Chapter 250 - The Rebbe Maharash's Visit to the Interior Minister.

00:00 The Rebbe Maharash works with the Russian government for the welfare of the Jewish people. Within a week, the Rebbe Maharash was received for an audience with the Minister of the Interior, together with the chassidim Reb Chaim Meshiev[?] and Nachum Hermond[?]. Although the minister received the Rebbe with great respect, and, as the chassidim related, the Rebbe made a tremendous impression on him, the minister nevertheless spoke harshly. He rebuked the Rebbe Maharash for opposing the policies of the crown and for traveling abroad to speak with citizens of other countries in order to discredit his own government in their eyes. For this, he said, the Rebbe deserved severe punishment as a rebel against the crown or as someone who disrupted the government’s order. The Rebbe Maharash answered the minister: “What does the government think—that they can spill our blood and the blood of our sons and daughters, plunder our property and the fruits of our labor, and we must still bow down and kiss the hands of the murderers and thieves? Are we not citizens of this country, fulfilling our obligations to the state with our persons and our money, like all its other citizens? Was it not disgrace and hardship enough that the wide expanses of the country were taken from us and Jews were confined to a restricted Pale of Settlement? And now the government lends a helping hand to criminals and the dregs of humanity, allowing them to attack our wives, our sons and our daughters, and us as a people without protection. As citizens of this country, we demand that the government protect our lives and property. I have therefore come to inform the Minister of the Interior, in my own name and in the name of all the Jews who are citizens of this country, that I wish to be granted an audience with the Tsar, to present our position and circumstances before His Majesty and to hear clearly whether he has decreed that we be put to death at the hands of murderers and thieves. The ministers’ words and promises have come to nothing and are worthless in our eyes. In the name of justice and fairness, I turn to the Minister of the Interior to grant our request.” The Minister of the Interior was shaken by the forthright words that came from the depths of the Rebbe Maharash’s holy heart and could not speak. When he recovered, however, he said that he would give an answer in a few days and that he

02:35 hoped the matter would end well. About ten days later, at the beginning of Elul, the Rebbe was received by the Minister of the Interior. The minister informed him that his request for an audience with His Majesty concerning the position and circumstances of the country’s Jewish citizens was a weighty matter. The government, however, had reliable means to ensure that, from then on, no harm would come to Jews through pogroms anywhere in the country. And so it was: over the next two weeks, all the provincial governors received orders to announce and inform every district official and every official in the towns, villages and settlements that any person or persons found stirring up strife and disturbing the peace among the country’s citizens, or calling for attacks on any community of its citizens, would be severely punished. The Jews in all their places of residence breathed easier. The tremendous work of the Rebbe Maharash, the father of my revered father the Rebbe Rashab, in communal affairs in 5640 took a great toll on his frail health. He was therefore compelled to travel to health resorts outside the country and decided to go abroad after Sukkos. Knowing that this trip would require him to remain abroad throughout the winter months, the Rebbe Maharash saw fit to convene a conference of communal representatives from Petersburg, Moscow, Mogilev, Minsk, Poltava and Chernigov. He set the conference for Tuesday, 7 Cheshvan, in Vitebsk. On Sunday, 5 Cheshvan 5641, the Rebbe Maharash traveled to Vitebsk. He took along his son, my brother Reb Zalman Aharon, and me. On Monday at twelve noon, the Rebbe went with a select group of prominent residents of Vitebsk to visit the provincial governor. He was received with great honor and remained alone in the governor’s office for about half an hour. When the Rebbe Maharash emerged from the office into the hall, where the distinguished guests, members of the governor’s staff and the chief of police were assembled, the governor thanked him for the honor of his visit and said that, thank G-d, until now there had been complete peace

05:27 among the inhabitants of the province. He pledged, on his word of honor as governor, that peace and unity would continue among them in the future as well. That same day, at four o’clock, an official from the governor’s office came to the house where the Rebbe Maharash was staying, the home of his relative by marriage Ginzburg. He said the governor had sent him to ask what time the following morning he could visit the Rebbe at his residence. The Rebbe answered that if ten in the morning suited the governor, it suited him too. The governor and five senior officials from his office arrived at the appointed time, stayed for about twenty minutes, and left. At twelve noon, the conference began, and it continued for three days. The final session was on Thursday. Before it closed, many of the participants turned to the Rebbe and said, “True, thank G-d, the situation is better overall. But in truth, the hearts of the Jewish people are broken, and they are terribly afraid. Rebbe, you are going abroad. If something happens, what will become of the Jewish people?” The Rebbe Maharash answered them: “Be calm, and reassure the others too. Indeed, at present we do not know what it is best to do. Some say to take one path, and others say to take another. Some say that every path is fraught with danger. I say that if people act according to the Torah, things will be good in these lands. Be calm, and reassure the Jews in your own communities too. It says in Tehillim, ‘I call upon Elokim, and Havayah will save me.’ Seemingly, it should have said, ‘I call upon Havayah,’ as it says, ‘To You, Havayah, I call,’ and ‘To Havayah I plead.’ Why does it say here, ‘I call upon Elokim’? And why does it say, ‘Havayah will save me’? Seemingly, it should have said, ‘Havayah will answer me,’ as it says, ‘Answer me with relief.’ Why does it say ‘will save me’ instead? Rather,” said the Rebbe Maharash, “this is what it means: ‘I call upon Elokim’—

08:10 G-d forbid, when it is a time of harsh judgments that break a person and make him ani, poor—a word with the same letters as ani, ‘I.’ When one’s sense of self is humbled, one truly remembers that these judgments come from the name Elokim, which is a holy name just like the name Havayah. One then understands that the judgments that come from Elokim have a purpose intended by the Creator of the world: that people should do teshuvah. Teshuvah is not only about particular matters; it is also meant to soften the heart and open the hands to give tzedakah and perform acts of kindness. That is the meaning of ‘I call upon Elokim’: the call is directed toward the inner purpose of the judgments and suffering that the Creator of the world sends, G-d forbid. When people understand the purpose of the judgments and respond with teshuvah and good deeds, creating complete unity in addition to their acts of tzedakah and kindness, then ‘Havayah will save me’: Hashem helps, and things turn out well. This is why it says ‘Havayah will save me.’ To ‘answer’ means that a person asks for something specific and knows what to do. But when one does not know what to ask for and does not know what to do, the request is that whatever one does should turn out well. That is why it says ‘Havayah will save me.’ Indeed, at this time we need mercy. But when the Jewish people experience ‘I, poor, call upon Elokim’—brokenhearted and frightened by the bitter situation and the harsh judgments—yet know that those judgments have a purpose, so that the poor person will call upon Elokim and cry, ‘Father, have mercy,’ they must be completely confident that ‘Havayah will save me.’ Whatever they do, and however they do it for the good of the community—for they must act through natural means—it will bring salvation, and the Jews will have light wherever they live.” The chossid Reb Chaim Meshiev[?] added and told the Frierdiker Rebbe the following: In the summer of 5639, estate and town owners in several provinces spread hatred of the Jews and incited the peasants who lived in the villages and towns to carry out pogroms against them. The Rebbe Maharash held several meetings in Petersburg during the winter of 5640 and visited a number of senior, prominent ministers, who promised him that they would stand by the Jews. This did indeed help,

10:55 Though only in a few places, not everywhere. When the Rebbe saw that a wave of pogroms was raging and the government was doing nothing, he traveled abroad to meet with communal leaders in Germany and France, so that they would influence the course of our government’s policies in favor of the Jews. When the Rebbe Maharash returned from abroad, he asked the well-known wealthy men of Petersburg for two of them to accompany him to the minister and request an audience. The wealthy men of Petersburg did not want to go, fearing for themselves. The Rebbe told them, “If you fear for your lives and your property, I will take two of my chassidim. Chassidim are not fainthearted like these frightened wealthy men. Chassidim are capable of risking their lives and property for the Jewish people. We will go, and Hashem will help us be good emissaries and save our Jewish brethren.” Through the efforts of Professor Bertenson [unclear], within about a week the Rebbe was granted an audience with the Minister of the Interior. He took the chossid Reb Nochum Harmont [unclear] and me with him. The Rebbe entered the minister’s office, and we followed. The room was very large, both long and wide. As soon as the Rebbe entered, the majesty of his holy countenance, his broadheartedness, his powerful yet pleasant voice, his eloquence, and his elegant clothing made a tremendous impression on the minister. The minister hurried forward to greet his distinguished guest with an outstretched hand and invited him to sit in one of the chairs beside the table, to the right of the minister’s seat. But in an instant the minister’s expression changed. He spoke harshly and even threatened the Rebbe with severe punishment as a rebel against the government. The Rebbe answered him sharply and demanded to know why the lives and property of the entire Jewish people had been left at the mercy of every murderer and robber. What can I tell you, my dear friend? Then we saw what mesirus nefesh is, and how one must give one’s life out of love for the Jewish people. We saw with our own eyes that Hashem was with him and the angel Michoel stood at his right hand. We all knew that the Rebbe knew

13:22 the language of the country, but we had never heard him speak with such eloquence. Hearing his eloquence and fluent speech, I thought of the words of our Sages about Yosef Hatzaddik: the angel Gavriel came and taught him seventy languages. It seemed to me that the angel Michoel was speaking. But at the time I thought: only a Rebbe, not an angel, could show such mesirus nefesh. Through his mesirus nefesh, the Rebbe saved the Jewish people, their lives and their property. The Rebbe’s words had a profound effect on the minister, who promised to provide an answer and escorted the Rebbe halfway across the hall outside his office. When the Rebbe returned to his lodgings, he was very weak. He sat down to rest and said, “The visit cost me much of my health, but with Hashem’s help it will bring real benefit and raise the standing of the Jewish people.” The chossid Reb Nochum Harmont [unclear] said to the Rebbe, “When the Rebbe entered the minister’s office, the minister was shaken and so deeply impressed that he became frightened.” The Rebbe said, “That is how it should be. When a Jew enters a non-Jew’s room and reveals the image of G-d on his face, that is the essence of a mezuzah. A mezuzah is a sign that the home and everything in it belong to G-dliness. The mezuzah reveals the Divine vitality hidden within created beings. Likewise, when a non-Jew sees the image of G-d on the face of any Jew, he must be shaken and afraid—but only for a while.” The Rebbe Maharash continued, “My father, the Tzemach Tzedek, told me that when they brought the Alter Rebbe to the Tayny Soviet [unclear] and took him into an office where many officials were sitting, the Alter Rebbe went over to the window, took out his tefillin and put them on. He then turned to face the officials, and awe and fear fell upon them all: those who were seated could not stand, and those who were standing could not sit. My father said: Of tefillin it is written, ‘All the peoples of the earth will see that Hashem’s name is called upon you, and they will fear you.’ It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer the Great says, ‘These are the tefillin worn on the head.’” He continues,

15:55 someone recounting this to the Frierdiker Rebbe: “That evening, the Rebbe Maharash fainted deeply. Professor Botkin was notified at once and hurried over. He gave the Rebbe medicine and reproached him for neglecting his health and doing things that harmed it, since even mild excitement was dangerous for him. The Rebbe answered him, ‘We do not belong to ourselves at all. Our bodies and souls, our spirits and our neshamahs, are wholly devoted to the Jewish people, in both spiritual and material matters. True, the arrows of our enemies and foes shatter our bodies to pieces, suck the marrow from our bones, and embitter our lives. But by doing this, we save and protect Hashem’s people. So it was with my saintly forebears, so it is with me, and so it will be until Hashem sees fit and sends us a righteous redeemer to gather our scattered people from the four corners of the earth and lead us upright to our land.’ And the Rebbe wept profusely. Professor Botkin ordered the Rebbe to leave the city immediately and stay in one of the nearby towns, where the air was good. Because the Rebbe was too weak to travel to Tsarskoye Selo, he went to a village near the city that also had houses with spacious rooms. He stayed there for several days until he regained his strength, then traveled to Tsarskoye Selo to await the minister’s reply. When the Rebbe came to see the minister a second time, the minister received him with great respect and said that the government had taken positive measures for the Jews. The Rebbe stayed in Tsarskoye Selo for about a week to recuperate and then traveled to Lubavitch. I’m reminded of the story we told last time about that man on the train, a baal teshuvah, who said that he had visited the Rebbe Maharash when the Rebbe Maharash came to Petersburg and had assisted him in his work for the community. So when we speak here about the Rebbe Maharash visiting the Minister of the Interior and so on, this may have been one of those visits.