Yisroel Aryeh Leib Schneerson

The chossid Israel Aryeh Leib Schneerson (Schneersohn. Called Leibel, and also used the name Mordechai Gurary; 21 Iyar 5666 [1906] - 13 Iyar 5712 [1952]). He was the Rebbe's brother, the son of the Gaon and Kabbalist Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson.

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Life History edit

Birth and Childhood edit

Israel Aryeh Leib was born on 21 Iyar 5666 [1906] in the city of Nikolayev, as the youngest son of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson. He was named "Israel Aryeh Leib" after his uncle (his mother's brother), Rabbi Israel Leib Yanovsky, who passed away in his youth, and his great-grandfather, Rabbi Israel Leib Yanovsky, the Rosh Yeshiva in Romanovka, Kherson. He was known by the name Leibel.

In his childhood, exceptional talents were evident in him; he was self-taught, profound, with a brilliant memory and a diligent scholar with great perseverance.

In the children's newspaper "HaAch" published during that period by Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim, Israel Aryeh Leib's name appears together with his brothers, the Rebbe and Dovber, as donors for the students of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim. When he was three years old, he was already reciting Mishnayos by heart. Many times his mother had to pull him away from learning so that he would eat, drink, etc. On one occasion, his father R' Levi Yitzchak said about him: "He has the mind of the Tzemach Tzedek." Initially, the child studied in the local Talmud Torah, together with other children, and at a certain stage his father hired a private melamed for his children.

In 1915, his grandfather, Rabbi Baruch Shneur Zalman Schneerson, told the Rebbe Rashab about Israel Aryeh Leib: "My son Levi'k has a young son who is like a prodigy, who is knowledgeable in Gemara and Midrash and can study well." The Rebbe Rashab asked: "How old is he?" and the grandfather replied: "With Hashem's help, before Shavuot he will be nine years old."

Rabbi Yoel Cohen, who knew him in Tel Aviv, used to tell that when R' Levi Yitzchak, the Rebbe, and Israel Aryeh Leib would talk, R' Levi Yitzchak would speak in the letters and style of Kabbalah, the Rebbe in the letters and style of Chassidus, and Israel Aryeh Leib in the style of philosophical inquiry.

He also relates that Israel Aryeh Leib used to take a matchbox and say, what comes here from Atzmut, what comes here from Atzilus, and so forth.

His Youth edit

During the Nine Days from Rosh Chodesh Av until Tisha B'Av, he would complete a Gemara tractate each day that he had studied the previous night. Once, a heated discussion arose among family members about the Kabbalistic concepts of M"AH and B"AN. The debate continued for several months, during which Israel Aryeh Leib said that the entire discussion was merely about the concepts of M"AH and B"AN, but the essence of M"AH and B"AN was a different matter, and he provided an explanation of these concepts based on philosophical inquiry.

With the Rebbe Rayatz edit

In 5684 (1924), after the Rebbe Rayatz moved to live in Petersburg, Yisrael Aryeh Leib moved to live in the city and for a period lived near the house of the Rebbe Rayatz, together with his brother (the Rebbe, leader of our generation). The Rebbe Rayatz drew him very close, and he would enter for private audiences with him from time to time. During one of these private audiences, he asked the Rebbe Rayatz a question about Chassidic teachings, but the Rebbe refrained from answering it, saying that it was not relevant to him. He left the audience broken and burst into tears. After some time, he entered for a second audience and did not ask his previous question, and the Rebbe Rayatz turned to him on his own initiative and answered his question. Upon leaving the audience, Yisrael Aryeh Leib explained to the Chassidim that in order to receive the explanation, he needed to have a "broken heart," and that was why the Rebbe Rayatz initially refrained from answering him.

Reb Leibel (as he was nicknamed) became friends and regularly conversed with Chabad Chassidim in Leningrad, and they would consult with him on various Jewish matters. Yeshiva students from that period remember that he was knowledgeable in all of the "Hemshech 5666" of the Rebbe Rashab. During that time, he also enrolled in regular studies at the university and simultaneously helped the Chabad organization "Tiferes Bachurim" to organize Torah classes for students and young married men.

On the night of 5 Teves 5689 (1928), the Rebbe Rayatz told his son-in-law, the Rebbe, about a night vision in which he merited to hear Chassidic teachings from the Rebbe Rashab together with Yisrael Aryeh Leib.

In 5690 (1930), he left the Soviet Union and moved to Berlin, Germany. He crossed the border with a passport under the name "Mordechai (Mitya) Gurary," who was a Chabad young man from Dnepropetrovsk who had drowned in the Dnieper River. From then until the end of his days, he called himself "Mordechai Gurary." While in Berlin, he became ill with typhus, and the Rebbe and Rebbetzin, who were in Berlin at the time, gave him a bed in their small apartment and cared for him until he recovered.

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

During that period, he moved to Paris, France, where his brother, the Rebbe, lived. After a short time, he decided to immigrate to the land of Israel, and for this he needed documents from Germany, where he had stayed before, but in Germany there was already a Nazi regime. His sister-in-law, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, volunteered with self-sacrifice to go to Germany and from there she arranged to obtain the required documents for him from the Nazi government offices.

In recently discovered letters that the Rebbe wrote to his father and mother, the Rebbe writes about his condition, and also about attempts to find a match for him.

In the Land of Israel edit

In 5695 (1935), he immigrated to the land of Israel and lived in the city of Tel Aviv, where Yisrael Aryeh Leib worked as a clerk and librarian in the municipal library. Later, he opened a clothing store (at 3 Nachalat Binyamin Street), and some say it was a bookstore. According to another version: during these years he began working at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot and was considered the first scientist at the Weizmann Institute.

On 30 Av 5699 (1939), he married Mrs. Genia Roitman (born on 25 Elul 5670 (1910) to Tzvi Hirsch Meir and Sarah Milgrom from Lodz, which was at that time under Russian rule. Her parents were murdered in the Holocaust in the Lodz Ghetto). Genia worked as a pharmacist in a pharmacy in Tel Aviv.

The news about this reached his parents while they were in Chialy and caused them great joy.

During his stay in Tel Aviv, Yisrael Aryeh Leib would occasionally attend farbrengens of Chabad Chassidim at the Nachalat Binyamin synagogue in Tel Aviv and was in contact with them. He also studied Chassidus in a weekly chavrusa with the mashpia Rabbi Nachum Goldschmidt, whom he knew from his childhood in the cheder in Yekaterinoslav, and with Rabbi Pinchas Althaus, whom he knew from his childhood in Nikolayev. Before moving to England, he approached Rabbi Nachum Goldschmidt and asked him to work toward having the Rebbe appointed as Rebbe.

In 5703 (1943), when the Rebbe published the Hayom Yom calendar, he sent one copy to his brother Yisrael Aryeh Leib. After looking through the book, he was very happy and said with excitement: "My brother sent me his first composition. It's a great pity that the world doesn't know what is hidden-concealed within this composition." On another occasion, he said about the "Hayom Yom": "I always knew that my brother has a 'good head,' but to such an extent!"

On 20 Cheshvan 5705 (1944), their only daughter, Dalia, was born to them.

After his passing, the Rebbe worked extensively on her behalf, and when she came to New York, she even stayed on the third floor of the Rebbe's house at 1304 President Street.

On 13 Shevat 5710 (1950), he sent a telegram of condolence to the Rebbe's house on the passing of the Rebbe Rayatz.

His Part in Developing the Atom edit

The Frierdiker Rebbe and the Rebbe Provide Financial Support edit

At the beginning of 5708 (1948), he planned to move to England to study at the University of Liverpool. The Frierdiker Rebbe (Rayatz), in a letter from Kislev 5708, blessed him and even agreed to take part in the expenses through a loan that would be transferred through Rabbi Moshe Gurary of Tel Aviv.

During that period, the Rebbe sent him money through Rabbi Moshe Gurary of Tel Aviv, and his brother Rabbi Shneur Zalman Gurary of Crown Heights, as evidenced by a letter to Rabbi Moshe Gurary: "14 Tammuz 5708... I received your letter from 11 Sivan... You delivered to my brother 50 pounds according to my telegram, and afterward I asked your brother Rabbi Shneur Zalman Gurary to write to you requesting to give my brother the same amount again [another 50 pounds for Israel Aryeh Leib]. Surely you have already fulfilled my request. Please let me know how much I should give to Rabbi Shneur Zalman to complete all the above-mentioned."

Different Versions of the Purpose of the Trip to England edit

The plan did not materialize, and about two years later he traveled to England - in the month of Iyar 5710 (1950), with the help of Mr. Shazar (Minister of Education at that time), he traveled to England to complete his studies. On the 21st of Iyar, he arrived in London and continued to the University in Liverpool. This is described in several versions:

In a forum on Chadrei Chareidim published in 5771 (2011), it was stated that Israel Aryeh Leib was the head of the Israeli nuclear program: "He was one of the leaders of Israel's nuclear program, and for this purpose he stayed in England."

On the Geulah website, it was published in 5776 (2016): Israel Aryeh Leib was sent to study in England with other Jews, to establish a pool of nuclear scientists in order to later begin producing atomic weapons to defend the Holy Land.

Rabbi Yosef Ashkenazi published in 5777 (2017) in the book "Rabbi Ashkenazi": "His friend Rabbi Nachum Goldschmidt related: Knesset member Yona Kesse knew R' Leibel well from Yekatrinoslav, he told Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion about R' Leibel's genius, suggesting that the state send him abroad to study sciences, and the knowledge he would acquire would be used upon his return to elevate the level and importance of these fields in Israel. The university decided to accept him and grant him a scholarship. The State of Israel for its part funded his plane ticket."

Rabbi Eliyahu Shveicha published in 5780 (2020) a different version: His childhood friend, Knesset member Yona Kesse, met him one day on the street in Tel Aviv and asked how he was managing with his work. In response, Israel Aryeh Leib lowered his gaze, and with unusual but characteristic modesty, said that he had sent a paper on nuclear physics to the British Atomic Energy Commission, and based on the paper alone, they were inviting him there. He indeed traveled there and was accepted to be a scientist and member of this important committee. Yona Kesse noted with amazement the modesty with which Israel Aryeh Leib related this, and that he had to "extract" this information from him. He also noted the fact that even though Israel Aryeh Leib had not studied these subjects, he succeeded in writing a paper on the topic and was accepted to the committee based on the paper alone.

An additional version was published by Rabbi Moshe Ornstein, head of the Chabad Yeshiva in Netanya in 5783 (2023) - in the weekly Beit Moshiach, the weekly Kfar Chabad, and on the websites Chabad Info and Chabad Online, excerpts from a journal and recording of Yeshayahu Shar who was in his youth a frequent guest in the home of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson and a friend of the sons, including the Rebbe and Israel Aryeh Leib. From the new material, and from information published in Toldot Levi Yitzchak, Igrot Kodesh, and Teshurah Naki 5780, new details emerge about Israel Aryeh Leib's niggun (melody) (see below), and also that apparently Israel Aryeh Leib's trip to England was connected to Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion's aspiration to produce an atomic bomb. From the new details, it appears that Israel Aryeh Leib was the first scientist who worked at the Weizmann Institute of Science on the outskirts of the city of Rehovot, and that his aliyah to Eretz Yisrael was for this purpose. He was invited by the Weizmann Institute to join its first workforce. Mr. Yeshayahu Shar recounted in 1969 that Israel Aryeh Leib was "one of the important figures whom Ben-Gurion sent to England in connection with the atom." In light of the new revelations and Mr. Shar's testimony, it is reasonable to assume that the aforementioned article Israel Aryeh Leib sent to the British Atomic Energy Commission was a cover story for the real matter: Israel's security and the development of its nuclear capabilities.

He stayed in England for only about two years and passed away due to cardiological issues. Today it is not known on behalf of which security body he operated and what information he transmitted on the subject of the atom. Much remains hidden. His role at the Weizmann Institute also remains ambiguous, and it is not known in what framework he operated. It is possible that the secretive roles caused the heavy fog surrounding his activities.

His Scientific Work edit

His scientific work in mathematics was submitted by the Rebbe to Professor Pesach Rosenbloom from Minnesota to prepare it for publication, which was indeed published by him, though without knowing the identity of the author. During the farbrengen of 10 Shevat 5735 (1975), between the talks when the professor approached the Rebbe with the composition, the Rebbe revealed to him that it was his brother's writings who had passed away. Among other things, the Rebbe told him that R' Yisrael Aryeh Leib loved to write things based on his own understanding, being independent in his thinking, and only afterward would he look for sources for his words.

After the publication of the work, the Rebbe sent a letter to Professor Rosenbloom in which he wrote (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 preparing my late brother's manuscript for publication. Although its content is not exactly my field, the effort and dedication you invested are very evident. I would like to thank you also for the future - your continued work on this matter, to print it in the proper way as this is your profession."

In 5781 (2021), additional notebooks of Yisrael Aryeh Leib with mathematical compositions were discovered and transferred to a team of researchers to decipher them.

His Passing edit

After a period during which he fell ill several times, on the 13th of Iyar 5712 (1952), he passed away in Liverpool from a heart attack, at the age of forty-three.

His Burial edit

On the day of his passing, Chabad chassidim in England received a telegram from the Rebbe which stated "My brother in Liverpool passed away," and the Rebbe requested that they take care of all the necessary arrangements (tahara, funeral, etc.) and he would take care of paying the expenses. Initially, the Rebbe wanted to travel to England himself to participate in the funeral, but due to the commotion this would create, causing publicity that would reach the ears of his mother, Rebbetzin Chana - from whom the Rebbe asked to hide the news of the passing because of her age and the suffering she had experienced - he canceled his plans.

After his passing, the Rebbe instructed Rabbi Bentzion Shemtov to handle the funeral arrangements and transfer to the Holy Land.

The students from the Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva in Manchester were sent to assist with the tahara, and the group included Rabbi Yitzchak Dubov, Rabbi Bentzion Shemtov, Shalom Dovber Gurkov and his brother Shmuel David Gurkov, Avraham Shemtov, and Shalom Dovber Potrfas. After completing the tahara, a funeral was held in Liverpool, from where the coffin was transported to Manchester in a vehicle designated for transporting coffins. On Friday evening, it arrived in London where it remained during Shabbat at the Gurkov family home, where the Chabad minyan was also held. Throughout Shabbat, guards were posted to watch over the coffin until the time of transferring it to the ship, when a large and respected funeral was held in which all Anash in London participated.

When the coffin arrived in Marseille, France, another large funeral was held in which Anash from Paris participated. From there, the coffin continued on its route to Petri, and from there by ship it continued on its way to the Holy Land.

Transferring His Coffin to the Holy Land edit

The Rebbe sent a telegram to members of Agudas Chasidei Chabad in the Holy Land who lived in Tel Aviv to receive the coffin that was supposed to arrive at Haifa port and to handle the burial. On the day of arrival, members of Agudas Chasidei Chabad traveled to receive the coffin, including: Rabbi Pinchas Althaus, Rabbi Eliezer Krasik, Rabbi Moshe Gurarya, and the truck driver Baruch Gofin. Several Chabad chasidim from Kfar Chabad also joined them. The coffin, which was made of iron, was transferred by a crane from the ship to the truck, and from there they traveled to the ancient cemetery in Safed, where the local Chevra Kadisha members were already present, handling the burial matters, along with a minyan of Chabad chasidim. The Rebbe sent detailed instructions to Rabbi Moshe Gurarya on how to proceed regarding tahara for burial, etc., more than 30 points (apparently).

A few days after the burial, the Rebbe sent letters of thanks to those who took care of it, including: Rabbi Yitzchak Dubov, Rabbi Ben Zion Shem Tov, Rabbi Eliezer Krasik, and Rabbi Pinchas Althaus.

And thus the burial is described in the book "Eved Avraham Anochi": On the 20th of Iyar, the Rebbe sent instructions regarding this to Rabbi Krasik, chairman of Agudas Chasidei Chabad: "I sent to your honor today a telegram about the funeral. And I will wait for a detailed letter about what was done in this matter, and Hashem Yisborach will help us, that we should use one another for good and joyous things, always all the days."

About the funeral and burial, Rabbi Krasik wrote to the Rebbe on Motzei Shabbos Beha'alotcha [the night of the 15th of Sivan] 5712:

"At approximately eight in the morning, a number of us came to Haifa and this was almost exactly at the time when the ship came to Haifa. And we began to take care of lowering the coffin and during this time the Tmimim and Anash already arrived, approximately six minyanim from Tel Aviv, Safaria, Lod, and Jerusalem, and close to two o'clock we already placed the coffin on the car and immediately traveled to Safed. In Safed, the grave was already prepared and only needed some adjustments, and close to five o'clock we already removed the body from the coffin and placed it in the grave, and the golel was sealed."

In a letter from the 3rd of Sivan, the Rebbe thanked the management of Agudas Chasidei Chabad in the Holy Land for their assistance with the funeral: "And for this I have come and for the main thing – to thank from the depth of a deep heart for arranging the funeral of my brother z"l properly, and may it be His will that from here on we should use one another only for happy and healthy matters."

The Rebbe Says Kaddish edit

Yisrael Aryeh Leib did not leave anyone who could say Kaddish after him, and the Rebbe said Kaddish for him during the three daily prayers on his yahrzeit.

Concealing from His Mother edit

The Rebbe took care to conceal the fact of Yisrael Aryeh Leib's passing from his mother, Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, so that her health condition would not deteriorate when she learned of her son's passing. During the days of shiva, the Rebbe continued to visit her daily and even wrote letters in the name of his brother and sent them by mail from the sender 'Yisrael Aryeh Leib' to his mother. This procedure continued until the day of her passing, the 6th of Tishrei, 5725 (1964).

Going to the Grave edit

Chabad Chassidim visiting Israel Aryeh Leib's grave on his yahrzeit (Iyar 5769/2009)

The Rebbe's response to Chabad Chassidim in Tzfat who visited Israel Aryeh Leib's grave. Decoding of the handwriting: (The secretary wrote): "Rabbi Levi Bistritzky of Tzfat requested to inform that today, 13 Iyar, most of Anash from Tzfat visited the cemetery, recited Tehillim and gave tzedakah on the occasion of the yahrzeit of 13 Iyar." After the words "requested to inform," the Rebbe wrote: "Many thanks, many thanks." At the end of the note, the Rebbe wrote: "May it be G-d's will that all the prayers be accepted among the prayers of all the Jewish people, 'and may everything be accomplished.'"

Starting from the year 5730/1970, Chabad Chassidim have been visiting the gravesite of R' Israel Aryeh Leib on his yahrzeit. In 5765/2005, the Hisachdus HaChassidim organization began arranging convenient access for visitors as well as a central prayer gathering. On the yahrzeit in 5783/2023, tens of thousands of people visited the grave and the farbrengen area established by Hisachdus HaChassidim.

To the student shluchim of Yeshivas Toras Emes, Jerusalem who visited the grave (and studied the maamar published for 13 Iyar) on the yahrzeit in 5750/1990, the Rebbe replied: "Received with many thanks and may your minds be at ease, etc. It is an auspicious time - Pesach Sheni, Lag BaOmer. I will mention you at the holy gravesite."

When Rabbi Levi Bistritzky, the rabbi of Tzfat, reported to the Rebbe that Chabad Chassidim in Tzfat visited Israel Aryeh Leib's grave on his yahrzeit, recited Tehillim and gave tzedakah, the Rebbe answered: "Many thanks, many thanks... May it be G-d's will that all the prayers be accepted among the prayers of all the Jewish people, 'and may everything be accomplished.'"

Concern for the Condition of the Grave edit

The headstone is placed horizontally in an unusual manner. Regarding this, Rabbi Pinchas Althaus wrote to the Rebbe on 21 and 22 Elul 5714/1954, and this was the Rebbe's response on 4 Tishrei 5715/1954:

"And regarding what you write that it was erected along the length of the body rather than at the head, if there are other headstones there in such a manner, it should be left as is, but if not, one should not deviate from what is customary in this cemetery, and if there is no alternative, a new headstone should be made and erected like the other headstones. But my mind is put at ease by your writing that many headstones in Tzfat are placed in this manner..." — Igros Kodesh Vol. 10, Letter 2967

The Rebbe personally took care over the years regarding the condition of the grave, and sometimes would ask visitors if there were things that needed repair.

On the 11th of Av 5731 (1971), before Rabbi Yitzchak David Groner's trip, he was asked to come to the Rebbe's room, and among other things, the Rebbe asked him where he would be around the 20th of Menachem Av. When he answered that he would be in Eretz Israel, the Rebbe said to him tearfully: "I have a brother who lies in Tiberias; you should go there and see if the tombstone needs repair, and you should place a note there." Rabbi Groner indeed visited the grave on the 20th of Menachem Av and placed a letter on it in which he requested that the Rebbe be healthy and lead the Jewish people to redemption, that the "Who is a Jew" decree be nullified, and that the Rebbe's wishes be fulfilled. When he returned, he wrote a detailed report to the Rebbe.

In the summer of 5733 (1973), the Rebbe wrote in response to Rabbi David Raskin's report of his visit to the Holy Land: "Does my brother's tombstone need any repair?"

His Commemoration edit

Many Chassidim name their sons after him, and there were some whom the Rebbe thanked for this [source needed].

Mr. Yaakov Cohen, who served as the mayor of Kiryat Ono, was one of his close friends and decided to commemorate his memory by establishing a Talmud Torah in his city named after him. He told this to the Rebbe during his yechidus (private audience), and as the cornerstone laying ceremony approached, which was held on Lag B'Omer 5724 (1964), he asked the Rebbe to send a representative to the event. The Rebbe sent Rabbi Shmuel Chefer to the event, explaining that his father-in-law, Rabbi Chaim Yosef Rosenblum, knew Israel Aryeh Leib during his stay in Russia and later in the Holy Land, and he was the most suitable from all perspectives to participate in the event. In a letter to Rabbi Chefer, the Rebbe wrote that they would surely honor him to speak at the event and he should use this in the appropriate direction.

In his memory, gemach (free loan) funds named 'Keren Israel Aryeh Leib' were established in Crown Heights and in Tzfat.

In his memory, the RIAL Institute (an acronym of his first name) was established under the direction of Rabbi Professor Shimon Silman, a mathematics expert and professional faculty member of Touro College in New York. The organization operates a special research fund and holds an annual Jewish science conference, dealing with the tangible expression in various fields of science of the process of redemption.

In Kfar Chabad, there is a synagogue bearing his name.

Words of the Rebbe About His Brother edit

According to the Rebbe's instructions, the following titles were written on his tombstone and in the dedication on the back cover of the Dvar Malchut collection #12 (pamphlet) which the Rebbe distributed: "The veteran and Chassid, G-d-fearing man, trustworthy with excellent character traits, etc."

In the years 5721, 5725, 5738, 5745, 5747 (1961, 1965, 1978, 1985, 1987), the Rebbe delivered Chassidic discourses specifically for the yahrtzeit of his brother.

Several times the Rebbe explained the meaning of his names ("Yisrael," "Aryeh," and "Leib") and the instructions for divine service learned from them: in talks on Shabbat Parshat Acharei-Kedoshim, 13 Iyar 5745, Pesach Sheni 5747, and Shabbat Parshat Acharei-Kedoshim, 13 Iyar 5751. In the last talk, the Rebbe explained:

Yisrael - an acronym for "Yesh Shishim Ribbo Aotiyot LaTorah" (There are 600,000 letters in the Torah) corresponding to the 600,000 souls that exist within the Jewish people. The lesson from this is to remember that the source of every Jew's vitality is from the Torah, and one must conduct oneself according to its instructions.
Aryeh - expresses strength and confrontation. The lesson learned is based on the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot: "Be... strong as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven" - to overcome difficulties that interfere with the divine servant on his path.
Leib - the Yiddish translation of the word "Aryeh" (lion) - expresses that strength and confrontation must also be present in divine service connected with physical and material matters.

In 5752 (1992), Otzar HaChassidim published the collection "13 Iyar - Forty Years" marking forty years since his passing, which included highlights from his life story, talks and discourses of the Rebbe connected with his yahrtzeit, and more. On the evening of 10 Iyar, the Rebbe saw the collection and was visibly pleased, leafing through it and looking at each page, and finally examining the dedication.

His Niggun: The Pilpul edit

On the yahrtzeit of Yisrael Aryeh Leib in 5783 (2023), Rabbi Ornstein revealed in Chabad Info, and subsequently published in Chabad weekly magazines, that the niggun (melody) that Yisrael Aryeh Leib loved to sing regularly was the Pilpul niggun:

Nearly 25 years ago, Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Moshe Ornstein revealed the personal diary of Mr. Yeshayahu Shar z"l, who was a close friend of Yisrael Aryeh Leib, whose yahrtzeit falls this evening. Excerpts from the diary were published at the time in the Kfar Chabad weekly, and appeared again with additions from the original manuscript in the book "Early Years" and published a third time as an appendix to the book "Abba" Part Two. In the diary, spanning 22 pages, Mr. Shar describes, among other things, how R' Leibel taught him the niggun of the Alter Rebbe and asked him "to perpetuate the niggun among the public."

For years, Rabbi Ornstein traced the niggun, and by divine providence in the days just before Yisrael Aryeh Leib's yahrtzeit (5783), he received a recording that Mr. Shar had sent to the Rebbe, but which never reached its destination (it was returned to Mr. Shar). In the recording, Mr. Shar repeats the niggun and relates that R' Leibel asked him to preserve the niggun and spread it among the public. The niggun is the well-known Pilpul niggun, but with several changes from the usual version. According to him, R' Leibel revealed to him that this was the Alter Rebbe's niggun. R' Leibel certainly heard about this at home.

At the Rambam completion celebration held at the yeshiva in Netanya in the days following, Rabbi Ornstein revealed the story and the niggun. The students stood up with excitement and sang the niggun together with some of the changes that R' Leibel apparently sang.

His Picture edit

In the month of Av 5782 (2022), a photo was published which allegedly shows Israel Aryeh Leib. According to the publication, the photo was taken in 1943 [5703] (when he was 37 years old) at the wedding of Israel Aryeh Leib's brother-in-law (Milgrom). The photo was not published by an authorized Chabad organization and therefore was not included in the Chabadpedia project.

His Family edit

His wife: Mrs. Devorah (Genia) (buried in the new Chabad section in the cemetery in Tzfat).
His daughter: Mrs. Dalia Rotman, was married to Avner Rotman.
His grandchildren: Ariel Rotman (born 24 Elul 5735) and Daniel Yehoshua Rotman (born 7 Adar 5738).
His brother: The Rebbe Shlita.
His brother: R' DovBer Schneerson.

External Links edit

Biography of R' Israel Aryeh Leib Schneersohn published by the student shluchim of Yeshivas Chassidei Chabad Lubavitch Tzfat, Yahrzeit 13 Iyar 5784
Shneur Zalman Berger ● The Rebbe and the Attempt of His Father, Mother and Brother to Immigrate to the Holy Land • Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson's Immigration File and Israel Aryeh Leib Schneerson's Immigration File
Rabbi Moshe Orenstein reveals: The niggun of Israel Aryeh Leib.
Reconstruction of R' Israel Aryeh Leib's archive
Collection "13 Iyar - Seventy Years", published by the Union of Chassidim for Receiving Moshiach Tzidkeinu.
Mrs. Dalia Rotman, the Rebbe's niece, on the connections between her and her uncle - the Rebbe - COL website
Life and Works of the Rebbe's Brother (English)
Journal of the Rebbe's conduct at the time of his brother's passing
A rare letter written by the Rebbe after his brother's passing to Mr. Asa Paz who was one of his close friends
The Rebbe to Professor Rosenblum: "I had a brother younger than me"
Shneur Zalman Berger, The Detailed Report of the Burial of the Rebbe's Brother, Beis Moshiach Weekly - Based on Eved Avraham Anochi
Detailed review on matters of 13 Iyar with the Rebbe over the years (p. 12 and onwards)
Collection of Holy Responses - 13 Iyar
Collection '13 Iyar' - Stories from his life and Mishnayos - Published by the Union of Chassidim
13 Iyar Collection published by the Worldwide Temimim Students Committee
"Aryeh-Leib" • How did the foreign name 'Leib' become a common Jewish name?, an idea adapted from the Rebbe's talk regarding the name of Israel Aryeh Leib
13 Iyar the Seventieth Year, elegant booklet produced by the Union of Chassidim
Understanding the Matter of 13 Iyar, farbrengen with Rabbi Moshe Orenstein
When the Rebbe Intervened in Changing His Brother's Tombstone
Paris: Library inaugurated named after the Rebbe's brother
Shalom Ber Shapiro, Notes and Anecdotes for the 70th Yahrzeit (English)
The Rebbe's Confidant article about Rabbi Yechezkel Besser, who maintained a friendship with Israel Aryeh Leib
The Wish of the Rebbe's Brother: 'To Perpetuate the Niggun in Public', on the website 'Moisture of Redemption'
Israel Aryeh Leib's Places of Residence Throughout the Years
Collection of Articles and Journals about Israel Aryeh Leib, on the Or V'Chom HaHiskashrus Committee website
Biography with Links to Expansions and Sources (English)
Learning Collection and Podcast for the Yahrzeit Day, published by the 'Yagdil Torah' organization (English)