Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Encyclopedia
Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 5, 1902 OS
– June 12, 1994 NS
), known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or just the Rebbe among his followers, was a prominent Hasidic
rabbi
who was the seventh and last Rebbe (Hasidic leader) of the Chabad-Lubavitch
movement. He was fifth in a direct paternal line to the third Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
. In January 1951, a year after the death of his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, he assumed the leadership of the Lubavitch movement.
He led the movement until his death in 1994, greatly expanding its worldwide activities and founding a worldwide network of institutions to spread Orthodox Judaism
among the Jewish people. These institutions include schools, kindergartens, synagogues, Chabad house
s, and others, and are run under the auspices of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch
, the educational branch of the Chabad movement. His focus on messianism was controversial to some. During his lifetime many of his followers had considered him to be the Jewish Messiah, and even after his death, some continue to await his return as the Messiah.
5662, which is equivalent to April 5, 1902 OS
or April 18, 1902 NS
. (Dates in March 1895 appear on his Russian passport and his application for French citizenship, he swore on his 1941 visa application that he "was born on the 1st day of March 1895 at Nicolaev
, Kherson
, Soviet Union
" (now Mykolaiv
, Ukraine
) and was already "46 years of age" in 1941, and he affirmed on his U.S. draft registration card that he was 47 during World War Two and was born in "Nicolaav"
on "Mar 1 1895". These statements are not considered credible evidence of his true date of birth because Jews born under the czars may have needed to claim false ages to avoid the Russian army draft.)
Schneerson was the eldest of three sons of Levi Yitzchak Schneerson
, an authority on Kabbalah
and Jewish law
who served as the rabbi of Yekaterinoslav from 1907 to 1939. He had two younger brothers, Dov Ber and Yisroel Aryeh Leib, both of whom were reported to be of unusual character. His younger brother Dov Ber was mentally disturbed from childhood and spent his years in an institution for the mentally disabled near Nikolaiev. He died in 1944 at the hands of Nazi collaborators.
The youngest, Yisrael Aryeh Leib Schneerson, was close to his brother, and often traveled with him. He was widely viewed as a genius and studied science. In the late 1920s he became a Communist
, later becoming a Trotskyite
. After he left the Soviet union he stopped being an observant Jew. He changed his name to Mark Gourary and moved to Israel where he became a businessman, but later moved to England where he began doctoral studies at Liverpool University but died in 1951 before he completed them. His wife died in 1996 and his children—Schneerson's closest living relatives—currently reside in Israel.
and Talmud
. He put me on my feet. He was an illustrious Jew...” When Schneerson was eleven years old, Vilenkin informed the boy's father that he had nothing more to teach his son.
Schneerson later studied independently under his father, who was his primary teacher. He studied Talmud
and rabbinic literature
, as well as the Hasidic view of Kabbalah
. He received his rabbinical ordination from the Rogatchover Gaon
, Yosef Rosen, and from Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg
(also known as the Sridei Aish).
Schneerson's mother said her son never attended any Soviet school, though he took the exams as an external student and did well on them According to Avrum Ehrlich, he immersed himself in Jewish studies while simultaneously qualifying for Russian secondary school. Throughout his childhood Schneerson was involved in the affairs of his father's office, where his secular education and knowledge of the Russian language
were useful in assisting his father's public administrative work. He was also said to have acted as an interpreter between the Jewish community and the Russian authorities on a number of occasions.
. He became engaged to her in Riga
in 1923 and married her five years later in 1928, after being away in Berlin
. He returned to Warsaw
for his wedding, and in an article about his wedding in a Warsaw newspaper, "a number of academic degrees" were attributed to him. Following the marriage, the newlyweds went to live in Berlin. The marriage was long and happy (60 years), but childless.
Schneerson and Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn are related through Tzemach Tzedek, the third Rebbe of Chabad Lubavitch.
, Germany
for five semesters from mid-1928 through 1930. Professor Menachem Friedman
found his records amongst the students who "audited courses at the university without receiving academic credit." While he was there, he composed hundreds of pages of original Torah discourses, subsequently published as "Reshimot," and corresponded with his father on Torah matters, which were published in the 1970s in the book "Likuttei Levi Yitzchak—Letters."
. Leibel attended classes at the University of Berlin from 1931 to 1933. In 1933, after Hitler
took over Germany and began instituting anti-Semitic policies, Mendel and his wife helped Leibel escape from Berlin, before themselves fleeing to Paris. Leibel escaped to Mandate Palestine
in 1939 with his fiancee Regina Milgram, where they later married. Despite Leibel's secularism, the two brothers maintained a relationship.
Soloveitchik's daughter Dr. Atarah Twersky recalls Soloveitchik saying that Schneerson visited her father in his apartment and the former asked the latter why he was studying in Berlin if his father-in-law was opposed to it. Other sources deny this. According to Soloveitchik's son Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik
, Rabbi Soloveitchik only saw Schneerson pass by in Berlin and they did not meet while there.
, France
. He studied mechanics
and electrical engineering
at the École spéciale des travaux publics, du bâtiment et de l'industrie
(ESTP), a Grandes écoles
in the Montparnasse
district. He graduated in July 1937 and received a license to practice as an electrical engineer
. In November 1937, he enrolled at the Sorbonne
, where he studied mathematics
until World War II
broke out in 1939. Schneerson lived most of the time in Paris at 9 Rue Boulard in the 14th arrondissement, in the same building as his wife's sister, Shaina, and her husband, Mendel Hornstein, who was also studying at ESTP. Mendel Hornstein failed the final exams and he and his wife returned to Poland; they were murdered at Treblinka in late 1942. On June 11, 1940, three days before Paris fell to the Nazis, the Schneersons fled to Vichy
, and later to Nice
, where they stayed until their final escape from Europe.
Schneerson learned to speak French
, which he put to use in establishing his movement there after the war. The Chabad movement in France was later to attract many Jewish immigrants from Algeria
, Morocco
, and Tunisia
.
blockade began, and joined his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, in the Crown Heights
section of Brooklyn, New York. Seeking to contribute to the war effort, he went to work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard
, drawing wiring for the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63)
, and other classified military work.
, Israel
, Africa
, Europe
and Australia
. However, Schneerson kept a low public profile within the movement. He would speak publicly only once a month, delivering talks to his father-in-law's followers.
During the 1940s, Schneerson became a naturalized US citizen. For many years to come, he would speak about America's special place in the world, and would argue that the bedrock of the United States' power and uniqueness came from its foundational values, which were, according to Schneerson, '"E pluribus unum
'—from many one", and "In God we trust." In 1949, his father-in-law would become a U.S. citizen, with the Rebbe assisting to coordinate the event. A special dispensation was arranged wherein the federal judge came to "770" to officiate at Rabbi Yoseph Yitzchak's citizenship proceedings, rather than the wheelchair-bound Rebbe travel to a courthouse for the proceedings. Uniquely, the event was recorded on color motion film.
, Schneersohn's elder son-in-law. Schneerson actively refused to accept leadership of the movement for the entire year after Schneersohn's passing but was eventually cajoled into accepting the post by his wife and followers. On the first anniversary of his father-in-law's passing, 10 Shevat
1951, he delivered a Hasidic discourse, (Ma'amar), and formally became the Rebbe.
and synagogue
s. Schneerson said that we need "to discharge ourselves of our duty and we must take the initiative".
Schneerson placed a tremendous emphasis on outreach
. He made great efforts to intensify this program of the Chabad movement, bringing Jews from all walks of life to adopt Torah-observant Judaism, and aggressively sought the expansion of the baal teshuva
movement. His work included organizing the training of thousands of young Chabad rabbis and their wives, who were sent all over the world by him as shluchim
(emissaries) to spread the Chabad message.
He oversaw the building of schools, community centers, youth camps, and "Chabad Houses", and established contacts with wealthy Jews and government officials around the world. Schneerson also instituted a system of "Chabad mitzvah campaigns" called mivtzoim to encourage Jews to follow Orthodox Jewish
practices. They commonly centered on practices such as keeping kosher, lighting Shabbat
candles, studying Torah
, putting on tefillin
, helping to write sifrei Torah
, and teaching women to observe the laws of Jewish family purity
. He also launched a global Noahide campaign
http://www.asknoah.org/ to promote observance of the Noahide Laws
among gentile
s, and argued that involvement in this campaign is an obligation for every Jew.
, who was of Lubavitch ancestry, would visit Schneerson and corresponded extensively with him. Menachem Begin
, Ariel Sharon
, Moshe Katzav, and later, Benjamin Netanyahu
- who was present at his funeral -, also paid visits and sought advice, along with numerous other less famous politicians, diplomats, military officials, and media producers. In the elections that brought Yitzhak Shamir
to power, Schneerson publicly lobbied his followers and the Orthodox
members in the Knesset
to vote against the Labor alignment. It attracted the media's attention and led to articles in Time
, Newsweek
, and many newspapers and TV
programs, and led to considerable controversy within Israeli politics.
He lobbied Israeli politicians to pass legislation in accordance with Jewish religious law on the question "Who is a Jew?
" and declare that "only one who is born of a Jewish mother or converted according to Halakha
is Jewish." This caused a furor in the United States. Some American Jewish philanthropies stopped financially supporting Chabad-Lubavitch since most of their members were connected to Reform
and Conservative Judaism
. These unpopular ideas were toned down by his aides, according to Avrum Erlich. "The issue was eventually quietened so as to protect Chabad fund-raising interests. Controversial issues such as territorial compromise in Israel that might have estranged benefactors from giving much-needed funds to Chabad, were often moderated, particularly by...Krinsky." Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits
argued that Chabad moderated its presentation of anti-Zionist ideology and right-wing politics in England and downplayed its messianic fervor so as not to antagonize large parts of the English Jewish community.
, Schneerson directed his emissaries to make arrangements to rescue Jewish teenagers from Iran
and place them in foster homes within the Lubavitcher community in Brooklyn
. This mission, while not political in nature, was originally started as a secretive quest in order not to jeopardize the safety of the Iranian Jewish Community at large. Many of Schneerson followers in Brooklyn were asked to open their homes to these Jewish children and help save their lives from another potential Holocaust in the making. The new Islamic government in Iran was vocally opposed to the existence of Israel
and created a genuine concern in world Jewish circles by accusing many in the Jewish community of being Zionists. The execution of the leader of the Iranian Jewish community , Habib Elghanian
had made this a tangible threat to the very existence of the community. Ultimately, while more than a dozen members of the Jewish community were executed by the new Iranian government, Jews were allowed to continue to live in Iran and there would be no Holocaust. Hundreds of Jewish children from Tehran
and other major cities in Iran
were flown from Tehran to New York
with the help of Schneerson's emissaries, placed in foster homes in Crown Heights and educated in Chabad
schools. Many would adopt the Lubavitcher lifestyle and later, some even served as Chabad emissaries and religious leaders. Many others would later reunite with their biological parents after their parents and other family members emigrated to the United States.
's Torah commentary. In halachic matters, he normally deferred to members of the Crown Heights
Beth Din
headed by Rabbi Zalman Shimon Dvorkin, and advised the movement to do likewise in the event of his death. While Schneerson rarely chose to involve himself with questions of halakha
(Jewish law). Some notable exceptions were with regard to the use of electrical appliances on Shabbat, sailing on Israeli boats staffed by Jews, and halakhic dilemmas created when crossing the International Date Line
.
im, and distributed widely. Many of them were later edited by him and distributed worldwide in small booklets, later to be compiled in the Likkutei Sichot set. He also penned tens of thousands of replies to requests and questions. The majority of his correspondence is printed in Igrot Kodesh
, partly translated as "Letters from the Rebbe". His correspondence fills more than two hundred published volumes.
Schneerson rarely left Crown Heights in Brooklyn except for frequent lengthy visits to his father-in-law's gravesite in Queens, New York. A year after the passing of his wife, Chaya Mushka, in 1988, when the traditional year of Jewish mourning had passed, he moved into his study above the central Lubavitch synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway
.
It was from this location that Schneerson directed his emissaries' work and involved himself in details of his movement's developments. His public roles included celebrations called farbrengen
s (gatherings) on Shabbats, Jewish holy days
, and special days on the Chabad calendar, when he would give lengthy sermons to crowds. In later years, these would often be broadcast on cable television and via satellite to Lubavitch branches around the world.
while celebrating the hakafot ceremony on Shemini Atzeret
. Despite the best efforts of his doctors to convince him to change his mind, he refused to be hospitalized. This necessitated building a mini-hospital in his headquarters at "770." Although he did not appear again in public for many weeks, Schneerson continued to deliver talks and discourses from his study via intercom. His chief cardiologist Dr. Ira Weiss later stated that despite his own protestations against the Rebbe's being treated in 770, in retrospect, it had turned out to be the correct decision, and "the Rebbe, in fact received better medical care in 770 than he would have had we taken him to the hospital." On Rosh Chodesh
Kislev
, he left his study for the first time in more than a month to go home. His followers celebrate this day as a holiday each year.
proclaimed Rabbi Schneerson's birthday as "Education Day, USA," and awarded him the National Scroll of Honor.
In 1986, Schneerson again began to regularly greet people individually. This time, the personal meetings took the form of a weekly receiving line in "770". Almost every Sunday, thousands of people would line up to meet briefly with Schneerson and receive a one-dollar bill, which was to be donated to charity. People filing past Schneerson would often take this opportunity to ask him for advice or to request a blessing. This event is usually referred to as "Sunday Dollars." Beginning in 1989, the events were recorded on videotape. Posthumously, hundreds of thousands these encounters were posted online for public access.
According to Ehrlich, towards the end of his life, particularly after his heart attack in 1977, Schneerson's scholarship began to fade. He writes that one of Schneerson's editors, David Olidort, "told how most of Schneerson’s aides and editors adored him and saw him as virtually infallible, despite their numerous corrections of his failing scholarship."
wrote that "as Schneerson's empire grew, a personality cult developed around him... portraits of Schneerson were placed in all Lubavitch homes, shops, and synagogues, and devoted followers routinely requested a blessing from him prior to their marriage, following an illness, or at other times of need."
, Israel's second President, the Rebbe wrote: "From the time that I was a child attending cheder
, and even before, the vision of the future Redemption
began to take form in my imagination – the Redemption of the Jewish People from their final Exile
, a redemption of such magnitude and grandeur through which the purpose of the suffering, the harsh decrees and annihilation of Exile will be understood..."
. The riot began when a car accompanying his motorcade—returning from one of his regular cemetery
visits to his father-in-law's grave
—accidentally struck two seven-year-old African American
children, killing one boy. In the rioting, Australian-born Jewish graduate student Yankel Rosenbaum was murdered, many Lubavitchers were badly beaten, and much property was destroyed; also, rioters hurled rocks and bottles at the Jews over police lines.
while praying at the grave of his father-in-law
. The stroke left him unable to speak and paralyzed on the right side of his body. Nonetheless, he continued to respond daily to thousands of queries and requests for blessings from around the world. His secretaries would read the letters to him and he would indicate his response with head and hand motions. During this time, the belief in Schneerson as the Messiah became more widespread.
Despite his deteriorating health, Schneerson once again refused to leave "770". Several months into his illness, a small room with tinted glass windows and an attached balcony was built overlooking the main synagogue. This allowed Schneerson to pray with his followers, beginning with the Rosh Hashanah
services, and to appear before them after services either by having the window opened or by being carried out onto the balcony.
His final illness led to a split between two groups of aides who differed in their recommendations as to how Schneerson should be treated, with the two camps led by Leib Groner
and Yehuda Krinsky.
Aides argued over whether Schneerson had the same physical makeup as other humans, and if the illness should be allowed to run its course without interference. Krinsky argued that the latest and most suitable medical treatment available should be used in treating Schneerson, while Groner thought that "outside interference in the Rebbe’s medical situation might be just as dangerous as inaction. They saw his illness as an element in the messianic revelation; interference with Schneerson’s physical state might therefore affect the redemptive process, which should instead be permitted to run its natural course."
on June 12, 1994 (3 Tammuz
5754) and was buried at the Ohel
next to his teacher and father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, at Montefiore Cemetery
in Queens, New York, in 1994. The Ohel
had been built around the Previous Rebbe's grave in 1950.
of Melbourne
, Australia
established the Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch Center on Francis Lewis Boulevard, Queens, New York, which is located adjacent to the Rebbe's Ohel. Following the age-old Jewish tradition of turning the resting place of a tzadik into a place of prayer, thousands of people flock to the Rebbe's resting place every week. Many more send faxes and e-mails with requests for prayers to be read at the grave site.
have issued proclamations each year, declaring that Schneerson's birthday — usually a day in March or April that coincides with his recognized Hebrew calendar
birthdate of 11 Nissan
— be observed as Education and Sharing Day
in the United States. The Rebbe would usually respond with a public address on the importance of education in modern society, and holding forth on the United States' special role in the world.
and cosponsored by John Lewis, Newt Gingrich
, and Jerry Lewis
, as well as 220 other Congressmen—to posthumously bestow upon Schneerson the Congressional Gold Medal.
On November 2, 1994 the bill passed both Houses by unanimous consent, honoring Schneerson for his "outstanding and enduring contributions toward world education, morality, and acts of charity". President Bill Clinton
spoke these words at the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony:
to be included in their "Only in America" Hall of Fame
.
The second will gave the bulk of control to three senior Chabad rabbis, Rabbis Mindel, Pikarski and Hodakov (contemporary of Schneerson) and gave Krinsky only a minor role. The only copy of this will, that was drafted by others, is unsigned. Supporters of Krinsky argue that the will was merely presented to Schneerson, who chose not to sign it. Supporters of the messianist camp, led by Leib Groner
argue that the will was signed but that interested parties destroyed or hid the signed copy to gain power.
The first will, signed and dated February 14, 1988, transferred power over all Schneerson’s property and personal effects to Agudas Chasidei Chabad
(AGUCH) (directed by Krinsky), naming Krinsky as sole executor. Avrum Erlich, a Chabad chronicler and scholar summarises the dispute:
Krinsky was called to testify before the Chabad Beit Din on the authenticity or otherwise of the disputed second will, but he refused to do so, contending that a local Crown Heights rabbinic body had no authority over international Lubavitch institutions. Krinsky's stewardship of the movement has been a bone of contention amongst Chabad followers and emissaries who see him as trying to control the movement by subsuming it under the umbrella of the AGUCH.
Before Schneerson's death in 1994 some Chabad Hasidim believed that he was soon to become manifest as the Messiah—an event that would herald the Messianic Age
and the construction of the Third Temple. Books and pamphlets were written arguing that the Rabbi was the Messiah.
In Schneerson's later years a movement arose believing that it was their mission to convince the world of his messiahship, and that general acceptance of this claim would lead to his revelation. Adherents to this belief were termed Meshichist. In the early '90s, his followers sang the song "Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v'Rabbeinu Melech haMoshiach l'olom vo'ed!" (English: "[Long] Live our Master, our Teacher, and our Rabbi, King Messiah, for ever and ever!"), and Schneerson encouraged them with hand motions. After his stroke the singing and the encouragement became routine.
A spectrum of beliefs exists today within the Chabad
movement regarding Schneerson and his purported position as the Messiah. While some believe that he died but will return as the messiah, others believe that he is merely "hidden." Other groups believe that he has God-like powers, while a few negate the idea that he is the messiah entirely. The prevalence of these views within the movement is disputed, though very few will openly say that Schneerson cannot be the Messiah.
, believing, in the words of the Tanya
—the seminal work of Chabad Hasidism—that "The righteous, in their passing, can bless those in this world more so than during their lifetimes."
However, a minority of his followers take this belief a step further, contending that he is able to answer their questions from beyond the grave, through a process of bibliomancy
using his collected letters. This practice is known as "Igrot Kodesh
", by which answers to questions are derived through consulting the published collections of Schneerson’s letters known as the Igrot Kodesh.
– An anthology of Chabad aphorisms and customs arranged according to the days of the year. Haggadah Im Likkutei Ta'amim U'minhagim – The Haggadah with a commentary written by Schneerson.
Sefer HaToldot – Admor Moharash – Biography of the fourth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn
.
portions, Jewish Holidays, and other issues. (16,867pp) Igrot Kodesh
– 30 volume set of Schneerson's Hebrew and Yiddish letters. Hadran al HaRambam
– Commentary on Maimonides
' Mishneh Torah
. Sefer HaSichot – 10 volume set of Schneerson's talks from 1987–1992. (4,136pp)
Sefer HaMa'amarim Melukot – 4 volumes of edited chassidic discourses.
Letters from the Rebbe – 5 volume set of Schneerson's English letters.
Chidushim UBiurim B'Shas – 3 volumes of novellae on the Talmud.
Esoterica continue to be released by individual families for family occasions such as weddings, known as Teshurot.
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
– June 12, 1994 NS
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
), known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or just the Rebbe among his followers, was a prominent Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
who was the seventh and last Rebbe (Hasidic leader) of the Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad
Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
movement. He was fifth in a direct paternal line to the third Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
Menachem Mendel Schneersohn also known as the Tzemach Tzedek was an Orthodox rabbi and the third Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement.-Biography:...
. In January 1951, a year after the death of his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, he assumed the leadership of the Lubavitch movement.
He led the movement until his death in 1994, greatly expanding its worldwide activities and founding a worldwide network of institutions to spread Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
among the Jewish people. These institutions include schools, kindergartens, synagogues, Chabad house
Chabad house
A Chabad house is a centre for disseminating Orthodox Judaism by the Chabad movement. Chabad Houses are run by the local Shaliach , who was sent to that place by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who founded all Chabad Houses...
s, and others, and are run under the auspices of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch
Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch
Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch is the central educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Founded by the sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, in 1943, the organization was initially directed by his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who would later become the seventh Rebbe...
, the educational branch of the Chabad movement. His focus on messianism was controversial to some. During his lifetime many of his followers had considered him to be the Jewish Messiah, and even after his death, some continue to await his return as the Messiah.
Birth and early years
The accepted date of his birth is 11 Nissan11 Nissan
Yud Aleph Nissan, the 11th day of the month of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar is the birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson , the leader of the Chabad dynasty of Hasidism, and is celebrated by his followers as a festival....
5662, which is equivalent to April 5, 1902 OS
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
or April 18, 1902 NS
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
. (Dates in March 1895 appear on his Russian passport and his application for French citizenship, he swore on his 1941 visa application that he "was born on the 1st day of March 1895 at Nicolaev
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
, Kherson
Kherson Governorate
The Kherson Governorate or Government of Kherson was a guberniya, or administrative territorial unit, in the Southern Ukrainian region, between the Dnieper and Dniester Rivers, of the Russian Empire. It was one of three governorates created in 1802 when the Novorossiya guberniya was abolished...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
" (now Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) and was already "46 years of age" in 1941, and he affirmed on his U.S. draft registration card that he was 47 during World War Two and was born in "Nicolaav"
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
on "Mar 1 1895". These statements are not considered credible evidence of his true date of birth because Jews born under the czars may have needed to claim false ages to avoid the Russian army draft.)
Schneerson was the eldest of three sons of Levi Yitzchak Schneerson
Levi Yitzchak Schneerson
Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, , was a Chabad Hasidic rabbi in Yekatrinoslav, Ukraine. He was the father of the seventh and last Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson....
, an authority on Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
and Jewish law
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
who served as the rabbi of Yekaterinoslav from 1907 to 1939. He had two younger brothers, Dov Ber and Yisroel Aryeh Leib, both of whom were reported to be of unusual character. His younger brother Dov Ber was mentally disturbed from childhood and spent his years in an institution for the mentally disabled near Nikolaiev. He died in 1944 at the hands of Nazi collaborators.
The youngest, Yisrael Aryeh Leib Schneerson, was close to his brother, and often traveled with him. He was widely viewed as a genius and studied science. In the late 1920s he became a Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, later becoming a Trotskyite
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
. After he left the Soviet union he stopped being an observant Jew. He changed his name to Mark Gourary and moved to Israel where he became a businessman, but later moved to England where he began doctoral studies at Liverpool University but died in 1951 before he completed them. His wife died in 1996 and his children—Schneerson's closest living relatives—currently reside in Israel.
Early education
During his youth, Schneerson received mostly private Jewish education. He studied with Zalman Vilenkin from 1909 through 1913. In 1977, the he said of Vilenkin: “He taught me and my brothers Chumash, RashiRashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
and Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
. He put me on my feet. He was an illustrious Jew...” When Schneerson was eleven years old, Vilenkin informed the boy's father that he had nothing more to teach his son.
Schneerson later studied independently under his father, who was his primary teacher. He studied Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term...
, as well as the Hasidic view of Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
. He received his rabbinical ordination from the Rogatchover Gaon
Rogatchover Gaon
Joseph Rosen known as the Rogatchover Gaon, , and also often referred to by the title of his main work Tzofnath Paneach , , was a rabbi and one of the most prominent talmudic scholars of the early 20th-century, known as a genius because of...
, Yosef Rosen, and from Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg
Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg
Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg was a noted European Orthodox rabbi, posek and rosh yeshiva. He is best known as author of the work of responsa Seridei Eish....
(also known as the Sridei Aish).
Schneerson's mother said her son never attended any Soviet school, though he took the exams as an external student and did well on them According to Avrum Ehrlich, he immersed himself in Jewish studies while simultaneously qualifying for Russian secondary school. Throughout his childhood Schneerson was involved in the affairs of his father's office, where his secular education and knowledge of the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
were useful in assisting his father's public administrative work. He was also said to have acted as an interpreter between the Jewish community and the Russian authorities on a number of occasions.
Early travels and marriage
In 1923 Schneerson visited Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn for the first time. It was presumably at that time that he met Schneersohn's middle daughter, Chaya MushkaChaya Mushka Schneerson
Chaya Mushka Schneerson , referred to by Lubavitchers as The Rebbetzin, was the wife of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh and last Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch branch of Hasidic Judaism. She was the second of three daughters of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok...
. He became engaged to her in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
in 1923 and married her five years later in 1928, after being away in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He returned to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
for his wedding, and in an article about his wedding in a Warsaw newspaper, "a number of academic degrees" were attributed to him. Following the marriage, the newlyweds went to live in Berlin. The marriage was long and happy (60 years), but childless.
Schneerson and Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn are related through Tzemach Tzedek, the third Rebbe of Chabad Lubavitch.
Studies
Schneerson studied mathematics, physics and philosophy in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for five semesters from mid-1928 through 1930. Professor Menachem Friedman
Menachem Friedman
Menachem Friedman is an Israeli Emeritus Professor of sociology at Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan. He explores the field of religion and the confrontations between religious and secular Judaism in modern history...
found his records amongst the students who "audited courses at the university without receiving academic credit." While he was there, he composed hundreds of pages of original Torah discourses, subsequently published as "Reshimot," and corresponded with his father on Torah matters, which were published in the 1970s in the book "Likuttei Levi Yitzchak—Letters."
With his brother
His brother, Yisroel Aryeh Leib (known to Lubavitchers as 'Leibel' and to others by his secular name, 'Liova'), joined him in Berlin in 1931, traveling with false papers under the name 'Mark Gurary' to escape the Soviets. He arrived and was cared for by his brother and sister-in-law as he was seriously ill with typhoid feverTyphoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
. Leibel attended classes at the University of Berlin from 1931 to 1933. In 1933, after Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
took over Germany and began instituting anti-Semitic policies, Mendel and his wife helped Leibel escape from Berlin, before themselves fleeing to Paris. Leibel escaped to Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
in 1939 with his fiancee Regina Milgram, where they later married. Despite Leibel's secularism, the two brothers maintained a relationship.
Encounters with Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik
Some students of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, have asserted that Schneerson met Soloveitchik while they were studying in Berlin.Soloveitchik's daughter Dr. Atarah Twersky recalls Soloveitchik saying that Schneerson visited her father in his apartment and the former asked the latter why he was studying in Berlin if his father-in-law was opposed to it. Other sources deny this. According to Soloveitchik's son Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik
Haym Soloveitchik
Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik is the only son of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He graduated from the Maimonides School which his father founded in Brookline, Massachusetts and then received his B.A. degree from Harvard College in 1958 with a major in History. After two years of post-graduate study...
, Rabbi Soloveitchik only saw Schneerson pass by in Berlin and they did not meet while there.
France
In 1933, Schneerson moved to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He studied mechanics
Mechanics
Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
and electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
at the École spéciale des travaux publics, du bâtiment et de l'industrie
École spéciale des travaux publics
École Spéciale des Travaux Publics, du bâtiment et de l'industrie , is a technical college in Paris, founded in 1891 by Léon Eyrolles and was officially recognized by the State in 1921. It is one of the French generalist engineering Grandes écoles...
(ESTP), a Grandes écoles
Grandes écoles
The grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. The grandes écoles select students for admission based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams...
in the Montparnasse
Montparnasse
Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
district. He graduated in July 1937 and received a license to practice as an electrical engineer
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
. In November 1937, he enrolled at the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, where he studied mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out in 1939. Schneerson lived most of the time in Paris at 9 Rue Boulard in the 14th arrondissement, in the same building as his wife's sister, Shaina, and her husband, Mendel Hornstein, who was also studying at ESTP. Mendel Hornstein failed the final exams and he and his wife returned to Poland; they were murdered at Treblinka in late 1942. On June 11, 1940, three days before Paris fell to the Nazis, the Schneersons fled to Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
, and later to Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, where they stayed until their final escape from Europe.
Schneerson learned to speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, which he put to use in establishing his movement there after the war. The Chabad movement in France was later to attract many Jewish immigrants from Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
.
Escape from Europe
In 1941, Schneerson escaped from Europe on the Serpa Pinto, which embarked from Lisbon, Portugal. It was one of the last boats to cross the Atlantic before the U-boatU-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
blockade began, and joined his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, in the Crown Heights
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....
section of Brooklyn, New York. Seeking to contribute to the war effort, he went to work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
, drawing wiring for the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63)
USS Missouri (BB-63)
|USS Missouri is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship, and was the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Missouri...
, and other classified military work.
Rise in America
In 1942, his father-in-law appointed him director of the Chabad movement's newly-founded central organizations, placing him at the helm of building the movement's Jewish educational, social services, and publishing networks across the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. However, Schneerson kept a low public profile within the movement. He would speak publicly only once a month, delivering talks to his father-in-law's followers.
During the 1940s, Schneerson became a naturalized US citizen. For many years to come, he would speak about America's special place in the world, and would argue that the bedrock of the United States' power and uniqueness came from its foundational values, which were, according to Schneerson, '"E pluribus unum
E pluribus unum
E pluribus unum , Latin for "Out of many, one", is a phrase on the Seal of the United States, along with Annuit cœptis and Novus ordo seclorum, and adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782...
'—from many one", and "In God we trust." In 1949, his father-in-law would become a U.S. citizen, with the Rebbe assisting to coordinate the event. A special dispensation was arranged wherein the federal judge came to "770" to officiate at Rabbi Yoseph Yitzchak's citizenship proceedings, rather than the wheelchair-bound Rebbe travel to a courthouse for the proceedings. Uniquely, the event was recorded on color motion film.
Candidate for Rebbe
Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn died in 1950. The two main candidates for leadership were Schneerson and Rabbi Shemaryahu GuraryShemaryahu Gurary
Rabbi Shemaryahu Gurary, also known by his Hebrew initials as The Rashag, was an Orthodox rabbi belonging to the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. His father was Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gurary. He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn , known as Rebbe Rayatz, the sixth Rebbe of the...
, Schneersohn's elder son-in-law. Schneerson actively refused to accept leadership of the movement for the entire year after Schneersohn's passing but was eventually cajoled into accepting the post by his wife and followers. On the first anniversary of his father-in-law's passing, 10 Shevat
Shevat
Shevat is the fifth month of the civil year and the eleventh month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a winter month of 30 days...
1951, he delivered a Hasidic discourse, (Ma'amar), and formally became the Rebbe.
Jewish outreach
Schneerson believed that the American public was seeking to learn more about their Jewish heritage. He stated, "America is not lost, you are not different. You Americans sincerely crave to know, to learn. Americans are inquisitive. It is Chabad's point of view that the American mind is simple, honest, direct—good, tillable soil for Hassidism, or just plain Judaism". Schneerson believed that Jews need not be on the defensive, but need to be on the ground building Jewish institutions, day schoolsJewish day school
A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide Jewish children with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full time basis, hence its name of "day school" meaning a school that the students attend for an entire day and not on a part time...
and synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s. Schneerson said that we need "to discharge ourselves of our duty and we must take the initiative".
Schneerson placed a tremendous emphasis on outreach
Jewish outreach
Jewish outreach is a term with mixed support sometimes used to translate the Hebrew word kiruv or keruv . Judaism usually does not actively seek converts, although all denominations do accept those with a sincere commitment...
. He made great efforts to intensify this program of the Chabad movement, bringing Jews from all walks of life to adopt Torah-observant Judaism, and aggressively sought the expansion of the baal teshuva
Baal teshuva
Baal teshuva or ba'al teshuvah , sometimes abbreviated to BT, is a term referring to a Jew who turns to embrace Orthodox Judaism. Baal teshuva literally means, "repentant", i.e., one who has repented or "returned" to God...
movement. His work included organizing the training of thousands of young Chabad rabbis and their wives, who were sent all over the world by him as shluchim
Shaliach (Chabad)
A Chabad shliach is a Chabad member sent out to promulgate Judaism and Chasidut around the world.Chabad shluchim as of 2010 number about 4,500 worldwide, and can be found in many of even the most remote worldly locales.-Origins:...
(emissaries) to spread the Chabad message.
He oversaw the building of schools, community centers, youth camps, and "Chabad Houses", and established contacts with wealthy Jews and government officials around the world. Schneerson also instituted a system of "Chabad mitzvah campaigns" called mivtzoim to encourage Jews to follow Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
practices. They commonly centered on practices such as keeping kosher, lighting Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
candles, studying Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
, putting on tefillin
Tefillin
Tefillin also called phylacteries are a set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah, which are worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers. Although "tefillin" is technically the plural form , it is loosely used as a singular as...
, helping to write sifrei Torah
Sefer Torah
A Sefer Torah of Torah” or “Torah scroll”) is a handwritten copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, the holiest book within Judaism. It must meet extremely strict standards of production. The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Torah reading during Jewish services...
, and teaching women to observe the laws of Jewish family purity
Niddah
Niddah is a Hebrew term describing a woman during menstruation, or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirement of immersion in a mikveh ....
. He also launched a global Noahide campaign
Noahide Campaign
The Noahide Campaign refers to a campaign by Orthodox Jews of the Chabad movement to influence all non-Jews to follow the Noahide Laws. This was one of the Mitzvah campaigns of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, leader of Chabad....
http://www.asknoah.org/ to promote observance of the Noahide Laws
Noahide Laws
The Seven Laws of Noah form the major part of the Noachide Laws, or Noahide Code. This code is a set of moral imperatives that, according to the Talmud, were given by God as a binding set of laws for the "children of Noah" – that is, all of humankind...
among gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
s, and argued that involvement in this campaign is an obligation for every Jew.
Israel
Schneerson never visited the State of Israel, where he had many admirers. However, many among Israel's top leadership made it a point to visit him and they were grandly received. One of Israel's presidents, Zalman ShazarZalman Shazar
Zalman Shazar was an Israeli politician, author. and poet. Shazar served as the third President of Israel from 1963 to 1973.-Biography:...
, who was of Lubavitch ancestry, would visit Schneerson and corresponded extensively with him. Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
, Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
, Moshe Katzav, and later, Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
- who was present at his funeral -, also paid visits and sought advice, along with numerous other less famous politicians, diplomats, military officials, and media producers. In the elections that brought Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzhak Shamir
' is a former Israeli politician, the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, in 1983–84 and 1986–92.-Biography:Icchak Jeziernicky was born in Ruzhany , Russian Empire . He studied at a Hebrew High School in Białystok, Poland. As a youth he joined Betar, the Revisionist Zionist youth movement...
to power, Schneerson publicly lobbied his followers and the Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
members in the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
to vote against the Labor alignment. It attracted the media's attention and led to articles in Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, and many newspapers and TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programs, and led to considerable controversy within Israeli politics.
He lobbied Israeli politicians to pass legislation in accordance with Jewish religious law on the question "Who is a Jew?
Who is a Jew?
"Who is a Jew?" is a basic question about Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish self-identification. The question is based in ideas about Jewish personhood which themselves have cultural, religious, genealogical, and personal dimensions...
" and declare that "only one who is born of a Jewish mother or converted according to Halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
is Jewish." This caused a furor in the United States. Some American Jewish philanthropies stopped financially supporting Chabad-Lubavitch since most of their members were connected to Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
and Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
. These unpopular ideas were toned down by his aides, according to Avrum Erlich. "The issue was eventually quietened so as to protect Chabad fund-raising interests. Controversial issues such as territorial compromise in Israel that might have estranged benefactors from giving much-needed funds to Chabad, were often moderated, particularly by...Krinsky." Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits
Immanuel Jakobovits
Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits, Kt was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. His successor is the present Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks.-Biography:...
argued that Chabad moderated its presentation of anti-Zionist ideology and right-wing politics in England and downplayed its messianic fervor so as not to antagonize large parts of the English Jewish community.
Iran
Beginning in the Winter of 1979, during the tumultuous days of the Islamic Revolution in IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Schneerson directed his emissaries to make arrangements to rescue Jewish teenagers from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and place them in foster homes within the Lubavitcher community in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. This mission, while not political in nature, was originally started as a secretive quest in order not to jeopardize the safety of the Iranian Jewish Community at large. Many of Schneerson followers in Brooklyn were asked to open their homes to these Jewish children and help save their lives from another potential Holocaust in the making. The new Islamic government in Iran was vocally opposed to the existence of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and created a genuine concern in world Jewish circles by accusing many in the Jewish community of being Zionists. The execution of the leader of the Iranian Jewish community , Habib Elghanian
Habib Elghanian
Habib Elghanian was a prominent Iranian Jewish businessman and philanthropist who served as the president of the Tehran Jewish Society and acted as the symbolic head of the Iranian Jewish community in the 1970s....
had made this a tangible threat to the very existence of the community. Ultimately, while more than a dozen members of the Jewish community were executed by the new Iranian government, Jews were allowed to continue to live in Iran and there would be no Holocaust. Hundreds of Jewish children from Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
and other major cities in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
were flown from Tehran to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with the help of Schneerson's emissaries, placed in foster homes in Crown Heights and educated in Chabad
Chabad
Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
schools. Many would adopt the Lubavitcher lifestyle and later, some even served as Chabad emissaries and religious leaders. Many others would later reunite with their biological parents after their parents and other family members emigrated to the United States.
Scholarship
Rabbi Schneerson is known for his scholarship both in the Talmud and hidden parts of the Torah (both Kabbalah and Chasidus). He is especially known for his thoughts on RashiRashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
's Torah commentary. In halachic matters, he normally deferred to members of the Crown Heights
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....
Beth Din
Beth din
A beth din, bet din, beit din or beis din is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel...
headed by Rabbi Zalman Shimon Dvorkin, and advised the movement to do likewise in the event of his death. While Schneerson rarely chose to involve himself with questions of halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
(Jewish law). Some notable exceptions were with regard to the use of electrical appliances on Shabbat, sailing on Israeli boats staffed by Jews, and halakhic dilemmas created when crossing the International Date Line
International Date Line
The International Date Line is a generally north-south imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, passing through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that designates the place where each calendar day begins...
.
Public addresses
Schneerson was known for delivering regular lengthy addresses to his followers at public gatherings, with only brief notes outlining the points he planned to discuss. These talks usually centered on the weekly Torah portion, and were then transcribed by followers known as choizerChoizer
Choizer lit. "one who reviews," pl. choizrim is a title that refers to a rabbi who memorizes the teachings of one of the Rebbes of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. This term is unique to that movement....
im, and distributed widely. Many of them were later edited by him and distributed worldwide in small booklets, later to be compiled in the Likkutei Sichot set. He also penned tens of thousands of replies to requests and questions. The majority of his correspondence is printed in Igrot Kodesh
Igrot Kodesh
Igrot Kodesh is a collection of correspondence and responses of the seventh Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Menachem Mendel Schneerson....
, partly translated as "Letters from the Rebbe". His correspondence fills more than two hundred published volumes.
"770"
770 Eastern Parkway
770 Eastern Parkway is the street address of the central headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, located on Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York, in the United States of America...
.
It was from this location that Schneerson directed his emissaries' work and involved himself in details of his movement's developments. His public roles included celebrations called farbrengen
Farbrengen
A Farbrengen is a Hasidic gathering. This term is only used by Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim, as other Hasidim have a Tish. It may consist of explanations of general Torah subjects, with an emphasis on Hasidic philosophy, relating of Hasidic stories, and lively Hasidic melodies, with refreshments being...
s (gatherings) on Shabbats, Jewish holy days
Jewish holiday
Jewish holidays are days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. In Hebrew, Jewish holidays and festivals, depending on their nature, may be called yom tov or chag or ta'anit...
, and special days on the Chabad calendar, when he would give lengthy sermons to crowds. In later years, these would often be broadcast on cable television and via satellite to Lubavitch branches around the world.
Illness
In 1977, Schneerson suffered a massive heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while celebrating the hakafot ceremony on Shemini Atzeret
Shemini Atzeret
Shemini Atzeret is a Jewish holiday. It is celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. In the Diaspora, an additional day is celebrated, the second day being separately referred to as Simchat Torah...
. Despite the best efforts of his doctors to convince him to change his mind, he refused to be hospitalized. This necessitated building a mini-hospital in his headquarters at "770." Although he did not appear again in public for many weeks, Schneerson continued to deliver talks and discourses from his study via intercom. His chief cardiologist Dr. Ira Weiss later stated that despite his own protestations against the Rebbe's being treated in 770, in retrospect, it had turned out to be the correct decision, and "the Rebbe, in fact received better medical care in 770 than he would have had we taken him to the hospital." On Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh or Rosh ḥodesh is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the appearance of the new moon. The new moon is marked by the day and hour that the new crescent is observed...
Kislev
Kislev
Kislev Kislev Tiberian ; also Chislev is the third month of the civil year and the ninth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar....
, he left his study for the first time in more than a month to go home. His followers celebrate this day as a holiday each year.
Honors
On March 25, 1983, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
proclaimed Rabbi Schneerson's birthday as "Education Day, USA," and awarded him the National Scroll of Honor.
"Sunday Dollars"
As the Chabad movement grew and more demands were placed on Schneerson's time, he limited his practice of meeting followers individually in his office. After his heart attack in 1977, he stopped his twice-weekly practice of Yechidut—private audiences with whomever would request an appointment—although community leaders and Israeli government officials would still occasionally meet with the Rebbe in private.In 1986, Schneerson again began to regularly greet people individually. This time, the personal meetings took the form of a weekly receiving line in "770". Almost every Sunday, thousands of people would line up to meet briefly with Schneerson and receive a one-dollar bill, which was to be donated to charity. People filing past Schneerson would often take this opportunity to ask him for advice or to request a blessing. This event is usually referred to as "Sunday Dollars." Beginning in 1989, the events were recorded on videotape. Posthumously, hundreds of thousands these encounters were posted online for public access.
Death of his wife
Following the death of his wife in 1988, Schneerson withdrew from some public functions. For example, he stopped delivering addresses during weekdays, instead holding gatherings every Shabbat. He later edited these addresses, which have since been released in the Sefer HaSichos set.According to Ehrlich, towards the end of his life, particularly after his heart attack in 1977, Schneerson's scholarship began to fade. He writes that one of Schneerson's editors, David Olidort, "told how most of Schneerson’s aides and editors adored him and saw him as virtually infallible, despite their numerous corrections of his failing scholarship."
"Moshiach" (Messiah) fervor
Some of Schneerson's followers believed he was the Jewish Messiah, the "Moshiach," and have persisted in that belief since his passing. The reverence with which he was treated by followers led many Jewish critics from both the Orthodox and Reform communities to allege that a cult of personality had grown up around him. Moshe D. Sherman, an associate professor at Touro CollegeTouro College
Touro College is a sponsored independent institution of higher and professional education, in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by Dr. Bernard Lander, the College was established primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American community...
wrote that "as Schneerson's empire grew, a personality cult developed around him... portraits of Schneerson were placed in all Lubavitch homes, shops, and synagogues, and devoted followers routinely requested a blessing from him prior to their marriage, following an illness, or at other times of need."
His own stated goals
From his childhood and throughout the years of his leadership, the Rebbe explained that his goal was to "make the world a better place," and to eliminate suffering. In 1954, in a letter to Yitzchak Ben TzviYitzhak Ben-Zvi
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was a historian, Labor Zionist leader, the second and longest-serving President of Israel.-Biography:...
, Israel's second President, the Rebbe wrote: "From the time that I was a child attending cheder
Cheder
A Cheder is a traditional elementary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language.-History:...
, and even before, the vision of the future Redemption
Jewish eschatology
Jewish eschatology is concerned with the Jewish Messiah, afterlife, and the revival of the dead. Eschatology, generically, is the area of theology and philosophy concerned with the final events in the history of the world, the ultimate destiny of humanity, and related concepts.-The Messiah:The...
began to take form in my imagination – the Redemption of the Jewish People from their final Exile
Galut
Galut or Golus , means literally exile. Galut or Golus classically refers to the exile of the Jewish people from the Land of Israel . There were altogether four such exiles...
, a redemption of such magnitude and grandeur through which the purpose of the suffering, the harsh decrees and annihilation of Exile will be understood..."
Final declarations
In 1991, he declared to his followers: "I have done everything I can [to bring Moshiach], now I am handing over to you [the mission]; do everything you can to bring Moshiach!" A campaign was then started to usher in the Messianic age through "acts of goodness and kindness," and some of his followers placed advertisements in the mass media, including many full-page ads in the New York Times, declaring in Rabbi Schneerson's name that the Moshiachs arrival was imminent, and urging everyone to prepare for and hasten it by increasing their good deeds.Crown Heights riot
In 1991, Schneerson was indirectly involved in the start of a riot in his neighborhood of Crown HeightsCrown Heights riot
The Crown Heights Riot was a three-day riot in the United States that occurred August 19–21, 1991. It took place in the Crown Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn....
. The riot began when a car accompanying his motorcade—returning from one of his regular cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
visits to his father-in-law's grave
Ohel (Chabad)
The Ohel is the name of a religious shrine in Queens, New York, to which thousands of people make a pilgrimage each year. The last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson and his father-in-law Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn are interred there...
—accidentally struck two seven-year-old African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
children, killing one boy. In the rioting, Australian-born Jewish graduate student Yankel Rosenbaum was murdered, many Lubavitchers were badly beaten, and much property was destroyed; also, rioters hurled rocks and bottles at the Jews over police lines.
Final illness
In 1992, Schneerson suffered a serious strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
while praying at the grave of his father-in-law
Ohel (Chabad)
The Ohel is the name of a religious shrine in Queens, New York, to which thousands of people make a pilgrimage each year. The last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson and his father-in-law Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn are interred there...
. The stroke left him unable to speak and paralyzed on the right side of his body. Nonetheless, he continued to respond daily to thousands of queries and requests for blessings from around the world. His secretaries would read the letters to him and he would indicate his response with head and hand motions. During this time, the belief in Schneerson as the Messiah became more widespread.
Despite his deteriorating health, Schneerson once again refused to leave "770". Several months into his illness, a small room with tinted glass windows and an attached balcony was built overlooking the main synagogue. This allowed Schneerson to pray with his followers, beginning with the Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
services, and to appear before them after services either by having the window opened or by being carried out onto the balcony.
His final illness led to a split between two groups of aides who differed in their recommendations as to how Schneerson should be treated, with the two camps led by Leib Groner
Leib Groner
Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner was the secretary to the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson for over 40 years.Following Schneerson's death there were press report in which he expressed opposition to Yudel Krinsky, the sole executor of Schneerson's will and a political opponent...
and Yehuda Krinsky.
Aides argued over whether Schneerson had the same physical makeup as other humans, and if the illness should be allowed to run its course without interference. Krinsky argued that the latest and most suitable medical treatment available should be used in treating Schneerson, while Groner thought that "outside interference in the Rebbe’s medical situation might be just as dangerous as inaction. They saw his illness as an element in the messianic revelation; interference with Schneerson’s physical state might therefore affect the redemptive process, which should instead be permitted to run its natural course."
Death and burial
Schneerson died at the Beth Israel Medical CenterBeth Israel Medical Center
Beth Israel Medical Center is a 1,368-bed, full-service tertiary teaching hospital in New York City. Originally dedicated to serving immigrant Jews living in the tenement slums of the Lower East Side, it was founded at the turn of the 20th century. The main hospital location is the Petrie...
on June 12, 1994 (3 Tammuz
3 Tammuz
Gimmel Tammuz is the third day of the tenth month in the Hebrew year counting from Tishrei, which is the fourth month counting from Nissan.-Historical events on this date:...
5754) and was buried at the Ohel
Ohel (Chabad)
The Ohel is the name of a religious shrine in Queens, New York, to which thousands of people make a pilgrimage each year. The last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson and his father-in-law Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn are interred there...
next to his teacher and father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, at Montefiore Cemetery
Montefiore Cemetery
Montefiore Cemetery, also known as "Old Montefiore Cemetery," is a Jewish cemetery in Springfield Gardens, Queens, New York.The cemetery is called by many names. It is known as Old Montefiore, Springfield, or less commonly just plain Montefiore....
in Queens, New York, in 1994. The Ohel
Ohel (Chabad)
The Ohel is the name of a religious shrine in Queens, New York, to which thousands of people make a pilgrimage each year. The last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson and his father-in-law Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn are interred there...
had been built around the Previous Rebbe's grave in 1950.
Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch Center
Soon after Schneerson's passing, philanthropist Joseph GutnickJoseph Gutnick
Joseph Isaac Gutnick is an Australian businessman and mining industry entrepreneur. He is also an ordained rabbi and is well known for his philanthropy in the Jewish world.-Business holdings:Among Gutnick's business holdings:...
of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
established the Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch Center on Francis Lewis Boulevard, Queens, New York, which is located adjacent to the Rebbe's Ohel. Following the age-old Jewish tradition of turning the resting place of a tzadik into a place of prayer, thousands of people flock to the Rebbe's resting place every week. Many more send faxes and e-mails with requests for prayers to be read at the grave site.
U.S. Government awards
Starting with President Carter in 1978, the U.S. Congress and PresidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
have issued proclamations each year, declaring that Schneerson's birthday — usually a day in March or April that coincides with his recognized Hebrew calendar
Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew calendar , or Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today predominantly for Jewish religious observances. It determines the dates for Jewish holidays and the appropriate public reading of Torah portions, yahrzeits , and daily Psalm reading, among many ceremonial uses...
birthdate of 11 Nissan
11 Nissan
Yud Aleph Nissan, the 11th day of the month of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar is the birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson , the leader of the Chabad dynasty of Hasidism, and is celebrated by his followers as a festival....
— be observed as Education and Sharing Day
Education and Sharing day
Education and Sharing Day is a day made by the United States Congress in honor of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson the Lubavitcher Rebbe's efforts for education and sharing for Jews and non-Jews alike. During his lifetime the Rabbi opened scores of centers of education called "Chabad Houses"...
in the United States. The Rebbe would usually respond with a public address on the importance of education in modern society, and holding forth on the United States' special role in the world.
Honored by congress
After Schneerson's death, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives—sponsored by Congressman Charles SchumerCharles Schumer
Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer is the senior United States Senator from New York and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected in 1998, he defeated three-term Republican incumbent Al D'Amato by a margin of 55%–44%. He was easily re-elected in 2004 by a margin of 71%–24% and in 2010 by a...
and cosponsored by John Lewis, Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
, and Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (politician)
Charles Jeremy Lewis is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 40th, 35th and 37th, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, serving in the role during the 109th Congress.-Early life, education, and...
, as well as 220 other Congressmen—to posthumously bestow upon Schneerson the Congressional Gold Medal.
On November 2, 1994 the bill passed both Houses by unanimous consent, honoring Schneerson for his "outstanding and enduring contributions toward world education, morality, and acts of charity". President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
spoke these words at the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony:
Other posthumous commendations
In 2009, the National Museum of American Jewish History selected Schneerson as one of eighteen Jewish AmericansAmerican Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
to be included in their "Only in America" Hall of Fame
National Museum of American Jewish History
The National Museum of American Jewish History is a Smithsonian- affiliated museum in Center City Philadelphia, located on Independence Mall within the Independence National Historical Park.-Building:...
.
Wills
There is considerable controversy within Chabad about Schneerson's will. It is widely accepted that two wills exist, the first will was signed by Schneerson and transferred stewardship of all the major Chabad institutions to Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky. This will is indisputable as it was officially filed and a record of its signing exists in the archives of New York State.The second will gave the bulk of control to three senior Chabad rabbis, Rabbis Mindel, Pikarski and Hodakov (contemporary of Schneerson) and gave Krinsky only a minor role. The only copy of this will, that was drafted by others, is unsigned. Supporters of Krinsky argue that the will was merely presented to Schneerson, who chose not to sign it. Supporters of the messianist camp, led by Leib Groner
Leib Groner
Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner was the secretary to the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson for over 40 years.Following Schneerson's death there were press report in which he expressed opposition to Yudel Krinsky, the sole executor of Schneerson's will and a political opponent...
argue that the will was signed but that interested parties destroyed or hid the signed copy to gain power.
The first will, signed and dated February 14, 1988, transferred power over all Schneerson’s property and personal effects to Agudas Chasidei Chabad
Agudas Chasidei Chabad
Agudas Chassidei Chabad is the umbrella organization for the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement. It administers three of the main Lubavitch offices: Machneh Israel, Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, and the Kehot Publication Society...
(AGUCH) (directed by Krinsky), naming Krinsky as sole executor. Avrum Erlich, a Chabad chronicler and scholar summarises the dispute:
Krinsky was called to testify before the Chabad Beit Din on the authenticity or otherwise of the disputed second will, but he refused to do so, contending that a local Crown Heights rabbinic body had no authority over international Lubavitch institutions. Krinsky's stewardship of the movement has been a bone of contention amongst Chabad followers and emissaries who see him as trying to control the movement by subsuming it under the umbrella of the AGUCH.
Schneerson as the Jewish Messiah
Messianic Age
Messianic Age is a theological term referring to a future time of universal peace and brotherhood on the earth, without crime, war and poverty. Many religions believe that there will be such an age; some refer to it as the "Kingdom of God" or the "World to Come".- Terminology: "messianic" and...
and the construction of the Third Temple. Books and pamphlets were written arguing that the Rabbi was the Messiah.
In Schneerson's later years a movement arose believing that it was their mission to convince the world of his messiahship, and that general acceptance of this claim would lead to his revelation. Adherents to this belief were termed Meshichist. In the early '90s, his followers sang the song "Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v'Rabbeinu Melech haMoshiach l'olom vo'ed!" (English: "[Long] Live our Master, our Teacher, and our Rabbi, King Messiah, for ever and ever!"), and Schneerson encouraged them with hand motions. After his stroke the singing and the encouragement became routine.
A spectrum of beliefs exists today within the Chabad
Chabad
Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
movement regarding Schneerson and his purported position as the Messiah. While some believe that he died but will return as the messiah, others believe that he is merely "hidden." Other groups believe that he has God-like powers, while a few negate the idea that he is the messiah entirely. The prevalence of these views within the movement is disputed, though very few will openly say that Schneerson cannot be the Messiah.
Beginnings
The belief that Schneerson is the messiah can be traced to the 1950s; it picked up momentum during the decade preceding Schneerson's death in 1994, and has continued to develop since his death. The response of the wider Haredi and Modern Orthodox communities to this belief has been antagonistic; the issue remains controversial within the Jewish world.Among his followers
His followers continue to visit his resting place at the OhelOhel (Chabad)
The Ohel is the name of a religious shrine in Queens, New York, to which thousands of people make a pilgrimage each year. The last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson and his father-in-law Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn are interred there...
, believing, in the words of the Tanya
Tanya
The Tanya is an early work of Hasidic philosophy, by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, first published in 1797. Its formal title is Likkutei Amarim , but is more commonly known by its opening word, Tanya, which means "it was taught in a beraita"...
—the seminal work of Chabad Hasidism—that "The righteous, in their passing, can bless those in this world more so than during their lifetimes."
However, a minority of his followers take this belief a step further, contending that he is able to answer their questions from beyond the grave, through a process of bibliomancy
Bibliomancy
Bibliomancy is the use of books in divination. The method of employing sacred books for 'magical medicine', for removing negative entities, or for divination is widespread in many religions of the world:-Terminology:...
using his collected letters. This practice is known as "Igrot Kodesh
Igrot Kodesh
Igrot Kodesh is a collection of correspondence and responses of the seventh Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Menachem Mendel Schneerson....
", by which answers to questions are derived through consulting the published collections of Schneerson’s letters known as the Igrot Kodesh.
Books
Hayom Yom
Hayom Yom is a calendar for the Hebrew year of 5703 , compiled by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson at the behest of his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, in the winter of 1942....
– An anthology of Chabad aphorisms and customs arranged according to the days of the year.
Shmuel Schneersohn
Shmuel Schneersohn was an Orthodox rabbi and the fourth Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement.-Biography:...
.
Personal notes and writings
Talks and letters, transcribed by others and then edited by Schneerson
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
portions, Jewish Holidays, and other issues. (16,867pp)
Igrot Kodesh
Igrot Kodesh is a collection of correspondence and responses of the seventh Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Menachem Mendel Schneerson....
– 30 volume set of Schneerson's Hebrew and Yiddish letters.
Hadran al HaRambam
Hadran al HaRambam is Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's commentary on Mishneh Torah. The book contains pilpuls on the ending passages of the Rambam. The book combines Nigla and Chassidus in its approach to the text.-See also:...
– Commentary on Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
' Mishneh Torah
Mishneh Torah
The Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
.
Unedited compilations of Schneerson's talks and writings
- Sefer HaShlichut – 2 volume set of Schneerson's advice and guidelines to the shluchimShaliach (Chabad)A Chabad shliach is a Chabad member sent out to promulgate Judaism and Chasidut around the world.Chabad shluchim as of 2010 number about 4,500 worldwide, and can be found in many of even the most remote worldly locales.-Origins:...
he sent. - Torat Menachem – 40 volume Hebrew set of unedited Maamarim and Sichos currently spanning 1950–1964 (Approximately 4 new volumes a year). Planned to encompass 1950–1981.
- Sichot Kodesh – 50 volume Yiddish set of unedited Sichos from 1950–1981.
- Torat Menachem Hitva'aduyot – 43 volume set of Sichot and Ma'amarim from 1982–1992. (Based on participants' recollections and notes, not proofread by Rabbi Schneerson.)
- Karati Ve'ein Oneh – Compilation of Sichos discussing the Halachic prohibition of surrendering land in the Land of IsraelLand of IsraelThe Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
to non-Jews - Sefer HaMa'amarim (unedited) Hasidic discourses – Approx. 24 vols. including 1951–1962, 1969–1977 with plans to complete the rest.
- Biurim LePeirush Rashi – 5 volume set summarizing talks on the commentary of Rashi to Torah.
- Heichal Menachem – Shaarei – 34 volumes of talks arranged by topic and holiday.
- Torat Menachem – Tiferet Levi Yitzchok – 3 volumes of elucidations drawn from his talks on cryptic notes of his father.
- Biurim LePirkei Avot – 2 volumes summarizing talks on the Mishnaic tractate of "Ethics of the Fathers".
- Yein Malchut – 2 volumes of talks on the Mishneh TorahMishneh TorahThe Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
. - Kol Ba'ei Olam – Addresses and letters concerning the Noahide CampaignNoahide CampaignThe Noahide Campaign refers to a campaign by Orthodox Jews of the Chabad movement to influence all non-Jews to follow the Noahide Laws. This was one of the Mitzvah campaigns of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, leader of Chabad....
. - Hilchot Beit Habechira LeHaRambam Im Chiddushim U'Beurim – Talks on the Laws of the Chosen House (the Holy TempleTemple in JerusalemThe Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
) of the Mishneh TorahMishneh TorahThe Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
. - HaMelech BeMesibo – 2 volumes of discussions at the semi-public holiday meals.
- Torat Menachem – Menachem Tzion – 2 volumes of talks on mourning.
Collections and esoterica
- Heichal Menachem – 3 volumes.
- Mikdash Melech – 4 volumes.
- Nelcha B'Orchosov
- Mekadesh Yisrael – Talks and pictures from his officiating at weddings.
- Yemei Bereshit – Diary of the first year of his leadership, 1950–1951.
- Bine'ot Deshe – Diary of his visit and talks to Camp Gan Israel in upstate New York.
- Tzaddik LaMelech – 7 volumes of letters, handwritten notes, anecdotes, and other.
Esoterica continue to be released by individual families for family occasions such as weddings, known as Teshurot.
Further reading
- Elliot R. Wolfson. Open Secret: Postmessianic Messianism and the Mystical Revision of Menahem Mendel Schneerson. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-231-14630-2
- Samuel C. Heilman & Menachem M. Friedman. The Rebbe. The Life and Afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, . 2010. ISBN 978-0-691-13888-6
Works available online
- Chabad.org – Literature
- Sichos Kodesh – The Rebbe's original unedited talks 1950 – 1981 (Yiddish)
- Sichos B'Laha"k – The Rebbe's unedited talks (Hebrew)
- Sichos in English
- Igros Kodesh (Hebrew)
- Toras Menachem (Hebrew)
- Hayom Yom (Hebrew)
- The Rebbe's 10-point Mitzvah campaign
- Audio recordings of the Rebbe's addresses (Yiddish)
- More audio recordings of the Rebbe's addresses (Yiddish)
- The official archive of all the Rebbe's weekday talks (Yiddish)
Works available on iTunes
Biography
Historical sites
- The Ohel, about Schneersons burial site
- Proclamation of Education and Sharing Day 2002 by President George W. Bush also honoring the 100th birthdate of Rabbi Schneerson
- Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 2007
- Numerous proclamations by President Reagan citing work of Rabbi Schneerson and promotion of the Seven Noahide Laws
- Congressional Gold Medal Recipient Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
- Tributes to the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Menachem Begin, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Israel Meir Lau, John Lewis, Joseph Lieberman, Yitzhak Rabin, Aviezer Ravitzky, Jonathan Sacks, Lawrence Schiffman, Adin Steinsaltz, Margaret Thatcher, Elie Wiesel and Elliot Wolfson.
- Family Tree
- Commemorative remarks upon the occasion of the 10th Yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh WeinrebTzvi Hersh WeinrebRabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is an ordained rabbi, a qualified psychotherapist and the Executive Vice President Emeritus of the Orthodox Union, the largest Orthodox Jewish organisation in North America; a position he has held since 2002....
of the Orthodox UnionOrthodox UnionThe Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America , more popularly known as the Orthodox Union , is one of the oldest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. It is best known for its kosher food preparation supervision service... - Timeline of Menachem Mendel Schneerson 1928–1938
- My Encounter with the Rebbe, an oral history project undertaken by Jewish Educational Media, JEM to record the history of Rabbi Schneerson