Shmuel Schneersohn

Shmuel Schneersohn (or Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch or The Rebbe Maharash) (1834-04-29–1882-09-14 OS) was an Orthodox rabbi and the fourth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement. 
==Biography==
Schneersohn was born in Lyubavichi, on 2 Iyar 1834, the seventh son of the Tzemach Tzedek. He faced competition from three of his brothers, primarily from Rabbi Yehuda Leib Schneersohn who established a dynasty in Kapust upon their father's death. Other brothers also established dynasties in Lyady, Babruysk, and Nizhyn. He did all he could to improve the lot of persecuted Jewry.Sefer HaToldot Rav Shmuel, Admor Maharash, Glitzenstein, A. H.
In 1848 Schneersohn was married to the daughter of his brother, Rabbi Chaim Shneur Zalman Schneersohn. After several months she died, and he then married the Rebetzin Rivkah, a granddaughter of Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, the Mitteler Rebbe.
Schneersohn was said to have had chariots on call for the evacuation of books in time of fire.The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, ch.16 note.12, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369 
Besides his communal activism, he had wide intellectual interests. He spoke several languages, including Latin.Encyclopedia of Hasidism, entry: Schneersohn, Shmuel. Naftali Lowenthal. Aronson, London 1996. ISBN 1568211236 He wrote widely on a range of religious and secular topics, and much of his writing has never been published and remains in manuscript form alone. His discourses began to be published for the first time under the title Likkutei Torat Shmuel in 1945 by Kehot, and 12 volumes have so far been printed.
He died in Lyubavichi, on 13 Tishrei 1882, leaving four sons and two daughters, and was succeeded by his son Sholom Dovber.
Schneersohn urged the study of kabbala as a prerequisite for one's humanity:
A person who is capable of comprehending the Seder hishtalshelus (kabbalistic secrets concerning the higher spiritual spheres) - and fails to do so - cannot be considered a human being. At every moment and time one must know where his soul stands. It is a mitzvah (commandment) and an obligation to know the seder hishtalshelus.Sefer HaToldos Admur Maharash
== Aphorisms ==
*"The world says, 'If you can't crawl under, climb over.' But I say, Lechatchilah Ariber--'At the outset, one should climb over.</i>'"Explanation of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
*"You cannot fool G-d; ultimately, you cannot fool others either. The only one you can fool is yourself. And to fool a fool is no great achievement."The Nechama Greisman Anthology
==References==
==External links==
* A biography of The Rebbe Maharash - Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn
* Family Tree
* Sefer Toras Shmuel by Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn
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