The Ushpizin Part 2 of 3
by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon
As I noted before Sukkos, I planned to put out additional stories about the Chassidishe Ushpiz of the day. Therefore, for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings/ night, I am posting three stories. Bezras Hashem I will post part 3 before Shabbos Simchas Torah.
I excerpted these three stories from their biographies.
As always tour feedback and comments are appreciated.
THE REBBE THE TZEMACH TZEDEK
THE REBBE BESTOYED AN HONOR UPON US!
One of the Tzemach Tzedek’s responsibilities during the Mitteler Rebbe’s nesius was to farbreng with chasidim. During a Sukkos farbrengen, he asked, “Can anyone describe the [Alter] Rebbe’s accomplishment?”
Many people spoke up, but what they said did not captivate the assembled. At that point, one person said, “There are various aspects of a chassidishe conduct that according to Halacha, is considered voluntary (reshus), But now that the Rebbe elevated us to a higher level, they are mandatory [for us].
In other words, a person who conducted himself previously in such a manner was being mehader (going beyond one’s obligation). However, now that the Rebbe elevated us, such conduct is expected and indeed it is expected and demanded from each chossid.
All of the chassidim enjoyed this insight and began to discuss it in detail. As the farbrengen continued, their joy increased until they began to dance. HaRav Menachem Mendel was dancing with tremendous vigor, and he encouraged the chassidim to do so as well.
All of a sudden, he stopped dancing and declared: The Rebbe’s accomplishment is not that he gave a Jew another obligation that he is required to do this accomplishment was in showing us how we can fulfill this obligation. In essence, he gave every Jew the ways and means to fulfill their obligation,
In simple words; “The Rebbe isn’t michayev (doesn’t obligate), he is Mizakeh (he bestows a privilege upon each one of us!)
THE REBBE MAHARASH
Battling the Maskilim
The maskilim were Jews who openly promoted and championed for the obligation of Jews to study secular subjects. They challenged the traditional education that Jewish children were receiving, and presented themselves before the Czar and his ministers as “enlightened” Jews.
The Czar was suspicious of the loyalty of the Jews (as they isolated themselves from everyone else), and he wanted to coerce them to assimilate with the gentiles, and hopefully convert them to his religion. As a result, he was thrilled to have these Jews help him destroy or at least weaken the Jewish community, and he gave them tremendous power.
The cooperation between the Russian government and the maskilim — including their battle against the Rabbonim and religious Jewry in general — began during the nesius of the Mitteler Rebbe and intensified during the thirty-eight years of the nesius of the Rebbe the TzemachTzedek. 1
After participating in the conference they convened in 5603 (1843), the Tzemach Tzedek did not desire to participate again. Therefore, when he was summoned ten years later to another conference, he obtained a letter from his doctor stating that he could not attend due to health issues. Five years later, in 5618 (1858), when he was asked to participate in yet a third
conference, he declined again, and he sent his son the Maharash to represent him instead. 2
After becoming Rebbe, the Rebbe Maharash remained at the forefront of the battle against them, openly opposing their agenda.
As he continued to successfully thwart their ill-advised plans, the maskilim viewed this as a personal affront, and he was considered their number-one enemy. As will be related shortly, it finally reached a point where they targeted the Rebbe Maharash, even attempting to assassinate him.
Notwithstanding their hatred and animosity toward him, the Rebbe maintained open channels of communication with them in areas where he felt they would be able to assist him in protecting the Jewish people from various decrees. This was especially the case later on, when the Rebbetoiled relentlessly to put a stop to the pogroms. 3
In 5640 (1880), during one of the Rebbe’s trips aboard, he passed through the city of Dvinsk. Although he was already accompanied by two attendants, a chossid from Dvinsk named Reb Yaakov Rashal boarded the train to accompany him as well. Initially Reb Yaakov intended tostay on the train for only a few stops, thinking he would get off the train when the Rebbe wouldretire for the night, and return that very night to Dvinsk on a different train. Accordingly, he didn’t bring along his tallis and tefillin.
However, that evening the Rebbe said to Reb Yaakov: “Yaakov, I want you to remain with me until the border.” 4 Obviously, Reb Yaakov followed the Rebbe’s instructions and remained on the train as it continued to travel hundreds of miles throughout the night.
At seven o’clock in the morning, Reb Yaakov was summoned to the Rebbe’s compartment. The Rebbe was accustomed to davening extremely early in the morning, so by that time the Rebbe had already davened Shacharis. Entering the compartment, Reb Yaakov saw that the Rebbe’s eyes were closed and he had a large smile on his face. Evidently the Rebbe was awake, and he had closed his eyes intentionally. Reb Yaakov remained standing there, waiting for the Rebbe to tell him what to do.
In the meantime, the train stopped off at a station. Among the passengers who boarded the train was a young man dressed in a sophisticated manner. Nothing in his conduct seemed out of the ordinary, except that he purposely looked for and then entered the six-seat compartment in which the Rebbe was traveling and sat down directly opposite the Rebbe.
A moment later, the Rebbe opened his eyes. Looking directly at the young man (as if he had been expecting him), he said: “Why must you carry a weapon with you? What’s in your pocket?
Show it to me!”
The color drained from the young man’s face, and he began to tremble. He meekly took out a revolver from his pocket and handed it to the Rebbe. 5 The Rebbe took it and tossed it out the window.
At that point, the Rebbe turned to Reb Yaakov and said: “You haven’t davened yet. Here are my tefillin. Put them on and say Shema.” The Rebbe then added: “Be extremely careful to avoid any foreign thoughts. This is pertinent to you until your final day.” 6
Reb Yaakov took the tefillin and left the Rebbe’s compartment, and the Rebbe began speaking to the young man. When Reb Yaakov returned, the Rebbe continued his conversation with the young man and said, “Perhaps you would also like to daven?”
The young man burst into tears and began crying uncontrollably. The Rebbe went over to him, patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, and said: “One who
commits a wicked act unsuspectingly is not considered a wicked person.”
These words had a calming effect on the young man, and he nodded his head, saying that he did, indeed, wish to daven. Reb Yaakov immediately borrowed a set of tallis and tefillin from another Jew aboard the train and gave it to him, and he proceeded to daven.
After he had davened, the man got off the train at the next stop. At that point, the Rebbe told Reb Yaakov: “You should now daven the entire davening, and you may disembark at the next station and return home. It isn’t necessary anymore for you to accompany me for the remainder of thetrip until the border.” 7
Some time later it became known that this young man had been sent by the maskilim to shoot at the Rebbe. There is another, unworldly incident related to the Rebbe’s battle with the maskilim.
In the city of Zhitomer there lived a passionate maskil by the name of Mr. Bergman. He wanted to propose to the government that a decree should be enforced making it mandatory for all Rabbonim to be fluent in the Russian language and possess some basic knowledge in secular studies. 9
After much planning and deliberation with his fellow maskilim, he wrote all of his proposals on paper in detail, specifying the various stages of the decree’s implementation. They then succeeded in arranging an audience with the Minister of Education, during which the proposal would be formally presented. To demonstrate that he had tremendous support, three of the
wealthiest Jews in Russia accompanied him to the meeting. They were the magnates Mr. Varshabsky and Mr. Vavelberg, who had committed to finance the entire program so it wouldn’t cost the government anything, and Baron Ginsburg, who also agreed to support additional efforts of the maskilim.
After the magnates were cordially greeted by the minister, they presented Mr. Bergman to him and he was asked to present his proposal. But then a frightening event took place: as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, his tongue extended itself, as if it was falling out of his mouth, and remained hanging over his chin! Bergman was unable to say anything, nor was he able to draw his tongue back to its place.
Everyone in attendance was startled and shaken at this unbelievable occurrence. The meeting was duly canceled to enable the unfortunate Bergman to visit a doctor. Meanwhile, at the time when this meeting was taking place, the Rebbe was davening at the Ohel of his father, the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek. When he returned home he was inunusually good spirits. Smiling, he said to his son-in-law, Reb Moshe Leib Ginsburg: “The [ten] meraglim (spies) were punished [for speaking evil about Eretz Yisroel] by having their tongues extend until their stomachs. But is it really necessary [for the tongue] to reach that far? [I think that if it stretches out] over the chin it is also
sufficient!” It was only later that the Rebbe’s cryptic words were understood. 10
The doctors attempted to help Bergman regain his speech, ultimately resorting to making an operation. However, their efforts were to no avail, and he died shortly afterwards. At that time, Baron Ginsburg sided with the maskilim who desired to destroy traditional chinuch. Their pretext was that Jews should be well versed in the Russian language and other secular studies so they could get along better with Russian citizenry, and they denied the fact that their
real intent was to erode traditional Judaism. To that goal, he had pledged to provide the money needed to cover the expenses of bringing a group of maskilim from Berlin to Russia.
To prevent this from materializing, the Rebbe sent for Reb Nochum Hermant, an askan (advocate on behalf of the community) who lived not far from Petersburg, instructing him to come to Lubavitch. He then instructed him to visit Baron Ginsburg and give him the following warning:
“If you continue to support the maskilim in this new endeavor of theirs, I [the Rebbe] will turn you into a pauper. To demonstrate that I have this ability, I am informing you that every stock you will purchase until the tenth day of this upcoming month will cause you a loss.”
Hearing these words, Baron Ginsburg trembled and immediately instructed Reb Nochum to inform the Rebbe that he was withdrawing his pledge of support to them. He then said: “I would like the Rebbe to instruct me what to do with the money I pledged. For what purpose should it be used?”
“Use it to build a shul,” the Rebbe replied. Obeying the Rebbe’s instructions, the Baron built the Kupetcheskye 11 shul in Petersburg. Since it was built at the Rebbe’s behest, it was decided that the official nusach of the shul be Nusach Ari. 12
1 See The Rebbeim Biography Series: The Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, pp. 213–276.
2 See above, “His Communal Work.” There the date given is 5617 (1857), based on Kitzurim V’Haoros LeSefer Likkutei Amarim, p. 127.
3 See below, “The Pogroms,” and Section Three, “The Journeys of Reb Y. M.”
4 Author’s note: Dvinsk is a city in Latvia, which was then part of the Russian Empire. The border referred to here is probably the border between Russia and Germany or Austria.
5 Author’s note: We can only surmise the reason the maskil backed out from his initial plans. Perhaps he was shocked at how the Rabbi of Lubavitch was aware of his intentions to shoot at him chas veshalom. Or he may have been taken aback at the Rebbe’s majestic figure (as noted elsewhere in this biography [“Finding Grace in the Eyes of Others”] that many people would stand in awe when they saw him or heard his voice).
6 The Rebbe writes in his Reshimos that he believes that the Rebbe Maharash then said to Reb Yaakov: “[When Dovid Hamelech was running away from his son Avsholom,] he said: ‘If this is Hashem’s will [that I should suffer, I accept it and] so shall it be’ (II Shmuel 15:25). However,” the Rebbe continued, “to be buried as a Jew is a necessity.”
At that time the Rebbe Maharash’s words were cryptic, but sure enough, they ultimately came to pass. Reb Yaakov had his ups and downs in business, and, remembering the Rebbe’s words that whatever happens comes from Hashem, he was able to overcome any sense of despair he may have felt. Some years later, during a trip to Petersburg, he passed away. It was only through tremendous efforts and much intercession by various askanim that permission was obtained to release his body so he could be buried as a Jew. (In the Reshimos no more information is given as to why and how this happened.)
7 In the reshimah it is noted that the Rebbe then said a short maamar for fifteen minutes on the possuk Veshinantam levanecha (possibly to Reb Yaakov).
8 Reshimas Hayoman, pp. 273–274.
9 In fact, since there were certain official functions the Rabbi of a community was required to do for the government, such as recording births, marriages, and so on, in most major cities and towns the government
appointed their own “Rabbis” who were knowledgeable in the above “requirements.” Now Bergman was proposing that all Rabbis be forced to learn the Russian language and secular subjects, even those who didn’t have these
responsibilities.
10 The Rebbe Maharash once said: “When my father the Rebbe [the Tzemach Tzedek] was in Petersburg, he did certain things in a Baal Shem’ske [wondrous] manner. He saw and heard what was being done and said hundreds of miles away.” Here, too, the Rebbe Maharash resorted to a Baal Shem’ske conduct to see what was happening far away and counteract it.
11 This is the Russian word for merchants. At that time, it was forbidden for a Jew to live in the capital unless he was a merchant or the like.
12 Reshimas Hayoman, pp. 274–275.
THE REBBE RASHAB
In the beginning of Sukkos, 5699 (1898), the Rebbe Rashab quoted a phrase from Tefillas Tal: “B’mashmaneinu al yehi razon” (“There should be no shortage in our abundance”). He then stated, “I know that it is difficult to make the following promise, but I resolve to keep it nonetheless. Many of the yeshiva students are now facing the possibility of being drafted into the Russian army. I promise that if they will conduct themselves in the way the yeshiva demands, they will not be drafted.” That entire Sukkos, the bochurim constantly sang those words from Tefillas Tal.
