Dovber Schneuri
Encyclopedia
Dovber Schneuri was the second Rebbe
(spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch Chasidic
movement. Rabbi Dovber was the first Chabad rebbe to live in the town of Lyubavichi (now in present-day Russia
), the town for which this Hasidic dynasty
is named. He is also known as the Mitteler Rebbe ("Middle Rebbe" in Yiddish
), being the second of the first three generations of Chabad leaders.
, modern day Belarus
, on 9 Kislev 5534. His father, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
, was Rebbe of the community there, and of many Chassidim in White Russia and Lithuania
, and other parts of Russia. His father named him after his own teacher, Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch
, the disciple and successor of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement. Dovber was a prodigious student, and had begun to study Talmud
at the age of seven. His father taught him Zohar
, and transmitted to him the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. Rabbi Dovber adopted the family name of "Schneuri," after his father, but succeeding generations changed it to "Schneersohn," or "Schneerson."
In 1788 he married Sheine, the daughter of a local Rabbi. In 1790 Rabbi Dovber was appointed the Mashpia
(spiritual guide) of the Hasidim who would come to visit his father. At the age of 39, while studying in the city of Kremenchug, his father died.
He then moved to the small border-town of Lubavichi, from which the movement would take its name. His accession was disputed by one of his father's prime students, Rabbi Aharon HaLevi of Strashelye, however the majority of Shneur Zalman's followers stayed with Dovber, and moved to Lubavichi. Thus Chabad had now split into two branches, each taking the name of their location to differentiate themselves from each other.
He established a Yeshivah in Lubavitch, which attracted gifted young scholars. His son-in-law, who later became his successor, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch
, headed the Yeshivah.
Like his father, Rabbi Dovber considered it his sacred task to help the Jews of Russia, whether Chassidim or not, not only spiritually but also economically. The position of the Jews under the Czars was never easy, but it became much worse when Czar Alexander I
was succeeded by Czar Nicholas I
in 1825. The restrictions against the Jews increased in number and severity. The Jews were confined to a small area, called the Pale of Settlement
. They had no right to live, work or do business outside this crowded Pale, where conditions had become very difficult in the wake of the Franco-Russian war
.
Rabbi Dovber thus launched a campaign (in 1822, or 1823) to urge Jews to learn trades and skilled factory work. He urged communities to organize trade schools. He also encouraged the study of agriculture
, dairy farming, and the like, reminding them that once upon a time, when the Jewish people lived in their own land, they were a people of farmers, fruit growers and herdsmen. He urged that boys who did not show promise of becoming Torah scholars, should, after the age of thirteen, devote part of their time to the learning of a trade, or work in the fields, to help support the family.
In 1815, with government permission and sponsorship, he set up Jewish agricultural colonies in the Kherson
region. He took to the road to raise funds for this purpose, and he personally visited the Jewish farmers and encouraged them in their pioneer work, also seeing that their spiritual needs and the education of the farmers' children should not be neglected.
He was active in the collection and distribution of financial aid from Russia to the Jewish population in the Holy Land.
He intended to settle in Hebron
himself, believing that this was the "gate of heaven," and prayers to be particularly effective there. He instructed Chabad followers living in the Holy Land to move to the city for this reason.
Like his father, he was informed upon by his enemies, accused of being a danger to the Russian government. He was arrested on charges of having sent 200-300 rubles to the Sultan, and was ordered to appear for a trial in Vitebsk
; however, due to the efforts of several non-Jewish friends he was later released before the trial. The day of his release, 10 Kislev 5587, is celebrated joyously to this day by Chabad Chassidim. He died in Nizhyn
a year later, on 9 Kislev - his birthday - 5588, the very day he was born 54 years earlier.
He had two sons, Menachem Nahum and Baruch, and seven daughters. The oldest of his daughters, Chaya Mushka, was married to her cousin Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
, another grandchild of Shneur Zalman of Liadi. Menachem Mendel succeeded his father-in-law cum uncle as Rebbe.
. He was a brilliant thinker and a prolfic writer. His Chassidic works tend to be very long and intricate. It is said that when he finished writing the bottom line on a sheet of paper, the ink of the top line had not yet dried. Nineteen of his works have been published so far, a good many of them during his lifetime.
He wrote a commentary on the Zohar
, "Bi'urei HaZohar". Chasidic philosophy is based on Kabbalah, but interprets it in light of Chasidic thought. It seeks to uncover the inner "soul" of Kabbalah, by relating it to the inner consciousness of man. This can them allow Jewish mysticism to be grasped inwardly. The mystical revival and popularisation of Chasidism allowed the Jewish mystical tradition to be expressed outside of the language of Kabbalah, by uniting and spiritualising other dimensions of Judaism. Nonetheless, the more involved Chasidic texts interpret Kabbalistic ideas extensively, and relate them to personal spirituality.
The different schools in Chasidic thought gave alternative articulations of Chasidic mysticism. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad, differed with general Chasidism, by seeing the mind as the route to the heart. Many of the historic works of Chasidic thought across the movement, comprise collected teachings and explanations of Torah, often delivered orally, and compiled by the disciples. As Chabad sought to express Chasidus in systematic philosophy, its writings are usually more structured than other schools'.
Rabbi Dovber greatly expanded on the illucidation of Chabad philosophy, so that his followers could understand and internalise its spirituality. The path of Chabad demanded and valued inner depth and refinement over external emotional fervour. In the devotion of Chabad, the service of prayer became the central time for self transformation, through the unique Chabad approach of profound intellectual meditation (Hisbonenus) on Chasidic philosophy during prayer. While businessmen could fulfil their weekday prayer obligations in the regular way, in the early generations of Chabad, it was expected that the Sabbath could offer individuals time to extend their prayers in mystical rapture. In Chabad lore, stories are related of legendary Chasidim who would spend hours devoted to personal prayer, through meditation accompanied by Chasidic melody (Niggun). In his "Kuntres HaHispaalus" (Tract on Ecstasy), Rabbi Dovber gives a remarkable document in Jewish thought. While personal accounts of the mystical life are rare in Judaism, in this work Dovber guides the devotee through the many intellectual and emotional levels of Chabad meditation. It differentiates between the external emotional fervour of general Chasidism, with the Chabad ideal of inner ecstacy in prayer. It is related that Rabbi Schneur Zalman's prayers were so ecstatic that he could not contain their outer emotional expression, and without self awareness, would roll on the floor or end up in a different location. His son Dovber, meanwhile, would pray for hours in static ecstasy, until all his clothes would be soaked in perspiration.
One of his most famous works, entitled "Sha'ar HaYichud" (The Gate of Unity), now translated to English http://www.truekabbalah.com/ShaarHaYichud.php, describes the creation and entire make-up of the world according to Kabbalah. The work begins with the "Essence of G-d," and traces the creation of the universe down to the physical world itself, using complicated parables to illustrate difficult points. The book also describes, in its first ten chapters, the proper way to meditate on these Kabbalistic ideas.
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
(spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch Chasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
movement. Rabbi Dovber was the first Chabad rebbe to live in the town of Lyubavichi (now in present-day 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...
), the town for which this Hasidic dynasty
Hasidic dynasty
A Hasidic dynasty is a dynasty of Hasidic spiritual leaders known as rebbes, and usually has some or all of the following characteristics:#Each member of the dynasty is a spiritual leader, often known as an ADMOR or simply as Rebbe and at times called the...
is named. He is also known as the Mitteler Rebbe ("Middle Rebbe" in Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
), being the second of the first three generations of Chabad leaders.
Biography
Rabbi Dovber was born in LioznaLiozna
Liozna is an urban type settlement in Vitsebsk Voblast, Belarus, the capital of Liozna Raion. It is located close to the border with Russia by the Vitsebsk-Smolensk railroad branch and highway, on the Moshna River...
, modern day Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, on 9 Kislev 5534. His father, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi , also known as the Baal HaTanya, , was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia...
, was Rebbe of the community there, and of many Chassidim in White Russia and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, and other parts of Russia. His father named him after his own teacher, Rabbi Dovber of Mezeritch
Dovber of Mezeritch
Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch was a disciple of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, and was chosen as his successor to lead the early movement...
, the disciple and successor of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement. Dovber was a prodigious student, and had begun to study Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
at the age of seven. His father taught him Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
, and transmitted to him the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. Rabbi Dovber adopted the family name of "Schneuri," after his father, but succeeding generations changed it to "Schneersohn," or "Schneerson."
In 1788 he married Sheine, the daughter of a local Rabbi. In 1790 Rabbi Dovber was appointed the 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...
(spiritual guide) of the Hasidim who would come to visit his father. At the age of 39, while studying in the city of Kremenchug, his father died.
He then moved to the small border-town of Lubavichi, from which the movement would take its name. His accession was disputed by one of his father's prime students, Rabbi Aharon HaLevi of Strashelye, however the majority of Shneur Zalman's followers stayed with Dovber, and moved to Lubavichi. Thus Chabad had now split into two branches, each taking the name of their location to differentiate themselves from each other.
He established a Yeshivah in Lubavitch, which attracted gifted young scholars. His son-in-law, who later became his successor, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch
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:...
, headed the Yeshivah.
Like his father, Rabbi Dovber considered it his sacred task to help the Jews of Russia, whether Chassidim or not, not only spiritually but also economically. The position of the Jews under the Czars was never easy, but it became much worse when Czar Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
was succeeded by Czar Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
in 1825. The restrictions against the Jews increased in number and severity. The Jews were confined to a small area, called the Pale of Settlement
Pale of Settlement
The Pale of Settlement was the term given to a region of Imperial Russia, in which permanent residency by Jews was allowed, and beyond which Jewish permanent residency was generally prohibited...
. They had no right to live, work or do business outside this crowded Pale, where conditions had become very difficult in the wake of the Franco-Russian war
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
.
Rabbi Dovber thus launched a campaign (in 1822, or 1823) to urge Jews to learn trades and skilled factory work. He urged communities to organize trade schools. He also encouraged the study of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, dairy farming, and the like, reminding them that once upon a time, when the Jewish people lived in their own land, they were a people of farmers, fruit growers and herdsmen. He urged that boys who did not show promise of becoming Torah scholars, should, after the age of thirteen, devote part of their time to the learning of a trade, or work in the fields, to help support the family.
In 1815, with government permission and sponsorship, he set up Jewish agricultural colonies in the Kherson
Kherson
Kherson is a city in southern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kherson Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast. Kherson is an important port on the Black Sea and Dnieper River, and the home of a major ship-building industry...
region. He took to the road to raise funds for this purpose, and he personally visited the Jewish farmers and encouraged them in their pioneer work, also seeing that their spiritual needs and the education of the farmers' children should not be neglected.
He was active in the collection and distribution of financial aid from Russia to the Jewish population in the Holy Land.
He intended to settle in Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
himself, believing that this was the "gate of heaven," and prayers to be particularly effective there. He instructed Chabad followers living in the Holy Land to move to the city for this reason.
Like his father, he was informed upon by his enemies, accused of being a danger to the Russian government. He was arrested on charges of having sent 200-300 rubles to the Sultan, and was ordered to appear for a trial in Vitebsk
Vitebsk
Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
; however, due to the efforts of several non-Jewish friends he was later released before the trial. The day of his release, 10 Kislev 5587, is celebrated joyously to this day by Chabad Chassidim. He died in Nizhyn
Nizhyn
Nizhyn is a city located in the Chernihiv Oblast of northern Ukraine, along the Oster River, north-east of the nation's capital, Kiev. It is the administrative center of the Nizhynsky Raion, though the city itself is also designated as a district in the oblast...
a year later, on 9 Kislev - his birthday - 5588, the very day he was born 54 years earlier.
He had two sons, Menachem Nahum and Baruch, and seven daughters. The oldest of his daughters, Chaya Mushka, was married to her cousin Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
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:...
, another grandchild of Shneur Zalman of Liadi. Menachem Mendel succeeded his father-in-law cum uncle as Rebbe.
Works
Rabbi Dovber wrote many works on Chabad philosophy and KabbalahKabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
. He was a brilliant thinker and a prolfic writer. His Chassidic works tend to be very long and intricate. It is said that when he finished writing the bottom line on a sheet of paper, the ink of the top line had not yet dried. Nineteen of his works have been published so far, a good many of them during his lifetime.
He wrote a commentary on the Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
, "Bi'urei HaZohar". Chasidic philosophy is based on Kabbalah, but interprets it in light of Chasidic thought. It seeks to uncover the inner "soul" of Kabbalah, by relating it to the inner consciousness of man. This can them allow Jewish mysticism to be grasped inwardly. The mystical revival and popularisation of Chasidism allowed the Jewish mystical tradition to be expressed outside of the language of Kabbalah, by uniting and spiritualising other dimensions of Judaism. Nonetheless, the more involved Chasidic texts interpret Kabbalistic ideas extensively, and relate them to personal spirituality.
The different schools in Chasidic thought gave alternative articulations of Chasidic mysticism. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad, differed with general Chasidism, by seeing the mind as the route to the heart. Many of the historic works of Chasidic thought across the movement, comprise collected teachings and explanations of Torah, often delivered orally, and compiled by the disciples. As Chabad sought to express Chasidus in systematic philosophy, its writings are usually more structured than other schools'.
Rabbi Dovber greatly expanded on the illucidation of Chabad philosophy, so that his followers could understand and internalise its spirituality. The path of Chabad demanded and valued inner depth and refinement over external emotional fervour. In the devotion of Chabad, the service of prayer became the central time for self transformation, through the unique Chabad approach of profound intellectual meditation (Hisbonenus) on Chasidic philosophy during prayer. While businessmen could fulfil their weekday prayer obligations in the regular way, in the early generations of Chabad, it was expected that the Sabbath could offer individuals time to extend their prayers in mystical rapture. In Chabad lore, stories are related of legendary Chasidim who would spend hours devoted to personal prayer, through meditation accompanied by Chasidic melody (Niggun). In his "Kuntres HaHispaalus" (Tract on Ecstasy), Rabbi Dovber gives a remarkable document in Jewish thought. While personal accounts of the mystical life are rare in Judaism, in this work Dovber guides the devotee through the many intellectual and emotional levels of Chabad meditation. It differentiates between the external emotional fervour of general Chasidism, with the Chabad ideal of inner ecstacy in prayer. It is related that Rabbi Schneur Zalman's prayers were so ecstatic that he could not contain their outer emotional expression, and without self awareness, would roll on the floor or end up in a different location. His son Dovber, meanwhile, would pray for hours in static ecstasy, until all his clothes would be soaked in perspiration.
One of his most famous works, entitled "Sha'ar HaYichud" (The Gate of Unity), now translated to English http://www.truekabbalah.com/ShaarHaYichud.php, describes the creation and entire make-up of the world according to Kabbalah. The work begins with the "Essence of G-d," and traces the creation of the universe down to the physical world itself, using complicated parables to illustrate difficult points. The book also describes, in its first ten chapters, the proper way to meditate on these Kabbalistic ideas.
List of works
- Maamarei Admur Ha'emtza'i - Chassidic discourses on the Torah and festivals - 20 vols.
- Bi'urei HaZohar - explanation of the ZoharZoharThe Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
- Pirush HaMilos - Chassidic explanation of the liturgy
- Kuntres HaHispaalus - on meditation and ecstasy in prayer; also known as Kuntres HaHisbonenus
- Shaarei Teshuvah - on Teshuvah, repentance
- Derech Chaim - continuation of Shaarei Teshuvah
- Toras Chaim - Chassidic discourses on the books of Bereshis and Shemos
- Ateres Rosh - Chassidic discourses for the Days of Awe
- Shaar HaEmunah - explanation of the Mitzvah of faith and the festival of Pesach
- Shaar HaYichud - explanation of Seder hishtalshelusSeder hishtalshelusSeder hishtalshelus means the "order of development" or "order of evolution", where the word Hishtalshelus is derived from the reduplicated quadriliteral root ŠLŠL "to chain", and so literally means "the chain-like process"...
- Shaarei Orah - on the festivals of Chanukah and PurimPurimPurim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...
- Imrei Binah - explanation of the Mitzvah of reading the Shema and donning the TefillinTefillinTefillin also called phylacteries are a set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah, which are worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers. Although "tefillin" is technically the plural form , it is loosely used as a singular as...
Books
- Communicating the Infinite: The Emergence of the Habad School, Naftali Loewenthal, University Of Chicago Press, 1990. Academic survey of the formation of Chabad in its first two generations, describing the divergent spiritual interpretations of DovBer Schneuri and Aharon HaLevi of Strashelye.
- Hasidic Prayer by Louis Jacobs. Littman Library of Jewish Civilization. New edition 1993 (Paperback). Full overview and explanation of forms of prayer across the whole Hasidic movement. Gives detailed explanation of the unique Chabad approach, and its differences from other ways.
- Tract on Ecstacy by Dobh Baer of Lubavitch. Translated into English and introduced by Louis Jacobs. Vallentine Mitchell. (Paperback)
- The Schocken Book of Jewish Mystical Testimonies. Compiled and with commentary by Louis Jacobs. Random House. New edition 1998 (Paperback). Puts the "Tract on Ecstacy" into historical context in Judaism.
External links
- A brief biography of Rabbi Dovber, the "Mitteler Rebbe"
- A translation of Sha'ar HaYichud - The Gate of Unity by Rabbi Dovber Schneuri
- A translation of Derech Chayim - The Gate of Return by Rabbi Dovber Schneuri
- Many of the published works of Rabbi Dovber Schneuri - in Hebrew
- Family Tree