Marking the 70th Yartzeit of R’ Yisroel Aryeh Leib

Transcript

Welcome to our weekly program, "The Inside Story of Chabad in America," through the Mindel archives.

Since this coming Shabbos is the yahrzeit of the Rebbe's brother, Yisroel Aryeh Leib, I gathered some information about Yisroel Aryeh Leib. Since he was, so to speak, a talmid of mine, I thought I would put down some points — like a short biography that I took from different places about Yisroel Aryeh Leib. I don't know — many people don't even know that the Rebbe ever had a brother. So I thought, Reb Aryeh Leib, I will just review a few of the sources about his biography.

Reb Yisroel Aryeh Leib was the third child of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok and Rebbetzin Chana. The Rebbe was the oldest, the second son was DovBer, and the third son was Aryeh Leib. He was named Yisroel Aryeh Leib after his uncle, his mother's brother, and he was also named after the Rosh Yeshiva in Ramailes [?].

Yisroel Aryeh Leib was born in Nikolayev. After moving to Yekaterinoslav, Leibel, together with his brothers, learned with [unclear — teacher's name not clear], and there were six [unclear] with him then, and another one — they learned together [unclear].

As I once mentioned, Reb Levi Yitzchok has nice metaltelin — metaltelin means furniture. Mem is Mendel — that's the Rebbe's name. Beis is Ber, the second son. And Lamed is Leib. That he has nice metaltelin — meaning good children.

Leibel was gifted with extraordinary talent. He was very sharp — this I wrote down from what I heard from people, from my father-in-law, many things from Reb Berel Junik [?]. He was a deep thinker and he had an amazing memory. From the age of three he would learn Mishnayos ba'al peh, by heart. His father once said about him that "Leibel has a head."

He stayed in the house of the Rebbetzin [his mother] — this was during the Nine Days — and you saw that Yisroel Aryeh Leib was learning all night, trying to finish, to make a siyum. So one night, Rebbetzin Chana called him over and said to him, "I want to show you something — come to my son Leibel's room." So they went into the room, and the Rebbetzin called his name — "Leibel" — he didn't answer. He was learning. She called again — "Leibel" — he didn't answer. A third time — "Leibel" — he didn't answer. So she shook his sleeve, and he still didn't notice. That's how engrossed he was when he learned — he was wholly, very much engrossed in learning.

Someone said that the Rebbe and his brother Leibel used to learn many languages from reading dictionaries. She also said that in their house, Reb Levi Yitzchok would speak in words of Kabbalah, the Rebbe spoke in words of Chassidus, and Leibel spoke words of philosophy — and they all understood each other.

In 1924 they went to live in Leningrad, and he was very dear to the Frierdiker Rebbe, who moved later into Leningrad, and he would eat by the Frierdiker Rebbe's table in his house. The Frierdiker Rebbe himself writes this — this is Purim, Taf-Reish-Peh-Zayin (5687), 1927.

The Frierdiker Rebbe turned to the crowd, and Leibel was there, and he said to them in Yiddish, "It's a big pity on you — it's a big pity that you didn't know the father, the Rebbe Rashab. If you would have known the father, the Rebbe Rashab, then it would probably be different."

He said that he [Leibel] should have seen the Rebbe Rashab once, when he was a young [unclear], and he asked the Rebbe Rashab a question — this was Leibel's question — and the Rebbe did not answer him. And he said, "This isn't shayach to you — it's not important for you, you don't have to know it, it's not for you." So when Leibel went out of yechidus, he was very broken, and he was crying that the Rebbe had not answered his question. After some time he went again to yechidus, and the Rebbe explained — he told him that everybody wants to know — so he explained that in order to be a receiver of a kabbalah (a transmission) from the Rebbe, one has to be a vessel, a kli. So only after you broke down, and after you cried, now you can get the answer — because now you're a kli to receive this answer.

[Someone] said that he knew Leibel very well. So after [the passing of the Rebbe Rashab], the tzaddikim sat down together, and they asked Leibel to also [unclear — give over a teaching]. Leibel was unable to, so he said, "I have to go to [unclear], I have a shiur of [unclear], and I have a large crowd coming, so I can't stay for the shiur." After the shiur he went right away, and he went to the farbrengen — they were still farbrenging — and he spoke to them. [It is said] that tzaddikim have so much chochma and binah, but what is missing is — does this [person] have the feeling to see this? So when Leibel spoke, even great tzaddikim [acknowledged] that he had a lot of [hergesh] — credit to Leibel.

In 1930 he escaped the Soviet Union and settled in Berlin, where his brother the Rebbe was also at that time. In 1933 he was unable to remain in Berlin, and he decided to move to Eretz Yisroel. But he needed documents, and he had to get them from the government in Berlin, and it was extremely dangerous then for a Jew to go to the government — the Nazis were already in power. Nevertheless, the Rebbe, our Rebbe — who had already moved to Paris to escape the Nazis — took upon himself to arrange all the documents for his brother to go to Eretz Yisroel. However, the Rebbetzin would not let her husband endanger himself by going to Germany, because the Rebbe looked like a Jew — he had a beard — and she didn't want to let him go. So she decided that she would go herself to Berlin and arrange all the documents for her brother-in-law, for Leibel. And that's what she did, and thanks to her, Leibel went to Eretz Yisroel.

Now, while the Rebbetzin was arranging the papers, she also answered some questions they had — they asked her some questions about her identification. The Nazis were quite surprised when they asked her, "What is your name?" So she answered, "My name is Schneersohn." "What is your maiden name?" "My maiden name is Schneersohn." "What's your mother's maiden name?" "Schneersohn." "What's your father's mother's maiden name?" "Schneersohn." They thought there was something wrong going on, and [it was said] that soon they would come to Paris and investigate her and her husband. With Hashem's help, the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin escaped Paris just days before the Nazis came to Paris.

In 1934, Leibel settled in Tel Aviv and worked for a local library, and in 1939 Leibel married his wife — she was named Genya. While living in Tel Aviv, he was very close to chassidim, and he would learn with the Mekubal [unclear] and with Mr. Dubinsky.

When the Rebbe arrived in America in '41, the Rebbe would correspond with Leibel and always send him the latest publications. He would send him the HaYom Yom, and even send things for children — the ones that we once gave out — this is for children. And he used to go around and say, "My brother sent me this." Another time Leibel said, "I never knew about all the things that they represent." He has a good head, but as much as that — he didn't believe.

In 1950 he moved to England. On Yud-Gimmel Iyar [13 Iyar] he suffered a heart attack. He was hospitalized and passed away a few days later. Upon the Rebbe's instructions, with great effort, he was moved to Eretz Yisroel, and he is buried in the Chabad cemetery — this was in Tzfas.

Reb Berel Junik said: on the morning of Yud-Gimmel Iyar, I was called to the Rebbetzin's house on New York Avenue, and the Rebbe was already in 770, and I was called by the Rebbetzin. The Rebbetzin told Berel Junik that her brother-in-law was very ill — meaning Leibel — and she did not know how her mother-in-law, the Rebbetzin Chana, would be able to handle this. So after thinking for some time, he asked, "Please call Rabbi Shmuel Levitin — I want to speak with Rabbi Shmuel Levitin." R