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 . 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 . 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 . 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. People burst into tears, and there was the first village on the road to They mingled with the people in screaming and emotional outbursts. Dobromisl, the entire village came out Lubavitch and tried to learn more This had been going on since Motzo’ei to greet them. information about the Mitteler Rebbe’s Shabbos; only the Mitteler Rebbe The “mayor” of the city, a gentile behavior. They also interviewed the himself was perfectly calm and named Starasta, presented the Mitteler non-Jewish landlords and peritzim relaxed. He accepted Chassidim for Rebbe with bread and salt as a sign from the surrounding areas who all yechidus, wrote Chassidus, and early in of respect. The same happened at the spoke highly about the Mitteler Rebbe. the morning closeted himself with his next village, and again at the third one. Of course, the officers also son-in-law, the Tzemach Tzedek, for About a mile outside Dobromisl, the searched the Mitteler Rebbe’s home. two hours. Chassidim were greeted by all the They combed through every paper When the Mitteler Rebbe sat non-Jewish inhabitants of the city looking for evidence of treason, but down in the wagon, he had a kind led by the city elders. The officers the only suspicious thing they found of amused smile on his face. Then accompanying the caravan were very were cheshbonos of tzedakah for the wagon began moving, and it was impressed, seeing with their own Eretz Yisroel, which was then part quite a scene. The huge entourage eyes the great respect and admiration of the Ottoman Empire under the all began moving at the same time. shown to the Mitteler Rebbe by Turkish Sultan. They confiscated these Many wagons and hundreds of people everyone in the entire region. papers in order to translate them into on foot, all began the journey to Upon entering the city of Russian. Dobromisl, arriving at three o’clock. Dobromisl, the Mitteler Rebbe’s son They also measured the shul in That morning, a group of announced that they would go straight Lubavitch, and found that it did not Chassidim had approached the officers to the main shul. resemble the Beis Hamikdash in any asking for permission to accompany The Mitteler Rebbe went into the way. the Mitteler Rebbe. The officers readily agreed; they enjoyed seeing the Jews cheder sheini and told the Chassidim

KISLEV 5779 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 17 to daven Mincha, after which he said back to Vitebsk. He was to tell the with a sealed message. The Rebbe was a maamar. It was announced that the Chassidim there the news, and to stay the night with the officers and following morning after Shacharis they instruct them to ask the minister to nobody was allowed to accompany would continue to Liozna. allow the Rebbe to stay in a private him except his son and three people All the while, Chassidim sped house, to have minyanim and say of his choice. They would continue the between the cities on the route to Chassidus. journey in a guarded wagon with the give advance notice of the schedule. officers, not in his own wagon. Anyone Reb Gavriel Yaakov, a Chossid from Setback attempting to accompany the Rebbe Vitebsk, made it to Liozna early Suddenly, a new messenger arrived to Vitebsk would be harshly punished, Monday morning and found the looking confused and worried. without exception. In addition, the entire city, along with hundreds of Everyone thought something terrible Rebbe would not be allowed to stay in Chassidim from neighboring villages, had happened. He said that the Rebbe a private house in Vitebsk. He would waiting for the arrival of the Mitteler was fine, but there was an update. be put in prison in a general cell with Rebbe. The misnagdim, seeing how the trip other prisoners. He told the assembled crowd was turning into a “victory parade” This terrible news threw the everything that had happened until for the Mitteler Rebbe instead of the Chassidim into a panic. Nobody knew now, how the officers had showed humiliating arrest they thought it what to do or what was happening great respect to the Rebbe and that would be, decided to take action. back in Dobromisl. they were allowing him to travel in his They went to the minister and accused Night came and the Mitteler Rebbe own wagon accompanied by all the the Chassidim of bribing the officers. had still not arrived in Liozna, where Chassidim. The Mitteler Rebbe, they told him, was he had been scheduled to arrive hours Upon hearing this, the Chassidim being treated more like a king than a earlier. from Vitebsk, who were waiting in prisoner. At 4:00 a.m., the group from Liozna, immediately sent a messenger The minister became furious and Vitebsk gave up on waiting, and hired immediately sent a rider on horseback

KISLEV 5779 18 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER The group which had arrived early Anyone attempting to accompany the that morning from Liozna didn’t have Rebbe to Vitebsk would be harshly the heart to tell them that the “party” punished, without exception. was over; there wasn’t going to be any procession or entourage. When night fell and the Mitteler Rebbe with his entourage had not yet appeared, people started to get worried and frightened. After it was already dark, more people arrived in Vitebsk. They knew what had happened and word spread that in Liozna the Mitteler Rebbe was placed in a private house under armed guard. Nobody was allowed in or out. That morning just two wagons, with heavy security, had come to Vitebsk and slipped into the city without notice. At 9:00 p.m., the Chassidim learned from Dr. Heibenthal, who was friendly with the minister, that he had implored the minister to remove the Rebbe from the prison and give him his own room in the central police station. The minister agreed and the Rebbe, along with his son and the three chosen Chassidim, were taken from the cell and given their own room. The doctor said that he had seen them there and had given the Rebbe medicine for the fever he had developed on the road. That was all anyone knew. Chassidus in Prison For two long weeks there was no news. Nobody saw the Mitteler Rebbe LETTER FROM THE MITTELER REBBE TO THE MINISTER ASKING FOR HIS RELEASE. and no information was forthcoming from the police. a wagon to take them in middle of the Chassidus on the trip and was Twice a day Chassidim were night back to Vitebsk. being treated with tremendous allowed to bring food to the station. When they arrived they found respect wherever he passed, and the They would go to the door of the thousands of people from Horodok, excitement in Vitebsk grew with every station, whereupon one of the three Nevel, Beshenkovitch, Polotzk and passing moment. incarcerated Chassidim would emerge, other cities, waiting in Vitebsk. The Thousands of people lined the road accompanied by an armed guard. word had spread that the Mitteler from Liozna to Vitebsk; wherever one He would take the food and give the Rebbe was going to arrive today, looked there were Chassidim milling person at the door the dishes from accompanied by a huge entourage. around. All of them were eager to join the last delivery. Neither of them were Everyone knew that he had said the procession.

KISLEV 5779 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 19 He accuses me of being a liar and a traitor, yet he still addresses me as “Rebbe” because he knows the truth!

allowed to say a word or make any Another 20 went in for Mincha, and so sound. on for Maariv, Kabbalas Shabbos, and The Chassidim begged Dr. Shacharis, and then 50 winners for the Heibenthal to do something but there maamar after Mincha on Shabbos. was nothing he could do. The situation was too sensitive. The Trial On Thursday, 16 Cheshvan, Dr. The entire case hinged on the Heibenthal called a meeting of the papers that had been confiscated from most prominent Chassidim in town. the Mitteler Rebbe’s house, and on the He said that on Tuesday there had letter to Reb Pinchas Reizes. been a party at the home of the The misnagdim told the minister minister. Two of the princes who were that the Chassidim could not be invited, Lubamirsky and Tzekret, trusted, and whoever was given the job knew the doctor and also heard of the of translating the papers into Russian Mitteler Rebbe. was certain to be bribed to take out The doctor asked them to speak to any incriminating lines. Therefore the the minister about the Rebbe to tell translating should be done only by one him how beloved he is by everyone, of their own, a leading misnaged in Jews and non-Jews, and that he is a Vitebsk. holy and righteous person. Chassidim were worried that the They did so, and on the day before, translator would purposely add a few Wednesday, they went back to the suspicious details to his translation, minister to talk about the Rebbe. The but baruch Hashem it was a faithful minister listened and answered that translation of the Hebrew. from now on 20 people would be The papers were cheshbonos of allowed to go in three times a day for money sent to Eretz Yisroel to support THE TOWN OF LUBAVITCH, AS IT APPEARS TODAY. minyanim, and twice a week the Rebbe the Chassidim there. Even though it would be allowed to say Chassidus for was perfectly legal, there was concern ago with a large amount of money, but 50 people. that it would look suspicious, because it was nowhere near 104,000 rubles. That morning the doctor was by Eretz Yisroel was, after all, part of the The 100 part of the number was fake. the minister, who told him—not Ottoman Empire. The minister was greatly impressed knowing that it was the doctor’s A bigger problem was the letter by the Mitteler Rebbe, and was own initiative—that two princes had with the forged kuf. This was indeed inclined to believe him. However, vouched for the Mitteler Rebbe and suspicious, and it was the word of before he could make a decision, he he was allowing the above mentioned the Mitteler Rebbe vs. the misnagdim. ordered that the Mitteler Rebbe should things. There was no way to prove that it face his accusers in person, and let The next day, Friday, the office was forged. First the minister had a them state their case. of the interior minister made an private interview with the Mitteler The Mitteler Rebbe came to the announcement that from now on, Rebbe, who explained that his father meeting in a royal wagon fit for a king, minyanim of 20 people would be had many Chassidim in Eretz Yisroel, dressed in all white with his special allowed in three times a day, and 50 who were all extremely poor, and they Shabbos clothes. He looked like a people twice a week to hear Chassidus. survived from the money sent from malach. Within an hour there was a raffle, Russia. Chassidim were nervous the and the 20 winners went into the As for the forged letter, the Mitteler minister would be angry when he Mitteler Rebbe’s room for Shacharis. Rebbe conceded that he did in fact saw this display, but the opposite finish the trip to Lubavitch 12 years happened. Upon seeing the Rebbe, he

KISLEV 5779 20 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER immediately offered him a chair to sit unable to utter a complete sentence, father was going to be released today. on and addressed him with respect. until the minister said to him that he By the time they returned, the guards Then the misnaged arrived and had heard enough. had already been told to leave and the the Mitteler Rebbe immediately The Mitteler Rebbe left the meeting imprisonment was over. went on the offensive, accusing him victorious, with great honor and It is said that the messengers of fabricating a story because of a prestige. arrived at the house just as the Mitteler personal grudge. On Shabbos, 9 Kislev, while the Rebbe was saying the possuk “Pada During the course of the Mitteler Rebbe was in middle of saying b’shalom nafshi” in that day’s shiur discussion, the accuser slipped and the maamar “Ata Echad,” he suddenly Tehillim (kapitel 55, for the tenth day addressed the Mitteler Rebbe with the stopped and said, “Make room, der of the month). word “Rebbe.” Tatte is duh—the Alter Rebbe is here.” The guards left and the house filled The Mitteler Rebbe turned to The next day, 10 Kislev, he sent with Chassidim. The Mitteler Rebbe the minister and said, “You see, he a letter with his daughters to the sat down to say a maamar in public accuses me of being a liar and a traitor, governor. When they arrived at his for the first time in months, and left yet he still addresses me as ‘Rebbe’ office they burst into tears, begging Vitebsk that same day to go back to because he knows the truth and the him to end this saga and allow their Lubavitch.1 accusations are all lies.” father to go home. 1. The stories here are adapted from Otzar The accuser became confused and After reading the letter, he told Sipurei vol. 5, page 253 onward. starting stumbling over his words, the daughters to calm down as their

KISLEV 5779 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 21