Weekly Story: Yud Beis Tammuz Part 1 of 2
Being that yesterday (Thursday) was Yud Beis Tammuz the Frierdiker Rebbe’s 144th birthday and therefore we begin saying chapter 145 in Tehillim as well as the day of his liberation 97 years ago and today (erev Shabbos is Yud Gimmel Tammuz, the day he received his papers to leave the imprisonment, I am posting an excerpt of my unedited draft of the Introduction to the Frierdiker Rebbe’s biography. The 2 volumes are a little more than one thousand pages and I expect it to be around another 250 pages.
As you will notice there are questions to my editors about wording, questions to others about the sources and accuracy of the information, and that takes time to check out each point.
As always your feedback is appreciated and welcomed.
One of the questions I am often asked after publishing a new volume in this series is, what insights did you learn while writing about this Rebbe?
While I knew the general information about the Frierdiker Rebbe’s life, I gained tremendous clarity in numerous aspects that I thought that I already knew the complete story. Additionally, not only were many of the additional details very interesting, some of them revealed to me entire new dimensions of his communal life.
To note a few of them:
It is well known that the Frierdiker Rebbe was not well during the last seventeen years of his life. However, I always was under the impression that until then (or until his seventh and final arrest) he was generally healthy. Yet, I found out that when he was sixteen, he was seriously ill and when he was nineteen he was seriously ill with tuberculosis, as well as other times when he needed medical intervention.
It is also well known that his father the Rebbe Rashab appointed him as the menahel poel of the yeshiva. I thought that that meant he was responsible for deciding who was accepted into the yeshiva and had to raise the funds needed for the maintenance of the yeshiva. However, I learned this responsibility was much more than that. He had the responsibility and authority in regard to every detail of the Yeshiva.
Nevertheless, he never implemented a decision without first proposing or discussing it with his father, the Rebbe. For example, he proposed to accept some married men and give them a monthly stipend of twenty-four rubles. Additionally, when the initial students were becoming engaged, he proposed that it is the yeshiva’s responsibility or perhaps obligation to help them find appropriate positions as rabbonim, shoctim, melamdim, and even regular sources of income as workers, as well as help them financially to prepare for their wedding.
Furthermore, he proposed that the Tmimim be required to memorize a set amount of mishnayous and Tanya on a weekly basis. These are just some of the proposals of his that were implemented with his father, the Rebbe’s approval.
Yet at the same time, we see in his letters that in numerous situations although he was considering in favor of doing certain things, however, when his father disagreed, he changed his decision.
To mention one of them: A few wealthy parents asked him to make a separate class for their sons, as they were not up to the standard required to be accepted as a student in Tomchei Tmimim. They promised not only will they cover all of the expenses of this project: such as for the special teachers for them, their separate room and board as well as their food, they will also give an additional significant amount of money, towards the maintenance of the yeshiva.
HaRav Yosef Yitzchok thought it was a good idea. However, his father the Rebbe expressed his concern that these boys, although they are completely in a separate facility, nevertheless they might have a negative impact/effect on the regular students and impede in their development. If that would occur, it would prevent him from achieving the goal he has set for students of the Yeshiva.
Heeding his father’s opinion, he changed his decision and didn’t accept them.
While I knew that after his wedding, HaRav Yosef Yitzchok dabbled in the business of selling/brokering lumber /deals, I didn’t realize that he was extremely successful in it and often lent the yeshiva (and his father) large amounts/sums of money.
Concerning his years in Riga and especially in Poland, I barely knew of his activities/ accomplishments there /really didn’t know too much, besides that he expanded and elevated the standard of the yeshiva. One of the reasons for this/why I didn’t think to look into his activities was that after the brutality of his imprisonment his health was such in a precarious situation that after extensive tests the doctors prescribed that for two to four months, twice a year, he stays/ avails himself to the treatments in health centers. In other words, during many of those years he was preoccupied about his health for around half of the year.
Yet, I found out that as difficult as it was for him to travel and even to walk, he visited numerous cities in Poland and Lithuania, accepting hundreds of chassidim as well as other Jews every day for yechidus and not giving his frail body the rest it desperately needed. That was his love and devotion to the chassidim and all Jews. Therefore, even when he was under the doctor’s strict supervision and wasn’t allowed to talk at length, he did not allow that to interrupt his activities. He wrote extensively to Jews all over the world. Many of these letters were to encourage them to support Russian Jewry, while others expressed the necessity of spreading Judaism in their city and wherever possible.
I will mention one more point that was new(s) to me: it concerns the Rebbe’s ten final years when he was living in America. Everyone knows that in 5701 (1941) he established the three central organizations of Lubavitch; Kehot, Machane Yisroel, and Merkos L’inyoenei Chinuch. At that time, he appointed our Rebbe (who had just arrived with his/the Rebbetzin in America) to be the director of all of them. However, I never really understood the broad/vast/true scope of these organizations and the extent of his personal involvement in them and in the other numerous other organizations and projects that he established or participated in. I always thought that he completely gave them over to our Rebbe.
Basically, anything Jewish in America and indeed throughout the world was important to him, even if may affect the expansion and work of his own institutions.
One of the themes we vividly see by the Rebbe Rayatz is that although he was the Rebbe of Lubavitch, his concern was for every Jew, even if/when it seemingly had no bearing on Lubavitch. This is something that he learned from his father the Rebbe Rashab.
In 5550 (1890) Rabbi Yitzchok Elchonon Spector of Kovno who was —- on behalf of (orthodox) Russian Jewry, stood up to Baron Naftali (Horace) Gunsburg demands of introducing Russian language and subjects into the chadorim system throughout Russia, and replied, “NO!” In retaliation the Baron did everything in his ability to cut off the substantial sums of money that was being given to support the chadorim and yeshivos.
He anticipated that this would have a crippling effect on these institutions, and ultimately, they would have no choice but to capitulate to his demands.
The Rebbe Rashab then let it be known that he is undertaking to cover 80% of the shortfall of all Yeshivos, even though that/this hindered the expansion of his own activities. Sometimes the effect/consequence was so severe that there was absolutely no money for the personal expenses of Beis HaRav, but that did not hinder/ interfere with his helping the non-Lubavitch yeshivos. This strengthened everyone’s resolve and completely thwarted Gunsburg’s plans.
The Rebbe who became his father’s secretary five years later, in 5555 (1895), knew about this commitment and continued it throughout his own life.
Similarly, when the Rebbe Rashab successfully petitioned the Czarist government to exempt rabbonim, shochtim, mohelim (religious functionaries) from the draft and he received three hundred exemptions to distribute, the majority of the beneficiaries were not his chassidim.
In fact, one of the conditions/assurances that the Rebbe Rashab gave to the governmental officials was that it only applies to official/practicing rabbonim of communities, and he wrote specifically that he is not allowed to use it for his son. Therefore he distributed the vast majority of these exemptions to rabbonim from other chassidic groups or even non-chassidim. In his approach Lubavitch works for the Jewish people, and anything that is important to the strengthening of Judaism, is important to Lubavitch.
We see that he/HaRav Yosef Yitzchok continued this approach immediately after becoming Rebbe, in 5680 (1920). That was at the onset of the Communist iron clad control of Russia, and their brutal war against religion. They began forcing many yeshivos to close, however, Tomchei Tmimim and a few other yeshivos continued “underground”.
While the Rebbe initially focused on strengthening Tomchei Tmimim and the learning of Chassidus among Anash, he noticed he has to help and encourage all Jews. Although it was very difficult to raise money, as the communists confiscated everyone’s possessions, the Rebbe managed to raise and borrow substantial amounts. Yet in the beginning of 5683 (Oct. 1922) he called a meeting and shared that money with all of the yeshivos and rabbonim who were fighting to maintain religious observance in their communities.
A Taste of Chassidus
V’Atah Titzaveh [As of now this is he last Maamar that we merited to receive from the Rebbe]
One of the numerous points that the Rebbe explains in this maamar is the saying of our sages on the words in Megillas Esther, “The Jews fulfilled and accepted.” The Jews accepted the Torah by Har Sinai, however, they fulfilled the Torah in the days of Mordechai.
The first thing that has to be understood is, how is it possible that the Jews who lived in the days of Mordechai who were being punished because of their actions accomplished something that the generation of Moshe who were tzaddikim couldn’t? As the possuk states, they only fulfilled the Torah and mitzvos, while the weaker generation fulfilled it?
The Rebbe explains, that while Moshe who is called Rayuh Mihemnah (the faithful sheperd) strengthened the Emunah (faith) of his generation, yet, it only permeated their intellectual faculties, as it wasn’t challenged by and decrees. But by Mordechai when Torah and mitzvos were being challenged, Mordechai inspired them to stand firm to the extent of mesiras nefesh, and that power comes from the essence of the soul. So, in that aspect they were higher and therefore they fulfilled what was already accepted by Moshe’s generation.
However, we have to understand, these words “They fulfilled and accepted,” were said in the megilla after Haman was defeated and his house was given to Esther. At that point the Jews were no longer in a danger, so what mesiras nefesh was needed then, and because of that mesiras nefesh they reached the level of “Fulfilled”?
The answer is that there are two levels of mesiras nefesh, as can be seen from people’s actions.
There were many Jews who conducted their life with mesiras nefesh, and defied the authorities who forbade the observance of Mitzvos. However, when they left that situation and settled in a different country where there was no prohibition to fulfill mitzvos, they conducted their life without the passionate dedication they had previously. In other words, their mesiras nefesh did not become their essence, it expressed itself only when it was needed.
However, by other individuals that experience transformed their life and mesiras nefesh became their nature, even when seemingly it wasn’t called for, so when this group of people moved to another country the fire of mesiras nefesh was still noticeable in them.
This is the mesiras nefesh that the Jews of Mordechais generation had, even after Hamans total defeat. One may think, that at that point, not only can the Jews relax, but they could be joyful, Mordechai is the prime minister, second to the king himself. However, they realized that even though things are very good now, but nevertheless we remain in exile and are servants to Achashveirosh.
They were stating a Jew can never be satisfied until Hashem takes us out of exile and His glory and essence are revealed in the entire world.
Therefore, the megilla informs us that this final act of theirs demonstrated that they truly fulfilled the mandate of the Torah.
Based on this we can deduce another interesting point, while Moshe Rabeinu is the faithful shepherd and he gave this ability to the leader of every generation, nevertheless, in a time of exile. and oppression the Moshe of that generation influences his generation to attain a higher level of faith and dedication than Moshe implanted in his generation.
Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeiim and their chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com
