Rebbe Maharash's birthday, 2 Iyar, Tiferes shb'Tiferes: History, Controversy & 4 Rebbe- RC Dalfin

So today being that it's um BA's ear I decided to to fing a little bit and tomorrow we'll start the Tanya. The Reb Marash was born in 33 on Bir and he passed away in 1882. So in the English it would be uh 49 years but in the Hebrew years it's 50 years because it was after it the new year already anyway. So he had a short life the most understood misunderstood is the fourthbul and I'll explain to you why. So he's the fourth of the seven lababachbes. He had six other brothers, five of which survived. One of them passed away in his teenage years. His name was Yakov Yanko. He was a son of the Tamaredic. But the tamedic had uh seven boys and two or three girls. I don't remember if it was three could be was three daughters. Two or three. So you had a large family. Now during the period of the things in Russia were relatively quiet. Now what do I mean quiet? I I'm referring to the the the uh economy. I'm referring to wars and then I'm refer referring to the dispute that preceded the sedic between the and the and something very interesting happened during the life of the where he and the grandson and the son of the of the of known as Itcha, they called him loer uh worked hand in hand and in 1843 when there was a conference in Petersburg to stop certain edicts against the fume community, not the Jewish community, but the fume community. the raichula of and the sedic went together to the uh conference this summer when I was researching at the archives in Cincinnati. I came across an interesting book and in this book that was written by Dr. Max Lillenthal. I don't know if that name means anything to you, but Max Lillenthal was from either Lithuania or Russia. He was Orthodox and he um came to New York I think in 1850 and then in 1855 to Cincinnati. He is credited, if you call it a credit, as one of the people who started and developed the reform movement in America. Max Lillenthal. This Max Lillenthal was from in in Russia, but he was his orientation was with Hascala, enlightenment. and he he went to Lebavich. It's very interesting. And he writes up what he saw in Lebavic um I think in 18 in the 1840s. In other words, he was a bridge for the Russian government to convince the and of that they should concede with the edicts that they want that the husk wanted. So he tells he he writes about his experience with the and his experience with and it's very interesting. I never I never read it before. I just I read it this this summer and I put it into one of my new books that's coming out. What I found I actually copied the pages cuz the the words speak for themselves. It's it's you know you're talking about someone who's giving you live testimony from what 175 years ago. That's that's amazing you know cuz you know most things are hearsay here. He says I was there. I went there. Okay. It's his impressions and by the way he writes with great respect about the and he implies that he won't be able to convince him but but of who was a literature he says okay and this you know he he says that he got him to agree to allowing secular studies as a requirement for the rabinet in Russia. That was one of the points of contention. Thus, a rabbi to become a rabbi in a in a Russian community of ashul etc. of a community must you have a degree must you know Russian? Must you write Russian? Now we have the same thing repeated by the way in 1910 when the Reb Rashab went with Raim of Brisk to to another uh convention conference that also to fight the same thing. But it already almost 100 years 70 years before it the same the same the same argument the same existed then. So I I'm I'm I'm just saying what I want to say is that that and and and of although two different backgrounds they bonded again I'm not saying they agreed on everything but overall they were in the same page and whether did indeed consent to you you know, having rabbis be required to know Russian, write Russian, and and all of that. Um, it could be yes, it could be no. That's what I would say. I wouldn't be surprised if it's yes, I wouldn't be surprised if it's no. But there were other issues. Now, why? So so so here here during the time of the alterb balmto mid alterba mitereb and other and all the kididic rebas of other denom of other groups at the time it was big makus I don't have to tell you it was a very big mus disagreements between and it was it was it was not pretty okay and it's been documented that we have letters it's not someone made up a story this We have the letters and you know going back what how they were fighting. Okay, it was it was not nice. Anyway, so how is it that all of a sudden with the it ended and the explanation is very simple was also a go in Nigla in he was a great and the time was right that that opened up and and and brought in many nonassidim to some maybe not as full-fledged but to definitely tolerate and and more and and and many became now you'll ask me a question well the alterb wrote the yesterday brought made a good point we spoke about it yesterday but that time it was still raw it was very raw the alterb's time the the mleus was in full force right as the years went on and kind of you know the theim you know saw they couldn't get their way and and then separated themselves some like noting in their shoes you know what I'm saying so it it it calmed it down compared to the alterb's time so during the time when he came when he came along and his name he was known throughout Russia as as the great a one of the greatest the greatest halist and karif fighters and especially with aunos. Now now you know the story with the countenist and the the where they drafted the children into the army for 25 years and Islam they became Christians they became Greek Orthodox Russians and all of that. Samedic fought heavily against this and uh there is a um Kabad Kabadnik who's a big supporter of not just Kabad you've heard his name Ley Levay right Mr. Lava, I think he lives in London or if he didn't move back, a wealthy man in the jewelry business, in the diamond business. He told over at one of the kinesisims in public, it's online, that his family comes from the Continist, I think it was him, it was him or Dr. from Albany, New York. Okay. Um, someone else, one of these people who you wouldn't doesn't have a beard. You wouldn't think he's a kabadic. And he says, "We come from saved our grandfather." Yeah. I think it was Lev and and and sentim and made them stay from and and all that. Soik's name, his impact made a big impact in in the Russian Jewish community at large. And because the the the the fire the flames of fire of the the mleis were calming down it was the right timing. So they say that he had 100,000 between Ukraine and Russia. Now it's you know it's very hard to imagine but when I got the safer h which is a children's magazine that came out from the year 1911 to 1915 in Labavich to excite children about wanting to learn in a yeshiva and in this case lobage yeshiva in Russia. you take a look uh at the index that they put out in the you know in the new volume you see probably 10,000 names and most of those names we have are not lab are not are not we don't know who they are they're not labe names so what happened to them we don't know but what it shows you what it showed me is that if in 1911 to 1915 15 there's like 10,000 names that are somehow associated right somehow. So go back 180 years before that in 1840 and 1850 1830 18450 with time it doesn't surprise me that there could have been a 100,000 this morning someone had yard sight today in sh and standing next to me was someone who who was um very learned person he learned in Berlin and and he's the balor manim so I told the the balard side said your your father's yard site is on today which is the Reb Marash's yoma to fer bay and then I said and he was standing next to me this this this liter and I said to him and you should know that his greatgrandparents were because he told me that you he told me that and and and he didn't deny it he says don't say the secret And there were many that were that today are literature that came from Gaza Babage. And let me let me let me let me let you in on the secret. Rabar Cutler, the head of Lakewood came from the Babachza. And the proof is that his son's name is Reneer Cutler. was of Schneer Cutler Schneer Cutler was really going to be named Schneer Salman after the alterba and I think yeah but the problem is the Rabbar's father-in-law Zalman Meltzer was still alive you know one of the rashas of on before they knocked it down put up hotels and buildings right that famous building the famous yeshiva zman was right. So his name was Zman and he was the father of Abaron Cutler and Rabbar Cutler had a baby so he couldn't name him Schneer Zman. So he because the ground so he named him Schneer Cutler and I heard this also not from I heard this from Schneer from Schneer layman professor Schneer layman who told me that Schneer Cutler told them this at a wedding you'll never hear this from someone like first of all most of them don't know the young generation doesn't even know this and the ones that still maybe know you know it's like we come from the Balania so So I'm just I'm I'm just showing you you know you've shared how you know your the Satan name goes back to you know um maybe in middle they went to another this but but it it is associated way back with with with so so you had a lot of this you had a lot of this in the 1800s so the fact that today we don't have it It it's now. So what happened? So I told I told them this morning what I believe happened is that the the children and grandchildren of people in the 1800s there was no labi yeshiva at the time. So they went to a yeshiva and they became lit. You know, you're you're 13, 14, 15, 16. You start diving in and I'm saying Ashkenaz wasn't like today everyone is stuck to their party. You know what I'm saying? What Mosa? I was going to say I've met I've met many people who you see them and they're like they're you know they like guys in shul they wear a short jacket, trim beard, right? Yeah, but they're like but like maybe they wear a gartle like a small gartle or something in other words and and they start start speaking to them and they say yeah like I my parents or my grandparents areidish but my parents put us because they didn't you know and like now they're basically like right right and and and and here in Brooklyn the big yeshiva was teras you know tvdas and kerlin which you have in your shoe many people from those yeshivas or you know even though they came from now you know was even though Rabbi Hutner was a quasi but it was a lit yeshiva that was the andas even though didn't say have made yeshiva not say but it was also most of the rebu and gdala you know what I'm saying they they were on the litfish spectrum not misn But you know, so so automatically most now it's fashionable for many of them. Like you say, they put on the gart and the grandkids are starting to grow beards. You know, it's it's it's a whole different format. No, no, no. I'm I'm saying the opposite. I'm saying that that maybe you have that, but I'm saying like their kids now like like let's say they're my age, so maybe like so we're g all in like Lisha. Well, okay. Okay. Okay. Well again and the answer is depending on what yeshiva you go to at the end of the day it depends on what yeshiva you go to so during the time of the one second here during the time of the there was no yeshiva there were very few yeshivas in Russia right now talking about in galitia right in Russia there wasn't so they they uh and if there was it was very small so so the big issue was it last it lasted from 18 early 1802 I think to 1892 or 1812 1800 most of the 1800s was vian had the greatest and you know you have and fine but it was a lit yes now you had the same thing later in the 1900s and tells in in in Europe tells and and the previousb we have to talk about the marash but just for the record the previousb sent a few of his to bells and no to tells to me to the lit yes to not to make them people make a mistake he wasn't looking to you know he wanted the the who came from homes to remain and they took off their longle and they started to shear their beards as it Slabutka, you know, on tails. No one had a beard. That was the objective. And you know, he said, "You guys come from Shahomes, you're Ger, you're this, you're that. You can learn, but why why give away a custom?" That's what bothered him, and that's what he he tried doing. Hill, what do you want to say? I just was curious uh in Israel. It it seems to me that that all of the major yeshivas in America If it's not of course but if it's but you it's in you haven't tal what none of the major yeshivas in the major leish yeshivas which is sort of more normative here than it is in North America it seems and I'll tell you something you know I was in yv and and I went into Aloy they're out in Katamon you know Aloy they're the only kididic group that davens Ashkanaz because they come from theam cipher and which you know just very interesting okay let me go back to the marash so during so during the 1800s we have relatively calm has seven kids passes away in 1866 6. But already in the 18 1861, he doesn't feel well. What what he had exactly is is debatable. But his wife passed away then and it seems like he went into either some kind of depression or he wasn't feeling well and he stopped saying my murm by heart and when he would come out and say a mimer, he would say it from a he would read it. This is this is uh this is substantiated by the new book the that I've told you about Py goldenstein who came finally to and lived in Petraikvah and he was by the in 1864 you hear this and he saw the way that goes onto the bema in the surrounded by his sons and he's reading from ax which was unusual when a labb said like our he never used a a text but he wasn't well he wasn't well so he that's what he did so already years like before 1866 I would say about 10 years before he had his surviving children who were willing to go to different communities around Labavich and to kind of be a semi-rebi reba for them because travel was very hard and they went and they taught and meanwhile they accepted pigonos which had and people gave money with the pigon and that was something that they brought back to because they gave divided amongst his children that was the general's pattern two of his children bar didn't agree to this. They didn't want to travel and be seen as a mini reb which to the oldest shalom which our Reb comes from and the youngest Reb Marash the fourth Reb. So the oldest and the youngest said to their father, "Thank you, father, for the opportunity, but we don't want to do that for whatever reason." But the all the other um four, right, the other four sons, the etc etc. Those sons did did that. And that is why after the passing of the seamic each one moved out to the place in which they had already set up shop and had balabatim during the lifetime of the seamic. So that's why um the the the inad there was a reba injin there was a rebba because the sons already were scouting those area for the father and they had already a group of people who were interested in that. Yes. Is capost one of those? Yes. But with with capost capost capost ko p there that that that that requires an entire discussion because the the father the mariel rahud he was the second son but he passed away shortly after afteric. The left a will and in the will he says that he wants the marel and the youngest to remain in lubage and he speaks about that he giving the house dividing an apartment for each. What happened is that the labidim detected not in the mar but in the son who was referred to as the capister zman of copist who wrote the safer mug of which is he he understood and and realized that the seamedic has a special liking to the youngest his son and he's going to want him to be his successor and he did not want that. So initially he said my father is older and outwardly he's a greater sadic. So why should I wait after the death of my grandfather where there'll be makers I'll set up shop cliently during my grandfather's lifetime. So by the time it passes on later, I'll have an entire uh you know area with money and everything else. And that's what happened. And when the found out about this, they were very upset. Very upset. Unfortunately, the Mariel, the son of the Tamaredic, passed away 3 4 months after his father. He wasn't in labavich before because theim the labavich got wind of this setup before the passed away and there became a very big mas between right so it was so bad that the base rebba who records what I'm telling you he says that the the real there was a mislak that's his language a burning fire there was tremendous you know and he didn't want to be part of it he was really a a sadic that was separated from the world so he ran away to his son in Kapos that's what happened you hear that his son had set himself up in a city called Kapus near Labavage so the father who was instructed by the tamakadic to stay in labavage couldn't stay cuz he didn't want to be part of the Mus. Unfortunately, three months later, he passed away. Of course, the saying it's because he didn't listen to his father and you know, no one will ever know, but that's a fact that he he did pass away 3 months after incapus because and and he so who was left in Labavage the Marash. So, you would think that the Marash would have scott-free. Not so simple. Moshe, not so simple. Why not? The other brothers took him to Adyra. They said just because our father left left you and the older brother a house and said that you should live there doesn't mean that you're the labb that you're the successor of the sedic. No. And they had a dra with a zalman fratkin known as the bales who moved to and I took video of his house on pre street in in outside of mayor. It's now being built but that they say is where he lived. He passed away 1892 and he was a a he was one of the rabbim known as the Radat also came to Jerusalem passed away 6 months after he came in 198 in 1925 and a third grove and they passed and especially the the ter that the Reb Mar should be the labreb you all he said are kabad rebases in your communities no problem but the successor to the inab is the youngest son and this was a novelty and I think today know and mo told me I think that one of the rabbi's sons is related to the sad guru over there and the sad the the sad reba who passed away a few years ago he surprised everyone and he left his youngest son as the rebber and it's caused and causes um a big rift in the community you all know that right so this is this in a similar way this was the case and you when we understand it you're the youngest and you're not known to be as holy as maybe some of the others outwardly how did so so the question is if he's the youngest and he's not outwardly known as the holy the holiest so taken this way so there was testimony given but I said this before but I'm the testimony given by and he was a big and once said and and and people didn't understand so including and he went to each of the brothers to ask him in the in in their father's mimer they couldn't answer he decided he's going to the marash thinking I mean he's he definitely won't be able to answer he's the youngest you He comes to the window and he sees through the window he that he's learning the exact mimer, the exact page implying that he he knows he's going to know it. He comes in and all of a sudden the Mirage is reading a newspaper, a Russian newspaper to hide and he says, "Why are you coming to me? You know, you go to my brothers, they know, you know, I'm just a regular." He says, "I caught you. I saw what you did. If you don't answer me my question, I'm going to tell everyone what I saw. And he told him shot in the mimer. And he repeated this to the best and he said from this I know. And then there's another story with a dream he had. But from this I know that he is he should be the libre. He should be the continue the successor. Another point when our rebba published on behalf of the freed in 1947 the told us the the the history of the reba marash that was the first of any of the labba's told us that was printed not the alterb not the marash because it was the I assume because it was the freba's grandfather and he had a you know and this was during his lifetime 1947 the rebb printed there he got it from probably a a note from the sedic It says open your mouth and and let it shine and he and he wrote that very shortly before he passed away. So understood that that was a special to him that he should be successor. Again is that argumentative? Absolutely. You can argue with that. But we have such a and it was before the passing of the and he said it was the language whatever the exact language is is is not just, you know, open up and talk. It's like, you know, you're talking with divine affluence. You know what I'm saying? It's like you know meaning you're you're the so what we had at the time is inavich with a small group of and then we had uh the grandson that you mentioned here of kapost in kapost with the majority of the majority went there even though he was younger. I think I believe he was younger than the Marash. Not by much, but he was younger. So what is there any uh uh shellas from Kost today? The answer is no. There is someone in Baltimore I think maybe maybe you know who it is I forget the name who comes from and he has somehow access to my murinim that the kapist the rebbber wrote and he's been putting it online I haven't seen him in a while I would imagine Noah Shavick no shabick right right but I exposed learning with what kapas okay but but but again even if he's an active capist there's no cup sh you know this so basically in 1923 the last grandson of the of the of the of the cup passed away his name was noyak of babroyskar noak there's a picture of him he passed away in p giml And that was kind of the end of the cuppister dynasty. Now there was a shul in Manchester that was still they would you know there was a little bit here there but as the years went on it all you know the rebba said in the 50s and 60s you know it it's time cuz they were still fighting out there in Manchester right they said what are you fighting for everyone the previous rebba was left and most people came to like cut it out of it okay it's it was a part of history it's finished let's go on so my answer to you hill would be no do are There people that come from compassimum. Absolutely. In fact here our mashia has nudged me many times. I should gather as many names as I can who were cupster and uh you know but that's that's a that's a hard job but you know stand as there are just like shavick and and and others. But I want to conclude just with one thing. So how is it that the marash who was the youngest and he had the smallest crowd from all the sons okay not just from the cuper I think from the other three four the ner and the ladier he he had it's because really of a few families one is outouse I don't know if you have the you yeah you have in Israel outouse there were a few people who stuck an and the Yanovskis, Rebbit Khana, they they fire and brimstone. They they they they you know they put up with a lot for and and they and they stayed with the program and I would credit the rashab the son of the marash for for the continuation of labavich because he made the yeshiva that yeshiva that he made in 1896 in labavich. The bhavi yeshiva created soldiers. They started to learn deeply not just cursory you know and and it brought back this the previous Reb writes that in 1891 people started to come back to labavich there's such a words in a letter of the and I asked them thinking that this means that the cupper started to come back and they told me yes although the cuper passed away in 1899 but it seems like there was a a a starting to come back. So the way I see it is from 1866 or maybe 1861 till the yeshiva that's like 30 plus years there was a low a low in Lubavich where Lubavich wasn't the strongest and the rebra by making the yeshiva in 1896 he brought it back he brought it back there was a yeshiva and babroysk but they learned mostly gamorra the as we learned you the you know the bay and you know he he and a satila and fabbrangans you didn't have that you didn't have you know fabbrangans in in babroys or in compost I'm not I I want to make it clear it's not that they were they were big don't get me wrong they were bigum in each these were realid But the formality that the yeshiva brought you know every for example in labage every that regulation was so healthy for developing a structure to aidus. So let's say in Kapost you know one if there was a and he took out some mashk and and there was some they sat down but there was no it's not like the mashpia comes the bakar and come and this is part of the program and you have to come to the fabbran it's not like you can or not part of the yeshiva curriculum is to come to bring the rashab is credited with all this so the rashab in a sense resemented his father the marash in the analog of of of of kabad you know history number two is that the reba marash because he was so unknown I heard once from a big a big like he was the most that's I started this he was the most not understood he was a craftsman you know that in the reb's room there's a table that it's online you can see that that he built, but he built it of parts. So his grand one of his grandchildren brought it over to France and from France he sent it over to the Reb and it's today in the Reb's room in in Crown Heights. That's a table that the Reba Marash built. So here you have someone who's very good with his hands. Yes, Moshe. He was also a sofurer. He was a sofurer and he was a pharmacist. I think he knew you know pharmaceutical medicines. Velv. So, so, so [Music] what? Yeah. Yeah. So, so what I'm saying is, and one more important thing, why did like him? Because he was more social. His older brother, the Maril, the father of the of the capister, right? Very serious. Very holy, but very serious. I just I give you a I've said this to Mosha many times. You look at your of Shapiro because he's such a social person. He attracts people. You have other rep on maybe they know more ta than him but they they don't have such a you know in shuls in you know it's the there's a very important social part for understandably one has to be you know holy and and you know but but the social component you know we don't like talking about this but if you think about it the social component is very very important the reba marash because of his his knowledge in carpentry in in in medicine in Saffros and and and he had this easygoingness of to him. He drew the people to Labavich and when it came time to elect a a Reb in Libavich after the passing of the Sedic the commoners wanted the Marash and what did they do? And they knew that the older brother, I told you this in the past, that the older brother, the the cuppist is jocking for the position, right? But they knew they wouldn't have business. There would be less people coming to the train station. The wagoners wouldn't bring people in. There wouldn't be a need for which they paid for room and board and on and on. So they wouldn't they wouldn't make a dime. So what did they do? They concocted, they wrote a pashkil, you know, these notes speaking against the coper. It seemed like it came from it didn't. It came from the commoners who weren't in labage. That's what happened. So, but unfortunately, it caused a big rift. You know, you're writing against us. You're talking against us. So we see clearly that the Marash's character was a very uh important piece in the puzzle of cementing this labavich to remain and again you know we would have to do a real serious study which no one has done and I don't think anyone probably can do it but to to compare the social aspect of these all sons and their with the marash You know what I'm saying? It it would be a very interesting study. But at least what we what we do know a little is what I just told you, the difference between the marash and the marel. And that is why the commoners in the city of Lebabich wanted him. So this I see as a way that continued and and although they were smaller in in numbers the than the cuper and um the cuper had an entire mala right but labavich continued. So I I I credit uh both the son the the the the rash primarily and the the marash because of his personality to this thing and finally the always quoted you you know the you know if the world says if you can't go uh o you go over and I say to begin with you go over like in English would be over the top now I told you once that this is found in one letter of the freed Theba in one letter and our rebba made of this the sisma the uh the logo the marketing line in marketing you know this is the the Coca-Cola whatever the and because the was that type of a person but he sees in in in inbash which is his father-in-law's grandfather this approach how he see it Because the Reb Marash would go to Paris unannounced, park himself in the best hotel, be on the floor that's next to the bar and he went in and saved someone from who was a ye and Nebuch was far away. It's such like bal of like the Reb once said that the Reb Marash conducted himself in a bal of like way you know very unusual that you you wouldn't you wouldn't find a Reb you know imagine in your without the bars no one's going there who went there Rabbi Gman you have one Rabbi Gman I don't care no one's going to bars you know with girls and boys and smoking and drugs just grossman did it and he saved Jews right well Marash so that's very unusual we call it balmpash was in a similar way he did that another thing people don't know it's good to know that he dabbed very early I relate it he ded very early and by 8 8:30 he was finished in other words they would get up they would go to the mikvah they would learn and they finished 9 10:00 Right. I'm talking about daily during the week. It says that he finished it very early which is is also interesting you know kind of it's not the usual for lab to din that early right so so these type of hanhagus you know um customs and and practices that that he displayed through his lifetime um made him on one hand not understood hey just like rabb grow. Use him as an example. What are what are you with your full garb with your hat and your beard and going into a bar? What are you cuckoo like? Come on. You know what? Are you going there with closed eyes? You going to trip over a a girl or you going to trip over a table? You know, so these type of things it shows at the end of the day what kind of tsic he was. He you know he did it to save on Shama. He didn't go there because he he uh you know needed a good drink and he would didn't want to drink in Russia because people would know he's going into a tavern in a bar. So he went to to the to to to a place in in Paris. I it's ridiculous. He went there to save the but outwardly looks doesn't look it doesn't look good. It doesn't sound good. So the these type of things only made him ultimately in the eyes of more re revered. You know, you know the the famous story with which of I forget which Rebba they said we want you to be reb to be a reba leave me alone. Reba I I can't come can read uh I can barely read the olive bay. So they they say you're a liar and they say um he says I'm going to go away and run away and and because he shunned the rabinet the rabbis that only drew people more to him and and I would say that that there's something there also to the marash because he looked more simple on the outside. So when they discovered that he is a sadic and a big saddic and he is a son of and he has a pedigree and he does say he said a lot of we have entire of his not here but uh loves not only because his name is after you know also but he you know learns that you know so today is so first of all it's a great day to ask Hashem through Marash to bring for us in for all the soldiers thoseim should be returned and should be peace and safety and in our personal lives it's um the you read what's the what's the wonder he was born on to some beauty within beauty so um so that's why I thought today with fab and instead of learning the And uh we'll all get together [Applause] tomorrow. Take care. Bye-bye. Yeah, guys. Don't do not drive anywhere. They all the streets the roads leading out of Beamish are closed.