Chapter 158: The Daily Schedule of the Hilula of the Rebbe Maggid

00:01 The story continues of that wondrous Shabbos, four years after the passing of the Maggid of Mezritch, on the Maggid’s yahrzeit. There was a break between Kabbalas Shabbos and Maariv. The Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk, and Rabbi Yisroel of Polotsk were all gifted singers. Though their voices were very different, it was a pleasure to hear them sing together. The Alter Rebbe’s voice was powerful and inspired awe. Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk had a thin, clear voice, full of feeling. Every movement of his was accompanied by a fiery flame. Rabbi Yisroel of Polotsk had a pleasant voice—neither high nor low, neither strong nor faint. It was a gentle, pleading voice that stirred compassion. His voice drew people in and was contagious. During the break, the three sang some of the niggunim beloved to the Maggid of Mezritch. The Maggid had a particular order for niggunim. There were niggunim that had been sung in the presence of the Baal Shem Tov. One of those who composed new niggunim was Rabbi Michel of Zlotshov, and there were special niggunim that the Maggid particularly loved. The Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham, and Rabbi Yisroel sang some of those favorites. Everyone present during the singing, who saw the deep absorption of Rabbi Menachem Mendel and Rabbi Yissachar Dov and that of the singers, saw and felt how they were uniting with the soul of their teacher and Rebbe, the Maggid of Mezritch. It was clear to everyone present that the Maggid was surely sitting at that moment in his chamber in Gan Eden, celebrating his yahrzeit. It was also clear that the Baal Shem Tov, the holy Arizal, and the other tzaddikim, the great Torah scholars, the Amoraim, the Tannaim, Moshe Rabbeinu, King David, and the Patriarchs at their head were listening to the Maggid’s Torah teachings. The holy fellowship now in the shul could actually see that they, too, were hearing the Torah the Maggid was teaching in his chamber. With special fervor and fire, Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk began to say, “Just as they unite above in oneness, so she unites below in the mystery of oneness, to be with them above, one corresponding to one.” His niggun

02:59 was divided into three parts, and each part explained and interpreted the words of the niggun. Beyond that, his singing of “Just as they unite above in oneness” reflected what was taking place at that moment in the higher worlds, and how the longing below was to be with them above, one corresponding to one. At the beginning of the Shabbos meal, Rabbi Menachem Mendel instructed the Alter Rebbe to repeat one of the teachings he had heard from the Rebbe in Mezritch. The Shabbos meal lasted until late, and after the meal they remained awake all night. With particular enthusiasm, his uncle, the Maharil, told the Tzemach Tzedek about the Minchah prayer the Alter Rebbe led and about the Torah reading. Although the Alter Rebbe had been called to the Torah at Shacharis, he was called up again at Minchah. The gathering of Rabbi Menachem Mendel, the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Yissachar Dov, Rabbi Avraham, and Rabbi Yisroel then lasted three days. At that gathering, they worked through every matter concerning the guidance of Anash throughout the region, and it was decided that Rabbi Avraham and Rabbi Yisroel would join Rabbi Menachem Mendel on his journey to the Holy Land. There were differences of opinion about when to travel. The Alter Rebbe held that the journey should be postponed until the following year, but the majority decided that it should take place that very year, 5537, in Adar. On Thursday, the eve of Chanukah, the Alter Rebbe and those accompanying him returned to Liozna. There they encountered three [unclear] visiting chassidim who had come from the surrounding towns: Vitebsk, Nevel [?], Dobromysl, Yanovitch [?], Kalisk, Horodishch, Udenya [?], Lubavitch [?], Baranovitch, Rassasna [?], Dubrovna, Liadi, Viev [?], Shklov, Kokhnov [?], and Smilain [?]. Most of the visitors were young married men, learned and deep-thinking, with exceptional talents. Some were among those for whom the Alter Rebbe had set out a course of study during his travels in the years 5533–5536, as we have already related. Others were from later periods. The Alter Rebbe took particular pleasure in these visitors, for most of them were among the leading people involved in the study of Torah and Chassidus, each in his own town. The Alter Rebbe took special

05:58 satisfaction in the great scholar Rabbi Yosef Kolbo of Shklov. In earlier years, he had been one of the leading opponents of Chassidus, but after a deep Torah discussion he became a student of the Alter Rebbe and one of the most vigorous workers on behalf of the teachings of Chassidus. Despite the hardship of the journey and his fatigue, the Alter Rebbe delivered a Torah teaching on the first evening, at the lighting of the first Chanukah candle. On Shabbos he delivered two teachings, and he ate both the Friday-night and Shabbos-day meals in the study hall with some of the visitors, in the presence of all the students of the study groups. At both meals the Alter Rebbe spoke about the Maggid of Mezritch and told various stories from his time in Mezritch. On Motzaei Shabbos, the Alter Rebbe arranged a Melaveh Malkah meal in the study hall. He rarely took part in these meals, but this time he attended and delivered a Torah teaching, and everyone present was very joyful. Suddenly, however, something happened that shook everyone there. At that time, Jews in Poland led good, peaceful lives. Liozna then belonged to Poland. They had livelihoods and were treated well by the Polish population. Relations with their Polish neighbors were excellent, too. Even the priests often spoke to the Polish population in praise of Jewish conduct—the compassion, hospitality, and charity for which the Jewish residents were known—and said that good character traits could be learned from them. The closeness between the Polish and Jewish populations led some non-Jews to express a desire to convert to Judaism. It was only because they were warned, as Jewish law requires, about the demands of Jewish life, and because the rabbis gently explained to them that they should not convert, that their desire did not lead to conversion. Yet on the rare occasion when a Jewish young man or woman formed a strong attachment to a Christian, the priests did everything in their power to bring that Jew over to their faith. Now, in a town several Shabbos-boundaries away from Liozna, on the road to Vitebsk, lived a widow with two daughters and a son. The son had gone

08:53 to another city to study Torah. The daughters helped their mother at her inn. The mother arranged a match for her older daughter with a learned, G-d-fearing young man who would continue studying even after his wedding. Non-Jews who came to have a drink were always at the widow’s inn, which was in her home. Among them was the town priest, who liked to socialize with the young man and debate matters of religion with him. This went on for some time. Day after day, the young man spent hours debating the priest and consistently defeating him, and the priest praised him to everyone as a great man. This young man was exceptionally learned and G-d-fearing, but he was also arrogant. The slightest thing filled him with pride, and after every debate in which he defeated the priest, he grew greater in his own eyes. At times, passing Torah scholars heard the young man’s debates with the priest, and the whole business did not seem right to them at all. They tried to dissuade him from continuing in this way, but to no avail: he would not listen and went on debating. The priest brought in two colleagues from nearby towns. All of them would sit together every day, socialize, and debate. The priest and his two colleagues praised the young man extravagantly, called him a great man, and instructed all the villagers to treat him with respect. The priest told the young man that he had spoken about him to the head of the priests. When he described the extent of the young man’s knowledge, the head priest was impressed and expressed a wish to meet him. The priest suggested that they travel together to see the head priest, adding that if the young man defeated him too, it would bring him special honor. At first the young man did not want to do it. But after the priest and his two colleagues raised the matter with him several more times, he developed a powerful desire to travel to the head priest in Vitebsk and discuss religion with him. They traveled there. The head priest received the young man with great honor,

11:13 He asked the young man various questions about religion, and the young man answered them wisely. A long debate developed between them, and the young man emerged victorious. The head of the priests summoned several prominent priests and told them that the young man was very knowledgeable in the Torah of Israel and had defeated him, the head of the priests, in debates on religious questions. One of the prominent priests who was staying at his home said that he would be grateful if the young man would agree to discuss religious questions with them for several days. The young man agreed and stayed a few more days at the head priest’s residence, in a separate apartment they provided for him. His food was brought in from outside. During his stay, he continued his conversations and debates with the group of priests, who treated him with great respect. When the time came for the young man to travel home, the head priest invited him into his private home and, in the presence of the other priests, warmly thanked him for coming. He said that if the young man saw fit to visit again, he would be very pleased. The young man returned home. He told no one where he had been or what he had done; he simply went about in exceptionally high spirits. Several weeks passed, and some visitors who were accomplished Torah scholars came through the town. It was intensely hot outside, so they decided to wait at the widow’s inn until the heat eased. Meanwhile, they discussed Torah among themselves. The young man heard their conversation and began to join in, offering his own reasoning on the matters under discussion. Although he was a capable student, he was no match for the visitors’ deep scholarship. When they heard his arguments, they laughed at him and said that a young man should listen to what his elders had to say and show proper respect to Torah scholars. Their words deeply wounded his pride. He began to hate Torah scholars, claiming that most of them did not show the Torah the respect it deserved. Now, in one of the nearby towns, a new monastery had been built, and its

13:43 dedication was set for the end of the summer. At the end of the summer, the head priest came from Vitebsk, accompanied by many priests from the surrounding area, to dedicate the monastery. From there, he traveled to visit all the nearby towns. When he came to the town where the young man lived, the head priest and his associates visited him at the widow’s inn, and they met and talked with him for a long time. After the head priest’s visit, the young man’s standing among the town’s non-Jews rose, and so did his pride. After Sukkos, the young man left home for several weeks. When he returned, he was very excited. A few days later, he left again. Before Shabbos Chanukah, a letter arrived from him saying that he had been staying the whole time at the head priest’s residence, where he was treated with great respect. He had a separate apartment, and the head priest had promised that if he joined him, he would become a very important man whom everyone would hold in high regard. His wife and mother-in-law did not understand what the letter meant. Around Chanukah, however, his son came home. He read the letter and cried out in deep anguish: “Zev is staying with the head priest and wants to convert!” When the young man’s wife and mother-in-law heard the son’s words, they burst into tears. Immediately after Havdalah, they traveled to the Alter Rebbe. Despite the cold and deep snow, they rushed into his beis midrash, wailing: “Rebbe, save us! Our Zev is with the head priest and wants to convert!” Everyone in the beis midrash was shaken and horrified by the widow and her children’s story. Heartbroken and sobbing, they pleaded, “Rebbe, save our Zev from conversion!” The Alter Rebbe told them that he could do nothing to help. He could only tell them what had happened in the time of his teacher and master, the Maggid of Mezritch. The Alter Rebbe related: “It was the winter of 5529, when I was in Mezritch. Not far from there was

16:14 a non-Jewish town where several Jewish families had settled. A spirit of folly entered one of the sons of a householder—a learned, G-d-fearing young man—and drew him toward conversion, G-d forbid. The cause was not disbelief but pride. When he went to the priest, his father accompanied him and raised various arguments against taking this step, but to no avail. The father then traveled to the Maggid of Mezritch. He went in to see the Maggid and burst into tears: ‘Rebbe, save my son from conversion!’ The Maggid heard everything the heartbroken father told him and delivered a Torah teaching on the verse, ‘If a person sins and commits a breach of trust against Hashem.’” The Alter Rebbe repeated the Maggid’s teaching. “When the Maggid finished delivering the teaching,” the Alter Rebbe continued, “he instructed a minyan of his students to say Tehillim all night, until daybreak. I was among the students who said Tehillim throughout the night. And at daybreak, the young man came to the Maggid’s beis midrash. None of the students asked him anything. He stayed in Mezritch for several days, visited the Maggid, and returned home.” When the Alter Rebbe finished telling this story, he recited Birchas Hamazon and went to his room. They immediately chose a minyan of young men, who said Tehillim throughout the night. At daybreak, the widow and her children returned home. A short while later, a young man entered the beis midrash with a sack over his shoulder. Hearing everyone there saying Tehillim with broken hearts, he joined them and wept bitterly. Everyone understood that he was Zev, but no one spoke to him about it. The young man stayed in Liozna throughout the week of Chanukah. The week after Chanukah, he went in for yechidus with the Alter Rebbe and then returned home. Several weeks later, he moved with his whole family to another town. He arranged a match for his sister-in-law with a fine young man... from the yeshivah in Vitebsk

18:56 and became one of the young chassidim.