Chapter 164: The Alter Rebbe Conducts a Campaign Against the Misnagdim as well as Against His Colleagues Who Disagreed with Him

00:01 The Alter Rebbe’s journey to Volhynia, his impressions there, and his return to Liozna. On his way home, he traveled through Baranovichi, Vilna—though he did not stay there—Sventzian, Dinaburg, Polotsk, and Vitebsk. When he reached Sventzian, the Alter Rebbe sent one of the young married men accompanying him back to Vilna to study there secretly with two local young men who had become attached to him during his visit. He sent the other young man to Liozna with a letter replying to his brother Rabbi Yehuda Leib’s report on the young men studying in Liozna and the news received from all the centers over the winter. As is apparent from one of his letters, the news he received from his brother Rabbi Yehuda Leib gave him great pleasure. In his letter, the Alter Rebbe briefly describes the difficulties he had encountered on his journey concerning the broader matter—that is, the complaints of the Chevra Kadisha against him, his present approach to serving Hashem, and the favorable situation he found in the circles of Mohilev[?]. He writes that the news he received brought him satisfaction, and that his stay in Sventzian was easing his distress. Through the young man serving as his messenger, the Alter Rebbe informed his brother Rabbi Yehuda Leib that he would return home a few days before the festival. He urged him to convey to the center in Dubrovna the Alter Rebbe’s agreement to establish a secret center in Shklov, and to inform the center in Smilian of his agreement to establish an open center in Disna. He also instructed his brother to announce and publicize that visitors should not come to Liozna until the following Shavuos. When the Alter Rebbe returned to Liozna, he found the students of the two chadarim doing well: they had kept precisely to the study schedule he had given them. Around that time, news arrived that the two young men sent to bring the money to the Holy Land were already on their way back, carrying letters from our Rebbeim in Eretz Yisroel, and would reach Liozna in time for Shavuos. The news spread far and wide, and a proclamation was issued to all the collectors of the sacred funds, asking them to make every effort to collect the regular contributions and bring the donated money to Liozna for Shavuos, because after the festival

02:49 new messengers would be sent to the Holy Land. The people of Liozna welcomed the Alter Rebbe home with great joy, and many townspeople decided to choose husbands for their daughters from among the young men studying there. According to tradition, about forty weddings took place over the summer. Those couples became the founding ancestors of the families of chassidim, Torah scholars, and people of good deeds in Liozna for generations to come. When the messengers returned from the Holy Land, they brought letters of blessing from Rabbi Menachem Mendel, along with letters to the Alter Rebbe setting out directions for conduct and guidance, and offering general encouragement. It appears that these concerned, in particular, the Alter Rebbe’s role as general organizer of the Chassidic movement. The messengers related that when they reached the bank of the Dniester River, they met two men preparing to go to the Holy Land. The men told them that they were traveling as emissaries to Rabbi Menachem Mendel and were bringing contributions from the Volhynia region. Let us recall that at the Chevra Kadisha’s meeting in 5537, when its members received a farewell blessing from their fellow member Rabbi Menachem Mendel before his departure for the Holy Land, they decided, among other things, on the following points. A. They all undertook to support our Rebbeim traveling to the Holy Land and their families. B. Each member of the Chevra Kadisha would be the leader in his own locality and region. C. The Alter Rebbe was chosen as leader for Lithuania, and the centers in Horodok, Polotsk, Kalisk, and Lubavitch were placed under his charge. D. The Alter Rebbe was appointed leader of the leaders in all matters concerning support for our Rebbeim in the Holy Land. E. The Alter Rebbe was chosen as the Chevra Kadisha’s general organizer for five years. When the messengers first traveled with the contributions in 5538, they stopped in Chernobyl to see Rabbi Menachem Nochum, since the contributions from the Volhynia region, together with lists of donors, had been brought to him. From there, they continued on their way to the Holy Land. In light of all this, the news that separate messengers were traveling from Volhynia to the Holy Land made a strong impression—not an especially positive one. Nevertheless, the established arrangements were not disrupted, and everything was done on time. Many of the collectors of the regular contributions came

05:48 to Liozna themselves, bringing the money and the lists with them. Those who could not come sent them with other travelers. At the appointed time, a lottery was held to determine who would go. The travelers went by way of Volhynia, as they had the previous year, and reached Chernobyl, where it emerged that the donated funds were short. All this distressed the Alter Rebbe. He wrote letters to his fellow tzaddikim, Rabbi Menachem Nochum and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, revealing his inner anguish to them. In one of his letters, the Alter Rebbe writes, among other things: “My heart grieves over this minor problem, for it is only the tzaddik who elevates everything on high. Yet it is written, ‘I will dwell among them,’ and it is written, ‘And all your people are tzaddikim.’ I am firmly of the opinion,” writes the Alter Rebbe, “that it is our duty to show the way to the many. I trust in our Rock, and I will not depart from Him, as I live, for such is the opinion of our teacher, the Maggid, whose soul is in Eden.” Rabbi Menachem Nochum of Chernobyl writes bitterly about the division appearing within the Chevra Kadisha and about the growing number of its members. He conveys his holy opinion and that of some twelve of his fellow members, who support the Alter Rebbe’s approach with minor differences. He asks Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Horodok to give the matter his considered attention, and says it would be worthwhile to send a special messenger about it. It appears from the letters of our Rebbeim in the Holy Land that they promptly instructed Rabbi Yisroel of Polotsk to travel to Liozna and to Lubavitch, to Rabbi Yitzchak Adom[?] of Lubavitch. The two of them were to join the Alter Rebbe, together with all the members of the Chevra Kadisha who supported his approach, to prevail over the opposing minority. Most of those who came to Liozna for the Yamim Nora’im and the festivals were rabbis, shochtim, teachers, and Torah scholars. Each brought bundles of questions and requests for advice, both his own and those of people in his town, concerning their material needs. The Alter Rebbe declined to answer most of the questions, saying that his main concern was with matters of Torah and the ways of serving Hashem. He

08:36 asked that it be announced and publicized that those seeking advice on material matters should not incur the expense of coming to Liozna, because he would not answer them. The Alter Rebbe turned his attention to the young married men and the younger students. During the three years from 5541 through 5543, he made short trips around his region, staying in each place for a week or more. In those days, the number of people living in villages and running roadside inns known as kretshmes had grown. The Alter Rebbe sent emissaries to all the settlements to oversee the children’s education. He placed dozens of young married men in the villages and settlements as teachers, arranged how they were to carry out their work, and gave them salaries. He instructed the residents of the villages and settlements to supply the money for those salaries. In one letter that Rabbi Yehuda Leib, the Alter Rebbe’s brother, wrote to a Jewish leaseholder who held two villages, three estates, and seven inns, he reminded him that the Alter Rebbe had instructed him to employ only Jews in all positions throughout his holdings. He was not to be satisfied with having a minyan, a shochet and bodek, and a teacher in his own settlement. Rather, he was obligated to arrange with his employees for every settlement to have a young married man who would study with the boys, and to provide him with a home and his necessities. For this they would be blessed by Hashem, and from what was said in the positive, he could understand the opposite. During those three years, from 5541 through 5543, the Alter Rebbe succeeded both at home and beyond. A large number of young married men lived and studied according to a set schedule in Liozna. The centers worked with great diligence, and rabbis, shochtim, and teachers settled in many towns, villages, and other communities, each fulfilling his role. By that year, apparently 5543, the Alter Rebbe already had several hundred students among the young married men who had lived in Liozna from 5536 through 5541, inclusive, as well as among the visitors. And although the Alter Rebbe did not answer questions about material matters, on spiritual matters he offered his holy guidance, as in his letter to the people of Oshes from 5541, where he writes, “Let me speak of peace for your sake”

11:27 And to my friends dwelling in the holy community of Oshas, may Hashem grant them life forever: The great upheaval in our country is well known. It is a time of trouble for Yaakov, but he will soon be saved from it. Therefore, the advice for everyone is to fulfill what is written, “Hide yourself for a brief moment, until the wrath passes,” and, “It is a time to act for Hashem; they have violated Your Torah.” For this reason, guard your lives: do not stand up against those who rise against you for praying in a separate minyan. I trust in Hashem that He will not abandon us forever, and that He will soon restore things to their former state. Until now, they have acted with restraint, as I instructed the bearer of this letter—not, G-d forbid, by informing on anyone. As for what Chaim said in my name, he gave false testimony about something that never entered my mind. On the contrary, I place my trust in Hashem with a sincere and upright heart. Nor is my blood being demanded by the One who demands an accounting for blood. Therefore, in light of everything in this letter, keep away from his tent and distance yourselves from him, for your own good. But do so without quarrel or strife: simply withdraw from him, do not answer a fool according to his folly, and do not speak with him, whether for good or ill. And when a trustworthy emissary comes to collect money for the Holy Land, tell him in my name not to accept even a single coin from this Chaim. If he does not set right what he has done, I will write about him to our rabbis in Eretz Yisroel, G-d willing. Some of the chassidim of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Horodok and Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk were accustomed to a very close relationship in which the elders held the central place, while the younger men and newly married men were not admitted when teachings were delivered. They could not bear the Alter Rebbe’s new approach of drawing the younger men and newly married men so close. Among these elders, chassidim of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Horodok and Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk, were men of stature and understanding. But they erred in their judgment and, without intending to, became a source of support and assistance to those

14:00 who had begun opposing the Alter Rebbe. One of them was the Chaim mentioned in the Alter Rebbe’s letter above to the chassidim in Oshas. Meanwhile, relations between the opponents and the chassidim grew very strained. The bans issued in Vilna, Zlotshov, Minsk, Brisk, Slonim, Shklov and other towns became known everywhere and began to have an effect. In the winter of 5542, the Alter Rebbe consulted his brothers, Rabbi Yehudah Leib and Rabbi Mordechai, about holding a debate with the opponents. The Alter Rebbe began a broad campaign, as will be related below. At the end of Sivan, he traveled once again to Volhynia for a gathering of the Chevra Kadisha scheduled for the middle of Tammuz. On this trip, the Alter Rebbe stayed in Volhynia for about two weeks and then hurried home. At that gathering, the Alter Rebbe expressed his view of the current situation with those who opposed the teachings of Chassidus. He said that the Chevra Kadisha was capable of debating them and that he was confident that, through Hashem’s kindness and in the merit of our master the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid, they would prevail over the opponents. He told the Chevra Kadisha that he would publish an open letter on the matter. Those members of the Chevra Kadisha who had long supported the Alter Rebbe’s approach heard his detailed account of how the study of Chassidus was spreading among the newly married and younger men. Although they did not agree with him on every aspect of the guidance involved in revealing so much light to the young, they were nevertheless very pleased to hear it. They had also received good reports from Turki Shmuelov[?], Iași and Kalarash[?], where the study of Chassidus was likewise spreading among [unclear]. But those within the Chevra Kadisha who opposed the Alter Rebbe’s approach were displeased and demanded that a ban be issued against the opponents. Most members of the Chevra Kadisha, however, opposed a ban, since the leading opponents were in Lithuania. They all agreed with the Alter Rebbe that they should debate the opponents, especially since the Alter Rebbe had already

16:45 published a letter on the matter. At the same gathering, they also discussed support for our brethren in the Holy Land and decided that the Volhynia district would send its donations directly. That year also marked the end of the Alter Rebbe’s five-year appointment as general coordinator. He refused to accept the position again, despite the urging of his colleagues, Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl and others. On his way back from the gathering in Volhynia, the Alter Rebbe passed through Minsk and stayed there to arrange the debate with the opponents, as he had planned the previous winter with his brothers mentioned above. This was the plan: The two centers in Shvintzian[?] and Smilian[?] would select seven or eight newly married men, designated by name, to travel through the Vilna, Kovno and Minsk districts. They would campaign among the opponents to have them call on the chassidim to come and debate, answering the opponents’ questions about Torah with clear proofs from the Talmud and the halachic authorities. The center in Lubavna[?] would select newly married men, also designated by name, to travel through the Shklov and Mogilev districts in White Russia and conduct a similar campaign. By Shabbos Nachamu, three newly married men named on the list would come to Minsk and quietly await the Alter Rebbe’s arrival on his return from Volhynia. These decisions were carried out precisely. The centers were notified, the travelers were selected, their destinations were recorded, and they set out. For a month or two, the young men traveled through their assigned places. On arriving somewhere, they would call themselves maggidim, deliver talks from the platform about moral conduct and fear of Heaven, and share Torah insights. In passing, they would also speak about the chassidic group that was spreading its wings, saying that there was no way to counter it except to summon its leaders to a debate and have them justify their ways from the Talmud and the halachic authorities. They advised people to write to Vilna and Shklov to ask that the group’s leaders be invited to a debate. Reports came in that people in several cities and towns were writing to Vilna and Shklov, demanding that the group’s leaders be invited to debate at a place acceptable to the leading figures in Vilna and Shklov.

19:37 The secret centers in Vilna and Shklov reported that a great uproar had arisen among the opponents: many letters had arrived from communities demanding that the chassidim be invited to a debate. Several meetings had already been held on the subject, but no decision had yet been reached. After Pesach, word came from the secret center in Vilna that Shklov opposed holding a debate with the group. Vilna, on the other hand, favored a debate, though it too had decided not to demand one. Only if the group requested a debate would they be obligated by Torah law to respond. Some proposed sending written questions to the chassidim and having the chassidim answer in writing. That way, their improper conduct would become known throughout the world. After all, in writing one could say whatever one wanted without investigating whether it was true, and surely the chassidim would not know how to answer—where would they have learned Gemara? The proposal was sent to Shklov. After careful consideration, Shklov rejected it for two reasons. First, one could write only what one knew for certain, and in fact much of what was said about the chassidim was false. Being closer to where the chassidim lived, they knew that some of the stories told about them were lies, while others contained a grain of truth but were otherwise exaggerated. The second reason was that among the chassidim were outstanding Torah scholars well versed in both the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. In Iyar, the Alter Rebbe authorized his brother Rabbi Yehudah Leib to convey the following to all the chassidim: He was deeply pained by the chassidim’s difficult situation and knew for certain that they had been slandered before the Torah authorities. He had therefore decided to send a general letter to all the communities announcing that on Shabbos Nachamu, he, the Alter Rebbe, would come to Minsk and remain there for two or three weeks. Anyone with a question or objection concerning the chassidim or their leaders should come to him,

21:55 and he was prepared to answer everything with proofs from the Gemara and the halachic authorities. This news was immediately sent to all the centers and, through them, to every community and group. Within a few weeks, it was known everywhere. The secret centers in Vilna and Shklov reported that the announcement of the debate in Minsk had shaken the leaders of the opposing side. The Vilna Gaon, however, expressed the view that knowledgeable emissaries should be sent and ordered that Shklov be informed in his name that they must debate. Many guests came from different places for Shavuos, and all told of the severe persecution the chassidim faced from the opponents, which was harming their livelihoods. The trustees of the charity fund for the Holy Land also complained that, because of the difficult economic situation, donations were far below the previous year’s total. This caused the Alter Rebbe great distress. To make up the shortfall, the Alter Rebbe borrowed substantial sums and sent them to our Holy Land with emissaries.