Episode 213 - The Imprisonment of the Mitteler Rebbe

00:01 The Mitteler Rebbe, as he is called in Yiddish, was the son of the Alter Rebbe and succeeded him after the Alter Rebbe passed away in the village of Piena. The Mitteler Rebbe, too, was arrested by the czarist government after Jews informed on him. His release was on 10 Kislev, which has since been called the day of liberation. Like 19 Kislev, the Alter Rebbe’s festival of liberation, this is a day of liberation. We’ll tell the story of the Mitteler Rebbe’s imprisonment. The Rebbe Maharash would often hold farbrengens on 10 Kislev, the day the Mitteler Rebbe was released from prison. The custom then was to hold a farbrengen at night with Rebbetzin Rivkah, the Rebbe Maharash’s wife, and during the day with the Rebbe Maharash. What did the informers allege? Their accusations concerned the Rebbe and the chassidim, and a supposed rebellion against the government. Generally speaking, though, the Mitteler Rebbe’s imprisonment was less harsh than that of his father, the Alter Rebbe. Twice a week, five minyanim of chassidim were allowed in to hear him speak Chassidus. This permission was obtained through the efforts of the doctor Heibenthal[unclear], who said that speaking Chassidus was the Mitteler Rebbe’s food and medicine. Just as an ordinary person needs to eat regular food, speaking Chassidus was the Mitteler Rebbe’s life and sustenance. The Mitteler Rebbe was also highly regarded by government officials. When he traveled from Kremenchug to Lubavitch in 5574, immediately after the end of the war against Napoleon, instructions were issued to government officials in every town along his route to welcome him and change the horses of his carriage. This was because of the help the Alter Rebbe had given the Russian army in winning that war. Once, as Emperor Alexander passed through the town of Babinovitch[unclear], near Lubavitch, he referred to the Mitteler Rebbe as “Pratzsi Rebbe”[unclear]. The Mitteler Rebbe later remarked on this that it is written:

03:07 “They draw a person close only while they benefit from him.” Just as above, in the heavenly kingdom, there is forgetting, so below, in the earthly kingdom, there is remembering. When the Mitteler Rebbe was arrested, several well-known chassidim were arrested too: Rabbi Aharon of Strashelye, Rabbi Shlomo Freides, and Rabbi Zalman Reizes. Rabbi Aharon of Strashelye was arrested later and released before the Mitteler Rebbe. The other chassidim remained in prison until Teves. What led to the arrest? When his father, the Alter Rebbe, passed away, the Mitteler Rebbe was in Kremenchug, and a delegation of chassidim approached him and asked him to settle in White Russia. The Mitteler Rebbe and his family were then very poor. They had left everything they owned in Liozna when they fled from Napoleon, and it had all been lost. The buildings had burned down, and the plots of land had been taken. They had used their cash to pay for the journey, leaving them destitute. So, as they traveled to White Russia, the chassidim helped them generously wherever they went. By the time the Mitteler Rebbe reached Lubavitch, he had received a large sum—several thousand silver rubles. When he arrived at his home in Lubavitch, he decided to distribute the money among his impoverished relatives. He wrote to the chossid Rabbi Pinchas Reizes of Shklov, whom we already know well, saying that since he had managed to collect a large sum and wished to distribute it, he wanted Rabbi Pinchas’s brother-in-law, the chossid Rabbi Zalman Reizes, and the chossid Rabbi Shlomo Freides to join him in deciding how to divide the money. Years later, Rabbi Pinchas Reizes passed away in Lubavitch. He had no sons, and his heir was his brother’s son, a wicked, unscrupulous man. Among Rabbi Pinchas’s papers, the nephew found the Mitteler Rebbe’s letter. He then set his sights on the money and demanded a large sum from the Mitteler Rebbe. If

06:08 the Rebbe did not give it to him, he would use the letter to inform on him. The Mitteler Rebbe answered that he would not give him even a single penny: he had done nothing wrong, and the man could do as he pleased. This infuriated the man. He joined forces with another man like himself from Vitebsk, and together they plotted how to inform on the Mitteler Rebbe. The Mitteler Rebbe’s mother’s family were prominent people in Vitebsk, known for their Torah learning and acts of kindness, as they were wealthy. But they were arrogant, jealous of the honor accorded the Mitteler Rebbe, and staunch opponents of Chassidus. They also bore a grudge against him because he had not wanted his children to marry into their family, even though they had offered very large dowries. So when this unscrupulous man from Shklov came to them, they helped him, since they had connections in the office of the high-ranking official Khovno—Khovansky[unclear]. What did they do? They took the letter they had found among Pinchas Reizes’s papers, in which the Mitteler Rebbe wrote about distributing the money, and forged it. They added the letter kuf to the sum recorded there, making it appear to be hundreds of thousands of silver rubles. They then informed on the Mitteler Rebbe, claiming that people were gathering around him from all the towns to rebel against the government. Their proof was the letter: he could not possibly have collected such a large sum between Kremenchug and Lubavitch unless they had some secret plans. It was an extremely strange claim. They also accused him of sending bribes to the Turkish sultan. We’ve already encountered this accusation in the story of the Alter Rebbe: the money was being sent to Eretz Yisroel to support the chassidim there. They also told the Russian government that the Mitteler Rebbe’s beis midrash had been built to the dimensions of the Beis Hamikdash, along with other false and baseless claims. An order was then issued to bring the Mitteler Rebbe to

08:44 Vitebsk. On the second night of Chol Hamoed Sukkos in 5587—that is, 1827—Rabbi Yeshayahu Mekler relates in his father’s name: “We were sitting in Rabbi Berach’s[unclear] sukkah, celebrating the Simchas Beis Hashoeivah. In the middle of the gathering, Rabbi Shimon Zelig came in and told us that, while he was across the river, he had heard that someone had informed on the Mitteler Rebbe. We were alarmed and did not want to believe it, but two days later we learned that it was indeed true. On Shemini Atzeres, which fell on a Monday, people met with the secretary of the governor-general. He said that on Thursday the arrest papers would be with the minister for review and approval. On Thursday we learned that the minister had decided to bring the Mitteler Rebbe to Vitebsk. Five prominent members of Anash then went to the minister and persuaded him not to bring the Mitteler Rebbe as a prisoner, but instead to send distinguished officials to inform him that he must come to Vitebsk. Several non-Jewish landowners joined in this request. News that someone had informed on the Mitteler Rebbe spread quickly through all the neighboring towns and settlements, and among the non-Jews too, for the Mitteler Rebbe was widely known among them, and his name inspired blessing and awe. Within a few days, there was a great uproar throughout the region. When we learned that the officials had set out on Shabbos with orders to bring the Rebbe to Vitebsk, everyone from our minyanim decided to go out to greet him. We left on Sunday of Parshas Noach, and at two in the afternoon we reached the Kashina inn, where Aharon Tzvi the milkman lived, about twenty versts from Vitebsk. There we waited for the Mitteler Rebbe to arrive. Toward evening, Yerucham Yisroel arrived. He was one of the messengers we had sent to Lubavitch to tell them everything we knew, and he was returning to tell us what was happening there. He told us that on Shabbos, the Rebbe had delivered Chassidus as he did every Shabbos throughout the year. Several hundred guests from nearby towns had come for that Shabbos; they already knew that someone had informed on the Rebbe.”

11:12 the Mitteler Rebbe. Some also knew that Gavriel Yaakov had arrived. He was the messenger we had sent on Thursday night with the news that the minister had decided to summon our Rebbe to Vitebsk, and that the leading members of Anash had worked to ensure that the journey would be conducted with dignity. Toward evening, word came that the senior officials had arrived in town. Early that night they came to our Rebbe’s house and stayed for about an hour. Through an interpreter, they spoke with the Mitteler Rebbe for a few moments, with great respect. They said they had come to ask him to travel with them to the governor-general in Vitebsk, and that he could arrange his own travel in a way that would not harm his health. As they had been told at our Rebbe’s house, he would travel to Liozna on Sunday, rest there overnight, and go on to Vitebsk on Monday. But because the road was in very poor condition and the air was harmful to his health, and because the doctors had forbidden him to be outdoors in such air, he would travel only as far as Dobromysl on Sunday. He would rest there overnight, travel to Liozna on Monday, rest there overnight, and arrive in Vitebsk on Tuesday. Late that night, the messenger arrived and reported that the officials had agreed to the travel arrangements. This morning I also learned that four more men had come last night, apparently secret agents, among them Ashkenazi Jews who speak Yiddish. The officials also summoned the landowners who held leases around Lubavitch to question them about the Mitteler Rebbe and his conduct. I arranged with Gavriel Yaakov that after our Rebbe traveled to Dobromysl and the itinerary became known, he would come and inform us. I instructed Ephraim to travel as far as Liozna and, once he knew for certain when our Rebbe would leave there, to hurry back and tell us everything that had happened. So the news Yerucham Yisroel brought revived our spirits. We also saw that Anash’s efforts with the minister had borne fruit: he had sent courteous officials. Our hopes grew stronger that they would succeed in showing, going forward as well, that the accusations were a fabrication. Yerucham Yisroel was a gifted teacher with a quick grasp, and he repeated for us the maamarim he had heard

13:40 in Lubavitch, while Aharon Tzvi treated us to dairy foods. Our spirits were lifted with renewed hope. On Monday, after davening, Yerucham Yisroel traveled to Vitebsk to tell Anash everything that was happening. At three o’clock on Monday, Gavriel Yaakov arrived and related that on Sunday morning, several men had approached the officials and asked permission to accompany our Rebbe on his journey. The officials answered that they were pleased to see how Jews knew to honor their rabbi, whom the exalted government also honored, and that anyone who wished to accompany him was free to do so. The officials who came to Lubavitch searched our Rebbe’s house for writings against the government, but found nothing—until they came upon the accounts of the tzedakah sent to the poor of the Holy Land, written in the Mitteler Rebbe’s own holy handwriting. They took these to Vitebsk. They also measured our Rebbe’s beis midrash to see whether it really matched the dimensions of the Beis Hamikdash, and found that it did not. At eleven in the morning, our Rebbe left Lubavitch. What happened throughout the night in our Rebbe’s courtyard cannot be put into writing: weeping, cries, people fainting. Only the Mitteler Rebbe himself was completely calm. He received people for yechidus and wrote teachings of Chassidus. Yesterday, early in the morning, he called for his son-in-law, the Tzemach Tzedek, and they sat together in private for about two hours. When the Mitteler Rebbe sat down in the carriage, a slight smile played on his holy lips, and when the carriage began to move, the entire procession moved with it. Many carriages traveled, and hundreds of people went on foot. We reached Dobromysl at about three o’clock. When our Rebbe passed through the village of Ber-Berezovka, the first village after Lubavitch, all its residents came out to greet him, led by the village elder, Stra-Stra-Stresa[unclear], and welcomed him with bread and salt. The same happened in the second village, Cher-Chernitsa, and in the third, near Dobromysl. About two miles from the town, the non-Jewish residents of Dobromysl stood with their town elder at their head, bearing bread and salt. They say that the officials accompanying the Mitteler Rebbe were deeply impressed to see with their own eyes that everyone

16:15 regarded our Rebbe favorably. When we entered Dobromysl, the Mitteler Rebbe’s son said in his father’s name that they should go straight to the main shul. The Rebbe entered the adjoining room and instructed them to daven Minchah. Afterward, he entered the shul and delivered a maamar of Chassidus beginning with the words, “Many waters cannot extinguish the love.” Today, after davening, he will travel to Liozna. Gavriel Yaakov says that he set out early, two hours before dawn, and davened in Liozna. All the people of Liozna, along with many visitors from nearby towns, are waiting to greet the Mitteler Rebbe. All the news Gavriel Yaakov brought put our minds at ease, and we urged him to travel to Vitebsk to tell Anash everything and to have them seek permission from the governor-general for the Mitteler Rebbe to stay in private lodgings, receive chassidim, and deliver teachings of Chassidus. We were in very good spirits, eagerly waiting to welcome the Mitteler Rebbe with joy and to see with our own eyes that the chassidim’s efforts had prevailed, and we would thank Hashem with a song of prayer. About three hours had passed since Gavriel Yaakov left for Vitebsk. We were getting ready to sleep and rest when Ephraim arrived, his face so full of alarm that the sight of him made our hearts sink with fear. “What happened?” we asked, shaken and distressed. “Our Rebbe is safe,” he answered, “but there has been a new development.” After our Rebbe delivered the maamar “Its flashes are flashes of fire, a flame of Hashem,” an explanation of the maamar “Many Waters” that he had delivered in Dobromysl, an order came from the officials: our Rebbe and his son were to come immediately to their lodgings, and no one was to approach them except for three people of their choosing. No one besides those three was to be with them. They were to travel in a separate carriage, and no one was to accompany our Rebbe, either by carriage or on foot. A rumor spread through the group that about half an hour before this order was announced, a special messenger had arrived and handed the officials a sealed letter. As soon as I heard what had happened, I hired a carriage and came to tell you what

18:53 was happening. This distressing news struck us like a blow. We waited until four in the morning, then set out for Vitebsk while it was still dark. At daybreak we gathered to decide what to do. We understood from this drastic change that the governor-general had become angry because of malicious denunciations by [unclear], aided by misnagdim who had informed him that even the officials he had sent were in league with the chassidim. They alleged that the chassidim had given the officials large bribes, leading them to allow our Rebbe to receive chassidim and the chassidim to honor him like a king. The governor-general had therefore ordered that our Rebbe be taken directly to the prison, to a separate room in the place where criminals were held. One glimmer of hope remained: the efforts of the expert physician Eibental, who esteemed and valued our Rebbe. He said he would prevail upon the governor-general to have the Mitteler Rebbe housed under guard in the courtyard of the government offices. Hundreds of people from Orsha, Nevel, Beshenkovichi, Polotsk, Velizh, and elsewhere came to Vitebsk and were waiting to greet the Mitteler Rebbe. Word spread throughout the city that hundreds were accompanying him and that he had been received with great honor in every village and town he had passed through. In Liozna and Dobromysl he had delivered maamarim of Chassidus, and crowds upon crowds streamed toward the main road from Liozna to Vitebsk to greet the Mitteler Rebbe. Thousands of people were milling through the streets leading from Vitebsk toward Liozna, and hundreds were waiting outside the city on the road to Liozna. The Mitteler Rebbe had not yet arrived, and those waiting were already growing anxious. We knew that the Mitteler Rebbe would arrive with only three people. Evening shadows had already fallen, and he still had not come. We were deeply distressed. About three hours passed, and our Rebbe was still not there. A rumor spread that he and his son had been detained in Liozna and held all night in a house guarded by armed police, who would not let anyone approach it. In the morning, after davening, our Rebbe and his son set out with two or three

21:23 people in two carriages, under heavy guard, along the road to Vitebsk. At nine that evening, we learned from Dr. Eibental that he had prevailed upon the governor-general to house our Rebbe in the central government office. Our Rebbe and his son, together with three other people, were already in the inner building in the courtyard of that office. The doctor himself had seen our Rebbe and given him medicine for a fever he had developed after catching a chill on the road.