Rabbi is the term in Judaism for a religious teacher. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ in many senses, including "revered." The word comes from the Semitic root R-B-B, and is cognate to Arabic ربّ rabb, meaning "lord" Rabbi ' onMouseout='HidePop("4222")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Rebbe">Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the identical Hebrew word Rabbi. It mostly refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
(spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch
chasidicHasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew: , Hasidut, meaning "piety") is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith. The majority of Hasidic Jews are ultra-orthodox....
movement. He is also known as "
the Rebbe nishmosei eiden" (whose soul is in Eden) and as "the Rebbe Rashab
" (for R
eb Sh
olom Ber).
His teachings represent the emergence of an emphasis on outreach that later Chabad Rebbes would develop into a major theme. In Chabad thought, such as described in the talks of the last Rebbe
Menachem Mendel SchneersonMenachem Mendel Schneerson , known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or just the Rebbe amongst his hasidim, was a prominent hasidic rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch movement...
, each of the 7 leaders of Chabad successively "drew down", broadened, explained and articulated the teachings of Chasidic philosophy more fully into intellectual grasp. The achievement of the founder of Chabad
Shneur Zalman of LiadiShneur 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 to articulate the new "Torah of the Baal Shem Tov" in intellectual analysis. From his unique approach derives the name of "Chabad", standing for the intellectual faculties of the soul. In this context, Chabad lore, and the last Rebbe, describes Sholom Dovber Schneersohn as the "
MaimonidesMoses Maimonides, also known as Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon or the acronym the Rambam , was born in Cordoba, Spain on March 30, 1135, and died in Egypt on December 13, 1204....
of Chasidus", as with his teachings the ideas reach a new level of intellectual synthesis and philosophical grasp. Just as Maimonides in Medieval
Jewish PhilosophyJewish philosophy refers to the conjunction between serious study of philosophy, Jewish scholasticism and Jewish theology. In one sense, it refers to all philosophical activity carried out by Jews or in relation to the religion of Judaism...
(Hakira) and legal codification (Halacha) brought new comprehension, clarity and analytical synthesis to Jewish thought, so did Schneur Zalman ,and even more so Sholom Dovber, in the inner mystical dimensions of Judaism expressed in Hasidus. Illustrative of this is his plan, in founding the Lubavitch yeshiva system
Tomchei TemimimTomchei Temimim is the central Yeshiva of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement...
, that the students should learn Chabad Chasidic texts "with
pilpulPilpul refers to a method of studying the Talmud through intense textual analysis in attempts to either explain conceptual differences between various halakhic rulings or to reconcile any apparent contradictions presented from various readings of different texts.Pilpul has escaped into English as...
", the Talmudic method of logical in-depth analysis.
Biography
He was born in
LubavitchLyubavichi is a village in Rudnyansky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia. In the days of the Russian Empire, it was a shtetl in Orshansky Uyezd, in Mogilev Governorate. It is known to have existed since at least 1654. For two weeks in 1812, was occupied by Napoleonic troops. Had 2500 inhabitants...
, on 20 Cheshvan 1860, the second son of
Shmuel SchneersohnShmuel Schneersohn was an Orthodox rabbi and the fourth Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement.-Biography:...
, the fourth Chabad Rebbe. In 1882, when his father died, he was not quite 22 years old, and his brother Zalman Aharon was not much older. A period followed, during which both brothers fulfilled some of the tasks of a rebbe, but neither felt ready to take on the title and responsibilities. Over this period he gradually took on more responsibilities, particularly in dealing with the impact of the
May LawsThe May Laws were anti-Jewish regulations enacted on May 15 , 1882, by Czar Alexander III of Russia that were described as "temporary" but remained in effect for more than thirty years.-History:...
, and on
Rosh HashanahRosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday commonly referred to as the "Jewish New Year." It is observed on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, as ordained in the Torah, in...
5653 (1892-09-10 OS) he accepted the leadership of the Lubavitch movement.
Schneersohn established the first Chabad
yeshivaYeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for study of its traditional, central texts...
,
Tomchei TemimimTomchei Temimim is the central Yeshiva of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement...
, in 1897. In 1911 he established another yeshivah, Toras Emes, in Israel, and in 1916 he established a yeshivah in
GeorgiaGeorgia Georgia Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Situated at the juncture of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the east by Azerbaijan...
.
He maintained a lengthy correspondence, not only with Chabad Chasidim in other countries, but also with non-Chabad chasidim and members of other groups who wrote to him for advice. He also met with other Jewish and hasidic leaders, working with them on issues such as education, unity, policy, and strategy. He was held in very high esteem by the
Chofetz ChaimYisrael Meir Kagan known popularly as The Chofetz Chaim was an influential Eastern European rabbi, Halakhist, posek, and ethicist whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life.-Biography:...
, so much so that the Chofetz Chaim declared of him, "the words of the [Lubavitcher] Rebbe are holy, and anyone who argues disagrees with him [should know that] it is as if he is disagreeing with
MosesMoses was, according to biblical texts, a religious leader, lawgiver, and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed. Also called Moshe Rabbeinu in Hebrew Moses was, according to biblical texts, a...
."
Schneersohn promoted Jewish agricultural settlement, and the creation of employment for Jews, particularly those displaced by the
May LawsThe May Laws were anti-Jewish regulations enacted on May 15 , 1882, by Czar Alexander III of Russia that were described as "temporary" but remained in effect for more than thirty years.-History:...
. He was a prominent opponent of
ZionismZionism is the international political movement that originally supported the reestablishment of a homeland for the Jewish People in Palestine. The area was the Jewish Biblical homeland, called the Land of Israel...
, both in its secular and religious versions, and a staunch ally of
Reb Chaim BriskerChaim Soloveitchik , also known as Reb Chaim Brisker, was a rabbi and Talmudic scholar credited as the founder of the popular Brisker approach to Talmudic study within Judaism. He was from Brest, Belarus , then in Imperial Russia, now in Belarus...
. Together with Reb Chaim he joined and supported Machazikei Hadas - a union of Eastern European haredim and the forerunner of
the AgudahWorld Agudath Israel , usually known as the Aguda, was established in the early twentieth century as the political arm of Ashkenazi Torah Judaism, in succession to Agudas Shlumei Emunei Yisroel...
- but in 1912, when the Agudah was formed in
KatowiceKatowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about 50 km on north from the Silesian Beskids and about 100 km on south-east from Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Metropolitan...
, Reb Chaim raised 18 objections to its constitution, and the Rashab kept Lubavitch out of the Agudah.
His worries about the
Mountain JewsMountain Jews, or Juhuro, are Jews of the eastern Caucasus, mainly of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. They are also known as Caucasus Jews, Caucasian Jews, or more uncommonly East Caucasian Jews, because the majority of these Jews settled the eastern part of Caucasus, though there were also historical...
, or Berg Yidden, led him to send a famous
MashpiaMashpia 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...
, Rabbi Shmuel Levitin of Rakshik, to the Caucuses to set up institutions to bring them closer to traditional Judaism, setting a precedent for his two successors as Lubavitcher Rebbe, who conducted similar activities.
In 1915, as the fighting in
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
neared Lubavitch, the Rashab moved to
Rostov-on-DonRostov-on-Don is the city and the administrative center of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia, located on the Don River, just 46 km from the Sea of Azov. Population: -Geography:...
, where he lived until his passing on 2 Nissan 5680, and where he was buried.
During the construction of the "Rostov Palace of Sport" on top of the Old Jewish Cemetery in 1966, his remains were secretly moved by a devout group of chassidim to a different burial site where they are located to this day in the "Rostov Jewish Cemetery." His grave is visited daily by followers of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement who come from all over the world.
In 1902 he travelled with his son, the sixth Rebbe to
Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud , Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology...
. Following Freud's instructions, the Rebbe RaSHaB began to take long walks. He also visited many different Synagogues, and met with people, many of whom didn't know who he really was. During this time his son recollects a fascinating aside. The Rebbe always regretted that his father, the MaHaRaSH, did not spend time with him, or his Chassidim, telling stories of his predecessors and other Tzaddikim. But while in Vienna the Rebbe began to have dreams in which his father told him Chassidic stories. During the long walks which Freud recommended he, in turn, related these stories to his son.
Distinguished disciples of the Rebbe Rashab include
RebReb is a title of respect often used in Orthodox Judaism, especially by Hasidic and Litvish Jews. It does not necessarily refer to a rabbi....
Itche Der MasmidYitzchok Horowitz, more commonly known as Reb Itche der Masmid, was a famous Orthodox Rabbi in pre-war Europe. Specifically, he served as a Mashpia, Hasidic mentor of the Chabad movement. He was born to Shlomo Menachem Mendel and Elka Horowitz in the city of Bereznehuvate, in the Kherson...
, Reb
Nissan NeminovRabbi Nissan Neminov, known familiarly as Reb Nissan, was an Orthodox Rabbi. Specifically, he served as a Mashpia, Hasidic mentor, in the Yeshiva of Tomchei Temimim in Brunoy, near Paris, France. He taught many thousands of students during his lifetime, and was renowned for his piety and abstinence...
, and Reb
Zalman Moishe HaYitzchakiShneur Zalman Moishe HaYitzchoki, usually known familiarly as Reb Zalman Moishe, , was an Orthodox Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi in pre-war Europe, and towards the end of his life, in the Land of Israel. Specifically, he served as a Mashpia and shochet...
.
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