Economic Well-Being of Jews

The Mittler Rebbe endeavored to persuade the Jewish masses to leave the precarious occupations in which they were then engaged. He urged them to go and live in villages and settlements where they could learn to till the soil, or acquire skills and learn crafts which would provide them with an honest, steady income. This would eliminate the constant worry and insecurity that accompanied their existing occupations.

Of great importance was the fact that this way of life would not interfere with their living and practicing their religion completely and sincerely. In this connection, a letter from the Mittler Rebbe to the community is of interest. It is quoted below in full:

I have the following proposal to make concerning the decrease of income and the sharp increase in the number of those without a source of income who suffer extreme poverty in the cities, and the resulting evils of unemployment and the misdirected energies of the youth who really want to work.

Only a small minority are employed in shops and open businesses, and even fewer practice manual trades. Those who have some capital are gradually losing it, and we find the Jewish masses in an increasingly dangerous state of impoverishment.

My own suggestion, for the attention of the wise who understand the problem, is that strict regulations be introduced in the Jewish communities, whereby the women and children, boys and girls, learn some basic trades, such as the various types of weaving and spinning and allied crafts which are employed in factories.

The training of artisans should likewise be organized and aided in an orderly manner, and should be properly regulated for the children of the poor and middle class as well. They should have teachers and instructors paid for by the communities and under communal supervision.

They should not despise agriculture. They should acquire good fertile land, large plots or small, and work on the soil; G-d will surely send His blessing on the soil, so that they will at least be able to feed their children properly. No doubt they will have to hire experienced non-Jewish farm hands for two or three years, until they are sufficiently trained to do all the work themselves.

They should not be ashamed of tilling the soil. Were not the fields and vineyards the source of our subsistence in the Holy Land, the richer farmer using Jewish servants and good workers? Why, then, should we be different from our forefathers, even though we may live in exile among non-Jewish people, provided there are opportunities to follow our ancient occupation as tillers of the soil?

Perhaps we may be permitted to buy land outright, or at any rate to rent it for a long time. When I visited the Southern Steppes, I saw with my own eyes Jewish farmers with their wives and children working the soil every weekday with zeal and enjoyment.

Up to thirteen years of age every boy there learns in the elementary schools (cheder). If he shows promise of becoming a scholar he continues studying the Torah; if not, he leaves the cheder and works in the fields. The Jews there are happy and satisfied, free from worry, and they remain G-d-fearing, righteous people, supporting themselves honestly and decently.

Although the work may not bring them any riches and luxuries, fancy clothes and jewelry, they have all they require. They sell their crops, the produce of their dairy farming, or their sheep and cattle to the neighboring provinces. I saw their way of living and liked it very much; the soil is fertile in those parts.

We may, if we try hard, acquire good fields here which would greatly aid the poor. I have already corresponded with responsible people, and I believe that G-d will bless the land, and our people will earn as much as they need. As it is written, “If thou wilt eat by the toil of thy hands, happy art thou.” Thus, those who slander us will have no food for talk, and the nobles and officials will look favorably on the farmers. It cannot be otherwise, for there is no other hope; only the prospect of even greater poverty for the Jewish masses.

And who knows what lies ahead? Perhaps, G-d forbid, they will be driven away to distant lands. Enough of this, and those with intelligence will understand. These words come from one who wishes well for the Jewish people and desires their prosperity.

Dovber, son of the great gaon
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of blessed memory.

From this letter and other sources we know how deeply Rabbi Dovber was concerned about the economic plight of the Jewish masses, and how much effort he put into various attempts to better their lot.

Rabbi Dovber was at all times interested in aiding the settlement in the Holy Land. In 5583 (1823) he was the first to establish a colony in Hebron, and he continued to support it financially. He personally acquired a synagogue there, which bears his name.