Rashbatz From HaTamim, Issue No. 1, pp. 67-79; 12-13 Tammuz 5695. The editors of HaTamim inserted the following introductory remarks at the beginning of this article: In today’s first issue of HaTamim we present a biography of the chassid, HaRav Shmuel Betzalel, son of Reb Shalom Shabsi Sheftel, of blessed memory, known universally as “Rashbatz.” This biography of Rashbatz was written by one of our fellow students of Tomchei Temimim, based upon what he himself heard from Rashbatz while he lived in Lubavitch.by one of the students of Tomchei Temimim[In the editorial introduction to the original article, and in the Table of Contents, the author was listed as “one of our fellow students of Tomchei Temimim.” There is abundant evidence, however, that the actual author was none other than the Previous Rebbe himself. See Translator’s Introduction.]
Rashbatz was born in the city of Szventzian, in the county of Vilna. His father spent all his time in the beis hamedrash, never engaging in any sort of business, while his mother headed the household and earned their livelihood. His father was a very G‑d-fearing person, the descendant of a distinguished family. Though he was a misnaged, he heeded the prohibition against slander, and never spoke ill of the chassidic “cult.” He died before the age of fifty, leaving Rashbatz an orphan.
When the mother remarried, her new husband insisted on a prenuptial stipulation concerning Rashbatz: he would only be allowed to come home for his meals, and would have to spend the rest of the day in the beis hamedrash; there he would also sleep.
After some time passed, the stepfather realized that Rashbatz was a gentle lad, not likely to cause trouble; moreover, he studied with great diligence. Therefore he began to treat him more cordially, and revoked the stipulation, allowing the youth to sleep at home. He also provided him with a companion with whom he could study. In this way, nearly four years passed.
When Rashbatz reached the age of fifteen, he could already comprehend the Gemara and the commentary of Tosafos very well. He studied with diligence, spending almost all his time in the beis hamedrash. The leading misnagdim, especially Reb Hershelle (the Rav of Szventzian), became his close companions. The Rav set aside time each day to study Gemara and Tosafos with him in depth. He continued studying in this manner for over a year and a half; during this time he managed to study the three Bavos and the tractate Shabbos with the rabbi.
Nearly thirty chassidim3 of the Alter Rebbe lived in the town of Szventzian. Once on a summer’s day between Minchah and Maariv time, Rashbatz happened to pass by the beis hamedrash of the chassidim. Upon entering, he discovered a gathering of people sitting and studying from a small sefer, each perusing his own copy of the text. He felt a great desire to remain for a short while and listen to their discussion.
He approached one of the men seated there, looked into his text, and listened to the study. As he did so, one of the participants noticed that a stranger, one of their mortal enemies, was present. He began to scream at him, “What are you doing here? If you suckle the milk of the misnagdim, you will never become a chassid. Get out of here!” Thus, he expelled him from their midst.4
Being expelled upset him greatly, and as he walked he reflected on what it meant. Though he himself was a misnaged, he respected these chassidim in his heart. After all, he knew several of them to be Torah scholars and G‑d-fearing individuals, who suffered greatly from persecution by the misnagdim. They also went to great expense to maintain a chassidic shochet who would slaughter with a finely-honed knife. The misnagdim, as you know, maintained a shochet who slaughtered with a knife that was comparatively blunt.5
Nevertheless, they were not intimidated by the persecutions and the excessive financial burden; on the contrary, they seemed to grow stronger all the time. This suggested to him that they were people of honor and virtue who deserved his respect. But now that they had expelled him and accused him of “suckling the milk of the misnagdim,” he began to question their integrity. Nonetheless, he was aware that the words of the chassid who had driven him away were not simply spoken in anger; his words had been spoken deliberately, and they expressed the chassid’s true sentiments.
Rashbatz was especially attracted to the chassidim by two admirable characteristics which he discerned in them. First, their great humility: they treated each other as equals. No one attempted to assume the leadership over others, and they were always in complete agreement and harmony. Second, their attachment to the Creator: they were totally devoted to Him and to His Torah, even while they conducted business. For example, Reb Yitzchak, the tailor, would constantly repeat words of Torah as he worked. Even their merchants were constantly discussing Torah as they traded in the marketplace, and this impressed him very much.
On the other hand, he was aware of various faults in the misnagdim. Foremost among these was the fact that each tried to show himself to be greater than the others. They always appeared to treat one another with deference. In their hearts, however, each felt himself superior to his fellow misnagdim.
As Rashbatz walked along, he recalled several occasions when the Rav, Reb Hershelle, had revealed his haughty nature. Once, Reb Hershelle had rejected Rashi’s commentary on a passage in Bava Kamma, insisting that his own understanding of the subject was superior to Rashi’s. He would often make comments like, “Rashi didn’t understand this Gemara,” or “Tosafos missed the point!”
Rashbatz decided to investigate the chassidim and find out all their good and bad points; he would do likewise with the misnagdim. Then he would decide which way he preferred. Deep in his heart, he was already more attracted to the chassidim, but he was deathly afraid that their ways might not be the true path. He planned to begin his investigation by listening to the manner in which the chassidim prayed, for he had heard that davening was the main feature of their avodah.
Several days later he visited the chassidic minyan while they prayed. He himself was unable to daven with them, for the chassidim wound the tefillin straps (around the left arm) from right to left, while the misnagdim wound them from left to right.6 He positioned himself behind the door, confident that he would be able to hear the davening, for a window was open.
He stood there for more than an hour, emotionally overcome by the fervent sounds of their prayers, which were recited aloud and were accompanied by weeping. Unable to control himself, he went inside and found the chazan standing at the lectern and reciting, “Yours, O L-rd, is the greatness….”7 This was accompanied by great excitement and much weeping, while the chazan beat his forehead with his fists.
They all davened together, with great deveikus and devotion. At the core of his being, Rashbatz realized that they were following the proper path, and that their form of prayer was acceptable before the Holy One blessed be He. He observed that several chassidim became completely oblivious to all physical reality while davening, even forgetting where they were.
Their emotional involvement reached its peak during the blessings of Kerias Shema. On that occasion, however, he was unable to remain until the end of the prayers, for he was afraid that his Rebbe and his uncle would learn of his visit to the beis hamedrash of the chassidim.
From that day on a change came over him. He began to concentrate more on his prayers, and to translate the words of the prayer to himself as he davened. It now distressed him when he observed that several of the prominent citizens of the town who were considered scholarly and G‑d-fearing men arrived at the beis hamedrash after the davening had already started. They would then begin their prayers at whatever place the congregation was up to.
This was the exact opposite of the sort of concentration that he had noticed among the chassidim during their davening. In addition, the misnagdim would not pronounce the words audibly. He therefore began to investigate the misnagdim in earnest, to find out exactly what they were made of.
The main subject of his inquiry was the Rav, Reb Hershelle, who lost no opportunity to praise his own virtues and boast of his prowess in Torah study. As he put it, he was like one of the Rishonim, who had no use at all for the commentaries of the Acharonim. He was able to find everything in the original Talmudic text;8 he could swim across the “River of the Rambam ” with a single stroke, while Piskei HaRosh and Tosafos were like his own two eyes.
He would often say of himself, “I Reb Hirsh use the Talmud and Tosafos for a pillow under my head, and the Yerushalmi, Sifra, and the Rambam for cushions under my sides. Is it for nothing that for thirty years (thank G‑d), I have studied with great diligence, more than eighteen hours a day?”
Reb Hirsh made it a point to get the davening over as quickly as possible. His prayers never took more than a half hour, even on Yom Tov. When the davening was over, his face would take on an expression of delight, as though he had rid himself of a heavy burden. Nevertheless, Rashbatz’ studied with Reb Hirsh ever more persistently, for he had a great craving to study; diligent Torah study was his one and only desire.
The Rav, for his part, found Rashbatz to be an apt pupil. He therefore became even more friendly to him, devoting to him many hours of the day. He took great delight in studying with the lad in depth, all day long and part of the night.
Rashbatz’ visit to the chassidic minyan produced one permanent result: he was now more concerned with his davening. Though there was not much he could do about it openly, deep in his heart he harbored a great desire to pray with more concentration. As time went on, he became repelled by the misnagdim because of the rapid pace of their davening, and the way they always boasted about themselves.
One day, as he studied a certain Aggadah with Reb Hirsh, the conversation turned to the topic of prayer. He then asked the Rav, “What is the meaning of praying with concentration?”
“That’s not for us!” replied the Rav. “Only the greatest among Israel are capable of that.”
To this Rashbatz remarked, “But you, my Rebbe, are a giant and a prince among Jews. And so, why don’t you spend more time davening ? Why do you hurry through it so?”
“When it comes to Torah study,” said Reb Hirsh, “I am (thank G‑d) one of the greats among Israel, unique in this generation. But I have nothing to do with the things you mentioned. Only members of ‘the cult’ [daven at length. But they] are all liars and charlatans, engaging in their strange practices. May G‑d save us from them!”
Hearing this answer, Rashbatz became very upset. He then inquired whether the Rav had ever spoken or debated with members of the cult. Had he investigated them at all, to find out whether what people said about them was true? Or had he simply made up his mind about them without looking into the facts? Were his opinions based upon hatred passed on from one person to the next? Did he also harbor this hatred without bothering to find out what the chassidim were? If he did pursue a rational investigation, perhaps he might discover that the rumors he had heard were untrue. Or [even if true], perhaps the chassidim had since changed their ways.
When he heard these arguments, the Rav had no idea that they were the result of carefully-planned research into the subject. He ascribed it to the fact that the lad though highly gifted was young and inexperienced, and unaware of the wicked deeds of the chassidim. Since no one had ever explained to him exactly what chassidim were, or what their aims were, his questions stemmed from simple innocence.
Nevertheless, the Rav was pleased to discover that Rashbatz possessed such acute mental abilities. He resolved to take upon himself the holy task of educating the boy in the secrets of the chassidim, their philosophy, and their early history. He began repeating to him a little at a time disparaging stories about the chassidim and their great Rebbe (the Alter Rebbe), which he had heard “from eminent people.”
These stories continued over many days. On one occasion the Rav boasted that he had eaten lunch with an informant who had betrayed the Alter Rebbe [to the government]. Rashbatz begged him to relate the whole story of how this denunciation had taken place. Reb Hirsh told him everything he knew about the affair. Whenever he mentioned one of the informants by name, he added an honorific title such as “gaon,” “tzaddik,” and the like. Rashbatz then asked, “Isn’t it forbidden to hand a Jew over to gentile authorities?9 And if so, why do you honor such people with the titles tzaddik and gaon ?”
Reb Hirsh replied that one of the foremost disciples of the Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna had ruled that it was permitted by law. He then began to praise the Vilna Gaon and his disciples with superlatives, all however materially [rather than spiritually] oriented. The lesson to be learned from all of this, he told Rashbatz, was that he must not even look at the chassidim. Even more so, he must never visit their congregation (G‑d forbid), for their ways bordered on apostasy and heresy (may G‑d preserve us). He warned him against this in the strongest terms.
This conversation was a revelation to Rashbatz. Most of what the misnagdim said against the chassidim stemmed from secret hatred and jealousy, passed on from one person to the next, unsupported by any real evidence. On the contrary, it appeared to him that the chassidim could easily prove their innocence. They had committed no sin, for they were following the path of holiness. He decided to visit them while they studied between Minchah and Maariv. He would find out just what they were studying, and what this subject matter was all about. After seeing all this, he would be able to decide for himself which path to follow.
The day arrived when he resolved to carry out his plan, and visit the chassidic minyan to see what sort of subject matter they were studying. He decided to take precautions to avoid being expelled as on the previous occasion. The best way to do this, [he thought,] was to confide in one of the chassidim and tell him everything: since he now knew a little about the chassidim and their ways, he desired to visit their congregation, for in his heart he was attracted to them.
Just before sunset, he approached one of the chassidim and told him the story. He begged him to give him protection so that he would not be expelled. This chassid was very friendly to him, and advised him not to come during the study session. Instead, he himself would set aside some time to teach him what the subject was about, what Chassidus was based on, and what the origins of the chassidim were. Then he would know what to do, and could make whatever decision he chose. Rashbatz agreed to this plan.
This chassid, who was an employee of Reb Yitzchak the Tailor, met with Rashbatz each evening at a designated place. He told him that there had once lived a great and exalted person called the Baal Shem Tov. He described several of the Baal Shem Tov’s wonders and miracles, adding that initially everything had been carried out in total secrecy. Then he described how the Baal Shem Tov had gradually revealed himself. He told him about the Baal Shem Tov’s disciples, and that after his passing he was succeeded by our great Rebbe, the Maggid of Mezritch, followed by his eminent disciple Reb Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. Later, Reb Mendel departed for the Holy Land, and he was succeeded by the Alter Rebbe.
He described the feud and the denunciation of the Alter Rebbe, and the miracles by which he had been saved. Over a period of several days, he enlightened Rashbatz and informed him of the entire history. Through these stories, he demonstrated to him the greatness and holiness of the Alter Rebbe’s personality, the essential features of the teachings of Chassidus, and the avodah of the heart which constitutes the chassidic way of life.
Among the original misnagdim, [the chassid explained,] there were many personalities of importance; alas, they fell into the trap of “harboring suspicions against the innocent.” The misnagdim of later generations merely followed in the footsteps of their predecessors, and none of them knew for certain exactly what the chassidim were or what they stood for.
Rashbatz was very attracted by the stories he heard from the chassid, and his desire to join the chassidim and to follow their ways grew ever stronger. He told the chassid that he wished to investigate the study of Chassidus further. The chassid complied, and took him along to the next few study sessions. He allowed Rashbatz to sit next to him, and he explained to him each topic that was being studied.
Among the misnagdim, no one was aware of these visits. Once, while they were studying Tanya, Rashbatz found the subject quite difficult, for he was still a young lad. The chassid advised him to take a copy of the text with him and review the lesson at his leisure. This suggestion made good sense to him, and that is what he did. He went to his own beis hamedrash, and sat down to review the lesson once or twice; this became a regular habit with him.
One night, as he sat alone in the beis hamedrash and reviewed his studies, a misnaged entered. He was quite gratified to see a young fellow studying with such great diligence and intensity. Approaching the lad, he noticed the small volume in which he was engrossed; he sat down nearby to listen, and was pleased with what he heard. Rashbatz was completely unaware that anyone had entered, and he continued studying.
Eventually he raised his eyes. Discovering the man seated opposite him, he grew very frightened. In confusion and terror he cried out, “Oy! Oy! ” (for now his secret was discovered, and an unpleasant future awaited him). He seized the text and hastily thrust it into his pocket.
His confusion aroused the man’s suspicions and prompted him to inquire about the subject he had been studying, saying that it had sounded like a very interesting topic. Rashbatz, however, suspected that the man was humoring him so that he would not deny what he had really been studying.
The longer the man continued to praise what he had heard, the more reluctant Rashbatz became to discuss it. Since he refused to reply, the man suddenly overpowered him and confiscated the text. He examined it, but had no idea what it was until he came upon the words “tzaddik, rasha, beinoni.” Now he knew that it was the handbook of the chassidic cult. That was why Rashbatz had become so frightened and confused, refusing to show him the text.
The man went to Reb Hershelle and reported to him that early in the morning, at three or four o’clock (it was summertime), he had discovered the boy in the beis hamedrash intently studying a textbook of the cult.
“I arrived at the beis hamedrash before sunrise and discovered this lad studying with great diligence and depth. I caught only a few isolated phrases:
Even regarding interpersonal relations, he should suppress every sort of bias, anger, and grudge; not only does he accept suffering at the hands of his fellow Jew, but he even rewards him for it.10
“I was overjoyed to hear this young fellow studying so early in the morning, and with such diligence. But when he noticed me, he became very agitated and began to scream. He then grabbed the sefer and hid it in his pocket. It was then that I realized he must have been subverted by heresy, and was studying a sefer of the cult. Calling upon the Name of the Holy One (blessed be He), I gathered all my strength and wrestled with him until I managed to take the sefer from him. Here it is!”
“The Creator has bestowed a great privilege upon you,” said Reb Hirsh. “You have managed to save a Jewish soul. As for the sefer, we must show it to his uncle. Let him see for himself what sort of upbringing the boy has received in his house. Since you began the mitzvah, you may have the privilege of finishing it.11 Go at once and tell his uncle to come to me!”
When the uncle was brought before Reb Hirsh, the man related to him all that he had seen with his own eyes, and showed him the textbook of the cult that he had found in his possession. Reb Hirsh warned the uncle that studying such subject matter can easily lead to heresy (G‑d forbid).
Rashbatz, meanwhile, was afraid to remain in the beis hamedrash; at first he had planned to attend the chassidic minyan, but he was afraid to do that too. Finally, he concealed himself on the roof of the beis hamedrash, where there was a skylight through which he could hear everything that happened below. When he saw that the sunrise minyan had finished and departed, he went downstairs and entered the beis hamedrash to daven. He was greatly relieved that no one had spoken of the affair, and he decided that it would be best if things remained so.
After davening, he went to his mother’s house for breakfast, as he did every morning. But as he entered the house, while still crossing the threshold, his uncle struck him a severe blow to the head with a length of wooden board. Without saying a word, he proceeded to beat him with his fists until the lad fainted from the pain. Seeing him faint, his mother began to cry out bitterly; her screams restored Rashbatz to consciousness.
The uncle began to yell at her, “Should I keep an apikores in my house? You’d be better off if he were dead! I would have left him unconscious until he died. You’re only a woman, so you take pity on him. But remember: if he survives and becomes an apikores, you’ll wish he had died now, while he’s still a religious Jew.”
A few days later, when Rashbatz had recovered from the beating, he went to the beis hamedrash as he had always done. But instead of studying with him, the Rav began to admonish him for his terrible sin. He told him that he had fallen into a trap and been brainwashed by “them.” He went on and on in this vein, but Rashbatz remained silent, offering no reply. Then the Rav began to badger him about doing teshuvah :
“Will you commit such foolishness again, or will you take pity on your own soul and promise never again to visit their congregation?”
To this too, Rashbatz made no reply. Instead, he began to refute the Rav’s arguments, insisting that the chassidic way was the true way, and it was the misnagdim who were wrong. “When they realize they are mistaken, they too will mend their ways.”
The Rav saw that Rashbatz knew more about the history and the events of the controversy than he did, and he therefore despaired of inspiring him to do teshuvah. He notified the uncle that it was a lost cause, and that the lad had fallen into a trap from which there was no escape. When the uncle heard this, he swore that he would evict Rashbatz from his house; he would not allow him to remain another minute.
The Rav cautioned all his congregants that the boy had been subverted by the cult, and they must be wary of him. After this, they all subjected him to a great deal of abuse, hoping that this would prompt him to repent.
Since his uncle had thrown him out of the house, he went to the beis hamedrash. Though the congregants didn’t expel him, each chastised him, calling him “apikores” and other names. He was forced to go hungry on the first day. Then, over the next three or four days he remained inadequately fed, for his mother brought him only some dry bread to still his hunger. This situation continued through Shabbos.
On Shabbos after davening, he went for a walk beyond the city limits, where he began to cry. “Master of the Universe! I wish only to follow the true path of holiness. If the path of the misnagdim is the true one, I will follow it unswervingly; if the path of the chassidim is the true one, I will join their congregation and follow in their ways.” He then wept bitter tears.
When he returned to town he set a sign for himself: if the first person he met was a chassid, he would join the chassidim; if he was a misnaged, he would join the misnagdim. He resolved to obey this sign, and implored G‑d the Father of orphans to take pity upon him and show him the correct path. As he entered the town and walked along the first street, he met no one. Most of the common folk were asleep, while the Torah scholars were busy studying, either at home or in the batei hamedrash.
Continuing a bit farther, he saw Reb Hershelle walking with two other people. This sight saddened him, for deep in his heart he had been certain that he would be joining the chassidim. Now, however, he spied Reb Hershelle walking in the distance. But wait a minute there was still hope! He was still some distance away, and he might yet meet a chassid first. As he walked further, he rejoiced to see several chassidim emerging from their beis hamedrash; unfortunately, they turned the other way and disappeared, without his meeting them.
A moment later, to Rashbatz’ great relief, two men emerged from the chassidic beis hamedrash; one of them was the chassid he had originally approached. He was very happy to see them, especially since they were walking toward him, and their gestures indicated that they were talking about him. One of the chassidim pointed him out to the other.
The whole town was already repeating the story of the lad to whom the Rav had devoted so much energy, and who had studied with such diligence and aptitude, but had later fallen into the hands of the cult. He had been caught studying one of their textbooks, and his uncle had beaten him and driven him from his home. Within a few minutes the chassidim reached him and he wished them “Good Shabbos! ”
“What shall we do with you?” asked the first chassid, “you’re a lost cause. If you deny what has happened to you, you will remain a misnaged. It seems that you don’t deserve to become a chassid. Woe to you in that case! Even if all the wisdom in the world enters your head, you will never be any better than you are now.”
In reply, Rashbatz related all that had happened to him since the day the man had discovered him studying. He described all his suffering, and told of the sign he had set for himself. Now, he was ready to become a member of their society, and to do whatever they required of him. The chassid took him to his home and gave him food and drink, though he himself was quite poor.
The following Monday the Rav and the uncle discovered that Rashbatz had remained with the chassidim. The uncle began to torment the lad’s mother, causing her much pain and anguish. Being a clever woman, she sent for her son to hear his side of the story. He explained it all to her, and she was forced to admit that he had chosen the correct path and should continue to follow it.
The chassid studied Chassidus with him daily; at first they studied Tanya, reviewing each chapter four or five times. They also studied Shaarei Orah by the Mitteler Rebbe, which Rashbatz studied with diligence and great relish. Each subject he studied was reviewed several times; there were occasions when he would review the same passage twenty or thirty times.
During one of his farbrengens [after he became a mashpia] Rashbatz admonished the students of Tomchei Temimim : “When I was a young lad, if we heard a teaching from the elder chassidim we would kiss the soles of their feet. On the other hand, you young fellows are spoon-fed like fattened calves, but you pay no attention. I used to sit for five or six hours reviewing a single passage that the chassid Reb Moshe had taught me.
“This Reb Moshe advised me that after thoroughly reviewing the lesson verbally, I should review it three or four times in my mind. Thus, I accustomed myself to concentrate on a single thought for more than three hours.
“[The manner in which the chassidim studied Nigleh, the revealed teachings of Torah law, was also unique.] Had I not seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, I would never have believed that chassidim could study Gemara in such depth, or that they were capable of developing such logical and novel insights. Three times a week, the chassidim held in-depth study sessions of Talmud. I was in for quite a surprise when I attended my first such session.
“I then learned that the Alter Rebbe had instructed each congregation and community of chassidim to study the entire Talmud every year. For this purpose, each individual would choose one tractate to study by himself. In this way, they could collectively complete the entire Talmud. In addition, they chose one tractate which all studied together in depth; this study session was held only three times a week. Each time I attended this lecture I learned something new. My study of Chapter 5 in the Tanya created a great desire within me to study Torah even more intensely than before.”
One day Rashbatz happened to meet Reb Hirsh, and he greeted his former teacher with Shalom Aleichem! At first Reb Hirsh turned away without answering, but a moment later he called Rashbatz by name and inquired whether he had repented his wicked ways. Rashbatz changed the subject, posing a serious question concerning the Talmudic subject he was then studying that had disturbed him.
Reb Hirsh pondered deeply into the question and then proceeded to explain the entire topic with a deep and complex pilpul, during which he refuted Rashi’s commentary. Rashbatz responded by reciting his own understanding of the topic. Reb Hirsh was amazed, declaring that this was an excellent approach to the subject, and that the lad had apparently made much progress in Talmud since they had last met.
Rashbatz then began to explain to Reb Hirsh and the other dignitaries of the beis hamedrash what the essential features of the teachings of Chassidus were: the mitzvos of believing in G‑d, declaring His Oneness, loving Him, and fearing Him. Without a knowledge of the teachings of Chassidus, it is impossible to fulfill these mitzvos properly. Even ordinary Torah study, and the mitzvos governing interpersonal relationships, are on a far higher plane when understood in the light of Chassidus.
Suddenly, right in the middle of his speech, one of the young misnagdim struck him such a powerful blow to the cheek that his head snapped from left to right and back again, and his whole body reverberated. His hat flew off his head, but before he could pick it up blood began to pour from his mouth and nose, and he fell unconscious. When he came to, he discovered that he was lying on the floor in the shul where the chassidim prayed. They then told him what had happened.
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