Rabbi Menachem Mendel - the Tzemach Tzedek — yahrzeit 13 Nisan

The boy's remarkable abilities revealed themselves at a very early age. By the age of twelve he had already authored numerous scholarly works on questions of Halacha and had recorded his grandfather's Talmudic and Chassidic teachings, adding his own commentary and explanations. Long before he turned twenty, Rabbi Schneur Zalman invited him to take part in the research work and the writing of responses to the many halachic inquiries pouring in from Talmudic scholars across Russia and Europe. When Rabbi Menachem Mendel was only eighteen, his grandfather discovered the manuscript of his famous discourse "The Roots of the Mitzvah of Prayer" ("Shoresh Mitzvat HaTefillah"), which the young man had been trying to keep hidden from everyone. Rabbi Schneur Zalman was so pleased with his discovery that he began devoting much more time to studying together with his grandson. And when Rabbi Menachem Mendel was just twenty, he was appointed to oversee all of Rabbi Schneur Zalman's communal affairs. After the passing of Rabbi Schneur Zalman (1813), he was succeeded by his son, Rabbi DovBer (uncle and father-in-law of Rabbi Menachem Mendel). It was then that Rabbi Menachem Mendel's fourteen-year period of seclusion began. These years of solitude were devoted to Torah study and prayer. In 1826, when Rabbi DovBer was accused of "subversive" activity, Rabbi Menachem Mendel began taking part in public affairs, and his first undertaking was organizing a committee to defend Rabbi DovBer. When Rabbi DovBer passed away in 1827, the Chassidim turned to Rabbi Menachem Mendel and asked him to lead the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. It took him many months to decide to take on the enormous responsibility that came with this position, but in the end he accepted. Rabbi Menachem Mendel was an extraordinarily prolific writer. His works represent a unique synthesis of the hidden and revealed dimensions of Torah — discussions of Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, and Chassidus coexist harmoniously and naturally, complementing one another. He would certainly have preferred to write and edit the works of his grandfather and father-in-law rather than lead the tens of thousands who had joined the ranks of the Lubavitch movement. But the era brought new challenges. Jews in Russia were barred from many professions, including certain kinds of business activity, and poverty was spreading. Rabbi Menachem Mendel was deeply concerned with strengthening the economic position of the empire's Jewish population, and he advised the Chassidim, wherever possible, to take up farming, even providing financial assistance to those who followed his advice. Settling in villages was not easy for Jews in those days, so the Rebbe purchased a large plot of land near Minsk and settled a large group of Jewish families there. In 1844 he acquired from Prince Shchedrinov another plot of land with forests in Minsk Province. This is how the settlement of Shchedrin was founded, and the Rebbe established a council to administer it. The founding of Shchedrin made a deep impression on Jews and non-Jews alike. In a report written by an official of Minsk Province to the Minister of the Interior, Rabbi Schneerson of Lubavitch is spoken of with respect and reverence. The document notes that by founding a settlement on the acquired land, the Rebbe improved the living conditions and economic position of the Jews, and it also mentions the Lubavitcher Rabbi's powerful influence over all the Jews "of the Jewish Pale of Settlement of the Russian Empire" and his efforts to improve their material circumstances. In 1827, Nicholas I issued a decree on the "cantonists," under which children as young as twelve began to be conscripted into the army. Under a set quota, Jewish communities were required to supply ten recruits per thousand people (the quota for non-Jews was smaller, and it was easier for them to exempt their children from conscription). The conscripted children were distributed by government officials — either placed in peasant homes or sent to special schools, where they remained until the age of eighteen, after which they were transferred to barracks, where they were to serve in the military for the next twenty-five years. This meant that children were torn away from home and cheder for a very long time — a deliberate alienation from their people. No parent would willingly subject a child to such a cruel ordeal, but the community was obligated to fulfill the quota. This gave rise to the despicable trade of the "khappers" (snatchers), whose job was to capture or kidnap children and hand them over to government officials. Heart-wrenching scenes of children being literally torn from their mothers' arms became commonplace. The poorer segments of the Jewish population suffered especially, since they had no means to buy their children's freedom from the "khappers." Rabbi Menachem Mendel took up this problem with great energy, disregarding the possible threats and dangers involved. It was necessary to save as many already-conscripted children as possible. To this end, the Rebbe formed a special council, whose tasks were: 1. To examine the situation of each Jewish community in order to help reduce the number of children it was required to send into military service. 2. To take part in freeing children who had already been seized. This task was carried out by a secret society known as "Techiyat HaMeitim" ("Reviving the Dead"). The main method of securing release was paying ransom to the officials involved in the matter. These officials would then return the children while reporting to the authorities that they had died along the way, at the same time informing the relevant community of the boy's "death." These "death certificates" brought the parents indescribable joy. The "deceased," of course, had to be hidden for a long time (hence the society's name), after which they were sent to Talmud Torahs far from their home towns. 3. To send trustworthy people to the places where the cantonist children were stationed, whose task was to morally support the young "recruits" and encourage them to remain faithful to their religion and their people. Such activity required not only enormous expense but also carried tremendous danger, since it was equivalent to treason against the state. Nevertheless, this underground program was carried out successfully, and not a single case of betrayal was ever recorded. At the same time, Rabbi Menachem Mendel concentrated his efforts on supporting agricultural centers in the Vitebsk and Minsk regions. He sent one of the leading figures of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi Hillel of Paritch, to travel through the settlements in the Kherson region. Spending most of the summer there for several years, he taught the local Jews Torah and fear of Heaven in the spirit of true Chassidus, while also instilling in them a striving for brotherly love, mutual assistance, and the cultivation of the foundations of high moral character. For twelve years of his communal work, he devoted himself to the material support of Jews, the protection of children from the "khapper" kidnappers, and concern for the subsequent safety and spiritual support of the cantonists. Rabbi Menachem Mendel paid special attention to the conditions in which Jewish recruits were kept in the Tsarist army. He obtained permission for special representatives to be present at every location where Jewish units were stationed, to sustain the morale of the Jewish soldiers and help them avoid the traps set by cunning Christian missionaries. The Rebbe also gave extensive support to needy students studying Torah in yeshivas and institutions of higher learning. For many years he continued his work without meeting the slightest opposition from the opponents of Chassidus — whether from religious groups (the Misnagdim) or from representatives of the so-called "Enlightenment" (Maskilim). Those were times of peaceful coexistence between Chassidim and Misnagdim. The latter always regarded Rabbi Menachem Mendel's frequent visits to Minsk and Vilna with deep respect and would always attend his Chassidic and Talmudic lectures. The St. Petersburg Conference In 1843, the Tsarist government decided to convene a conference to address important religious issues, which, at the instigation of the Maskilim, it intended to use to introduce innovations into the school system that contradicted the traditional structure of Jewish education. In order to devise an effective plan to counter the threat this conference posed, a Rabbinical Commission was convened, made up of representatives of both the Chassidim and the Misnagdim, and the Rebbe, Menachem Mendel, was included among them. The first meeting between Rabbi Menachem Mendel and the leader of the Misnagdim, Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin ("Ein Od Milvado"), left a favorable impression on both men. According to eyewitnesses, the conversation convinced the Misnagdim that the Chassidim were true followers of the Torah, and convinced the Chassidim of the piety and righteousness of the Misnagdim. This renewal of friendly relations and cooperation had a salutary effect overall on the relationship between Chassidim and Misnagdim. The former rivals reconciled and began to work together for the good of traditional Judaism. At the first session of the conference convened by the government in 1843, Rabbi Menachem Mendel expressed his view that the only legitimate purpose of such a forum could be to raise the level of religious observance and righteousness among Jews; he reiterated that Jewish customs could not be changed, since they "are considered part of the Torah." Although over the four months of this "conference of conferences" the Rebbe received threats from its chairman, a government minister, and was placed under house arrest more than once, his resolve to resist any changes to Jewish customs remained unshakable. "We have not gathered to legislate," he said. "We have gathered to shed more light and to clarify for ourselves the principles that were accepted long before us and set down in the laws of the faith of Moses. And to clarify for ourselves the customs of Israel and to prevent any distortion of G-d's commandments and Jewish traditions." As a result of the conference, not a single one of the changes proposed by the Maskilim was adopted. Rabbi Mendel's determination and self-sacrifice astonished every participant without exception and further enhanced his already impeccable reputation in the eyes of the public. In 1844, in recognition of his invaluable work at the St. Petersburg Conference, Nicholas I granted Rabbi Menachem Mendel the title of "Honorary Citizen." This great honor made a deep impression on the Jewish population of the Russian Empire, and whenever any problem arose concerning the Jewish community of Belarus, people would immediately turn to the Rebbe for help, since he could, if necessary, speak with the government. In the course of summarizing the results of the Rabbinical Conference, the Rebbe presented the Minister of the Interior with a report on the economic condition of the Jews living within the "Pale of Settlement," and submitted a petition to the government requesting that this territory be expanded. The minister's response was favorable, and, at the suggestion of one of his advisers, he invited Rabbi Menachem Mendel and two interpreters (Feitelson and Chaikin) to visit him in the capital to work out the proposal in detail. The minister received the Rebbe warmly and assured him that his proposal would be submitted to the cabinet at its next meeting; however, a few days later it became known that the matter concerning the economic condition of the Jews of the Vitebsk, Mogilev, and Minsk provinces had not been adopted in full. A decree was issued forbidding the eviction of Jews from villages and estates if they had already been living there. In this way, the position of Jews living in rural areas was secured by law, effectively expanding the Pale of Settlement. News of the new decree, achieved thanks to Rabbi Menachem Mendel, spread rapidly among the Jews, and hundreds of Jewish families lost no time taking advantage of the new opportunities. Eager to gain a foothold in the new territory, they backdated their moves so as to fall under the new decree. Over the summer of 1844, several hundred families settled in rural areas, gaining the ability to earn a livelihood. Moreover, the mass migration of Jews from the cities to the countryside helped resolve the problems of overcrowding and competition. Rabbi Menachem Mendel's personal charisma drew tens of thousands of Chassidim from every corner of Europe and Russia, and the 38 years during which he led the movement were, for Chabad, a period of genuine flourishing. And, like his predecessors, he was able to inspire his successors by his own example. 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