.

External links

• Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, The Rabbi, Author of the Tanya — the Spiritual and Literary Legacy of the Founder of Chabad Chassidism, and the Milestones of His Life
• Ruth Zucker, A Graphological Analysis of the Alter Rebbe's Handwriting
• A Historical Document Regarding the Alter Rebbe's Involvement in the Napoleonic War — Segulah journal
• Menachem Zigelboim, 200 Years Since the Departure from Liadi Under Fire and The King in the Field and the Rebbe Wandering the Roads, Beis Moshiach Weekly, Elul 5772 (2012)
• Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Sichos L'Noar monthly
• The Alter Rebbe's burial site on Google Maps: Photos | Location
• Shaul Silem, The History of the Alter Rebbe, printed as a commemorative booklet for a wedding, 3 Adar II, 5774 (2014)
• Menachem Bronfman, A Special "Interview" with the Alter Rebbe — a Hebrew "translation" of his responses to those who questioned him, at the website Al HaSefer
• 6 Videos about the Alter Rebbe — multimedia segments on the Alter Rebbe at the Chabad.org website
• 'He Merited a Revelation of Elijah': A Rare Letter of the Maggid of Mezeritch about the Alter Rebbe