Chapter 47: The Beginning of Baruch the Young One's Wanderings

00:01 We have been following the fascinating story of the family of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad Chassidus. We have read a great deal about Rabbi Moshe, the grandfather of Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s father: how he led the community of Poznań, his debates with priests, his journey to the Vatican, and everything that happened there. Rabbi Moshe was a Jewish leader of regional, if not worldwide, stature. We also learned about Rabbi Avraham the gardener [?], who wanted Baruch, Rabbi Moshe’s grandson, to marry his daughter Rivkah. Now we will learn more about Baruch’s family and about Baruch himself—the father of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman. We will go over a few things again along the way, as we will see. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, a grandson of the Alter Rebbe, writes: The Schneerson family’s lineage does not begin with the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad Chassidus. Rather, as we have already related several times, it goes back to the Maharal of Prague, and even before him, through generations of great Torah scholars. “My notes,” writes Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, “concerning our family begin with the great Rabbi Moshe,” who, as we already know, lived in Poznań. Rabbi Moshe was renowned for his Torah scholarship and was also known for his wealth. He had sons and daughters. Among them, Rabbi Schneur Zalman stood out; the Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad Chassidus, was later named after him. This Rabbi Schneur Zalman was quite different from Rabbi Moshe’s other sons. Although weak and sickly from birth, he devoted himself day and night to Torah study. He loved spending time alone. His brothers engaged in commerce, while he devoted his time to learning Torah. When he turned twenty, Schneur Zalman married Rachel, the daughter of a man named Rabbi Baruch

02:49 Batlan, whom we have already met. Rabbi Moshe wanted his son Schneur Zalman to go into business like him, but Schneur Zalman refused. He preferred to earn his living as a teacher, a profession that brought in little money. He also gave up the support of his wealthy family. And so the family lived peacefully in Poznań until the time came to leave. After wandering from city to city, the family reached White Russia and settled in various towns. Rabbi Moshe and one of his sons settled in Minsk. Two other sons, Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Mordechai, settled in Orsha, in the Mogilev province. Rabbi Schneur Zalman, his wife, and their daughter Devorah Leah followed the families who employed him as a teacher and arrived in Vitebsk. There, Rabbi Schneur Zalman settled in one of the narrow lanes on the edge of the city, near the Dvina River, and continued teaching. Broad stretches of fields, gardens, and orchards lay along the river, so Rabbi Schneur Zalman was always close to the splendor of nature. He loved being close to nature and would look forward to being alone among the creations of the blessed Creator. In this setting, too, their poverty was not felt quite so keenly. Three years later, the couple had a son, who was named Baruch after his grandfather, Rabbi Baruch Batlan. Baruch was a healthy child and developed well, both physically and mentally. From Baruch’s earliest childhood, Rabbi Schneur Zalman instilled in his heart a love for the creations of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The beauty of the river, fields, and orchards left a deep impression on the child and remained etched in his memory for many years. When Baruch was four, his father wrapped him in a tallis and took him to a teacher of young children. Rabbi Schneur Zalman himself taught boys older than Baruch, and young Baruch needed some preparation before he would be able to follow his father’s lessons. Young Baruch immediately showed

05:43 a great desire to learn, and within a year he had acquired a broad knowledge of much of Tanach. Later, Rabbi Schneur Zalman transferred him to another teacher to learn Gemara. When Baruch turned seven, Rabbi Schneur Zalman took him into his own class. For three years, little Baruch studied in his father’s class alongside older boys and surpassed them in understanding and knowledge. Besides teaching his son directly, Rabbi Schneur Zalman spent time with him in illuminating conversations. He took young Baruch on walks along the banks of the Dvina River, and throughout their walks across the green fields, he spoke with him about Torah and the wonders of the Creator. These walks under the open sky, with the Creator’s beautiful world spread out before them, deepened Baruch’s love of nature and his desire to be alone, far from other people, immersed in thought. From early childhood, Baruch had shown an inclination to be alone with the world around him. By the time he reached bar mitzvah, Baruch was well versed in several orders of Mishnah and knew several tractates of Gemara by heart. He could study, understand, and delve into the passages of Gemara on his own, without a teacher’s help. So his father, Rabbi Schneur Zalman, allowed him to study independently, providing only general guidance and setting his study schedule. Now that Baruch no longer needed a teacher, he would take his books to the bank of the Dvina, sit on a rock or stretch out on the soft grass, and immerse himself in study. The beauty of Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s creation did not distract him from learning. On the contrary, it stirred his desire to learn. The flow of clear water, the birdsong, and the rustling plants blended with the tune Baruch sang as he studied. But then something painful happened. A year after Baruch reached bar mitzvah, his mother fell ill with a fever and died several months later. Soon afterward, his father,

08:23 Rabbi Schneur Zalman, also fell ill, and six months later he too passed away. Baruch was left an orphan, with neither parent. Their deaths had a devastating effect on young Baruch. The pain and grief of the fourteen-year-old weighed heavily on him. He seemed to inhabit another world, both because of his deep emotional bond with his parents, especially his father, and because of the terrible loneliness into which he had suddenly been thrown. During his period of mourning, Baruch would lead the prayers with the congregation three times a day and study Mishnayos for the elevation of his parents’ souls. But this did not quiet his great sorrow. It seemed as though young Baruch was fading away. His spirit was broken. Baruch had an aunt in Vitebsk, as we have already learned. Aunt Freida and her husband, Kaddish, took Baruch and his sister Devorah Leah into their home and cared for them devotedly. Devorah Leah found some comfort, but Baruch found no peace, even in his uncle and aunt’s loving care. Then one day Baruch told his hosts and his sister that he had decided to leave Vitebsk and go elsewhere to study Torah. “But where will you go? You’re too young to wander from place to place,” they said. “Please stay with us. You will lack nothing in our home.” Their words had no effect on Baruch. His decision about his future was firm. A few days later, Baruch left Vitebsk without leaving a trace. Meanwhile, the sad news of Rabbi Schneur Zalman and his wife Rachel’s passing reached his father, Rabbi Moshe, who, as we said, lived in Minsk, where he ran his business with great success. Rabbi Moshe immediately sent a messenger to Vitebsk to bring his orphaned grandchildren, Baruch and Devorah Leah, to him. Of course, they would have every comfort in his home. But the mission was unsuccessful because, as we know, Baruch was already gone.

11:14 He was in Vitebsk, and Dvorah Leah’s uncle and aunt did not want to let her leave their care, since they had no children of their own. Dvorah Leah stayed in her uncle and aunt’s home until her marriage. As we already recall, she married Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak. Meanwhile, Baruch began wandering among the cities and towns around Vitebsk. For three years he traveled from place to place, including Dobromysl[?], Kalisk, and other places. He never stayed anywhere for long. Wherever he arrived, he would first go into the beis midrash and sit down to learn. In Jewish communities at the time, it was customary to support traveling Torah scholars with food, drink, and money, either from communal funds or from private individuals. A scholar who did not want to sleep in the beis midrash could be given a room in someone’s home. But Baruch wanted none of this. From early childhood, he had disliked accepting gifts from other people. So, to support himself, he looked for various temporary jobs. He chopped wood, drew water, or helped merchants on market day. Baruch did not turn down any work, however hard or lowly. He was even prepared to skin a carcass in the marketplace rather than depend on others, in keeping with the instruction of our Sages, of blessed memory. Many people met Baruch during his travels and did not understand his way of life. Who would take the trouble to understand what was going on in the mind of a young boy, even one as learned and diligent as Baruch? Some attributed it to a kind of madness that did not deserve special attention. But Baruch himself was not affected at all by the various opinions expressed about him. Let them say what they wanted, as long as they left him alone to follow the path he was making for himself. So wherever Baruch went, if he encountered even the slightest interference with his unusual way of life, as we said, he would immediately leave the

13:47 place and travel somewhere else. There he would continue in his own way: learning day and night in the beis midrash and living frugally on whatever work came his way, for whatever pay he could get.