Chabadpedia

Moshe Shneuri

Revision as of 11:27, 10 June 2026 by Raphaelwilmowsky (talk | contribs)

Rabbi Moshe Schneuri (Tammuz 5539 / 5544 – before 5630[1]) was a son of the Alter Rebbe and the rabbi of the town of Olle. He was forcibly arrested and subjected to attempts to compel him to convert to Christianity, but escaped from his captors and spent the rest of his days wandering from place to place.

Biography

Early Life

Moshe was born — the youngest of his siblings — to his father the Alter Rebbe and his mother Rebbetzin Sterna in Tammuz 5539 (summer 1779),[2] though other versions give the date as Adar 5540[3] or the year 5544 in Lyozna.[4][5] His bris (circumcision) was performed by a hidden tzaddik (a righteous person who conceals his identity) who called himself "Betzalel the Shepherd," and he was named for his paternal great-great-grandfather, Rabbi Moshe of Pozna.[6] It is told that for the twelve years preceding his birth the Alter Rebbe had lived in a state of ascetic withdrawal.[7]

In his childhood, Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin and Rabbi Baruch of Mezhibuzh visited the Alter Rebbe. Over the course of a conversation lasting several hours they told him that the Chevra Kadisha (a reference here to a select circle of leading tzaddikim) had resolved to place a cherem (rabbinic ban of excommunication) on the Vilna Gaon, and that in seeking heavenly guidance on the matter they had been told that one of those issuing the cherem would need to be exceptionally sharp in Nigleh (conventional Talmudic scholarship) — and so they had come to ask the Alter Rebbe to join them. The Alter Rebbe refused, explaining that excommunication severs the condemned soul from its heavenly root, and that this could cause the Gaon to fall into heresy — which, were it to happen to the Vilna Gaon, would constitute a severe desecration of G‑d's name. In response, Rabbi Shlomo pointed to the young Moshe, who was playing in the room, and said: "He will bring you a desecration of G‑d's name."[8]

At the age of eight Moshe suffered a neurological illness and was taken to St. Petersburg for treatment by leading physicians. At his bar mitzvah, the Alter Rebbe repeated one of the three discourses that appear in the Siddur in the section "Shaar HaTefillin."[9]

His father engaged Rabbi Eliyahu Reuven as his personal tutor.[10] He also studied Russian and French with Rabbi Moshe Meizlish,[11] and additionally learned with his father directly.[12]

On Chanukah 5558 (December 1797) he married Rebbetzin Shifra, daughter of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh of Olle. A few days before the wedding, on 15 Kislev 5558, Moshe was accepted into one of the Chevra Kadisha societies of Lyozna.[13] At the wedding the Alter Rebbe delivered the maamar (Chassidic discourse) beginning with the verse V'eirastich li l'olam — "I will betroth you to Me forever."[14]

As Rabbi of Olle

After his marriage, Rabbi Moshe moved to his father-in-law's home and was appointed rabbi of Olle. He maintained a halachic correspondence with the Tzemach Tzedek.[15]

Rabbi Moshe was blessed with an exceptional memory and would transcribe (chazzer) the Alter Rebbe's maamarim, writing them down from memory. His transcriptions (hanachos — verbatim records of oral discourses) later formed the basis for the published volumes of Maamarei Admur HaZaken. His father held him in particular affection and would say of him: "My son Moshe has outstanding talents; his remarkable memory will never leave him."[16] Rabbi Moshe's appearance resembled that of his father the Alter Rebbe.[17]

Rabbi Moshe lived in considerable material comfort.[18] It is told that he once arrived at his father's home in a carriage drawn by three horses. Upon seeing this, the Alter Rebbe said to him:

"Whom do you trust? In me? — you will not even find the door of my room in Gan Eden (Paradise)."

He then added:

"I have one piece of advice for you: kiss my tzitzis (the fringes of a garment worn as a reminder of the commandments) and engrave its image in your mind — then kan men shpringen fun shpitz fun hechsten dach" — "one can leap from the top of the highest roof."[19]

Rabbi Moshe was also a gifted composer of Chassidic melodies and is counted among the most celebrated composers in Chabad.[20]

During the first arrest of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Moshe wished to travel to St. Petersburg to persuade government ministers to secure his father's release, but was ultimately unable to do so.[21] During the Alter Rebbe's second arrest, Rabbi Moshe joined his father in captivity, where he engaged in lengthy debates with the clergymen and officials present.[21]

From 5570 (1810) onward, Rabbi Moshe became involved in communal affairs together with the Tzemach Tzedek.[22]

In the introduction to the Shulchan Aruch printed for the first time after the Alter Rebbe's histalkus (passing), his name appears among the Alter Rebbe's sons. He likewise signed with them on the introduction to the printing of the Tanya in 5574 (1814), which included the Iggeres HaKodesh added at that time.

 
A hanacha by Rabbi Moshe Schneuri from Sukkos 5567 (1806)

During the Napoleonic War

During Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 5572 (1812), the Alter Rebbe journeyed deep into Russia. Rabbi Moshe and his family did not join the flight; instead they settled in the city of Druya, where French forces were encamped. Drawing on his knowledge of French, Rabbi Moshe cultivated relationships with the French military commanders while simultaneously gathering intelligence against them. When he attempted to reach Shklov, he was captured by French forces, accused of espionage, and sentenced to death — but was ultimately released.[21]

After the war, Rabbi Moshe returned with his family to the town of Olle.[23]

Arrest and the Attempt to Force His Conversion

A short time after the Alter Rebbe's histalkus, Rabbi Moshe accompanied his brother the Mitteler Rebbe to an audience with the Tsar of Russia on the subject of Jewish agricultural settlement. Rabbi Moshe's frank and direct manner of speaking aroused the Tsar's interest, and the Tsar invited him to debate the chief clergyman. The Mitteler Rebbe was uncomfortable with Rabbi Moshe's outspokenness, and after the meeting said to him with concern: "You have forgotten 'Sages, be careful with your words.'"[24] Rabbi Moshe accepted the invitation and entered into a debate with the clergymen that lasted over a year — a debate he won. The Christians, unable to bear the humiliation, falsely claimed victory, forcibly imprisoned Rabbi Moshe in the city of Vyazma, and subsequently brought him to a monastery,[25] where they coerced him into signing a document declaring his intention to convert.

Rebbetzin Sterna and his brothers wrote to the Tsar informing him that Rabbi Moshe had been forced under coercion to sign the conversion document. The Tsar refused their appeal, claiming that he had signed of his own free will.[26]

On 19 Kislev 5576 (December 1, 1815) — the Chabad festival celebrating the release of the Alter Rebbe from his first imprisonment — while Rabbi Moshe and his captors were traveling by wagon, his captors fell asleep. He leapt from the wagon and escaped. Fearing recapture, he spent the rest of his life wandering under a concealed identity.[27]

Years of Wandering

After his escape, Rabbi Moshe wandered through the cities of Poland, moving from town to town. He would roam the forests and enter towns only to collect the bare minimum needed to sustain himself, refusing to accept more than that under any circumstances. He would sleep in the attic of the beis medrash (house of study and prayer), placing a stone under his head and tying his feet with a rope. He would sit in the beis medrash with his tallis covering his face; on one occasion, when he uncovered his face during a conversation with a fellow Jew, the man was overcome with awe and fear at the sight of his countenance.[28]

He was generally found in the region of Kyiv and Zhitomir. He was also seen several times in Cherkasy at the home of Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael of Cherkasy, and in Chernobyl at the home of the holy Rabbi Aharon of Chernobyl.[17]

During the nesius (leadership tenure) of the Maharash, Rabbi Moshe appeared in Lubavitch for several days, visited the Rebbe and members of the family, and departed — his identity becoming known to the townspeople only after he had left. At that time he appeared as an elderly Chabad chassid.[29]

Throughout his wandering years he ate dried rusks daily — grain rusks on weekdays and wheat rusks on Shabbos. Twice a week he would collect charity, using the money to purchase firewood for women recovering from childbirth. He never received an aliyah (being called up to the Torah reading), with a single exception: once on Yom Kippur in the last year of his life. His identity was unknown to virtually everyone, except for a handful of individuals who recognized him by his appearance as the Alter Rebbe's son.[4]

He passed away during his wanderings and was buried in the city of Radomyshl.

Rabbi Tzvi Chaikin, in a letter to the Maharash dated 20 Adar 5637 (March 6, 1877), wrote that six years earlier a rabbi who had been present at the time of Rabbi Moshe's passing had himself died. This places Rabbi Moshe's death no later than the winter of 5631 (1870–71).Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

Shortly before his passing, when asked what should be inscribed on his gravestone, he replied that they should write simply: "Here lies Moshe."[4]

The Recovery of His Story

For many years the story of Rabbi Moshe's life remained unknown. The book Beis Rebbi avoided engaging with the account of his arrest and focused instead on his wandering years. In 5636 (1876), the chassid Rabbi Tzvi Chaikin sent a letter to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, grandson of the Tzemach Tzedek, recounting Rabbi Moshe's wanderings based on the testimonies of eyewitnesses. A further letter about Rabbi Moshe was sent by Rabbi Tzvi in 5637 (1877) to the Maharash.[30]

In 5668 (1908), the Rebbe Rayatz met an elderly chassid who had known Rabbi Moshe during his years of wandering, and heard a number of stories from him.[4]

At the founding of the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva network, the Rebbe Rayatz told the rabbi of Postov that the time had come for the story of Moshe to be revealed, and showed him eleven manuscript booklets of Chassidic teachings by Rabbi Moshe, adding that no one knew anything of their existence.[31]

It is told[32] that when Rabbi Schneur Zalman Gurarie said to the Rebbe Rayatz that it was traditionally believed that Rabbi Moshe had done teshuvah (repentance) in his final years, the Rebbe Rayatz responded that there was nothing for him to repent — he had been a complete tzaddik (righteous person).[33]

Family

Further Reading

 
Cover of the book Toldos Rabbi Moshe ben Admur HaZaken
  • Rabbi Eliyahu Matusov, Toldos Rabbi Moshe ben Admur HaZaken (Biography of Rabbi Moshe Son of the Alter Rebbe), New York, 5776 (2016)

External Links

Notes

  1. ↑ According to one version he passed away in Sivan 5638 (Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz, letter 1,881 — 9 Cheshvan 5703).
  2. ↑ Sefer HaSichos of the Rebbe Rayatz, discourse of 27 Sivan, §6.
  3. ↑ Divrei Yemei Chaim Admur HaZaken, p. 50, note 26.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz, vol. 7, p. 16.
  5. ↑ There is also a version placing his birth in 5549 (Bataon Chabad, Shevat 5733, issue 19–20, p. 40, note 26).
  6. ↑ Divrei Yemei Chaim K"K Admur HaZaken, p. 51.
  7. ↑ Migdal Oz, Rabbi Yehoshua Mondshine, in the section Maaseh Avosai, §41.
  8. ↑ Based on Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz, vol. 14, p. 166, and the chronicle of the Alter Rebbe's life. The Rebbe Rayatz's chronicle records that the Alter Rebbe responded to Rabbi Shlomo's sharp words: "G‑d will not hear it, and salvation belongs to G‑d" (see Otzar Sipurei Chabad, vol. 4, p. 298). According to another version (cited in the book Lemaan Yeid'u Banim Yivaledu, p. 258), Rabbi Shlomo spoke in general terms, saying that "the Alter Rebbe's descendants will bring him a desecration of G‑d's name," to which the Alter Rebbe replied that even if so, he was assured that it would not occur in his lifetime, and that they would do teshuvah. See also Nitzotzei Ohr (Weingarten), p. 172, §139, and note 173 there, and note 36 below.
  9. ↑ Sefer HaSichos 5696, p. 113.
  10. ↑ Sefer HaSichos 5700, p. 54.
  11. ↑ Divrei Yemei Chaim Admur HaZaken, p. 157.
  12. ↑ Sefer HaSichos 5700, p. 158.
  13. ↑ From the register of the Chevra Kadisha of the city of Lyozna.
  14. ↑ Printed in Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar, 8b.
  15. ↑ Responsa of the Tzemach Tzedek, Even HaEzer, §144.
  16. ↑ Sefer HaToldos Admur HaZaken, vol. 3, p. 744.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Beis Rebbi, 57a.
  18. ↑ Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz, vol. 4, p. 167.
  19. ↑ Reshimos HaYoman, p. 202. The editors note there as a possibility that this may have been a bestowal of spiritual power enabling Rabbi Moshe to later escape from the monastery, as described below.
  20. ↑ Introduction to Sefer HaNigunim, p. 9.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "Divrei Yemei Chaim Admur HaZaken," pp. 49–51.
  22. ↑ Shalshalas HaYachas, ch. 3.
  23. ↑ Ateres Malchus, p. 21.
  24. ↑ Reshimos Admur Shlita, Reshimos HaYoman — 5691, pp. 212–213.
  25. ↑ Reshimos HaYoman, ibid., p. 213.
  26. ↑ See the book Ein Tachas Ayin by Rabbi Eliyahu Matusov for a full account of the above.
  27. ↑ See Reshimos HaYoman, ibid., p. 212; and Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz, vol. 7, letter 1,881, pp. 15–16.
  28. ↑ Migdal Oz — see sources cited there at length.
  29. ↑ From the stories of Rabbi DovBer Chaskind, in a teshura for the Sverdlov-Chaskind wedding, 5767 (2007). In Reshimos HaYoman from 5691 (p. 213), the Rebbe writes that "once Rabbi Moshe came to Lubavitch." See also Nitzotzei Ohr (Weingarten), p. 172, where it is recorded that when Rabbi Moshe was in Lubavitch with the Maharash, the Maharash called his wife the Rebbetzin so that Rabbi Moshe could bless her. See there also in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak Hendel [rabbi of the Chabad community in Montreal] that in his youth in Poland he knew elderly Jews who had known Rabbi Moshe personally.
  30. ↑ The letters appear in the book Toldos Rabbi Moshe ben Admur HaZaken, p. 132ff.; and in Ohalei Lubavitch, issue 2, Nissan–Iyar 5755, p. 55ff.
  31. ↑ Rabbi Yehoshua Mondshine, Migdal Oz. See also note 33 below.
  32. ↑ Otzar HaChassidim, New York, in the entry by Rabbi Schneur Zalman Gurarie; and in the discourse of the Rebbe Rayatz cited in the following note.
  33. ↑ In Nitzotzei Ohr (Weingarten), p. 106, a different version is cited from a discourse of the Rebbe Rayatz on Rosh Hashana 5697 or 5696: "He [the Rebbe Rayatz] told [the story] of Rabbi Moshe son of the Alter Rebbe. Rabbi Schneur Zalman Gurarie asked: 'Hot er teshuvah geton?' [Did he do teshuvah?] The Rebbe Rayatz replied: 'Chalilah. Er hot nisht gehat oyf vos teshuvah tzu ton. Er iz geven tzaddik gomur' [G‑d forbid. He had nothing to repent. He was a complete tzaddik]. He also said that he possessed eleven manuscript booklets of Chassidic teachings from him in handwriting. 'Oyf zyns a vort rekhent men zikh in Chassidus' (another version: 'boyt men in dach') [A single statement of his is a major source in Chassidic teaching]. And he related that the Alter Rebbe said of him: 'Er shreibt vi ikh zogt un meint' [He writes exactly as I say and intend]."
  34. ↑ David Tidhar (ed.), "Chaim Tzvi Schneersohn," Encyclopaedia LeHalutzei HaYishuv uVonav, vol. 1 (1947), p. 38; Avraham Yaari, Shelichei Eretz Yisrael, pp. 816–819; Yisrael Klausner, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Schneersohn: MiMevasrei Medinat Yisrael, Mossad HaRav Kook, Jerusalem, 5733 (1973).
  35. ↑ Sefer HaTze'etzaim, p. 142.
  36. ↑ Entry 28 in Sefer HaTze'etzaim.
Retrieved from "https://chabadpedia.com/index.php?title=Moshe_Shneuri&oldid=16161"