Chapter 68: The Community of Vitebsk Grows; Teveel Accomplishes Great Things

00:01 We continue the fascinating story of Rabbi Nachum, his son Reb Tavel, and Prince Komri [unclear]. After Reb Nachum’s passing, Reb Tavel carried out every detail of his will. At the first opportunity, in the year 5—this was in 5359—he traveled to Holland and brought Prince Komri [unclear] the profits from his estates. He also relayed everything his father had told him about Yehuda Gabrieli, the former prince, who maintained a beis midrash in his palace at his own expense. Ten scholars sat there and studied Torah, with all their needs provided for. Prince Komri [unclear] received the sad news of Reb Nachum’s passing with great sorrow. When Gabrieli heard Reb Nachum’s advice to sell his estates in Poland, he asked Tavel to take on the task of selling them. But Tavel remembered his father’s will well, so he declined, explaining that he was not suited to such a task. In the end, Yehuda Gabrieli himself traveled to Prussia. He spent half a year there and succeeded in selling his estates to the Swedish prince Montrisi [unclear] for a higher price than he had initially expected. What Tavel had heard from his father about Prince Komri [unclear], and his trip to Holland, left a deep impression on him. When he returned to Segzh [unclear], he himself became a great giver of tzedakah and a person of even finer character than before. Over time, as he gave more and more money to tzedakah, his reputation spread throughout the region, and his business success grew. The harvests from his fields and orchards brought him a great deal of money. But overshadowing it all was the sorrow he and his wife felt because they had no children. After some time, Tavel thought it would be right to move to another city, since a change of place can bring a change of fortune. After discussing it with his wife, they decided to move to Vitebsk. In 5365, the king issued a decree expelling the Jews of Vitebsk. They were required to leave the city

02:43 within two years, and there was also an order barring other Jews from settling there. The local governor and city leaders knew very well what a blessing the Jews’ presence was for the city. They therefore did not insist on enforcing the decree. As a result, not only were the longtime Jewish residents not expelled, but the city’s gates remained open to new Jewish settlers as well. Tavel had a friend and partner in the liquor business named Mordechai Aharon Segal. About a year after the expulsion decree was announced, Mordechai Aharon moved to Vitebsk itself and established good relations with the governor by making liquor available to him whenever he wanted it. Mordechai Aharon Segal was not a Torah scholar, but he was a G-d-fearing Jew, a giver of tzedakah, and someone active in communal affairs. Though he was drawn to honor, his partnership with Tavel, who was shy, modest, and avoided honor, influenced Mordechai Aharon somewhat in that direction too. When Tavel settled in Vitebsk, several Jewish families joined him who, he said, were needed for his business, and through him they earned a comfortable living. Two years after Tavel settled in Vitebsk, Mordechai Aharon learned from the governor’s secretary that a royal document had arrived, severely rebuking the governor for failing to carry out the order to expel the Jews from the city and prevent more Jews from settling there. The king firmly demanded that the decree be carried out in full. At the same time, the governor was given the authority to permit those essential to the city’s commerce to remain. Anyone seeking such a permit, however, would have to pay a large sum. Mordechai Aharon immediately called a meeting of the leaders of the Vitebsk community and reported the expected developments. The meeting resolved to declare a fast. Reb Tavel, who had devoted much thought to overturning the decree, came up with an original idea and presented it to his partner, Mordechai Aharon. He said: Since the governor has the authority to keep in the city those who benefit it, we must

05:22 bribe him in such a way that he will see a benefit in allowing all the Jews to remain. With that, Tavel took a large sum of money from his pocket and gave it to Mordechai Aharon to present to the governor on behalf of the Jews of Vitebsk. Mordechai Aharon was deeply impressed by Tavel’s action: he was giving a fortune to overturn a decree that could not have harmed him personally at all. He accepted Tavel’s proposal. When Mordechai Aharon brought the gift to the governor, the governor promised to grant his request. He explained, however, that he first had to publish the order expelling the Jews, and only afterward could he use the authority he had been given. Indeed, a few days later, the governor announced the king’s order requiring all Jews to leave Vitebsk. The city’s Jews were terrified. Cries of anguish rang out throughout the city. Mordechai Aharon’s assurances that the governor would use his authority to allow all the Jews to remain did no good. The Jews did not want to believe him. Then, on the fourth day after the order was published, the governor announced that, under the authority granted to him, and in view of the great benefit that the presence of all the Jews brought to the city, they were permitted to remain where they were without interference. Word spread that their deliverance had come through Tavel’s proposal and help. All the Jews of the city wished him every possible blessing. In 5368, the third year after Tavel came to Vitebsk, his wife gave birth to a son. He was named Nachum after Tavel’s father. Nachum grew up with great talent and a strong desire to learn, and was educated in the ways of Torah and good character. Tavel was overjoyed with his son, and expressed his gratitude to Hakadosh Boruch Hu by sending large donations to various yeshivos in Poland and Lithuania. Mordechai Aharon also had a son, named Yehuda Leib. Yehuda Leib had a strong desire to learn, but did not have Nachum’s talents. Business

07:45 appealed to him more, so his father brought him into his business as soon as he came of age. Later, Mordechai Aharon put all his businesses in his son’s hands and devoted himself to communal affairs. In 5380, that governor of Vitebsk died. The man appointed in his place was an enemy of the Jews, and the situation of Vitebsk’s Jews became very bad. The new governor kept Mordechai Aharon at a distance, refused to buy or accept liquor, and rejected Tavel’s gifts. He restricted the Jews’ activities and wrote hostile letters about them to the king. Meanwhile, Mordechai Aharon’s son Yehuda Leib expanded the liquor business. Through his efforts, their products were distributed throughout Poland, and he established connections with senior government officials. In 5384, Yehuda Leib received the license to supply liquor to the royal court itself. He was so successful that, in time, he was introduced to the king, who praised his liquor highly and gave him a commendation. Yehuda Leib became an influential figure and held a prominent place in Polish government circles. During one of his visits to the capital, Yehuda Leib learned that the government treasury was empty and that the king had asked governors throughout the country to obtain loans on favorable terms. The governors, however, had very little success. When Yehuda Leib returned to Vitebsk, he told his father Mordechai Aharon and Tavel about it. Tavel announced that he was prepared to lend the Polish government a large sum for an extended period, with repayments to come from tax revenues. His conditions, however, were equal rights for the Jews of Vitebsk and the surrounding area, including the full right to purchase real estate in the city and build homes for themselves. Tavel also demanded that the Jews of Vitebsk be allowed to organize an orderly communal life. Mordechai Aharon expressed his view that Tavel’s proposal and conditions were reasonable, and that there was a good chance the government would agree.

10:24 to the deal, and so he undertook to travel with his son Yehuda Leib to the Polish capital to negotiate with government representatives. When they arrived, Yehuda Leib introduced his father to the appropriate officials. Mordechai Aharon presented Tevel’s offer of a loan and its terms. A few days later, Mordechai Aharon and his son were summoned before the king, who told them that he accepted the terms of the deal. He immediately sent a special messenger to Vitebsk to inform the governor that Jews were to have equal rights and to bring back the money for Tevel’s loan. In 5387, Yehuda Leib brought a document signed by the king stating that the Jews of Vitebsk were permitted to establish a community organization, and that all local government authorities were required to provide it with everything necessary to carry out its functions. The governor of Vitebsk assembled the city’s residents and, in the presence of government representatives and Catholic clergy, read out the royal document. The first leader elected by the Jewish community of Vitebsk was none other than Mordechai Aharon Segal, whom we have already met. A descendant of his in a later generation was the Segal who became the father-in-law of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman, author of Tanya and founder of the Chabad movement. That same year, Tevel arranged the marriage of his son Nachum to the daughter of the gaon Shmuel Yosef of Vilna. For five years after his marriage, Reb Nachum studied Torah with the tzaddik Yekusiel Zalman of Krakow, who was renowned for his asceticism and holiness. Yekusiel Zalman had a profound influence on Nachum, and Reb Nachum began to conduct himself like his teacher. He withdrew completely from the company of others. Every night he came to the beis midrash for Tikkun Chatzos and stayed afterward to study Torah until morning. He then davened at sunrise, as the vasikin do. After davening, he studied a lesson in Gemara and went home to eat. At home, he also slept for a few hours, then sat down again to study

12:49 Torah until the time for Minchah. He went to the beis midrash for Minchah and Maariv, and when he returned home, he resumed his studies. Throughout this time, he spoke to no one except about Torah. Tevel took great satisfaction in his son Nachum and supported him and his wife generously. Shmuel Yosef, by contrast, was not at all pleased with the couple, especially because several years had passed since their marriage and they had still not been blessed with children. Shmuel Yosef therefore began urging his daughter to divorce her husband, but she refused to hear of it. Tevel was distressed that Nachum had no children, so he tried to increase his giving of tzedakah in the hope that, in its merit, his son would be helped. Thus, when famine broke out in Poland, Tevel sent his representative to purchase large quantities of grain and transport them to the affected areas. There, the grain was distributed among the people, Jews and non-Jews alike, as halachah says that the poor among non-Jews should be supported in their hunger together with the poor of Israel. Tevel was greatly admired for his simplicity and generosity. He never displayed a sense of superiority over anyone. His generosity sprang from a sincere feeling that he was repaying a debt, fulfilling his duty to help those in need. From childhood, Tevel had felt deep respect for Torah scholars, and that respect grew as he matured. It did not prevent him from associating with ordinary people. He was very close to the poor, and his presence graced their celebrations: he personally attended every bris, bar mitzvah celebration, or wedding in their families. This made him even more beloved. When he reached the age of ninety, Tevel no longer wished to manage his business affairs himself. He chose a Jew named Tzadok Moshe and appointed him as his trusted agent and manager. A few years later, on Tzadok Moshe’s advice, Tevel brought in his sister’s grandson, Zalman Aharon, as an assistant

15:25 and bookkeeper. When the community in Vitebsk was established, it levied a tax on every Jewish resident of the city to meet communal needs. Tevel then donated a large sum, which made it possible to begin establishing Torah and charitable institutions in the city for the first time. In 5394, the Jews of Vitebsk received permission to purchase land and build houses. Tevel bought plots in various parts of the city and transferred them to the community. The community leased the land for building houses, increasing its income and making organized communal life possible. Meanwhile, Vitebsk’s Jewish population grew. Jews began building shuls and batei midrash in different neighborhoods of the city. These also had classrooms for young children. Still, Vitebsk remained a city of craftsmen and merchants, with relatively few Torah scholars. In 5401, Tevel passed away at the age of ninety-seven. He was accorded great honor at his passing. Not only Jews attended his funeral, but non-Jews as well, including senior government representatives. Tevel’s passing caused widespread sorrow throughout the area. Under the terms of his will, a quarter of his assets was designated for tzedakah, to be distributed as the community leaders saw fit. The rest of his assets passed to his son Nachum. Tzadok Moshe and Zalman Aharon continued to manage the businesses.