The Kopuster Rebbe’s Response Sent Him Back to Lubavitch

R. Yehoshua Nosson (Heschel Nota) Gnessin (5600-5681) was a chossid of the Tzemach Tzedek, Rebbe Maharash, and Rebbe Rashab, and a famous Rosh Yeshivah. R. Heschel Nota studied in the Yeshivah in Dubravna under R. Aharon, later the rov of Liozna, and received semichah from the Tzemach Tzedek. He served as a Rosh Yeshivah in Starodub, a Rov in Kritchev, and finally as Rov and Rosh Yeshivah in Potchep.

The Yeshivah in Potchep was a famous institution in its time, and many of the maggidei shiur and top talmidim of Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch were graduates of Potchep. R. Heschel Nota was much beloved by his talmidim.

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After the Rebbe Maharash’s passing, there was a leadership vacuum in Lubavitch, as the Rebbe Rashab and his brothers refused to assume full nesius. R. Heschel Nota and a fellow chossid therefore decided to travel to Kopust, the largest Chabad court at the time.

The two arrived in Kopust, and sitting in the zal contemplating their state, they began crying. The Kopuster Rebbe, R. Shlomo Zalman, approached them and told them this story:

During the time of the Tzemach Tzedek, there was a governmental decree that one of the children of beis harav attend the secular school in Lubavitch. Lots were drawn to determine who would go, and the R. Shlomo Zalman’s younger brother, R. Shalom Ber (later a Rebbe in Retchitcha) was chosen.

When R. Sholom Ber cried about this, the Tzemach Tzedek offered to compensate him by learning Tanya with him for 15 minutes each day. The other children of beis harav also wished to learn with the Tzemach Tzedek, so the Tzemach Tzedek learned with them all together for 15 minutes, and then learned privately with R. Sholom Ber for an additional 15 minutes.

Over the time of their learning with the Tzemach Tzedek, R. Shlomo Zalman noticed that the Rebbe Maharash (who was around the same age as his nephews) would sometimes stand up and leave for a few minutes, without any explanation. While the Rebbe Maharash was absent, the Tzemach Tzedek would stop the shiur and wait for him to return. The Tzemach Tzedek then noted that his son’s conduct is unlike his own conduct or that of his father-in-law, the Mitteler Rebbe, and “his heart is raised in the ways of Hashem.”

R. Shlomo Zalman concluded the story by telling the Rebbe Maharash’s bereaved chassidim that they indeed have what to cry over. Hearing this story, R. Heschel Nota decided to return to Lubavitch.