Zalman Moishe HaYitzchaki
Encyclopedia
Shneur Zalman Moishe HaYitzchoki, usually known familiarly as Reb
Zalman Moishe, (c. 1872-3 Shvat, 1952), was an Orthodox Jewish
Chabad-Lubavitch
Rabbi
in pre-war Europe, and towards the end of his life, in the Land of Israel
. Specifically, he served as a Mashpia
(Hasidic mentor) and shochet. He was a follower of the Rebbe Rashab
and the Rebbe Rayatz.
, Russia
, to his father, Reb Dovber ("Berel Der Shoichet"), who was the Chabad shochet in Nevel. The surname HaYitzchoki indicated their lineage to Rashi
. His mother was Rochel Zisselson, the daughter of a prominent Lubavitch family in Nevel. He married Neshe Reines of Zhembin, the Reines's were a prominent Rabbinic family in White Russia.
After marrying, Reb Zalman Moishe began studying unofficially part-time at the Tomchei Temimim
Yeshiva
in Zhembin, and this brought him to become intensely devoted to the study of Chabad Chassidus. He would come to attend the lectures on this topic delivered by Reb Shmuel Groinem Esterman, the official Mashpia.
Several years later he moved to Schtzedrin, a small village founded by the Tzemach Tzedek
, and populated exclusively by Chabad Chassidim. He accepted the request of the village's inhabitants that he come practice shechita
. This was during World War I
, a time when abject poverty prevailed. Nevertheless, Reb Zalman Moishe was careful to distribute all his earnings to the needy.
After his father died in 1919 he returned to Nevel to replace his father as the city's shochet. He immediately became one of the central personalities in the city, and his home became a centre for Chassidic farbrengen
s.
In the year 1933 he decided to immigrate to the Holy Land. In order to file his application he moved to Moscow
, where he stayed for two years, until his application was accepted in 1935. He then moved to Tel Aviv
.
In the early 1940s he suffered partial paralysis, and would spend most of the day studying the Chasidic discourses of the Rebbe Rashab, and praying at great length.
His children were:
He is buried in Tzfas
.
When he arrived in Tel Aviv, some elderly Chassidim there were upset at Reb Zalman Moishe’s sharp style of farbrengens. They wrote a letter of complaint to Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson, who replied, saying that their letter caused him “great pain and much sorrow of the spirit,” and completely dismissed their complaints.
A characteristic episode is told concerning his sense of submission to the Chabad Rebbes: The Rebbe Rayatz once turned to him at a farbrengen and said something to him. Afterwards, the other Chassidim asked him what the Rebbe had said. "I didn't hear one word," he responded, "only one thought bothered me at that moment: When will the Rebbe already remove his holy eyes from my piggy face?"
Upon the urging of the Rebbe Rashab he recited the Tikkun Chatzos midnight prayer of mourning over the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash his entire life.
would refer to him affectionately as "my Zalman Moishe." He was held in such high esteem by the Rebbes of Chabad that the Rebbe said that "an aphorism of Zalman Moishe is told over in the house of the Chabad Rebbes (Beis HoRav)." In the condolence letter sent by the Rebbe to the family after his passing, the Rebbe referred to him as a Tzaddik. This is extraordinary, as the Rebbe had not referred that way to any other Chossid.
The Rebbe Rayatz said of Reb Zalman Moishe to the Chabad residents of Tel Aviv: “He is one of the few unique ones who diligently study and comprehend Chassidus. He is expert in many discourses of my father [the Rebbe Rashab]. They should strive to find him an appropriate position as a shochet, and draw him exceedingly close.”
, Reb Nissan Neminov
, and Reb Yoel Kahn
. Once Reb Nissan said to Reb Mendel, "Listen, Mendel, the small amount of Chassidic enthusiasm that we have is from what we received from Reb Zalman Moishe!"
Reb
Reb is a Yiddish honorific traditionally used for Orthodox Jewish men. It is not a rabbinic title; it is the equivalent of the English "mister"...
Zalman Moishe, (c. 1872-3 Shvat, 1952), was an 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...
Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch is a Chasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism. One of the world's larger and best-known Chasidic movements, its official headquarters is in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York...
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...
in pre-war Europe, and towards the end of his life, in the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The 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...
. Specifically, he served as a Mashpia
Mashpia
Mashpia lit. "person of influence", pl. Mashpi'im is the title of a rabbi or rebbetzin who serves as a spiritual mentor in Tomchei Temimim , in a girls' seminary belonging to the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, or in a Chabad community.-Definition:Although counterparts to the mashpia exist in...
(Hasidic mentor) and shochet. He was a follower of the Rebbe Rashab
Sholom Dovber Schneersohn
Sholom Dovber Schneersohn was an Orthodox rabbi and the fifth Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement. He is also known as "the Rebbe nishmosei eiden" and as "the Rebbe Rashab" .His teachings represent the emergence of an emphasis on outreach that later Chabad Rebbes would develop...
and the Rebbe Rayatz.
Biography
Reb Zalman Moishe was born in NevelNevel
Nevel is a town and the administrative center of Nevelsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on Lake Nevel southeast of Pskov. Population:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, to his father, Reb Dovber ("Berel Der Shoichet"), who was the Chabad shochet in Nevel. The surname HaYitzchoki indicated their lineage to Rashi
Rashi
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...
. His mother was Rochel Zisselson, the daughter of a prominent Lubavitch family in Nevel. He married Neshe Reines of Zhembin, the Reines's were a prominent Rabbinic family in White Russia.
After marrying, Reb Zalman Moishe began studying unofficially part-time at the Tomchei Temimim
Tomchei Temimim
Tomchei Temimim is the central Yeshiva of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement...
Yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
in Zhembin, and this brought him to become intensely devoted to the study of Chabad Chassidus. He would come to attend the lectures on this topic delivered by Reb Shmuel Groinem Esterman, the official Mashpia.
Several years later he moved to Schtzedrin, a small village founded by the Tzemach Tzedek
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:...
, and populated exclusively by Chabad Chassidim. He accepted the request of the village's inhabitants that he come practice shechita
Shechita
Shechita is the ritual slaughter of mammals and birds according to Jewish dietary laws...
. This was during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a time when abject poverty prevailed. Nevertheless, Reb Zalman Moishe was careful to distribute all his earnings to the needy.
After his father died in 1919 he returned to Nevel to replace his father as the city's shochet. He immediately became one of the central personalities in the city, and his home became a centre for Chassidic 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.
In the year 1933 he decided to immigrate to the Holy Land. In order to file his application he moved to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where he stayed for two years, until his application was accepted in 1935. He then moved to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
In the early 1940s he suffered partial paralysis, and would spend most of the day studying the Chasidic discourses of the Rebbe Rashab, and praying at great length.
His children were:
- Sarah (1904-1997) wife of the Mashpia Rabbi Avrohom Drizin (Mayorer) (1900-1991)
- Shmuel (1906-1986)
- Faya (1920-1983) wife of Rabbi Meir Borovski (1915?-1994?)
He is buried in Tzfas
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
.
Personality
Reb Zalman Moishe was known for his sharp and even crude style of rebuke during farbrengens. However, those who knew him well understood that the "real" Reb Zalman Moishe was refined and considerate. Nevertheless, he used this approach at farbrengens because he believed that then is the appropriate occasion to deal with the animal soul, which understands no other language.When he arrived in Tel Aviv, some elderly Chassidim there were upset at Reb Zalman Moishe’s sharp style of farbrengens. They wrote a letter of complaint to Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson, who replied, saying that their letter caused him “great pain and much sorrow of the spirit,” and completely dismissed their complaints.
A characteristic episode is told concerning his sense of submission to the Chabad Rebbes: The Rebbe Rayatz once turned to him at a farbrengen and said something to him. Afterwards, the other Chassidim asked him what the Rebbe had said. "I didn't hear one word," he responded, "only one thought bothered me at that moment: When will the Rebbe already remove his holy eyes from my piggy face?"
Piety
For many years he maintained a regimen of study of Chassidus: Early every morning he would study for six consecutive hours. He would then go to work for several hours as a shochet. He would then eat something, rest a bit, and pray for several hours.Upon the urging of the Rebbe Rashab he recited the Tikkun Chatzos midnight prayer of mourning over the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash his entire life.
Held in high esteem
The Rebbe RashabSholom Dovber Schneersohn
Sholom Dovber Schneersohn was an Orthodox rabbi and the fifth Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement. He is also known as "the Rebbe nishmosei eiden" and as "the Rebbe Rashab" .His teachings represent the emergence of an emphasis on outreach that later Chabad Rebbes would develop...
would refer to him affectionately as "my Zalman Moishe." He was held in such high esteem by the Rebbes of Chabad that the Rebbe said that "an aphorism of Zalman Moishe is told over in the house of the Chabad Rebbes (Beis HoRav)." In the condolence letter sent by the Rebbe to the family after his passing, the Rebbe referred to him as a Tzaddik. This is extraordinary, as the Rebbe had not referred that way to any other Chossid.
The Rebbe Rayatz said of Reb Zalman Moishe to the Chabad residents of Tel Aviv: “He is one of the few unique ones who diligently study and comprehend Chassidus. He is expert in many discourses of my father [the Rebbe Rashab]. They should strive to find him an appropriate position as a shochet, and draw him exceedingly close.”
Students
Reb Zalman Moishe’s distinguished students included Reb Mendel FuterfasMenachem Mendel Futerfas
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Futerfas , known informally as Reb Mendel, was a famous Chabad Mashpia. He was a top student of the famed Mashpia, Reb Zalman Moishe HaYitzchaki.-Activities:...
, Reb Nissan Neminov
Nissan Neminov
Nissan Neminov, known familiarly as Reb Nissan , was an Orthodox rabbi. Specifically, he served as a Mashpia, Hasidic mentor, in the Yeshiva of Tomchei Temimim in Brunoy, near Paris, France. He taught many thousands of students during his lifetime, and was renowned for his piety and abstinence...
, and Reb Yoel Kahn
Yoel Kahn
Yoel Kahn, also spelled Kahan, is a senior Chabad rabbi, who served as the leading Choizer and Meiniach for the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. He served in this role from the beginning of the Rebbe's leadership in 1950 until his passing in 1994. Today he continues to...
. Once Reb Nissan said to Reb Mendel, "Listen, Mendel, the small amount of Chassidic enthusiasm that we have is from what we received from Reb Zalman Moishe!"