From: rothberg@bimacs.BITNET (Danny Rothenberg)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: Alter Rebbe?
Date: 30 Aug 92 13:03:45 GMT
Organization: Math department, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, ISRAEL

In article <Bi76PB3w164w@cybernet.cse.fau.edu> murray.bbs@cybernet.cse.fau.edu writes:
>I am not positive as to why he is called the Alter Rebbe, but the word
>Alter means Elder or Old (my yiddish isn't the greatest either).  Since
>he is the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, I guess why he earned that name.
>I never thought to ask before, and I never saw a reason given.
>
>The name "Alter Rebbe" became "attached" to Rabbi Schneur Zalman of
>Liadi, the first Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch Chasidim, after the
>Tzemach Tzedek - Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, The Alter Rebbe's
>grandson became the third Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitcher Chasidim.
>
>A bit of history for clarity.
>
>Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, a direct descendent of the Maharal of
>Prague, was one of the students of the Magid of Mezritch - Rabbi DovBer,
>who was the successor to the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chasidut.
>
>In 1767 Rabbi Schneur Zalman accepted the position of Magid of Liozna.
>In 1772 he founded the Chabad Chasidic Philosophy. In 1797 the Tanya
>was first printed.
>
>During the Napolean war in the winter of 1812 he passed away. His
>son Rabbi DovBer took over the mantle of leadership. In 1816-17 the
>Mitteler Rebbe - Rabbi DovBer also established a Chabad-Lubavitch Yishuv
>- Community in Hebron, Israel. (He remained in Russia.)

This Aliyah was lead by his daughter, Menucha Rochel (or Rachel)
Slonim, whose grave can still be seen in Hebron's old Jewish Cemetry.

>
>Rabbi DovBer He is known as the Mitteler Rebbe, because he is the
>Rebbe between Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi and the Tzemach Tzedek,
>(the 3rd Rebbe) thus he was "in the middle".
>
>Rabbi DovBer passed away in 1826 and the Tzemach Tzedek took over the
>mantle of leadership of the Chabad Chasidic movement.
>
>The Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch) was a grandson
>of the Alter Rebbe, by his daughter, the Rebitzen Devorah Leah, and was
>married to one of the daughters of Rabbi DovBer.
>
>Hopefully this clarifies the reason for the name the "Alter Rebbe" and
>the Mitteler Rebbe. The 3rd Rebbe - is known as the Tzemach Tzedek, the
>same name his famous works "responsa" known as the Tzemach Tzedek.

This is a very common occurence in Jewish literature.  Rabbi Kagan is
known as the 'Chafetz Chaim' after his work of the same name,
concerning the laws of Lashon Harah (lit. bad tongue, ie saying bad
things WHICH ARE TRUE).

>
>The 4th Rebbe is known as the Rebbe MaHaRaSH - Morenu Horav Shmuel -
>who was the youngest of the Tzemach Tzedek's sons. The 5th Rebbe is known
>
>as the Rebbe RaShaB - Rabbi Shalom DovBer, also called the
>Rebbe Nishmaso Eden, called this way, because, he was the father of the
>previous Rebbe -  Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (the 6th Rebbe). Rabbi Yosef
>Yitzchok is also called "The Frier-diker Rebbe - translated as "the
>previous Rebbe", who is the predecessor of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Shlita.
                                                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For those who are not as knowledgeable as you, especially when it
comes to Chabad, would it not have been better to say that he is the
PRESENT Rebbe? :-)

>
>---
> * Origin: WORLDS LARGEST strictly JEWISH BBS - (718) 756-7201
>FidoNet(1:278/610)

Why do I know all this?

It is because the Alter Rebbe was my
great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, and Menuchah Rochel,
my great-great-great-great grandmother.  Hence my attachment to Israel
(my maternal Grandmother, a direct descendant of Menuchah Rochel left
Israel to marry my Grandfather), and to Hebron in particular.

BTW there is a midrash that says that three portions of the Land of
Israel were bought in perpetuity for the Jewish people (as stated in
the TaNaCh) so that there would never be a dispute as to their
ownership:

a) Abraham bought Hebron, with the Cave of Machpelah, as a burial
place for his wife and himself.

b) Jacob bought Sh'chem (Nablus) as a burial place for Joseph

c) King David BOUGHT the Temple Mount in order to build the Temple.

So, please tell me, who is occupying whom, or what?


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