Chaim Avraham Schneuri
Rabbi Chaim Avraham Schneuri (Elul 5537[1] – 29 Sivan 5608[2]) was a son of the Alter Rebbe, gifted with remarkable perception. He never occupied himself with anything outside of Torah study and divine service, was an exceptionally diligent scholar, and would extend his prayers at great length. He always received every person with a warm and pleasant countenance.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Chaim Avraham was born to the Alter Rebbe in Lyozna. Following the celebration of the bris (circumcision), the Alter Rebbe explained that he had named the child Avraham in honor of his own teacher, Rabbi Avraham the Angel, and in honor of his maternal grandfather, Rabbi Avraham.
When he was three years old he fell dangerously ill. The Alter Rebbe summoned four of his finest students and told them that his teacher Rabbi Avraham the Angel had appeared to him in a dream and asked why he was not praying on behalf of the child who bore his name. The angel told him there was a grievance on the part of the child's maternal great-grandfather, since his name had been incorporated quietly and it was not widely known that the child was named for him. The Alter Rebbe replied that he had acted correctly, since the ruling in Shulchan Aruch is that honor of one's teacher takes precedence over honor of one's father — and this is especially so in the matter of names, where it is known that being called by a name is for the benefit of the soul and its expression in the person who bears it. Nevertheless, once the Alter Rebbe became aware that his maternal grandfather's name had been Chaim Avraham, he gathered his students in order to add the name Chaim.[3]
Rabbi Chaim Avraham was tall in stature and his appearance resembled that of his father the Alter Rebbe. A spirit of grace always rested on his face — Rebbetzin Rivkah related that whenever one looked at Rabbi Chaim Avraham, one's heart felt glad. He was wise and refined, and spoke sparingly.
After the histalkus (passing) of the Alter Rebbe, Chaim Avraham accepted the leadership of his brother the Mitteler Rebbe, and afterward that of the Tzemach Tzedek.
His name appears among the signatories of the approbation to the Tanya, as well as in the introduction to the Shulchan Aruch. The Rebbe explained the precise differences between his signature and those of his brothers, noting among other things that they reflect the fact that Rabbi Chaim Avraham served as a halachic decisor.
He passed away on 29 Sivan 5608 (July 1, 1848) and is buried in Lubavitch.
Family[edit | edit source]
- Son — Rabbi DovBer Schneersohn
- Son — Rabbi Baruch Shmuel Schneersohn, who was a mechutan (in-law) of Rabbi Hillel of Paritch; his son Rabbi Raphael Mordechai married a daughter of Rabbi Hillel
- Daughter — Moras Gita Rachel Ginsburg, second wife of Rabbi Nechemia Birech Ginsburg of Dubrovna, author of the responsa work Divrei Nechemia and addenda to the Shulchan Aruch, who engaged in halachic correspondence with the Tzemach Tzedek and with Rabbi Aizik of Homel
- Daughter — Moras Mussia Hinda Feigelson, wife of Rabbi Schneur Zalman Feigelson[4]
- Daughter — Moras Beila Reiza Schneersohn, wife of Rabbi Baruch, son of his brother the Mitteler Rebbe[5]
Further Reading[edit | edit source]
- The student Dovber Zakles, Sod HaChaim: Toldos HaRaHaK Rabbi Chaim Avraham ben Admur HaZaken (The Secret of Life: A Biography of the Holy Rabbi Chaim Avraham, Son of the Alter Rebbe), in Heichal HaBesht, issue 43, pp. 337–365
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Or 5538.
- ↑ Beis Rebbi, p. 114.
- ↑ So recorded in Otzar Sipurei Chabad; however, in the Sefer HaToldos of the Maharash it is written that the name Chaim was added because the Alter Rebbe wanted the child to have a neshamah (soul) and not become an angel — a play on the word chai (living).
- ↑ The book Toldos Mishpachas HaRav MeLiadi gives his name as Rabbi Zalman Penikelson; however, Sefer HaTze'etzaim records his name as Schneur Zalman and his family name as Feigelson, and notes that this version was conveyed by his grandson, as distinct from what appears in Toldos Mishpachas HaRav MeLiadi.
- ↑ Source for family names: Sefer HaTze'etzaim, pp. 104–105.