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By Chaim Bruk, Beis Moshiach Magazine

The day 15 Teves 5683, 100 years ago, marks the yahrtzeit of the Admor, Rabbi Shmarya Noach Schneerson, grandson of the Tzemach Tzedek and last Admor of Kopust. What is so important about this date, especially when the Tzemach Tzedek had many other grandsons?

With his passing, the great split in the empire of Lubavitch ended. It had begun in 5626 after the passing of the Tzemach Tzedek. For nearly sixty years, there had been other “streams” from the great Lubavitch sea, and with his passing, Lubavitch remained strong and continued to promulgate the teachings of Chabad Chassidus to the world. Chassidim who had belonged to the various dynasties that had broken off from Lubavitch, accepted the leadership of the Rebbe Rayatz.

We will go back in time and examine the stormy events which began after the passing of the Tzemach Tzedek.

SEVEN LEADERS

During the Tzemach Tzedek’s reign, the way of Chabad Chassidus spread to many and the Rebbe’s reputation reached masses of Jews of all groups. His genius in all parts of Torah and his deep, inspiring drushei Chassidus, as well as the many miracles he performed, drew many Chassidim to Lubavitch.

The Tzemach Tzedek had seven sons, all righteous, geniuses, and holy men. Already during his nesius, the presence of his sons was felt; they were an inseparable part of the leadership of the Chassidic movement in those days.

Some of them even had their own shuls in the town of Lubavitch, and already in the lifetime of their father they had Chassidim coming to hear their teachings and words of inspiration. Not only that, but some of the sons occasionally took trips to Jewish towns to strengthen the Jewish people in their avodas Hashem, and they accepted pidyonei nefesh and requests for blessings.

The “ben zekunim” (youngest son), Reb Shmuel, did not have a shul of his own. He always davened in the minyan of his father.

The passing of the Tzemach Tzedek was devastating for the numerous Chassidim and mekusharim.

Just two days after his passing, the sons began saying maamarei Chassidus as the mashpia, Rabbi Chaim Shaul Bruk described in a written record that he sent to the Rebbe which described the passing of the Tzemach Tzedek:

“Afterward (after the histalkus on 13 Nissan), on the first night of Pesach, Reb Boruch Sholom (the oldest son) said a maamar and began with the words, ‘Whoever says something in the name of the person who said it,’ etc. It wasn’t his maamar but his father’s and he said the maamar, ‘If your son asks you tomorrow,’ etc. The second night the Admor of Liadi (Reb Chaim Shneur Zalman, the third son) said a maamar, and Reb Yisroel Noach (the fourth son, who founded the Niezhin Chabad dynasty) also said, and he began like Reb Boruch Sholom, ‘Whoever says,’ and Maharash (the seventh son) said a maamar, ‘I am the Lord your G-d who took you out,’ etc.”

THE CHASSIDIM OBSERVE THE SONS

The seven sons of the Tzemach Tzedek sat shiva and bitterly mourned the passing of their father, while among the Chassidim a difference of opinion ensued as to who the successor would be. The Chassidim began closely observing the sons to see which of them was most suited to take over the leadership in Lubavitch.

It is said that each of the sons led the davening in his own minyan and their davening was different from one another. One of the Chassidim decided he wanted to see how each one davened. He went from minyan to minyan and observed each of the holy sons.

Then he said that in each one he noticed a different characteristic. R’ Yisrael Noach cried a lot. Throughout the tefilla he would cry, starting from the very beginning. R’ Yehuda Leib was wont to become greatly excited (a baal hispaalus). In the middle of the davening he would pace back and forth and he would sometimes dance from excitement until, at chazoras ha’shatz, they had to tie him to the lectern so he wouldn’t leave his place.

Only with Maharash, the youngest son, he saw nothing in particular. He davened with a quiet niggun like a simple householder.

“I noticed just one thing,” he said. “After Aleinu and the final kaddish, he covered his face with his tallis for a few minutes. I once bent down to see what he was doing and saw he was changing his tefillin shel rosh for tefillin of Shimusha Rabba. He did so in a way that nobody should notice and when he saw me looking, he tapped me lightly on the nose.”

Another time, a Chassid spoke about Maharash’s davening that he would start from “Hodu,” saying it word for word out loud, and when he reached “Vayevorech Dovid” there were beads of sweat on his forehead which literally gave off heat vapor.

A DIN TORAH WOULD DECIDE WHO IS REBBE

What stood out about the brothers was their saying Chassidus. As the Rebbe Rayatz related: After the passing of the Tzemach Tzedek, all his sons said Chassidus. One Friday night, Maharash said the maamar “Az Yashir … Ali Be’er,” and Maharil said it Shabbos morning with a chiddush.

Maharash said a maamar on motzoei Shabbos, Maharil on Sunday. Maharash said a maamar Sunday night and Maharil said Monday morning. Maharash said on Tuesday night – each of them said it with additions and innovations. At some point, Maharil went to his younger brother and said, “This time, our father said the maamar [i.e. he sensed that the Tzemach Tzedek was speaking through his youngest son] and I don’t want to compete against our father.”

The Rebbe Rayatz concluded, “I heard all of this from Reb Shmuel the scribe.”

From the recorded histories of those days it appears that although the internal struggle of the Chassidim was choosing between the brothers, with each of the brothers having adherents, most of the Chassidim were divided between Maharil and Maharash. It wasn’t a simple situation. According to a description in Beis Rebbi, when Maharil, the Tzemach Tzedek’s second son, came to Lubavitch after the passing, “he found the town in a turmoil from the machlokes that had broken out and they could not quiet it down.”

Therefore, Maharil suggested that a din Torah be held in which the dayanim would clarify who inherited the mantle from the Tzemach Tzedek. Three great Chassidim of the Rebbe were appointed as dayanim: R’ Peretz Chein, R’ Shneur Zalman Fradkin of Lublin (author of Toras Chesed) and R’ Yosef Tumarkin. The three of them were world class Torah geniuses.

They asked each of the sons to say a maamar Chassidus for them. After they heard a maamar from the youngest son, Maharash, they decided he was the one to succeed the Tzemach Tzedek. The Beis Din’s decision was also based on his tremendous proficiency in Nigleh.

In addition, the dayanim were presented with decisive proofs about the great esteem the Tzemach Tzedek had for him. They were shown a note written by the Tzemach Tzedek some time before his passing, addressed to the Chassidim, which said, “Listen to him as you listened to me.”

Other letters were brought that the Rebbe wrote to his son, Maharash, in which he expressed his desire that Maharash accept the nesius.

The Rebbe Maharash also revealed that their father instructed him to remind each one of the judges about details of the questions that they asked in yechidus, and details of the answers, and they were all astounded by the open divine vision. On that occasion, the Rebbe Maharash proved that it was only to him that his father had conveyed the secret to accepting a pidyon nefesh and fulfilling the request of the petitioner for good and blessing.

For each of his holy sons, the Tzemach Tzedek had a characteristic description, “My baal ha’bayis,” My lamdan,” “My Chassid,” etc. About Maharash he said, “He has everything.”

From all this, it was understood that the Tzemach Tzedek wanted Maharash to take over. R’ Fradkin wrote about the aftermath of the psak to his friend, the wealthy R’ Yeshaya Berlin. He wrote, “With the help of Hashem, I was one of the founders of Lubavitch after the passing of the Admor z’l, because I had mesirus nefesh for this in Polotzk and suffered greatly for my efforts that Anash should travel to Lubavitch [i.e. to accept the leadership of the Rebbe Maharash]. Special emissaries were sent to me from several towns to guide them as to whom they should be mekasher themselves to, and I got into the thick of things and the slings of war, as a result of which I was forced to move from there and had to travel to Poland.”

THE CONTINUATION OF THE ‘DYNASTIES’

After the psak din was publicized, the Tzemach Tzedek’s oldest son, R’ Baruch Sholom, decided to remain in Lubavitch and accept the leadership of his youngest brother. (The Rebbe MH”M is a great-great-grandson, through a direct male line.)

Maharil also wanted to remain in Lubavitch but the fire of machlokes that was ignited, along with the beseeching of his existing followers, left him no choice but to leave Lubavitch on 3 Elul 5626. He settled in Kopust together with his son, R’ Shlomo Zalman (who later led the court of Kopust after the passing of his father).

Rabbi Yaakov Landau describes the leaving of Maharil:

“After the passing of the Tzemach Tzedek, Maharash was of the opinion that all the brothers remain in Lubavitch, and each should say Chassidus on Shabbos in a rotation. There were cunning Chassidim who took R’ Yuda Leib (Maharil) to Kopust. Their intention was for his son, R’ Shlomo, author of Magen Avos. Maharash was greatly aggravated by this. When he went to Kopust he told Maharil, ‘a sin to a brother.’”

The other brothers also ultimately left Lubavitch and started Chassidic courts in other towns: R’ Chaim Shneur Zalman – in Liadi; R’ Yisrael Noach – in Niezhin; R’ Yosef Yitzchok – in Ovrutch (with the encouragement of his father-in-law, R’ Yaakov Yisrael of Cherkass. He already led as an Admor during the lifetime of his father, but in the style of Chernobyl Chassidus).

These Chassidic courts did not last. The nesius in Kopust did not last long. The Rebbe Rayatz wrote, “During his nesius, the months of Elul and Tishrei, thousands of Chabad Chassidim visited him. On Simchas Torah 5627, he became sick and within a few days his illness progressed. On 3 Mar-Cheshvan the holy ark was captured and he is buried in Kopust, may his merit protect us and all Israel.” He passed away just two months after leaving Lubavitch.

He was succeeded by his oldest son, R’ Shlomo Zalman. During that period, relations between Lubavitch and Kopust were very tense, to the point that Lubavitch Chassidim did not learn Derech Mitzvosecha during those years since it was first printed by Kopust Chassidim.

R’ Shlomo Zalman led the court of Kopust for 34 years, until his passing. Before he passed away, he sent a pidyon nefesh to the Rebbe Rashab for it to be read at the grave of his grandfather, the Tzemach Tzedek. When the Rebbe Rashab returned from the tziyun, he looked perturbed and sad. Rebbetzin Rivka asked him what was wrong and he said that as soon as he lit a candle in the merit of R’ Shlomo Zalman, it went out. A short while later, on 27 Iyar, R’ Shlomo Zalman passed away.

After his passing, the Chassidic court was divided among his sons. R’ Sholom Dovber Schneerson in Retzitza and R’ Shmaryahu Noach Schneerson in Bobroisk. He started a yeshiva in Bobroisk which resulted in some dispute between him and the Rebbe Rashab.

Likewise, there was a dispute about Collel Chabad following which R’ Shmaryahu Noach’s followers broke away and started “Collel Chabad HaMeyuchad.”

THE PASSING OF THE LAST ADMOR OF KOPUST

R’ Shmaryahu Noach passed away on 15 Teves 5683 without leaving sons since his two sons, R’ Zalman and R’ Menachem Mendel, died in his lifetime. In his will, he wrote that they should appoint one of his grandsons to succeed him. His followers wrote letters of hiskashrus to his grandsons but they refused to accept them.

The residents of Bobroisk asked the Rebbe Rayatz to speak with R’ Shmaryahu Noach’s daughter’s son-in-law, Rabbi Shmuel Bespalov, about taking on the position. The Rebbe Rayatz wrote the letter but he declined to accept the position since he was close to the Admorei Lubavitch. He only served as rav of the city until he was murdered with the remnants of the Jews of Bobroisk by the Nazis at the beginning of 5702.

Since the descendants refused to serve as Admorim, most of the Kopust Chassidim returned to Lubavitch and connected heart and soul with the Rebbe Rayatz. When the Rebbe Rayatz visited Eretz Yisrael in 5689, three years after the passing of the Admor, R’ Shmaryahu Noach, the last Admor of Kopust, the split officially ended. The members of “Collel Chabad HaMeyuchad” accepted the nesius of the Rebbe Rayatz.

As mentioned, at the height of the machlokes, there were Lubavitcher Chassidim who excommunicated the sefarim printed by the Chassidim of Kopust. When the Rebbe was menachem his brother-in-law, Rashag, after the passing of his mother in 5730, this topic came up. They spoke about the sefer Magen Avos written by R’ Shlomo Zalman of Kopust and the Rebbe noted that the prohibition of learning their sefarim was only a temporary measure and today one can learn Magen Avos.

The Rebbe was even involved in printing the writings of R’ Shmaryahu Noach which were printed in two volumes under the name Shemen Lamaor.

EVERYONE CONCURS

We will conclude with a statement from the Rebbe MH”M who explained that the merging into Lubavitch after the years of dispute is a preparation for the coming of Moshiach:

“Regarding the subject of unity and lack of division that will be in the time of Moshiach, so too in the time of preparation for the Days of Moshiach as we see lately that the entire world is turning more toward unity. We see this expressed in spiritual matters and material matters… And as we get progressively closer to the ‘great sea,’ all are continuing to merge into the ‘great river,’ into which falls and pours another little stream and another little stream etc. And as the Rebbe, my father-in-law said a few years ago when a grandson of Kopust and Bobroisk visited him – in previous years, there were divisions: Ploni belonged to Kopust and Ploni to Bobroisk and Ploni to Lubavitch, but today – all agree that Kopust and Bobroisk have merged and become incorporated into Lubavitch and therefore there is only the Rebbe, my father-in-law, who is the ‘great river,’ and he will lead us to the ‘great sea’ – ‘as waters cover the seabed’ – by fulfilling his hora’os and going in his ways.”

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