History of Chabad in Tsarist Russia - Selected Chapters, 1770-1920

Background

Toldos Chabad be-Russia ha-Tzaaris (תולדות חב"ד ברוסיא הצארית), subtitled Perakim Nivcharim (selected chapters), covers the history of Chabad-Lubavitch in Tsarist Russia from 1770 (תק"ל) to 1920 (תר"פ). Compiled and edited by Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levin and published by Kehot (Otzar ha-Hasidim) in Brooklyn in 5770/2010 (ISBN 978-0-8266-5327-7), the volume draws on letters, documents and memoirs. It forms part of the larger series of Toldos Chabad volumes edited by Levin under the direction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, parallel to the volume on the Soviet period already profiled.

The work is organised primarily by the successive generations of the Rebbes (the Alter Rebbe, Mitteler Rebbe, Tzemach Tzedek, Maharash, Rashab and Yosef Yitzchak), with selected chapters on court life in Lubavitch, libraries and manuscripts, family, leading chassidim, relations with the authorities, and the transition into the Soviet era. The author’s framing is documentary and archival, seeking to clarify historical points relevant to the published letters of the Rebbes.

Structure overview

• Preface (Petah Davar)
• Generation of the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi)
• Generation of the Mitteler Rebbe
• Generation of the Tzemach Tzedek
• Generation of the Maharash
• Generation of the Rashab
• Generation of the Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak
• Selected topics on libraries, family and chassidim

The Tsarist period (1770–1920)

The volume covers Chabad under the Tsars from the establishment of the movement under Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe) through the first years of the Sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. It treats the successive courts in Liozna, Liadi, Lubavitch and (briefly) Rostov; relations with the Russian authorities (including arrests, police surveillance and interventions at ministerial level); the development of the yeshiva Tomchei Temimim; the libraries and manuscript collections; and the internal life of the chassidim. The framing is documentary, drawing on letters, official papers and memoirs to clarify points left open in the published Igrot Kodesh.

Persons and groups

Shneur Zalman of Liadi | Dovber Schneuri | Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek) | Shmuel Schneersohn | Sholom Dovber Schneersohn | Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn | Lubavitch | Tomchei Temimim | Russian Empire

Preface (Petah Davar)

Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levin explains that the work grew out of his long editorial labour, begun in 5740/1980 under the direction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, on the Igrot Kodesh of the Rebbes and on the parallel Toldos Chabad series (Land of Israel, United States, Soviet Russia). Clarifications of historical points that had appeared as introductions, notes and appendices in those volumes are here collected, reworked and arranged by generation. He notes that the style is not uniform because the material was written over several decades, and that the present volume is the fourth in the series, containing selected chapters on the first five generations and the early years of the Sixth Rebbe in Tsarist Russia.

Quotations

Since the year 5740, when the Lubavitcher Rebbe of blessed memory charged me with editing the series of Igrot Kodesh of our Rebbes, I have been engaged in clarifying matters connected with the history of Chabad that were required for the elucidation of the content of the letters. These clarifications and their conclusions I would set forth in the introductions, references and notes to the volumes of Igrot Kodesh. — Shalom Dovber Levin, Preface

Parallel to this, I was also charged with editing the series Toldos Chabad in the Holy Land, in the United States and in Soviet Russia. In continuation of this I edited further books connected with the history of Chabad… — Shalom Dovber Levin, Preface

The book is divided according to the generations of the Rebbes of the Chabad movement; each generation is divided into topics, and each topic into chapters. — Shalom Dovber Levin, Preface

First generation: the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi)

The opening chapters of the first generation treat the Alter Rebbe’s literary and family legacy. Levin examines the transmission and glosses on the Shulchan Aruch of Rabbi Shneur Zalman, noting that the mareh mekomot (source references) were written by the Alter Rebbe himself and that the text was proof-read under the supervision of his brother, Rabbi Yehuda Leib of Yanovitch, and others. He also records additional rulings transmitted in the Alter Rebbe’s name by his brother and later cited by the Tzemach Tzedek. Parallel sections reconstruct the family of the Alter Rebbe’s brother Rabbi Yehuda Leib, including the emigration of some of his descendants to the Land of Israel in 5592/1832 and the adoption of family names such as Bar-Mitz and Shaulzon. The author’s framing is primarily archival and genealogical, aimed at clarifying points that appear in the published letters and in earlier Chabad historiographical works.

Persons and groups

Shneur Zalman of Liadi | Yehuda Leib of Yanovitch | Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek) | Liozna | Liadi | Shulchan Aruch HaRav

Quotations

… the mareh mekomot of the Shulchan Aruch were written by our Rebbe the Alter Rebbe himself… — Levin, summarizing the evidence of the Mitteler Rebbe’s introduction and later citations

… three sons of the above-mentioned [Mordechai Yaakov Tver] adopted the family name Bar-Mitz (or Brimitz)… — Levin, on the descendants of the Alter Rebbe’s brother

Manuscripts, discourses and the court in Liozna–Liadi

Levin devotes considerable space to the dating and transmission of the Alter Rebbe’s discourses (ma’amarim). He examines manuscripts such as the collection titled Drushei Liozna (or Etehalekh Liozna), discussing why discourses said after the move to Liadi in 5561/1801 continue to be so labelled, and reconstructs the chronological order of the printed and manuscript collections. He notes that many discourses lack precise dates and that later compilers (including the Tzemach Tzedek) sometimes assigned them by internal references or by the place of delivery (Liozna, Liadi, or during travels, including to Petersburg). Parallel remarks concern the preservation of the Alter Rebbe’s own holographs and the glosses made by his brother Rabbi Yehuda Leib. The author’s framing remains strictly documentary, aimed at establishing a reliable chronology for the published and unpublished teachings.

Persons and groups

Shneur Zalman of Liadi | Liozna | Liadi | Yehuda Leib of Yanovitch | Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek) | Ma’amarim

Quotations

… and how does this fit with the fact that the Alter Rebbe settled in Liadi in the summer of 5561? There is room to prove from this that the Alter Rebbe did not transfer his residence from Liozna to Liadi all at once… — Levin, on the continued use of the title “Drushei Liozna”

… from all the above we see the importance of establishing the date of the delivery of each discourse… so that it becomes clearer to what the words are referring. — Levin, on the value of chronological clarification

Arrests and release of the Alter Rebbe (5559/1798 and 5561/1800–01)

The volume treats the two arrests of Rabbi Shneur Zalman in Petersburg. The first arrest (Kislev 5559 / November 1798) and the second (5561 / 1800–01) are presented through the lens of contemporary documents, the Alter Rebbe’s own responses under interrogation, and later Chabad traditions of the geulah (release) on 19 Kislev. Levin clarifies the sequence of events, the role of the misnagdic informers, the nature of the charges (primarily related to the collection of funds for the Land of Israel and alleged disloyalty), and the circumstances of the releases. He also notes the impact of the Petersburg period on the dating of discourses and on the subsequent move of the court from Liozna to Liadi (summer 5561 / 1801). Gregorian equivalents are supplied alongside the Hebrew dates throughout.

Persons and groups

Shneur Zalman of Liadi | 19 Kislev | Petersburg | Misnagdim | Liozna | Liadi | Russian authorities

Quotations

… all the persecutions and these arrests on the part of the misnagdim… were brought before the government in Petersburg… — Levin, summarizing the documentary record of the arrests

… between the two arrests, in the year 5560, the Alter Rebbe sent… — Levin, on events between the two imprisonments

Later years in Liadi and the succession (5561–5573 / 1801–1812)

After the second release and the transfer of the court to Liadi (summer 5561 / 1801), the volume treats the final decade of the Alter Rebbe’s leadership. Levin records the continued delivery of discourses, the management of communal and Land-of-Israel funds, and the relations with the Russian authorities during the Napoleonic period. The flight from Liadi in the face of the French advance (5573 / 1812) and the Alter Rebbe’s death in Piena (24 Tevet 5573 / 27 December 1812) are noted, together with the immediate question of succession that led to the leadership of his son, Rabbi Dovber (the Mitteler Rebbe). The framing remains documentary, cross-referencing letters and later memoirs.

Persons and groups

Shneur Zalman of Liadi | Dovber Schneuri | Liadi | Napoleonic Wars | Piena | 19 Kislev

Quotations

… the Alter Rebbe settled in Liadi in the summer of 5561… — Levin, on the transfer of the court

… after the period of the arrests… the court stood in Liadi until the flight of 5573. — Levin, summarizing the final years

Second generation: the Mitteler Rebbe (Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, 5574–5588 / 1813–1827)

The chapters on the second generation treat the leadership of Rabbi Dovber after the death of his father. Levin records the establishment of the court in Lubavitch, the continued collection and transmission of discourses, the literary activity (including the publication and glossing of the Shulchan Aruch), and the relations with the Russian authorities. Particular attention is given to the Mitteler Rebbe’s own arrest and release (5586/1826), documented in contemporary papers and later Chabad accounts. The framing remains archival, clarifying points that appear in the letters and in the parallel volume on the imprisonment and release of the Mitteler Rebbe.

Persons and groups

Dovber Schneuri | Lubavitch | Shneur Zalman of Liadi | Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek) | Russian authorities

Quotations

… in the year 5586 the Mitteler Rebbe [was imprisoned]… — Levin, cross-referencing the dedicated volume on the arrest and release

… the Mitteler Rebbe writes in his introduction to the Shulchan Aruch… — Levin, on the textual work of the second generation

Third generation: the Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, 5588–5626 / 1827–1866)

The sections on the third generation cover the long leadership of Rabbi Menachem Mendel, the Tzemach Tzedek, in Lubavitch. Levin treats the expansion of the court, the systematic collection and redaction of the discourses of the previous Rebbes, the Tzemach Tzedek’s own extensive literary output (including the Tzemach Tzedek responsa and the Or ha-Torah), and his interventions with the Russian authorities on behalf of the Jewish community (including the period of the Cantonist decrees and the rabbinical commission in Petersburg). Family and genealogical notes, as well as accounts of leading chassidim of the period, are included. The author’s framing continues to be documentary, drawing on letters, official papers and memoirs to clarify points in the published correspondence.

Persons and groups

Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek) | Lubavitch | Dovber Schneuri | Shmuel Schneersohn | Cantonists | Petersburg rabbinical commission | Or ha-Torah

Quotations

… the Tzemach Tzedek cites many times in the name of the Alter Rebbe… — Levin, on the transmission of rulings and teachings

… during the period of the Tzemach Tzedek the court in Lubavitch… — Levin, summarizing the institutional development

Fourth generation: the Maharash (Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn, 5626–5643 / 1866–1882)

The chapters on the fourth generation treat the leadership of Rabbi Shmuel (the Maharash) in Lubavitch. Levin records the continuation of the court, the delivery and preservation of discourses, family and genealogical matters (including notes on the children of the Tzemach Tzedek), and the relations with the Russian authorities in the later years of the reign of Alexander II. Accounts of leading chassidim of the period and of the physical setting of the court in Lubavitch are included. The framing remains documentary and archival.

Persons and groups

Shmuel Schneersohn | Lubavitch | Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek) | Sholom Dovber Schneersohn | Alexander II of Russia

Quotations

… the court in Lubavitch in his time… — Levin, on the Maharash period

… additional descriptions of his way of life… — Levin, drawing on contemporary accounts

Fifth generation: the Rashab (Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, 5643–5680 / 1882–1920)

The extensive chapters on the fifth generation treat the long leadership of Rabbi Sholom Dovber (the Rashab) in Lubavitch and, in the final years, in Rostov. Levin covers the founding and development of the yeshiva Tomchei Temimim (founded 5657/1897), the physical layout and daily life of the court, the collection and preservation of the library and manuscripts, interventions with the Russian authorities (including during the 1905 Revolution and the First World War), and the transfer of the court from Lubavitch to Rostov in 5676/1915. The early years of his son, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, are also touched upon as the period approaches the end of Tsarist rule. The framing continues to draw on letters, official documents and memoirs.

Persons and groups

Sholom Dovber Schneersohn | Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn | Lubavitch | Rostov | Tomchei Temimim | 1905 Russian Revolution | First World War

Quotations

… the yeshiva Tomchei Temimim was founded… — Levin, on the institutional development under the Rashab

… the transfer from Lubavitch to Rostov… — Levin, on the wartime relocation of the court

Sixth generation: early years of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (to 5680 / 1920)

The final generational section treats the early years of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn while his father, the Rashab, was still alive, and the immediate transition after the Rashab’s death in 5680/1920. Levin records the court in Lubavitch and then Rostov, the continued activity of Tomchei Temimim, the preservation of the library and manuscripts during the wartime moves, and the first contacts with the new Soviet authorities after the February and October Revolutions. The volume ends at the close of the Tsarist period, with the subsequent Soviet history reserved for the companion volume already profiled.

Persons and groups

Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn | Sholom Dovber Schneersohn | Rostov | Lubavitch | Tomchei Temimim | Russian Revolution

Quotations

… after the February Revolution… — Levin, on the final years of the Tsarist period

… under the Communist regime… — Levin, noting the transition that ends the present volume

Libraries, manuscripts and the court

Across the generations Levin returns repeatedly to the history of the Chabad library and manuscript collections in Lubavitch (and later Rostov). He details the acquisition, arrangement, safeguarding and eventual transfer of the books and holographs of the Rebbes, treating the library both as a practical institutional resource and as a central repository of the movement’s intellectual legacy.

Persons and groups

Lubavitch library | Sholom Dovber Schneersohn | Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn | Manuscripts

See also

History of Chabad in the USSR | Shneur Zalman of Liadi | Dovber Schneuri | Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek) | Shmuel Schneersohn | Sholom Dovber Schneersohn | Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn | Lubavitch | Tomchei Temimim | Igrot Kodesh

Notes

• All dates are given in both Hebrew and Gregorian form.
• Quotations are English renderings of the Hebrew original as extracted from the scanned Kehot edition (2010).