Weekly Dvar Torah: Reb Levi Yitzchock “The Rabbi Who Made the Soviets Blink”
On the 20th of Av, we marked the 81st yahrzeit of the saintly Reb Levi Yitzchock Schneerson, of blessed memory — the father of our Rebbe, the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
During the late 1920s and 1930s, under the most oppressive years of Stalin’s rule in the Soviet Union, Reb Levik — as he was affectionately known among Chabad Chassidim — served as the spiritual leader of Chabad in Russia. Officially, he was the chief Rabbi of Ekaterinoslav (today Dnipro, Ukraine), a position that technically made him the leading Rabbi of the entire Ukraine.
This was no ceremonial role. At the time, the Soviet government had declared war on religion, branding it “the opium of the people.” Jewish observance was ruthlessly persecuted. The feared NKVD (later KGB) maintained constant surveillance, planted informers in every apartment building, and used exile to Siberian labor camps — or even execution by firing squad — to crush those who clung to their faith.
One example of Reb Levik’s courage came when the communist government demanded that he approve wheat for Passover Matzah. They knew that even under their persecution, Jews still clung to the Mitzvah of eating Matzah.
Reb Levik agreed — but only on one condition: he would personally observe the entire process, from harvesting the wheat to milling the flour to baking the Matzah, and only then, if it met his strict Halachic standards, would he give his approval.
Naturally, this was unacceptable to the authorities. In “good old” Soviet fashion, they threatened him with severe punishment if he refused to comply — which, in those days, meant at best, years in the Gulag for “undermining the success of the motherland,” and at worst, a bullet to the head.
But Reb Levik was unmoved. He traveled straight to Moscow and secured an audience with the President of the USSR, Mikhail Kalinin. He persuaded Kalinin to instruct the Ukrainian authorities to fully cooperate with his demands and assist him in ensuring the Matzah was truly Kosher for Passover.
Another story illustrates Reb Levik’s fearless resolve in an even more personal way.
Building “superintendents” in reality were agents tasked with spying on the tenants. The building where Reb Levik lived was no exception, and the NKVD had their eyes especially on him.
One night, close to midnight, a woman knocked urgently at his door. She explained in a hushed voice: in an hour, her son — a high-ranking Communist Party officer — would arrive with his fiancée. They wanted a Jewish wedding, but if anyone found out, his career — and possibly his life — would be over. The Chuppa had to take place immediately, in complete secrecy.
Reb Levik sprang into action. At one in the morning, he managed to gather nine men for the Minyan, but the tenth was missing. Without hesitation, he went downstairs to the apartment of the superintendent — the very man assigned to spy on him — and knocked. The startled agent asked what was so urgent.
“I must perform a wedding right now,” Reb Levik told him plainly. “I have nine men. I need a tenth. Please come upstairs.”
The agent could hardly believe his ears. “You want me, an agent of the Party, to help you with a religious ceremony?”
“Yes,” Reb Levik replied. “Right now.”
The agent complied. Moments later, he stood as the tenth man under the Chuppa.
Reb Levik looked the Communist right in the eye — and the Communist blinked.
In 1939, he was arrested by the Soviets for his unyielding dedication to Jewish life and exiled to Kazakhstan. He passed away in exile, in the city of Almaty, in 1944.
Reb Levi Yitzchock’s courage did not end with physical bravery; it was matched by spiritual depth. He was a towering Torah scholar, a brilliant Kabbalist, and a man who viewed every event in life through the lens of Torah.
His son, the Rebbe, once published a note his father had written about his five years of incarceration. Using the language of Kabbalah, Reb Levik wove together the details of his imprisonment — the five years, the five prisons, even his two names — and connected them all to the spiritual attribute of Gevura (strength, discipline, and judgment).
“Levi” is associated with Gevura, as the Levites’ role in the Temple was rooted in this attribute. “Yitzchock” is also Gevura, as among the Patriarchs, Avraham embodies chesed (kindness) and Yitzchock embodies Gevura. He noted that the numerical value of his names equals one of the Divine Names associated with Gevura.
Even the place of his exile, Tziali, hinted at Gevura, as its root is related to Tzel (“shadow”), signifying that Divine Kindness was “overshadowed” by strict judgment.
Even in the depths of exile, Reb Levik viewed every detail through the prism of Torah, perceiving the world as entirely under G-d’s guidance. To him, nothing happened by chance; everything was part of a Divine Plan.
Rabbi J.J. Hecht once related an anecdote that captures the measure of the man through the greatness of his son. He told of his father, Reb Shea Hecht, who underwent surgery by a skilled doctor. When asked for the bill, the doctor said, “I don’t charge Rabbis.”
“But I’m not a Rabbi,” Reb Shea protested.
The doctor replied, “I know your six sons. They are all great Rabbis. Anyone who raises such children — to me, he’s a Rabbi. And I don’t charge Rabbis.”
Rabbi J.J. concluded: “If Reb Levi Yitzchock raised someone like the Rebbe, in my book, he was one of the greatest people who ever lived.”
This was the spiritual home in which the Rebbe was raised — a home where G-d’s presence was felt in every event, where the Torah’s inner light illuminated even the harshest realities, and where standing firm for truth was second nature.
From this home, the Rebbe absorbed the conviction that every Jew carries a Divine Spark, and that every element of the world — even modern technology — exists to serve a holy purpose. It was this vision that inspired thousands of his emissaries to leave the comforts of their homes and travel to the farthest corners of the earth, so they could be present when a fellow Jew, in body or soul, was in need.
That vision began with Reb Levi Yitzchock. His life teaches us that when we act as proud Jews — with courage, with clarity, and with unwavering faith — even the powers of the world must step aside.
Thank you Reb Levi Yitzchock for the gift you gave us: your son, our Rebbe, who educated us to live a life filled with purpose, truth, and the light of Torah.
Have a meaningful and reflective Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Yosef Katzman
