The Tzemach Tzedek (צמח צדק) — Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (1789–1866)

Core definition

The Tzemach Tzedek — Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (5549–5626 / 1789–1866), named for his responsa work Tzemach Tzedek — was the third Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, grandson of the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi) and successor of the Mitteler Rebbe. He led Chabad for 38 years (5588–5626), guiding it through the Cantonist decrees and the Haskalah's assault, and his voluminous writings — responsa, derushim, Derech Mitzvosecha, glosses on the Tanya — form a central stratum of Chabad Torah [15966/maamar_031 :: §38].

How the Rebbeim develop it

Birth and upbringing. "His honor, our master, my grandfather, the holy Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, was born to his honor, his father, the holy Rebbe, R. Shalom Shachna — and the honor of his mother, the Rebbetzin Leah" — the Alter Rebbe's second daughter [31621/sicha_001 :: §125–126]. As a four-year-old, his grandfather the Alter Rebbe would tell him to listen to the young men retelling what they had heard from the elder chassidim [31621/sicha_001 :: §103–104].

The oven. In the winter of 5555 or 5556, the nine-year-old Tzemach Tzedek longed to hear the Alter Rebbe's Friday-night Torah but was refused; he hid in the great oven, inclined his ear, and heard — until the non-Jew stoking the fire found him. When his mother cried out, "strangers you let in, your own child you refused!", the Alter Rebbe answered: "Sha, sha — Moshe Rabbeinu came through a fire to Mount Sinai and merited that Mattan Torah be through him. Torah is taken only with mesirus nefesh. He will be well and have long life." The blessing was for 90–100 years; he lived 77 — the thirteen missing years explained by the unfulfilled 5626 mission concerning the Baal Shem Tov's tziyun [31621/michtav_005 :: §123–135 Summary, §232 Summary].

The transmission. He "received from his father — the Alter Rebbe — from the finest flour and from the fat of the light of Torah and avodah that he received from the masters of the Torah of Chassidus: the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezritch, and the holy Malach" [31621/sicha_001 :: §107]. And "through his avodah in mesirus nefesh, in ahavat Yisrael, and especially in limud zechus and demonstrating the wonders of simple people's virtue in perfect faith — merited the inner revelation of pnimiyus Abba, pnimiyus Atik" [31621/sicha_001 :: §108].

"The Moshe Rabbeinu of this generation." On a journey through White Russia he secluded himself for three days in a continuous fast in a forest inn, singing the Alter Rebbe's "Four Stanzas" niggun in tremendous weeping. Afterward R' Aizik of Homel taught "vayechal Moshe" and the "extension of Moshe in every generation," concluding — "bay unz in er" — that the Tzemach Tzedek was "der Moshe Rabbeinu fun dem dor," the Moshe Rabbeinu of this generation [15966/maamar_031 :: §621–625, Summary].

His Torah's character. Answering R' Hillel of Paritch's complaint that his travels left him idle from Torah and avodah, the Tzemach Tzedek taught six things, including: "one must set aside oneself for the other — one must give away one's own good, what is good for oneself, for the sake of the other"; and "to illuminate — making light — is possible only with the light of Chassidus" [31621/shonot_002 :: §86–102]. His derushim — e.g., on "Noteh tzafon al tohu" (Iyov 26:7) — are cited across the corpus [31621/michtav_005 :: §262].

Key distinctions

The grandson-disciple. Unlike a successor from outside, the Tzemach Tzedek was raised inside the Alter Rebbe's court — hearing the Friday-night Torah from the oven at nine, receiving the old maamarim repeated "especially before his grandson" [31621/michtav_005 :: §241] — making him the living bridge from the founders to the later Rebbeim.

Mesirus nefesh as his signature. From the oven (Torah "taken only with mesirus nefesh") to the three-day fast, to the merit of pnimiyus Abba/Atik "through his avodah in mesirus nefesh" — self-sacrifice is the thread of his biography in the corpus [31621/michtav_005 :: Summary; 31621/sicha_001 :: §108; 15966/maamar_031 :: Summary].

Ahavat Yisrael and limud zechus. His distinctive avodah: love of Israel expressed as judging favorably and revealing the virtue of simple people in perfect faith [31621/sicha_001 :: §108].

Related concepts

• The Alter Rebbe — his grandfather and teacher; the Friday-night Torah; the oven blessing.
• The Mitteler Rebbe — his uncle and predecessor in the nesi'us.
• Mesirus nefesh — the signature of his life and Torah.
• Nesi'us — the Alter Rebbe's hint regarding his leadership [15966/maamar_031 :: §621].
• Chabad Rebbeim — the chain: Baal Shem Tov → Maggid → Alter Rebbe → Mitteler Rebbe → Tzemach Tzedek.

Sources

• 31621/sicha_001: birth to R. Shalom Shachna and Rebbetzin Leah; the four-year-old listening to the stories; the transmission "from the finest flour"; mesirus nefesh, ahavat Yisrael, limud zechus; pnimiyus Abba/Atik.
• 31621/michtav_005: the oven story at age nine; the Alter Rebbe's "Torah is taken only with mesirus nefesh"; the 77 years; the repeated old maamarim; the derush on "Noteh tzafon al tohu."
• 15966/maamar_031 (Rayatz's letter, Sivan 5695): the three-day fast in the forest inn; R' Aizik of Homel's teaching; "der Moshe Rabbeinu fun dem dor."
• 31621/shonot_002: the maamar to R' Hillel of Paritch — setting aside oneself for the other; light only through Chassidus.