Rav Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (1789–1866), brought the town of Lubavitch to prominence as a center of Torah and chassidus
The Tzemach Tzedek, Rav Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (1789–1866), brought the town of Lubavitch to prominence as a center of Torah and chassidus over the nearly four decades of his leadership as the third Rebbe of Chabad. He was recognized across the Russian Empire as a respected tzaddik, rabbinical leader, and posek, undertaking efforts to alleviate the crushing economic burden on Jews in the Pale of Settlement and interceding with czarist government officials on matters of military service and other challenges. He also worked in tandem with other Torah leaders, such as Rav Itzele Volozhiner, to combat attempts at education reform.
Upon the Tzemach Tzedek’s passing on 13 Nissan 1866, he left behind six sons (as well as two daughters, and a son who predeceased him) who were sometimes referred to as “the six branches of the menorah.” The Chabad dynasty split into several branches, with the youngest, Rav Shmuel, the Maharash, succeeding his father in Lubavitch itself. The second-oldest son, Rav Yehuda Leib Schneersohn (1809–1866), settled in Kapust and assumed the role of Rebbe over what would become Chabad’s dominant branch in terms of both size and influence in the latter decades of the 19th century.
The Baal Hatanya, Rav Yehuda Leib’s great-grandfather, had served as his sandek. He would later become especially close to his grandfather, the Mittler Rebbe. Though Rav Yehuda Leib began to attract a significant following after becoming Rebbe in Kapust, he unfortunately passed away only a few months after his father. He was succeeded in turn by a trio of his sons.
The oldest, Rav Shlomo Zalman, remained in Kapust, where he led the Chabad community for 34 years. Among his followers were the famous Chabad chronicler Rav Chaim Meir Heilman, and the Rogatchover Gaon, Rav Yosef Rosen. The next brother, Rav Shalom Dovber, served as rav in Rechytsa until his passing in 1908; in addition to leading his chassidim, who included Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin and Hillel Zeitlin, he was renowned as a posek.
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