TITLE: PUBLISHER: Harishon Private

LANGUAGE: PAGE COUNT: Hebrew 501

AUTHOR: Shneur Zalman Rabinovitch ISSUE #05

DP camps he found himself in. We read a letter he wrote to the Friediker from From the First Tomim to Paris, describing how he established shiurim in Gemara and Chassidus, and would even A Legendary Rov make the rounds knocking on people’s doors in the morning to wake them for the shiur. BY SHMUEL SUPER In 5709, R. Garelik settled in the newly established Kfar and was immediately asked to serve as its Rov. He held this position atomim Harishon tells us the had received semichah, R. Garelik married for the next 25 years, shaping the character of life story of the first Rov of the orphaned girl and became the Rov of the village in its formative period. , Harav Shneur Berezne in 5662. In Kfar Chabad, the seasoned Rov HZalman Garelik, known in his lifetime as These were turbulent times for the Jews in encountered new halachic issues such as “Shneyer der Rov.” This is the authorShneur Russia, and these difficulties were reflected shemitah and the other mitzvos hateluyos Rabinovitch’s second book, after Reb in R. Garelik’s firstrabbonus . We read of baaretz. R. Garelik corresponded with the Avraham Hersh, about R. Avraham Hersh repeated pogroms and the challenges of leading poskim in Eretz Yisrael about the Cohen of Yerushalayim, and is published increasing secularization among the youth. questions of shemitah in an agricultural by the Garelik family. R. Garelik’s long life After the Communist revolution persecution village such as Kfar Chabad, and despite spanned generations and countries, and his of Yiddishkeit got progressively worse, and mastering these topics himself, he would story makes for an interesting read. In this in 5687 R. Garelik was forced to flee his post humbly defer to other authorities on these review we will first outline the contents of the and move to Snovsk where he served as an matters, saying that in this regard he is like book and then comment on its methodology. unofficial Rov. a junior . In one interesting story, we The Contents Like many Russian Jews, during World War read how the elderly Rov traveled with a local II R. Garelik fled to Uzbekistan, settling in farmer by train and bus to Yerushalayim to R. Garelik was born into a chassidishe family Tashkent where he served as the Rov of the pose a shemitah related question to R. Tzvi in the town of Rogatchov in White Russia, chassidishe refugee community. Under the Pesach Frank. in 5640. When the Rebbe Rashab founded terrible conditions of poverty and hunger, Tomchei Temimim in 5657, he became one of As the Rov of a chassidishe community R. Garelik built a mikvah, gave shiurim, and the first temimim, lending our book its name. where observance of Shabbos and kashrus administered a tzedakah fund, even sending was a given, R. Garelik said his main role is to A few years later, the Rov of the town of money to his son-in-law’s brother R. Shimon ensure people participate in regular shiurim Berezne in the Chernigov region passed Trebnik, the Rov of Haditch at the time. and don’t speak during davening (p. 270). In away at a relatively young age, and in his Leaving Russia together with hundreds of addition to the regular shiurim he delivered, will, he asked that his position be filled by other families of chassidim in 5707, R. Garelik R. Garelik also arranged for others to give the eventual husband of his marriageable continued to serve as a Rov in the various shiurim, and he was particular to sit among aged daughter. Such an arrangement may sound strange to contemporary readers, and the author would have done well to give references about this practice that was not Available at: unusual at the time (for some examples, SeforimDeals.com/ see the linked blog post by Yehoshua LookInBook Mondshine). As one of the outstanding students of the new Tomchei Temimim who the public and attend the public shiurim held R. Garelik was known for his sharp wit, and identification is impossible: R. Kahanov was in the main shul. some of his incisive vertlach, anecdotes, and born in 5647 and entered Tomchei Temimim sayings are collected in a dedicated chapter. only in 5663. Talking during davening was a problem that A few of the sayings recorded here are generic he constantly focused on, and he would often The book’s title describes R. Garelik as and could have been left out, and the sound rebuke the public and individuals about the “firsttomim ,” which can arguably be advice R. Garelik is reported to have given this. When he asked the Rebbe in yechidus justified despite the fact there is no reason about how to rebuke others by emphasizing whether the great energy he expended on to consider him more “first” than any of the their virtue and the inappropriate nature of this issue was worthwhile, the Rebbe strongly other founding talmidim. But the description their conduct for someone of their stature is encouraged him to continue. of him as the first Rov produced by Tomchei taken from the Shalah, Devarim 19. Temimim—an assertion made by others as From the many stories told about his Another chapter collects some of the well—can be shown as inaccurate. leadership, a picture is drawn of a Rov who chassidishe stories related by R. Garelik, was determined and uncompromising, but R. Shmuel Eliyahu Elkin (5636-5721) mostly from those published in his name in also deeply sensitive. He was a genuinely was one of the original temimim not listed Shemuos Vesipurim. humble and unassuming man but also knew by our author (also omitted in Lubavitch to insist on respect for his position. We read The final chapter contains a few private Vechayaleha and Sefer Hatemimim), and his letter to the Rebbe about the difficulty letters, most of them written to R. Peretz he should be identified as the Shmuel anash had with accepting the authority of Mochkin of Montreal, that express R. Eliyahu in the aforementioned letter of the a Rov because many of them think they are Garelik’s genuine humility and chassidishe Friediker Rebbe. R. Elkin was appointed greater Chassidim than the Rov. In response, character. as Rov of ‘Bichov Yashan’ (now Bykhaw, the Rebbe emphasized the absolute authority Methodology Belarus) in 5661, the year prior to R. Garelik’s of the Rov and his ability to influence all of appointment in Berezna (see R. Elkin’s the members of his community (p. 258). The hallmark of the education given in introduction to his Yad Shmuel), and went Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch was on to hold a number of rabbonus positions As the elder Rov of anash in Eretz Yisrael, R. penimiyus. As a result, many of the temimim, in the United States, and, in his later years, Garelik devoted himself to training young including R. Garelik, wrote and spoke little Eretz Yisrael. R. Garelik knew R. Elkin well of Rabbonim, raising an entire generation of themselves and their Torah chidushim. course, and he is the “old friend named Elkin” of new Rabbonim. In this book, we read To paint a picture of R. Garelik’s life and in whose name R. Garelik told a story about the testimonies of his students, such as personality, our author is thus compelled the Rebbe Rashab (pp. 464-465). his successor R. Mordechai Ashkenazi of to draw primarily from the memories of the A story whose accuracy could have been Kfar Chabad, and R. Yehuda Yeruslavski people whose hearts and minds the Rov improved by research is one R. Garelik of Nachalas Har Chabad, about the deep touched. often told about his semichah. We read influence R. Garelik had on them. Hatomim Harishon is a good collection that he proudly related that he was a third- R. Garelik was very conscious of his age, of oral history, presented in an easy-to- degree musmach of the Alter Rebbe, having despite his good physical health and mental read style. However, the book would have received semicha from a “Reb Hersh Ber,” alacrity. In a letter written while still in his benefitted from more research and analysis whom our author tells us was the successor sixties, he already expresses concern about of documents and historical sources to fill of R. Yitzchak Eizik of Vitebsk, who received his health and humbly suggests that his in the gaps in the narrative about R. Garelik’s semichah from the Alter Rebbe. This Reb memory and power of concentration are not early life and improve the historical accuracy Hersh Ber can be identified as R. Tzvi Dov what they used to be. He raised his worry of some of the stories related. Lotker, who was in fact the grandson-in-law about his age when he hesitated to accept For example, a description of R. Garelik’s and successor of R. Yitzchak Eizik of Homil the position of Rov of Kfar Chabad, but the birthplace Rogatchov could have been (see the new edition of Lesheima Ozen, p. 216 Friediker Rebbe dismissed his concern, given, along with information about its and 230). Incidentally, the Rov of R. Garelik’s telling him that in matters of avodas long Chabad history. The local yeshivah in hometown of Rogatchov, R. Shneur Zalman hakodesh one must always feel young in spirit Rogatchov where he studied can be identified Klatzkin, was R. Hersh Ber Lotker’s son-in- (p. 97). In later years he wished to retire, but as the yeshivah headed by R. Elyakim Getzil law. the Rebbe refused to hear of it. Ironically, the Arlozorov (see Encyclopedia shel Hatziyonut Conclusion old age that R. Garelik was concerned about Hadatit, vol. 1, p. 620). never felled him, and his eventual death Hatomim Harishon is a good book of oral Historical sources could also have been used weeks before his 94th birthday was the result history about the interesting life and edifying to paint a better picture of the early years of of a tragic car accident, together with three activities of a Rov whose life spanned Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch. The author other chassidim. generations and continents. Readers lists a few of the other founding talmidim can learn much from R. Garelik’s life and The final chapters ofHatomim Harishon are of the yeshivah but a number of others are leadership that combined determination and devoted to independent themes. Chapter 11 missing. A “Shmuel Eliyahu” mentioned in sensitivity. contains the many letters R. Garelik received a letter from the Friediker Rebbe from this from the Rebbe, some of which were not time is interpreted as referring to R. Eliyahu To purchase the new book, visit previously published in Igros Kodesh. Shmuel Kahanov, but research shows this SeforimDeals.com/LookInBook