Shneur Zalman of Liadi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shneur Zalman of Liadi | ||
|---|---|---|
| Liozner Maggid | ||
 |
||
| Term | gradual – 1812-12-15 OS | |
| Full name | Shneur Zalman Borukhovich | |
| Main work | Tanya, Shulchan Aruch | |
| Born | 1745-09-04 OS | |
| Liozna | ||
| Died | 1812-12-15 OS | |
| Pena, Kursk Oblast, Russia | ||
| Buried | Hadiach | |
| Dynasty | Chabad Lubavitch | |
| Predecessor | Dovber of Mezeritch | |
| Successor | Dovber Schneuri | |
| Father | Boruch | |
| Mother | Rivkah | |
| Wife 1 | Sterna Segal | |
| Issue 1 | Dovber Schneuri Chaim Avraham Moshe Freida |
|
Shneur Zalman of Liadi שניאור זלמן מליאדי (1745-09-04 - 1812-12-15 OS), was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia. He was the author of many works, and is best known for Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Tanya and his Siddur Torah Or compiled according to Nusach Ari. He is also known as Shneur Zalman Baruchovitch, Reb Schneur Zalman, RaZaSh, Baal HaTanya vehaShulchan Aruch, the Alter Rebbe ("Old Rebbe" in Yiddish), the GRaZ or The Rav.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Rabbi Shneur Zalman was born in 1745 in the small town of Liozna, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (White Russia). He was a descendent of the mystic and philosopher Rabbi Judah Loew, the "Maharal of Prague". He was a prominent and youngest disciple of Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch, the "Great Maggid", who was in turn the successor of the founder of Hasidism, Rabbi Yisroel ben Eliezer known as the Baal Shem Tov.
Until the age of twelve, he studied under Rabbi Issachar Ber, in Lyubavichi (Lubavitch); he distinguished himself as a Talmudist, such that his teacher sent him back home, informing his father that the boy could continue his studies without the aid of a teacher. At age fifteen he married Sterna Segal, the daughter of Yehuda Leib Segal, a wealthy resident of Vitebsk, and he was then able to devote himself entirely to study. During these years, Shneur Zalman was introduced to mathematics, geometry and astronomy by two learned brothers, refugees from Bohemia, who had settled in Liozna. One of them was also a scholar of the Kabbalah. Thus, besides mastering rabbinic literature, he also acquired a fair knowledge of the sciences, philosophy, and Kabbalah.
He became an adept in Isaac Luria's system of Kabbalah, and it is thought that this is when he became an admirer of Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch. For twelve years he lived in Rabbi Dovber's house, and took an active part in the propagation of Hasidism. During the latter portion of Rabbi Dovber’s life, his students dispersed over Europe, and after Rabbi Dovber's passing, Rabbi Shneur Zalman became the leader of Hasidism in Lithuania.[citation needed]
At the time Lithuania was the center of the misnagdim (opponents of Hasidism), and Shneur Zalman faced much opposition. In 1772, together with Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, he attempted yet ultimately failed to create a dialogue with the Vilna Gaon who led the Misnagdim and had launched a ban (cherem) against the Hasidim (see Vilna Gaon: Antagonism to Hasidism and Hasidim and Mitnagdim). Undaunted by this antagonism, he succeeded in creating a powerful network of Hasidic centers. He also involved himself in opposing Napoleon's advance on Russia by recruiting his dispiples to the Czar's army, and canvassing financial support for the Jewish settlements in the Land of Israel, then under the control of the Ottoman Empire.[citation needed]
[edit] Arrests
In 1798 he was arrested on suspicion of treason and brought to St. Petersburg where he was held in the Petropavlovski fortress for 53 days.
Again in 1800 he was arrested and again transported to St. Petersburg along with his son Moshe who served as an interpreter, as he spoke no Russian or French. He was released after a few weeks but was banned from leaving St. Petersburg[1] The elevation of Tsar Alexander I a few weeks later led to his release.
According to scholars his first arrest was not the result of anti-Hasidic agitators fabricating charges, or officials seeking extortion monies.[2][3] An accusation was made on May 8 1798 by Hirsh ben David of Vilna accused him of trying to assist the French Revolution, by sending money to Napoleon and the Sultan. It appears that there was no such person as Hirsh and the authorities were attempting to stir up internecine fighting among the Jews.[2]
It was after this that he moved his base to Liadi, Imperial Russia: rather than returning to Liozna, he took up his residence in the town of Liadi at the invitation of Prince Stanisław Lubomirski, voivode of the town. There his movement grew immensely, and he is still associated with the town to this day. In 1812, fleeing the French Invasion, he left Mogilev, intending to go to Poltava, but died on the way in the small village of Pena, Kursk Oblast.
He was succeeded as Rebbe by his oldest son, Dovber. According to David Assaf, his youngest son, Moshe, suffered a lifetime of mental illness and converted to Catholicism shortly before he was consigned to a mental hospital.[4]
[edit] Philosophy
As a Talmudist, Rabbi Shneur Zalman endeavored to place Kabbalah and Hasidism on a rational basis. In his seminal work, Tanya, he defines his approach as "מוח שולט על הלב" ("mind ruling over the heart/emotions"). He chose the name "Chabad" for this philosophy — the Hebrew acronym for the intellectual attributes (sefirot) Chochma ("wisdom"), Bina ("understanding"), and Da'at ("knowledge”).
Both in his works and in his sermons he "indicated an intelligent and not a blind faith", and assumed an intellectual accessibility of the mystical teachings of the Kabbalah. This intellectual basis differentiates Chabad from other forms of Hasidism. Chabad refers to these as "Chagat" — the emotional attributes (sefirot) of Chesed ("kindness"), Gevurah ("power"), and Tifereth ("beauty").
[edit] Subsequent history of Chabad
After he passed away, his son and successor, Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, moved the movement to the town of Lubavitch (Lyubavichi) in present-day Belarus. In 1940, under the leadership of the previous Rebbe, Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement moved its headquarters to Brooklyn, New York in the United States. Under the leadership of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Chabad established branches all over the world staffed by its own Lubavitch-trained and ordained rabbis with their wives and children.
Another follower of Rabbi Shneur Zalman, Rabbi Aharon HaLevi Horowitz, established a rival Chabad school in Strashelye.
Descendants of Rabbi Shneur Zalman adopted the names Schneersohn or Schneerson to accommodate Napoleonic edicts that required all subjects to take permanent surnames. (Prior to Napoleon's conquests and the winds of Enlightenment he brought in his wake, Jews only had their traditional names such as Shneur ben (son of) Boruch.) The last two Rebbes of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn (1880-1950) and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), adhered strictly to their family surnames.
[edit] Support for the Tsar
While most Jewish leaders supported Napoleon or remained quiet about their support, Rabbi Shneur Zalman openly and vigorously supported the Tsar. While fleeing from Napoleon he wrote a letter explaining his opposition to Napoleon to a friend, Rabbi Moshe Meizeles:[2]
| “ | Should Napoleon be victorious, wealth among the Jews will be abundant. . .but the hearts of Israel will be separated and distant from their father in heaven. But if our master Alexander will triumph, though poverty will be abundant. . . the heart of Israel will be bound and joined with their father in heaven. . . And for God's sake: Burn this letter. [5] | ” |
Alan Dershowitz argues that he was clear about his intent - suffering was good for the Jews. Suffering would inspire asceticism and bolster the Hasidic cause.[6]
Others argue that Napoleon had been attempting to arouse a messianic view of himself in Jews, opening the gates of the Ghettos and emancipating their residents as he conquered. He established an ersatz Sanhedrin, recruiting Jews to his ranks, and spreading rumors about his conquest of the Holy Land to make Jews subversive for his own ends. [7] Thus his opposition was based on a practical fear of Jews turning to the false messianism of Napoleon as he saw it.[2]
[edit] Works
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi was a prolific writer; but only a few of his works have been published. He produced works of both mysticism and law, reflecting his intellectual stance on Hasidism; to this day his works form the cornerstone of Chabad-Lubavitch. His ability to explain even the most complex issues of Torah made his writings popular with Torah scholars everywhere.
He is probably best known for his systematic exposition of Hasidic Jewish philosophy, entitled Likkutei Amarim, and more popularly known as the Tanya, first published in 1797. (The fuller and more authoritative version of this work dates from 1814.) Due to the popularity of this book, Hasidic Jews often refer to Shneur Zalman as the Baal HaTanya. The Tanya deals with Jewish spirituality and psychology, from a Kabbalistic point of view, and expounds on such profound themes as the Oneness of God, Tzimtzum, the Sefirot, and many other mystical concepts.
He is equally well known for the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, his version of the classic Shulkhan Arukh, an authoritative code of Jewish law and custom commissioned by Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch. The work states the decided halakha, as well as the underlying reasoning. The Shulchan Aruch HaRav is considered authoritative by other Hasidim, and citations to this work are many times found in non-Hasidic sources such as the Mishnah Berurah used by Lithuanian Jews and the Ben Ish Chai used by Sephardic Jews. Rabbi Shneur Zalman is one of three authorities on whom Shlomo Ganzfried based his Kitzur Shulkhan Arukh.
He also edited the first Chabad siddur - Siddur Torah Or. It was based on the Ari Siddur of the famous kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria (Arizal) of Safed, altered for general use, and correcting textual errors. Today's Siddur Tehillat HaShem is based on Shneur Zalman's Siddur Torah Or.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman's other works include:
- Torah Or and Likutei Torah, reflections on the weekly Torah portions, Shir HaShirim, and the Book of Esther, based on the Hasidic Discourses of the Alter Rebbe and published by his grandson, the Tzemach Tzedek.
- Hilkot Talmud Torah, on the study of Torah.
[edit] Timeline
| Preceded by Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch |
Rebbe of Lubavitch gradual—1812 |
Succeeded by Dovber Schneuri |
[edit] References
- ^ On learning Chassidus, Brooklyn, 1959, p.24
- ^ a b c d Should Napoleon be victorious...": Politics and Spirituality in Early Modern Jewish Messianism, Hillel Levine, Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought 16-17, 2001
- ^ Kerem Habad, Kefar Habad, 1992, pp.17-21, 29-31 (Documents from the Prosecutor Generals archive in St. Petersburg
- ^ Allan Nadler, "New Book Reveals Darker Chapters In Hasidic History", The Forward, Aug 25, 2006.
- ^ Napoleon u-Tekufato, Mevorach, pp.182-183
- ^ The vanishing American Jew: In search of Jewish identity for the next century, Alan Dershowitz, Boston, 1997, vi-vii
- ^ Napoleon and the Jews, Kobler, F., New York, 1976.
[edit] External links
- Rabbi Schneur Zalman 1745-1812, chabad.org
- The Alter Rebbe, lessonsintanya.com
- Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Adin Steinsaltz
- Rabbi Shneiur Zalman of Ladi (1746-1812), Prof. Eliezer Segal
- Shneor Zalman Ben Baruch, jewishencyclopedia.com
- Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi 5505-5573 (1745-1812), asknoah.org
- What is Lubavitch Chasidism and Chabad?, scjfaq.org
- Philosophy of Chabad, chabadofeugene.org
- Family Tree
- Shulchan Aruch HaRav Fulltext (Hebrew), chabadlibrary.org
- Tanya Fulltext (Hebrew), chabadlibrary.org
- Torah Ohr Fulltext (Hebrew), chabadlibrary.org
