By Rabbi Aryeh Citron
A group of 50 people from New York, California, Florida, England, and Israel traveled across the Ukraine from Wednesday to Friday last week, stopping at Babi Yar, Zhitomir, Berdichev, and Mezhibuzh.
The trip culminated in a Shabbos in Haditch at the resting place of the Alter Rebbe whose 204th yartzeit was on Motzei Shabbos, 24 Teves. Rabbi YY Jacobson led the group, telling inspirational stories about the tzaddikim whose gravesites they visited.
R’ Gershon Chaimson organized the group superbly. Though the group was diverse, with people from various backgrounds and different communities, they established a close camaraderie. The experience was uplifting for all. Some went so far as to call it transformative.
The following is an unedited transcript of some of Rabbi YY Jacobson’s talks which he told during these travels and in Haditch. Please excuse any mistakes or inaccuracies.
Early Years of the Alter Rebbe
When the Alter Rebbe became a chossid, his father-in-law was upset. He wanted his daughter to divorce him. However, she did not agree. So he stopped supporting them and started harassing the Alter Rebbe in different ways.
After he passed away, the Alter Rebbe’s mother-in-law said that if he would move back to Vitebsk to be with them again, she would support them. The Alter Rebbe told her that, though a baby in the womb is very happy, once he comes out, he will never agree to go back in again.
After the Maggid passed away, it was a very difficult time for Chassidim. The Vilna Gaon had made a cherem against Chassidim. A ban was made forbidding them to marry Chassidim. Another ban pronounced that moridin ve’en maalin, a dire decree indeed.
Reb Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk decided to move to Eretz Yisroel together with many Chassidim and Rabbe’im. The Alter Rebbe wanted to go along. He traveled as far as Mogilev. Reb Menachem Mendel told the Alter Rebbe that he should stay in White Russia and Lithuania to lead the Chassidim.
That year, the Alter Rebbe learned Shas for the 16th time with all the meforshim (commentaries) while standing. During the next several years he established the principles of Chabad Chassidim. It is noteworthy that these were the years of the American Revolution. The possible connection is that the United States became a place of democracy (under G-d). And the concept of Chabad Chassidus is that every individual can connect directly with Hashem.
The Alter Rebbe’s Sefer shel Tzaddikim
The Alter Rebbe had written a sefer called Sefer shel Tzaddikim. Here is the story of how it was burned.
When the Alter Rebbe visited the Shpoler Zaide, the Shpoler Zeide said that there was a kitrug on this sefer and that it would be burnt and that he would go up in that fire as well.
After the Berdichever Rebbe passed away, the Alter Rebbe went to visit his almona (a few months after he passed away). When he was there, she commented that Pesach would be very difficult without her husband. And she asked the Alter Rebbe to stay in Berdichev for Pesach. He agreed. It turns out that the Alter Rebbe had brought wheat with which he could make shemura matzahbecause he had thought this might happen.
While on this trip, the Alter Rebbe visited Reb Boruch in Mezhibuzh and Rav Nachman in Bresslov. During this trip, a fire broke out in the Alter Rebbe’s home in Liadi and many manuscripts of the Alter Rebbe were burned. One of them was the Sefer shel Tzadikim. So were many sections of the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. The Shpoler Zaide passed away at this time as well.
The Alter Rebbe’s son, Reb Dov Ber, later known as the Mitteler Rebbe, told the Chassidim in Liady that they should donate to rebuild the Alter Rebbe’s home because otherwise, when the Chassidim in Berdichev would ask him to move there (and take Reb Levi Yitzchok’s place as Rav of the city), he might agree. So they collected money and rebuilt the Alter Rebbe’s home, and the Alter Rebbe moved back. But this only lasted two years. Then the war with Napoleon started, and the Alter Rebbe had to leave to escape the French army (see below).
The Greatness of the Alter Rebbe
The Rogachover Gaon said that in order for the Alter Rebbe to say the svaros (logical arguments) that he says in the Kuntres Acharon, he must have had veins in his brain that were the size of fingers.
The Sfas Emes said that he got his derech halimud (method of learning) from the Alter Rebbe’s Kuntres Acharon.
Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin said that the fundamental principles (yesodos) of the Brisker path in learning are found in the Alter Rebbe’s Kutres Acahron.
Never Separated from the Baal Shem Tov
The Alter Rebbe said that he was asked at the interrogation following his arrest if he was a follower of the Baal Shem Tov. He said he was. Later he explained that had he said no, they would have let him go immediately. But he didn’t want to separate himself from the Baal Shem Tov, even just with words, even if it was just in the eyes of the non-Jews.
At one point the Alter Rebbe was being transported to jail, to the Petropavlovsy prison in St. Petersburg. To get there, one must cross the Neva River by boat. The Alter Rebbe thought they were going to throw him in and drown him, chas veshalom.
When the Soviet Union broke up and the archives became available, they discovered the longest extant document written by the Alter Rebbe himself. He wrote a discourse, explaining to the gentile judges many basic concepts of Chassidus, including what a Rebbe is, what Chassidus is, and similar things.
The Vilna Gaon passed away Chol Hamoed Sukkos 1797. One year later the Misnagdim made a libel against the Alter Rebbe. The Russian officials came to arrest him on Chol HaMoed Sukkos. One reason for the Misnagdim doing what they did was that they were afraid that, without the Vilna Gaon, the Alter Rebbe would completely win over the Jewish people of that part of the world to his derech (path).
After the second time that the Alter Rebbe was arrested and released, he moved to Liadi from Liozhna. A new machlokes (disagreement) arose. It was with his colleagues, fellow-students of the Maggid. They felt that the Alter Rebbe’s way was too intellectual.
Here is an example of the difference between the Alter Rebbe’s ways and the ways of his colleagues.
Chaikel Burns in Him
One of the talmidim (students) of the Maggid of Mezritch was Reb Chaim Chaikel of Amdur. There was a Chabad chossid in Amdur who would daven together with a chossid of Reb Chaim Chaikel. The chossid of the Alter Rebbe once came to the Alter Rebbe and said that he doesn’t understand; the chossid of Reb Chaim Chaikel davens every day like fire. But for him, he needs to work very hard to get inspired. And after all his work, he is not always successful.
The Alter Rebbe put his head down (in hisbonenus – contemplation) for a few minutes. When he lifted it up he said to the chossid, “When this chossid davens, Chaikel brent in em (his Rebbe, Reb Chaim Chaikel burns within him), but I want that you should burn yourself,” (i.e., you should be inspired based on your own Avodah – service of Hashem). (In the name of Reb Yoel Kahn.)
Protest on the Tanya
When the Tanya came out, Reb Avrohom Kalisker wrote a protest letter to the Alter Rebbe. He said the Tanya was too intellectual. And that sechel (intellect) is dangerous, as the verse says, uvas kohen ki techel liznos, ba’esh tisaref.
The Kohen represents sechel. The bas kohen means the result (bas – daughter) of sechel is the beginning of z’nus (immodest behavior). Rather, what must you do? Burn it in fire, i.e., destroy the intellect and focus on the emotion.
Young Nicholas
When the Alter Rebbe was in prison, the young Nicholas (who later became czar and was a terrible anti-Semite) used to send his dog to scare the prisoners. When the Alter Rebbe was walking and the dog came to scare him, the Alter Rebbe looked up at Nicholas with a sharp look. Nicholas became afraid, and he left. The Chassidim would say that the look of the Alter Rebbe managed to break some of the klipah of Nicholas (which was bad enough even after this).
Napoleon vs. the Czar
The Riminover Rebbe, the Kozhnitzer Maggid, and the Chozeh of Lublin wanted Napoleon to win the war as he was much more tolerant towards the Jewish people than the czar. But the Alter Rebbe recognized that the freedom that Napoleon was granting was dangerous.
His chassidim asked him why he was supporting the czar when, after all, “Phonye noef, Phonye rotze’ach – Paul (the Czar) is promiscuous, Paul is a murderer.” The Alter Rebbe responded that though that was true, the Czar did not go against HaShem Echod (i.e., he believed in a higher power.)
The Travels of the Alter Rebbe before his Passing
The Alter Rebbe was very particular to never be in a territory that was under the reign of Napoleon. He was always one step ahead of Napoleon’s soldiers. Sometimes by one day. Sometimes they were so close that they could even see Napoleon’s soldiers.
At every crossroads, they would stop the caravans and the Alter Rebbe would come out and decide where they should turn. And he would tell his grandson, Reb Nochum (son of the Mitteler Rebbe) who would tell the wagon drivers.
At one crossroads, there was a misunderstanding and Reb Nochum told the wagon drivers the opposite direction from the one the Alter Rebbe had chosen. Ten minutes later, the Alter Rebbe realized that they had taken the wrong turn. But by that time it was too late to turn back. The Alter Rebbe commented, that it used be that the grandchildren would listen to the grandparents, but now the grandparents have to listen to the grandchildren.
This turn caused them to go to an area that was much colder. When the Alter Rebbe passed away that winter, Reb Nochum blamed himself for it. He spent much of the rest of his life in Haditch at the Alter Rebbe’s Tziyon.
The Alter Rebbe and his family arrived in Pienna on 16 Kislev, Erev Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach. They rented a large house from a gentile who treated them well. They decided to stay there because Napoleon was not nearby. Besides which, he was already on the way to defeat.
The winter of 1812 was extremely cold and the Alter Rebbe became ill. It seems to have been pneumonia. Around that time, they heard him mentioning Haditch. (Pienna had no Jewish community and no Jewish cemetery, but Haditch had a community and a cemetery.)
Chof Dalet Teves
On Motzoei Shabbos, Parshas Shemos, the Alter Rebbe made havdolah on coffee with clarity and great deveikus. Tzlilus hada’as uvidveikus nifla’ah. (This is the language of the Mitteler Rebbe in the introduction to the Shulchan Aruch – the Alter Rebbe’s code of Jewish Law.)
That night, the Alter Rebbe watched the Tzemach Tzedek daven Maariv. The Tzemach Tzedek davened with tears and crying. The Alter Rebbe said to him that this is not the way because the face you show is the face that Hashem shows you from above. (Thus, if you show sadness, Hashem will show the same.)
None of the sons of the Alter Rebbe were present when he passed away as it was completely unexpected. The Mitteler Rebbe, the oldest son, had been sent by his father to find a suitable place to settle. Reb Chaim Avrohom, the second son, was not well. And the youngest son, Reb Moshe, had been captured by the French.
The Alter Rebbe was 68 years old when he passed away. The Rebbe pointed out that it’s the gematriyah of chayim – life (as a tzadik never dies since his life is his neshomo and his avodas Hashem which never depart). The Alter Rebbe had a very strong constitution. His grandson, Reb Menachem Mendel, later known as the Tzemach Tzedek, said that, had these events not unfolded they did, the Alter Rebbe could have lived another 10 years (from a physical perspective.
Why Haditch?
It was decided to bury the Alter Rebbe in Haditch. One of the reasons for this is that, when the Alter Rebbe was traveling towards that area, the various Chabad communities of that area sent the Alter Rebbe letters inviting him to come settle in their town. The Alter Rebbe chose Haditch. So, they felt that this would be fulfilling that choice.
Transport to Haditch
They transported the Alter Rebbe for 90 viorst (approx. 250 km) by sled to Haditch. This was done by his grandchildren, the Tzemach Tzedek and Reb Nochum. Some say one of the people was a gentile.
Since it was wartime and they did not have a permit to transport a deceased person for a long distance, they dressed the Alter Rebbe as if he were alive and propped him up between them (sitting).
When they stopped in an inn for a short while, a pig crawled under the sled and the gentile was shocked to see that the entire sled lifted itself off the ground (to remove itself from the impure animal.)
After the Alter Rebbe passed away, the Mitteler Rebbe wanted to stay in Haditch as did the Tzemach Tzedek. But in the end they both moved to Lubavitch because the kavono is to leave Gan Eden and elevate the world.
The Ohel of the Alter Rebbe
The Mitteler Rebbe oversaw the building of the Rebbe’s tziyon and the shul adjacent to it. When the Rebbe Rashab had it renovated, there were some who said that the door between the Ohel and the Shul should be closed (to accommodate the Kohanim). The Rebbe Rashab said that the door should stay because the davening in the shul when the door is open to the Ohel is very different.
The Mitteler Rebbe composed the Ma’aneh Lashon for reciting at the Alter Rebbe’s Tziyon.
Reb Aharon Strasheler
After the Alter Rebbe passed away, many of the Chassidim became connected to his student, Reb Aharon Strasheller. Reb Aharon had been taken in by the Alter Rebbe as a young orphan and had become one of his most outstanding students. He was very emotional and charismatic, in contrast to the Mitteler Rebbe who was more intellectual and reserved.
It is noteworthy that the Strasheler passed away in middle of shmoneh esrei on Shemini Atzeres. (Many chassidim went to neither the Mitteler Rebbe or Reb Ahron Strasheller because they couldn’t imagine anyone taking over from the Alter Rebbe. Reb Binyomin Kletzker went around to various communities to explain to them that the Alter Rebbe’s toros [teachings] were still alive.)
The shamos by the Alter Rebbe’s Tziyon was a chossid of the Mitteler Rebbe. One 24 Teves, the shamos didn’t let him in. Having no choice, he climbed through the window. The Miteller Rebbe came to the tziyon later that day and when he came out, he said the Alter Rebbe wanted to know why they hadn’t let in Ahre’le.
Real Teshuvah
The Alter Rebbe was once asked for the definition of teshuvah. He explained it with the following moshol (parable):
In Russia, in the winter, when the rivers were frozen, one could travel with a wagon across the river. But as the spring came and the ice began to thaw, it became dangerous to do this.
Once a peasant wanted to cross the frozen river in his sled to shorten his journey despite the fact that spring had already started. His friends warned him that he shouldn’t do it as it was dangerous. He didn’t listen and went across it anyway. Unfortunately, the ice cracked and he fell in. The feeling of regret that he had as he was going down — that is what true teshuvah feels like.
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I wish you can do the s next year for the ladys