Chapter 230 - The Tzemach Tzedek's Stand Against the Government's Threats.

00:01 Continuing the subject of the rabbinical conference and the questions the Tzemach Tzedek was asked about the influence of Chassidus, the Tzemach Tzedek said—and the Frierdiker Rebbe brings this in a letter—as follows: Chassidus makes chassidim wiser. It makes them more G-d-fearing and happier, and they also try to help others become happier. This makes them wiser and, consequently, more G-d-fearing as well. On several occasions at the rabbinical conference, the Tzemach Tzedek spoke about what Yaakov Avinu said in his blessing to Yosef: “Which I took from the hand of the Emori with my sword and my bow.” Rashi and Onkelos render this “with my prayer and my supplication”—that is, through prayer. The Tzemach Tzedek said: In the time of the Beis Hamikdash, the Jewish people had swords and bows with which to wage war. When the Jewish people went into exile, Hakadosh Boruch Hu took away their swords and bows of war. But He left the sword and bow of prayer and supplication in the hands of the Jewish people during exile. Indeed, the power of the sword and bow of prayer and supplication is far greater than that of a sword and bow of iron. When thousands of Jews choose someone as their rabbi, they invest him with the strength of the many. When the Jewish people give someone their spiritual powers, the powers of their souls, he becomes a nasi, and the nasi’s duty is to devote his life to upholding Torah and mitzvos. That self-sacrifice of the nasi resembles the self-sacrifice of Avraham Avinu—not the way Haran acted, waiting to see whether Avraham would be saved. The government imposed many fines on the Tzemach Tzedek because of his words and speeches against government ministers on matters of religion and religious books, and the fines continued for many years. Let us continue the account of the rabbinical conference. All the questions concerning the laws of kiddushin, gittin, chalitzah, agunos, bris milah, apostates, shuls, mikvaos, and cemeteries were decided with almost no argument.

02:58 But the maskilim concentrated all their efforts on the education and instruction of children and young people. On every issue, the Tzemach Tzedek stood firm and would not yield even on a minor custom in the way children were taught the alef-beis, or in the wording of the morning Shema and the blessing on tzitzis recited with children, and the like. Lilienthal did not have a decisive vote at the conference, but when they came to the question of education and methods of learning and prayer, he mounted a major campaign, using all sorts of tactics to destroy accepted Jewish customs and replace them with new ones as the maskilim wished. But he was unable to bring about a change. The Tzemach Tzedek said to Lilienthal: Why was King Achaz called Achaz? Because he seized the synagogues—he went into them and would not let anyone enter. The scholar among the delegates, Betzalel Stern, was one of the learned and outstanding members of the progressive maskilim. At the same time, he was an exceptionally serious and sensitive man. Although his personal views were utterly opposed to those of the great scholar Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin and Rabbi Yisroel Halperin, and especially, of course, to those of the Tzemach Tzedek, the Rebbe’s firm determination to defend and preserve every Jewish custom, even the smallest, touched his heart. On several matters he agreed with the Tzemach Tzedek, and at times his vote tipped the balance toward the G-d-fearing side, much to the distress of Dr. Lilienthal, the maskil. At one of the meetings, an official of the Ministry of Education who was chairing the conference said that the proposal to shorten the text of the prayers would be decided according to the halachic ruling, “Follow the majority.” “I,” he said, referring to himself, “and Dr. Stern say to shorten it. Rabbi Schneersohn and Mr. Halperin say not to change it. And Rabbi Yitzchak is silent, and silence implies assent. So we are the majority.” He turned

05:38 to the secretary and told him to write: “It was agreed to shorten the text of the Jewish prayers.” “Do not be so quick to order a resolution written,” said the Tzemach Tzedek, “for I have something to say about this—even though I have been punished twice, three times, ten times for saying that the Ministry of Education invited the chosen representatives of the Jewish people, citizens of Russia, to hear their views on Jewish religion and customs. The Ministry of Education wishes to hear the representatives’ views. It did not summon the representatives to present them with its own views on Jewish religion and customs—matters it knows not from their true source, but from the polluted spring of the maskilim. For the maskilim are complete ignoramuses when it comes to knowledge of the Torah of Israel, and the information they provide the Ministry of Education about Jewish religion and customs is riddled with errors and confusion, and is laughable to a Jew who knows his texts.” The Tzemach Tzedek continued: “I do not retract the position I stated earlier: the Ministry of Education has no say whatsoever in matters of Jewish religion and customs. If the ministry takes it upon itself to express an opinion—a deciding opinion—then I, as I have already stated several times, withdraw from the assembly and request a certificate of resignation. As for the halachic ruling, ‘Follow the majority,’ it has no bearing at all on the matters under discussion. This is one of those mistaken interpretations by ignoramuses that I said invite ridicule. We were not invited to issue halachic rulings, but to clarify the halachos already established in the laws of the religion of Moshe, and to clarify the customs accepted among the Jewish people, so as to ensure and safeguard that no one makes any change, either to the mitzvos of Hashem or to the customs of the Jewish people. Yet even according to that mistaken interpretation of the verse ‘Follow the majority,’ one must take into account the number of voters, not the number of delegates. Rabbi Yitzchak, Mr. Halperin, and I are delegates

07:58 of ninety-nine percent of the Jewish citizens, who cherish the Torah of Hashem and observe His mitzvos with wholehearted sincerity. And rightly,” said the Tzemach Tzedek, “Mr. Halperin and I can count Rabbi Yitzchak’s silence as assent to our view: that no one has any authority to change even one thing in the text of the Jewish prayers.” “Certainly,” said the great scholar Rabbi Yitzchak. “I agree with Rabbi Schneersohn and Mr. Halperin that no changes should be made to the text of the Jewish prayers.” The official from the Ministry of Education was a hot-tempered man, quick to anger. He spoke harshly to the Tzemach Tzedek, saying that he would report to the Minister of Education every detail of his remarks, which had shown disrespect for the Ministry of Education. He would also report to the Minister of the Interior that Rabbi Schneersohn’s words showed him to be a rebel against the government, and that his end would be bitter. He turned to the secretary and said, “You will sign that.” The Tzemach Tzedek did not reply at all. The other members of the conference, including Dr. Stern, were shaken by the official’s harsh words, for he was known to be an exceedingly severe man. On the third day of the rabbinical conference, which was Erev Shabbos, the Tzemach Tzedek was summoned to a meeting with the Minister of Education at three o’clock. Stern suggested that, since the matter was extremely serious, he could serve as interpreter. The Tzemach Tzedek and the great scholar Rabbi Yitzchak spoke Yiddish and used interpreters. Rabbi Yitzchak used Dr. Stern, while the Tzemach Tzedek used Yisroel Chaikin, mentioned above, or Mr. Yaakov[?] Feigelson. The Tzemach Tzedek thanked Stern for his offer and said he would take Mr. Chaikin as his interpreter. If Mr. Stern wished to be present when the Tzemach Tzedek met the Minister of Education, however, and had permission to do so, he had no objection. The meeting did take place at three o’clock. In the presence of representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the secret police, police officials, and deputy officials of the Ministry of Justice, the Minister of Education ordered

10:26 To read the report of the chairman of the assembly of Jewish delegates: “The tzaddik Rabbi Mendel Schneerson disrupts the proceedings of the conferences with force and boldness and brazenly disparages the laws of the government, saying that its only power is to impose taxes on the Jews, but that the government has no authority even to touch any Jewish custom. And with regard to every good proposal, grounded in law and reason, for the benefit of the Jews, which the Jewish scholars have already proposed or agreed to, the tzaddik Rabbi Mendel [unclear] Schneerson insists on his own view and forcefully orders and commands, saying: ‘We were invited here so that our opinions would be heard, not so that we would hear the opinions of others.’ He has been punished many times already, yet persists in his rebellion against the government.” Attached to this report was a brief general survey of the life of the tzaddik Schneerson of Lubavitch—his way of life, his rabbinic and communal work, and his influence on the Jews living throughout Russia and the neighboring countries. This was the substance of the report: “The tzaddik Rabbi Mendel [unclear] Schneerson, born in the town of Liozna in Vitebsk Province, was educated by his grandfather, the tzaddik Rabbi Schneur Zalman Baruchovitch, who in 1799 was arrested by order of Emperor Paul and brought to Petersburg. He was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress as a rebel against the crown. Because the tzaddik Baruchovitch, the Alter Rebbe, was an enemy of the French, during the war with France he acted as a loyal citizen for the good of his homeland, and the government showed favor to his son, the tzaddik Rabbi Dovber Schneerson, the Mitteler Rebbe. The tzaddik Schneerson, together with Berlin and Zeitlin, was suspected of murdering a Christian child in the town of Velizh, Vitebsk Province, in 1823 for religious purposes. Only Minister Golitsyn, who knew his father and knew him, protected him from punishment by the court. Later, in 1826, he was found guilty of rebellion against the government for sending large sums of money to Turkey. Minister Khovansky demanded a severe punishment, but the academician and physician Ivan Tal [?] defended him. When the tzaddik Rabbi Schneerson assumed the rabbinic position

12:40 in the town of Lubavitch in 1827, he organized a group opposed to the government’s laws so that Jews would not provide recruits for the army.” The report went on to enumerate offenses and crimes allegedly committed by the Tzemach Tzedek over twelve years, during which his home was searched many times. “The tzaddik Schneerson’s offenses against the government became so numerous that a secret-police officer was stationed in Lubavitch to keep watch over his activities and over the hundreds of visitors who come daily to seek his advice and hear his instructions. He warns them all not to obey the government’s call to educate their sons in government schools. Attention should also be paid,” the reports continued, “to Dr. Lilienthal’s account of his travels in 1841 and 1842. Wherever he went, people did not come to hear his speech about the benefits the government wished to provide the Jews by teaching their children the country’s written language and spoken language. Nor did they accept his book, Maggid Yeshuah, which announced hopes for improvements in the Jews’ civic status and urged the communities to obey the government. Though thousands of copies were distributed, the Jews tore them up and burned them at the warning of the tzaddik Schneerson.” As the secretary read that report and its appendix, the secret-police and police officials kept casting furious, bloodshot looks at the Tzemach Tzedek. He sat perfectly calmly, which astonished everyone, since they knew he understood the language of the country. When the secretary finished reading the report, headed “The Accusation,” the Minister of Education turned to the Tzemach Tzedek with restrained anger. “I want to know what Rabbi Schneerson has to say in reply.” Before the Tzemach Tzedek could say anything, Mr. Stern rose and said in fluent German that, with all due respect to His Excellency the Minister of Education, he, as one of the minister’s protégés, could not refrain from saying that the author of the report had exaggerated to the point of distorting the truth in accusing Rabbi Schneerson of disparaging the government’s laws or disrupting the proceedings of the committee,

14:52 and the like. This presented an entirely false picture of Rabbi Schneerson’s conduct, which was in fact perfectly courteous, even though Rabbi Schneerson did not conceal his views and expressed them plainly. The Minister of Education gave Stern a piercing look and said, “Do you, too, exonerate the tzaddik Schneerson, who insults the government and scorns its laws?” “Certainly,” a Justice Ministry official interjected sharply. “Rabbi Schneerson does not know the laws, and that is why he scorns the government’s laws and insults the government. In my opinion, then, the laws must be presented and explained to Rabbi Schneerson, along with the penalties attached to them.” At this point Dr. Lilienthal could no longer restrain himself. He showed his true face and hurled slanderous accusations at the Tzemach Tzedek. This is what he said: “Rabbi Schneerson knows the laws and regulations and the penalties for violating them. He also knows the emperor’s wish to benefit his Jewish subjects, to strip them of their superstitious beliefs in demons, witchcraft, the evil eye, and reincarnation, and to make them citizens useful to themselves and to the country. Nevertheless, Rabbi Schneerson mounted a major campaign through special emissaries to turn public opinion against me wherever I went. Though they knew I was traveling on the government’s mission to announce our mighty sovereign’s intentions for the good of his subjects, no one came to the meetings I held. When I came to a synagogue on Shabbos, it was packed with people. I went up to the bimah, and before I could utter a word, voices cried out, ‘The apostate from Riga has come to turn Jews away from their religion! Jews, leave the synagogue!’ Dozens of hands were raised against me in terrible fury, and a voice shouted, ‘Do not touch that vile German agitator!’ They left the synagogue, and within moments it was empty. Even as I walked through the streets, people pointed at me as though I were a leper. In several towns I could not walk down the street because a band of boys and girls

16:48 ran after me, calling, ‘Here is the German apostate! Here is the man who builds schools to convert Jewish children!’” Dr. Lilienthal’s accusations aroused the fury of the Minister of Education. His face grew flushed, and his whole body trembled with emotion. “All of Dr. Lilienthal’s reports,” said the Minister of Education, “concerning Rabbi Schneerson’s campaign have been corroborated by the secret-police office and are attached to the chairman’s report. Everything will be handed over by the representative of the Justice Ministry so that the appropriate penalty may be imposed on him. The verdict will be sent to the Third Section of the Interior Ministry to be carried out. I now turn to Rabbi Schneerson and give him leave to speak in his defense, as the law permits every accused person to defend his past conduct and promise upright conduct in the future. The minutes of this meeting will also be attached to the indictment of Rabbi Schneerson, who is accused of insulting the government and scorning its laws and orders.” The Tzemach Tzedek rose and said with fiery intensity, “I do not accept the accusation anyone seeks to level against me, that I have insulted the government or scorned its orders. Throughout my years in office, I have made it my duty to tell the Jewish people what is permitted and what is forbidden according to the Torah and according to Jewish customs handed down from father to son, generation after generation. That is what I have done, what I do now, and what I will continue to do, without regard for false accusations intended to bring punishment upon me. Knowing that I have fulfilled my duty with an honest heart, I will not be frightened even by the harshest penalties.” The meeting lasted about five hours. When its members emerged into the street, dozens of people were waiting outside for the Tzemach Tzedek to come out. Although it was still broad daylight, the Tzemach Tzedek hurried to his lodgings. Before long, the substance of the meeting had become widely known, and there was turmoil and distress in all the homes of observant Jews, especially among the chassidim. The Tzemach Tzedek’s firm and holy stand, and the self-sacrifice he showed at that meeting, made an impression

19:07 Mr. Stern spoke of him, saying that he had never seen or heard of anyone risking his life in certain danger with such complete calm, without a moment’s hesitation, with such utter disregard for himself, as though nothing had happened to him. The elderly Reb Zalman Baruch [unclear] recounts: Mr. Stern said that the wealthy Shleimele, a communal advocate, would take shrouds with him when he went to the courts of government officials to seek relief for the Jews living in villages and settlements, in case an official had him imprisoned. No doubt those who now travel to officials to intercede for the Jews also take shrouds with them—but they leave their self-sacrifice at home. The Rebbe of Lubavitch left the shrouds at home; he took his self-sacrifice with him. After the conference held on Friday, the members of the rabbinical assembly received notice from the office of the Minister of Education that the meetings scheduled for Monday onward had been postponed indefinitely for an unforeseen reason. The members of the rabbinical assembly were asked to remain and await word of when the next meetings would take place.