From the Margins of Chabad History: A Letter to Chevron

From the Margins of Chabad History: The first installment of a new Anash.org column uncovers a fascinating unknown letter in which the Frierdiker Rebbe movingly describes the nature of his work guiding his Chassidim. Pirsum Rishon

Anash.org is excited to announce the launch of a new bi-weekly column, “From the Margins of Chabad History.” Written by Shmuel Super, this column will present forgotten and little-known fascinating episodes and characters from Chabad history, drawing information primarily from old newspapers, books, and manuscripts.

In honor of Yud Shvat, the first installment of this series is dedicated to a letter of the Frierdiker Rebbe that was published in a contemporary newspaper, and forgotten from Chabad history until now.

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By Shmuel Super

Our letter comes from an unexpected source, the Haaretz newspaper from Tuesday, 22 Tammuz 5688 (July 10, 1928). On page 3, the newspaper contains an article about a joyous event celebrated in Chevron a few days earlier—the first anniversary of the geulah of the Frierdiker Rebbe on Yud Beis Tammuz.

The article begins with a tribute to the longstanding close relationship between Lubavitch and Chevron, from days of Mitteler Rebbe until the current time. The writer highlights the Rebbe Rashab’s activities to strengthen the Yishuv in Chevron, buying land and establishing Yeshivas Toras Emes.

The current Rebbe, he writes, played an important role in his father’s activism on behalf of Chevron, and the Chabad Chassidim of Chevron accepted him as his father’s successor. Therefore, the 12th of Tammuz was celebrated grandly, like a new Chabad Yom tov, joining Yud Tes Kislev on the calendar. A farbrengen was held on Shabbos at the home of Chevron’s rov, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Slonim, and a public shalosh seudos was served in the shul. People from beyond the Chabad community attended the celebrations as well. 

The article then takes a sharp turn, as the writer presents selections “from a letter sent by the Rebbe to one of his Chassidim in Chevron.” This letter was not included in the published Igros Kodesh of the Frierdiker Rebbe, and seems to have gone unnoticed by other researchers since.

In this letter, the Frierdiker Rebbe gives a very personal and moving description of his personality, avodas hakodesh, and experiences. The quotes from the letter, translated into English follow:

“I have not yet been able to properly read your letter, as the past few years have instilled in me an unavoidable habit—to read only matters of action: brief presentations filled with abundant practical content.

“Necessity reveals strengths and talents; sometimes even the opposite of one’s natural inclination. By nature, I enjoy reading literary writings, and all the more so if they are well-written, in clear language. But what can I do if time does not permit? I do not allow myself that which would bring me pleasure, for I am not for myself, meaning for my own sake—I must be for others. May Hashem, in the merit of the holy forebears of blessed memory, assist me materially and spiritually. . . .

“My work is a burdensome labor. In addition to my own toil in matters of Torah and avodah—may Hashem help me—I must read a vast number of letters daily. Among them are letters from individuals, written—may Hashem protect us—in blood; in tears of poverty, hardship, pressure, and distress. In the tears of those wavering between life and the reverse—letters that would melt even a heart of stone. And my role is not only reading them, but also responding. This means entering into the writer’s plight, standing in their place, sharing in their sorrow, wrapping myself in their suffering, and at the same time offering comfort and encouragement, to awaken in them emunah and bitachon, hope and berachos.

“It is difficult to put the events of the past few years into writing, and no person can fully describe them. This is already our fourth exile in thirteen years: from Lubavitch to Rostov, from Rostov to Leningrad, from Leningrad to Kostroma (a city of refuge, where I was sent to live for three years), and from Kostroma to Riga. And so, no matter how much I may desire to read and immerse myself, the secondary matters will interfere with my primary concerns. I have no doubt that explanation here is unnecessary, and you understand what I mean to say…”

The article cuts off the quote here, and then continues with further quotes from the letter in which the Rebbe recounts the fate of his renowned library:

“To this day [my library] remains in Moscow, for since it was taken by the government, they have refused to return it. Over time, I purchased (with the commitment to pay gradually, over the course of around eight years in fixed monthly installments) the library of the bibliographer Mr. S. Wiener in Petersburg. But I haven’t yet been able to organize the catalog properly, and in any case, it does not compare to my library in Moscow, which was entirely sifrei kodesh. In this Wiener library, there are also secular books, from the left wing.”

The narrator interrupts again, reporting that the Rebbe expressed his great desire for both new and old books, as well as printed materials such as posters and single-page publications:

“That is, things printed only on a single sheet, as explained in the Schwager-Frankel catalogue, No. 37 under the title ‘Single Leaves.’

“My current situation does not allow me to purchase books. However, I believe that if my friends, wherever they may be, would be willing to dedicate a short time for me in this matter, I would be able to gather a significant number of printed items.”

The writer doesn’t tell us who the letter was written to, just stating that it was sent to “to one of his Chassidim in Chevron.” But we get a clue from the pseudonym under which the writer signs, “Hadani.” Hadani was the pen name of Eliezer Dan Slonim, a member of the famous Slonim family of Chevron, descendants of the Mitteler Rebbe’s daughter Rebbetzin Menucha Rachel Slonim. The son of Rav Yaakov Yosef Slonim, the rov of Chevron at the time, Eliezer Dan was more modern, serving as the manager of the Chevron branch of the Anglo-Palestine Bank and the Chevron correspondent for Haaretz newspaper.

This identification indicates that the letter may have been written to a member of the Slonim family. Judging from the tone, which appears to be addressing someone who is less of an “insider” than the senior members of the Slonim family, it seems quite possible that the recipient of the letter was Eliezer Dan himself. We don’t possess any other published letters from the Frierdiker Rebbe to Eliezer Dan, but we do know that just over a year later he was instrumental in obtaining permission for the Frierdiker Rebbe to enter the Me’aras Hamachpelah during his visit to Chevron.

We also don’t have a date for the letter, but it appears to have been recent, received not long before the article was published. In another letter written to a recipient in Eretz Yisrael during this period, the Frierdiker Rebbe expresses the same interest in receiving posters, periodicals, and books from Eretz Yisrael (dated 16 Iyar 5628, published in Igros Kodesh, vol. 2, pp. 60-61).

Tragically, Eliezer Dan Slonim was brutally murdered just a few weeks after the Frierdiker Rebbe’s visit in the terrible massacre of the Jews of Chevron in 1929. The only survivor of his family was his infant son Shlomo. Hashem yikom damam.

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Here is the Hebrew text of the quotes from the Frierdiker Rebbe’s letter:

“טרם הספקתי לקרוא את מכתבו כראוי כי השנים האחרונות הטביעו בי רגילות מכרחת, לקרוא רק דברים של פועל. הצעות קצרות המכילות מעשיות מרובה.

“ההכרח מגלה כחות וכשרונות, ולפעמים גם היפך הכוסף הטבעי. בטבעי אוהב אני לקרוא גליוני ספור. ומה גם כתובה תמה, שפה ברורה. אבל מה לעשות אם אין הזמן גרמא. ואין אני מרשה לעצמי את אשר ינעם לי, כי אין אני לי, כלומר לעצמי: מוכרח אני להיות בשביל זולתי. והשי”ת בזכות הוד כ”ק אבותי רבותינו הק’ זצקללה”ה נבג”ם זי”ע בעזרי בגו”ר. . . .

“עבודתי היא עבודת משא. נוסף על עבודתי העצמית בדא”ח בלמוד ועבודה, יעזרני השי”ת, בכל יום עלי לקרא המון מכתבים ובהם מכתבי יחידים הכתובים ר”ל בדם, בדמעות של עוני מחסור לחץ ודוחק. בדמעות של מפרפרים בין החיים והפכו, אשר לקריאתם גם לב אבן יתמוגג. ולא הקריאה בלבד, כי אם גם לתת מענה, להכנס בתוך מצבו של הכותב לעמוד במקומו להשתתף בצערו ולהתעטף באדרתו, ועם זה לנחמו ולעודדו—לעור מדת האמונה והבטחון, התקוה והברכה.

“את העבר במשך השנים האחרונות כבד להעלות על הגליון, ואדם אין אשר יוכל לתארו. זה לנו גלות רביעית במשך שלש עשרה השנים. מליבאוויץ לרוסטוב ומרוסטוב ללינינגראד, מלנינגראד לקוסטרומה (היא עיר מקלט, לשם שלחוני לשבת שלש שנים) ומקוסטרומה לריגא. ובכן כמה שלא יהיה חפצי לקרא ולהתעמק יכביד עלי הטפל על העיקר. לא אפונה כי למותר היא ההסברה בזה, ומבין הנהו את אשר אחפוץ להגיד בזה. . . “

להלן מספר האדמו”ר על גורל הספריה שלו שהיתה מן היותר מפורסמות והיא “עדנה נמצאת במוסקבה, כי מאז שנלקחה על ידי הממשלה איננה חפצה להחזירה. במשך הזמן קניתי (ע”מ לשלם קמעה קמעה במשך כח’ שנה בתשלומים חדשיים מסוימים), הספריה של הכיבליוגרף מר ש. ויינר בפטרבורג. אבל עוד טרם סדרתי את הקאטאלאג כראוי, ובכלל אינה גם מעין הספריה שלי שבמוסקבה, אשר כולה קודש, ובספריה זו של ויינר נמצאים גם ספרי חול אגף שמאלי”.

האדמו”ר מביע את גודל תשוקתו לספרים חדשים וישנים. גם עניני הדפסה כמו לוחות מודעות, ועלים בודדים “כלומר דברים שנדפסו רק בדף אחד כמבואר בקאטאלוג של שוואגר-פרנקיל נו’ 37 בשם עלים בודדים”.

“אין מצבי עכשיו מרשה לי לקנית ספרים. אולם נדמה לי כי אם יאבו ידידי שיחיו בכל מקום להקדיש שעה קלה בשבילי בענין זה הייתי יכול לאסוף כמה עניני הדפסה”.