By: Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe
Published By: Kehot Publication Society
Language: English
Format: 6" x 9", Hardcover, 128 pages
This first installment of Historical Sketches, focuses on the organizational skills of the Chabad-Lubavitch leaders, describing their far-reaching efforts on behalf of the social and communal well-being of their brethren, beginning with the founder of the movement, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe.
Penned by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, this monograph describes the process with which Rabbi Schneur Zalman imparted to his earliest followers the basic tenets of his newly developed Chabad philosophy, and tells of the challenges faced by Rabbi Schneur Zalman from two main camps that opposed the growing Chasidic movement: the Mitnagdim and the rising Haskalah (Enlightenment) movement.
From the Inside Flap
"...Now listen to my voice, and may G-d help you: Your teacher R. Moshe Binyamin has already taught you to write well, so beginning today, you should record on paper all that you see of your father's conduct. In addition, if they'll tell you any story about the Rebbes or Chasidim, write them down." Hearing these words from his tutor, R. Nissan, at eleven years old, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, later the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, began what would have become a cherished pastime: recording, in organized form, a detailed history of the Chabad-Lubavitch leaders, their students and followers.Drawing his material from documents as well as from unpublished sources, memoirs of participants and family members, such as his father, Rabbi Shalom DovBer of Lubavitch; his grandmother, Rebbetzin Rivkah, and from elder Chasidim whose company he kept in his youth, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak wrote prolifically, chronicling for posterity the rich tradition of his forebears.In his later years and beyond, some of these memoirs were published, in Hebrew and Yiddish, in his books of talks, discourses and letters, and partially collected in his Lubavitcher Rabbi's Memoirs.Events in the Life of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi focuses on a number of crucial events that took place during the lifetime of the founder of Chabad, as well as describing his approach to the communal and social affairs of his day. Like many of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's discursive writings, it has the formality of reminiscence and attention to detail, portraying a masterfully written account of the era in which Rabbi Schneur Zalman was laying down the foundations of the Chabad-Lubavitch Movement.
About the Author
Born into the heart of Communism, Rabbi Joseph I. Schneersohn fought for Russian Jewry on all fronts, ensuring the survival of Judaism in the Old World. Then, he came to America and revolutionized and reinvented Judaism for the West
