Chapter 36, Section 21 227

Throughout the next 13 years the teachings of Chassidus became more widespread; the masses, too, now basked in its radiance. Though in the area of book learning their needs were limited, in the area of avodah and self-refinement they demanded a great deal of themselves. At the same time their more learned brethren were nourished by the wellsprings of wisdom — the and derushim of [the Alter Rebbe's] Torah Or, Likkutei Torah, the Siddur, and Biurei HaZohar. At that time the war with France threatened to topple the [Russian] eagle from its nest. On erev Shabbos mevarchim Elul, the Alter Rebbe left together with his ,(תקע״ב; 1812) 5572 family and some of his chassidim, sixty wagons in all, and went into exile with the protective escort of a Russian military unit. The Alter Rebbe opposed Napoleon. He perceived him as denying G-d, boasting that it was the strength of his own hand that secured him all his victories. For this reason he did not want to be under Napoleon's jurisdiction even for a moment. the Mitteler Rebbe ,(תקע״ד; In the summer of 5574 (1814 arrived at Lubavitch with his entire family, including my greatgrandfather the Tzemach Tzedek and all those who had set out with them or who had joined them during their stay in Kremenchug and its environs. was thus the first Rosh (תקע״ה; Rosh HaShanah 5575 (1814 HaShanah which a member of the family of the Rebbeim observed in Lubavitch, the capital city of Chassidus. For about 12 years Chassidus flared and flourished in the days of the Mitteler Rebbe. Most of his chassidim devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the study of Chassidus and to

under arrest and capital sentence in 1798. (See: The Arrest and Liberation of Rabbi (Kehot, N.Y., 1964), a translation by R. Jacob Immanuel Schochet of the Heb. original by R. Avraham Chanoch Glitzenstein; R. Nissan Mindel, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (Kehot, N.Y., 1971), ch. 10.) To this day the anniversary of his release is celebrated every year on Yud-Tes and Chaf Kislev. In the summer of 5574:1.e., after the passing of the Alter Rebbe (at the end of 1812).