Of the Mitteler Rebbe

חג הגאולה יו"ד כסלו The Arrest and Liberation of the Mitteler Rebbe n Chol Hamoed Sukkos Nobody wanted to believe it. on the travel route that they should in the year 5587, a group Besides, it couldn't be true. The Alter prepare a welcome delegation and of Chassidim were Rebbe had helped the Czar in his war help freshen his horses wherever he farbrenging in Vitebsk. with Napoleon by utilizing a network passed. How could it be that after all OVitebsk was, and still is, the capital of Chassidim to spy on the French. In that the Mitteler Rebbe was now under of the Russian region that includes appreciation the Czar bestowed on his investigation? And for what? Lubavitch. family the title "Honored Citizen," a By Shemini Atzeres the rumors Suddenly, Reb Simcha Zelig, one of title that was passed down from father were confirmed. The secretary of the prominent Chassidim of Vitebsk, to son. the regional governor met with a burst into the sukkah and brought Just 13 years earlier, the Mitteler delegation of Chassidim. He told them shocking news: he had just been in Rebbe moved to Lubavitch from that by the following Thursday the the government offices and overheard Kremenchug, where he had been Minister of Justice in S. Petersburg was a rumor that the Mitteler Rebbe was since the histalkus of the Alter Rebbe. expected to sign a warrant allowing under investigation. The government in S. Petersburg the police to search and detain the sent advance notice to all the cities Mitteler Rebbe. KISLEV 5779 z 14 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 5587-1826 לזכות הת' מנחם מענדל שיחי' מאן לרגל הגיעו לעול מצוות ט"ז כסלו ה'תשע"ט נדפס ע"י הוריו הרה"ת ר' שרגא פייוול וזוגתו מרת דבורה לאה ומשפחתם שיחיו מאן The minister went even further own wagon. Joining the Chassidim in As we know, the Alter Rebbe was than just signing the search warrant. their meeting with the minister were nistalek while on the road from Liadi, He ordered that the Mitteler Rebbe be a handful of non-Jewish landowners, escaping the advancing armies of brought from Lubavitch to Vitebsk to who greatly respected the Mitteler Napoleon. All the possessions of the be interrogated in person. Rebbe. The minister agreed, and also entire family had been left behind in At this point nobody knew gave permission to travel slowly due to Liadi where they were stolen and their what the charges were or who had the Rebbe’s health. The journey would houses burned to the ground. slandered the Rebbe. The Chassidim take three days instead of the usual The Mitteler Rebbe was left with couldn't start preparing a defense two. nothing and cash that they had was without even knowing the charges. All used for the travelling costs. The they could do was to meet with the Blackmail Chassidim knew this. When the minister and demand that the Rebbe By Sunday, a delegation of Mitteler Rebbe accepted the request of not be transported by the police like officers reached Lubavitch and began the Chassidim in Lubavitch to settle a common criminal. He should be searching the Rebbe’s house. The story there, he began making his way there allowed to travel by himself, in his was now becoming clearer. and at every stop, local Chassidim KISLEV 5779 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 15 gave generously to maamad—the fund in Vitebsk for having “Torah u’gedula Alternatively, perhaps the money was dedicated to the expenses of beis harav. b’makom echad.” to finance the war or payment to the Upon arriving in Lubavitch the Rebbe They were talmidei chachomim, Sultan for the protection of Chassidim had a few thousand rubles, quite a wealthy, and big ba’alei tzedakah, during the impending war. They large sum of money. He decided to involved in every charitable endeavor weren’t so clear on the details but one divide the money between all the in Vitebsk, but they were also thing was obvious: sending money to members of beis harav, who were all in bitter misnagdim. Besides for being the Sultan was a red flag. dire poverty. misnagdim, they also had a personal As further proof for their ridiculous To divide the money, the Rebbe grudge against the Alter Rebbe. For claims, they told the minister to appointed Reb Pinchas Reizes, Reb years they had tried marrying into the measure the shul in Lubavitch. He Zalmen Reizes, and Reb Shlome Alter Rebbe’s family but were turned would find that it was built in the Freides. down. Even when they offered large exact same size as the Beis Hamikdash, Years later, when Reb Pinchas sums of money for a dowry, their which surely meant that the Mitteler Reizes passed away childless, his offers were politely declined. Rebbe was serious about his plans to possessions were transferred to his As a result, they were always on overthrow the Czar. nephew who lived in Shklov, and who the lookout for ways to harm the Alter was not the most pleasant person. This Rebbe and his work, making them Preparations nephew was a known gangster and perfect partners for this individual Word quickly spread that the crook, and he got right to work trying from Shklov with the letter. Mitteler Rebbe was going to be to maximize his new inheritance. Most importantly, they had brought to Vitebsk for questioning. He discovered among Reb Pinchas’s connections with Governor Even before the officers arrived in papers a letter from the Mitteler Chavansky, the governor of the Lubavitch on Sunday, hundreds of Rebbe, where he tasked Reb Pinchas Vitebsk region. Chassidim streamed in from the with the job of dividing the money he surrounding villages for Shabbos. The had collected on the way to Lubavitch. The Accusations Mitteler Rebbe did not change his This nephew went to the Mitteler How could they use this seemingly behavior at all that Shabbos, and said Rebbe right away with the letter, and innocent letter to slander the Mitteler Chassidus as he normally would. demanded a large amount of money. Rebbe? Meanwhile, there was a great He said that if his demands weren’t They made one simple change. uproar in the whole region. Jews met he would use this letter to slander Where the Rebbe had written that he as well as non-Jews began making the Rebbe to the Russian government; had in his possession three or four preparations to greet the Mitteler in other words, blackmail. thousand rubles, “gimmel o’ daled Rebbe and accompany his carriage Of course, the Mitteler Rebbe alofim,” they simply added a kuf. Now in and out of the cities he would be completely refused his demands. He it read “kuf-gimmel o’ kuf-daled alafim,” passing. It was clear to the police responded by saying that he had done 103,000 or 104,000 rubles, which was that this was no simple matter, that nothing wrong, and what this nephew an astronomical sum. the Mitteler Rebbe was famous and decided to do with the letter is his How could the Mitteler Rebbe have respected even by the non-Jews of business, but this blackmail was not collected such an astounding amount White Russia. going to work. of money in the relatively short trip When the police officers arrived Dejected, this individual tried from Kremenchug to Lubavitch? There in Lubavitch, they went straight to thinking of another plan. There was could only be one explanation—they the home of the Mitteler Rebbe. nothing he could do on his own told the minister: he is planning a They stayed there for about an hour because he had no connections with revolution against the Czar. The trip and spoke with great respect and the government. What he needed was was really an attempt to rile up the deference. They politely asked the a partner; someone with the right masses to overthrow the Czar. Mitteler Rebbe to travel with them connections. In addition, they said the Mitteler to Vitebsk to be questioned by the And he found it. The Mitteler Rebbe was sending money to the governor, and said that he can arrange Rebbe’s mother, the Alter Rebbe’s Sultan of Turkey, at that time the arch his own transportation and travel at a Rebbetzin, Rebbetzin Sterna, was nemesis of the Russian Empire. He was slower pace due to his health. from a prominent, wealthy family in trying to bribe the Sultan to convince The officers preferred to leave that Vitebsk. The Segal family was famous him to go to war against Russia. day, Sunday, and travel until Liozna; KISLEV 5779 16 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER THE LIBELOUS LETTER SENT TO THE GOVERNMENT WITH THE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST THE MITTELER REBBE. stay the night in Liozna and on The huge entourage all began moving Monday proceed to Vitebsk. But the Mitteler Rebbe’s family asked that he at the same time. Many wagons, and travel that day only until Dobromisl, hundreds of people on foot, all began which was much closer; on Monday continue to Liozna, and on Tuesday to the journey. reach Vitebsk. The officers asked their showing proper respect to their rabbi, superiors who agreed to the itinerary. The Arrest and even the minister in Vitebsk had After the wagons had left At 11:00 a.m., the Mitteler Rebbe ordered them to speak to the Mitteler Lubavitch, another four investigators left Lubavitch. The reaction in the Rebbe with respect. arrived. These were Jews who worked Rebbe’s chatzer was indescribable. As the caravan passed Barzuvka, for the government and spoke Yiddish.

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