- Shmuel Schneersohn
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Not to be confused with Shmuel Schneurson.
- "Maharash" redirect here, for the 17th century Polish rabbi, see Meir Wahl
Shmuel Schneersohn Lubavitcher Rebbe Term 17-Mar-1866 – 14-Sep-1882 OS Full name Shmuel Schneersohn Main work Likutei Torah - Toras Shmuel Born 1834-04-29 OS
LyubavichiBuried Lyubavichi Dynasty Chabad Lubavitch Predecessor Menachem Mendel Schneersohn Successor Sholom Dovber Schneersohn Father Menachem Mendel Schneersohn Mother Chaya Mushka (daughter of Dovber Schneuri) Wife 1 Sterna (daughter of his brother Chaim Shneur Zalman) Wife 2 Rivkah (granddaughter of Dovber Schneuri) Children 2 Shneur Zalman Aharon
Sholom Dovber Schneersohn
Avrohom Sender
Menachem Mendel
Devorah Leah Ginsburg
Chaya Mushka HorensteinShmuel Schneersohn (or Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch or The Rebbe Maharash) (17 March 1834 – 14 September 1882 OS) was an Orthodox rabbi and the fourth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement.
Contents
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.[1]
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.[2]
Besides his communal activism, he had wide intellectual interests. He spoke several languages, including Latin.[3] 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.[3] 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.[3]
He died in Lyubavichi, on 13 Tishrei 1882, leaving four sons and two daughters, and was succeeded by his son Sholom Dovber.[3]
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.[4]
Aphorisms
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"The world says, 'If you can't crawl under, climb over.' But I say, Lechatchilah Ariber--'At the outset, one should climb over.'"[5]
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"You cannot fool God; ultimately, you cannot fool others either. The only one you can fool is yourself. And to fool a fool is no great achievement."[6]
References
- ^ Sefer HaToldot Rav Shmuel, Admor Maharash, Glitzenstein, A. H.
- ^ The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, ch.16 note.12, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
- ^ a b c d Encyclopedia of Hasidism, entry: Schneersohn, Shmuel. Naftali Lowenthal. Aronson, London 1996. ISBN 1568211236
- ^ Sefer HaToldos Admur Maharash
- ^ Explanation of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
- ^ The Nechama Greisman Anthology
External links
- A biography of The Rebbe Maharash - Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn
- Family Tree
- Sefer Toras Shmuel by Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn
Preceded by
Menachem Mendel SchneersohnRebbe of Lubavitch
1866—1882Succeeded by
Sholom Dovber Schneersohn
Categories:- 1834 births
- 1882 deaths
- Russian Orthodox rabbis
- Hasidic rabbis in Europe
- Rebbes of Lubavitch
- Schneersohn dynasty
- Kabbalists
- Philosophers of Judaism
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