A historic Tanya printing recently took place at the University of Manchester, where the Tanya’s shaar blatt was hand-crafted on an 1800s Eagle Press and rare Chassidic manuscripts were put on display.
By Anash.org reporter
A historic Tanya printing recently took place at the University of Manchester, where the Tanya’s shaar blatt was hand-crafted on an 1800s Eagle Press and rare Chassidic manuscripts were put on display.
The printing was held at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library on campus, which is home to a rare collection of ancient Jewish manuscripts. The library stores the acclaimed Moses Gaster Collection, a prized collection of manuscripts and rare books curated by Rabbi Dr. Moses Gaster (1856-1939) who was a prominent Jewish scholar and chief rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews in Britain.
In a conversation with Anash.org, Rabbi Eli Simon, shliach at the University of Manchester, who arranged the special Tanya printing shared the background behind the event.
“We wanted to print a Tanya at the university,” shares Rabbi Simon, “and where else do books belong than in the university’s library? And this is not just any library: it holds significance to the city, academia, to Jewish manuscripts and the Rebbeim’s Chassidus, while at the same time, it is steeped in writings and thoughts that are antithetical to Yiddishkeit and Chassidus.”
The library’s collection contains many valuable Jewish texts, including a fragment of the original Mishneh Torah written by the Rambam, an original sefer from the Maharal, a manuscript by chassidim of a maamar from the Mitteler Rebbe beginning “V’asu li mikdash” and Kitzur Tanya from the Tzemach Tzedek, and a Tikunei Zohar printed in the famous Slavita press. The books are usually kept under lock and key, but for this special occasion, they were brought out for participants to see.
Addressing the crowd was Rabbi Yossi Chazan, a prominent Manchester rabbi and world-renowned speaker, who shared powerful stories about the Tanya’s history and its impact today.
“The Alter Rebbe put in the Tanya the answers to all the problems we have today,” said Rabbi Chazan. “I don’t come from a Lubavitcher background, and when I started learning Tanya, it was a new world; new vistas; new horizons – the world changed for me.”
He also shared an incredible story of one hostage’s release from Gaza in connection with the Tanya.
Rabbi Reuven Leigh, shliach and lecturer at Cambridge University, spoke next and shared how since the times of Avraham, our task has been to show there is no difference between Hashem and the world, that holiness can find expression in places that may seem the opposite.
“Today’s event is a collision of worlds: 18th century Chassidus and a contemporary secular university. Sometimes collision can be catastrophic, but this one is creating tremendous robust energy for the future of Chabad on campus and the University of Manchester.”
At the end of the program, each guest who attended the event got a personal page of Tanya printed on the original 1800s Eagle Press as a souvenir to take home.
“We know how much the Rebbe wanted Tanyas to be printed in every location,” said Rabbi Simon. “There is a feeling I cannot describe, but we felt that something holy was taking place as the printers were pouring out page after page of the Alter Rebbe’s Chassidus and life-changing advice.”
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