Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

A prodigy in Liozna

Rabbi Schneur Zalman was born on 18 Elul 5505 (1745), according to Chabad tradition, in the town of Liozna in White Russia, to Rabbi Baruch and Rebbetzin Rivkah. The family traced its lineage to the Maharal of Prague. Chabad tradition notes that his birthday falls on the same date as that of the Baal Shem Tov, a connection Chassidim treasure.

Even as a small child he displayed extraordinary gifts. He studied under Rabbi Yissachar Ber in nearby Lubavitch until about age eleven, when his teacher reportedly told his father there was nothing more he could teach him. By his early teens he was recognized as an outstanding scholar, and he also studied mathematics, astronomy and Kabbalah. At fifteen he married Rebbetzin Sterna, daughter of Rabbi Yehudah Leib Segal, a prominent householder of Vitebsk.

In the court of the Maggid

At about twenty, torn between going to the great yeshivos of Vilna to perfect his learning or to Mezritch to learn how to pray, he chose Mezritch. He later explained that he knew a little about learning but nothing about davening. He arrived around 1764–65 and quickly became one of the youngest and most beloved members of the Maggid's inner circle, studying closely with the Maggid's son, Rabbi Avraham the Malach.

The Maggid recognized his exceptional clarity in both halacha and Kabbalah and asked him, while still a young man, to compose a new and clear edition of the Shulchan Aruch, explaining each law together with its reasoning. This became the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, still studied and followed today.

Leader in White Russia

After the Maggid's passing he returned to Liozna, serving as its maggid. He accompanied Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk in a famous but unsuccessful attempt to meet the Vilna Gaon and make peace between Chassidim and their opponents. When Rabbi Menachem Mendel and others emigrated to Eretz Yisroel in 1777, he stayed behind to guide the Chassidim of White Russia and to raise funds for the settlers – the origin of the charity known today as Colel Chabad.

With Rabbi Menachem Mendel's passing in 1788 he became the recognized leader of Chassidus in the region. He developed a distinctive path in which the mind leads the heart: through Chochmah, Binah and Daas – contemplation, understanding and deep knowledge of G-dliness – the emotions are awakened and refined. The initials of these three words give Chabad its name.

The Tanya

Thousands of Chassidim sought private audiences with him, and to answer their questions systematically he composed Likkutei Amarim, better known as the Tanya, first printed in Slavita in 5557 (1796/97). The Tanya maps the inner life of a Jew: the struggle between the G-dly soul and the animal soul, the path of the 'beinoni' who never sins in deed, speech or thought, and practical ways to reach love and fear of Hashem.

The Tanya became the foundational text of Chabad and one of the most studied works of Chassidic thought. Chassidim call it the 'Written Torah' of Chassidus, and in the last century it has been printed in thousands of editions around the world.

Imprisonment and Yud-Tes Kislev

In the autumn of 1798, following accusations by opponents of Chassidus, he was arrested and taken to St. Petersburg on suspicion of treason, partly because he sent funds to Eretz Yisroel, then under Ottoman rule. He was held in the Peter and Paul Fortress for fifty-three days and interrogated. On 19 Kislev 5559 – the yahrzeit of the Maggid – he was released.

Chassidim saw his release as a heavenly vindication of Chassidus itself, and 19 Kislev is celebrated by Chabad as the 'Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus'. In 1800 he was arrested a second time and was freed after Czar Alexander I came to the throne the following year.

Liadi and the final journey

After his second release he settled in the town of Liadi, where he led his Chassidim for about eleven years. In 1810 a fire destroyed much of his manuscripts, including large portions of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav.

When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, the Alter Rebbe actively supported the Russian side, reportedly fearing that a French victory would bring material comfort to Jews but spiritual decline. As the French army approached he fled eastward with his family. Exhausted and ill from the harsh winter journey, he passed away in the village of Piena near Kursk on Motzei Shabbos, 24 Teves 5573. Since there was no Jewish cemetery there, he was buried in Hadiach in the Poltava region.

Legacy

He was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Dovber, the Mitteler Rebbe, and the dynasty continued through his grandson the Tzemach Tzedek and the Rebbeim of Lubavitch. His discourses were collected in Torah Ohr and Likkutei Torah, and his siddur established the Nusach Ari prayer rite used by Chabad. Today Chabad-Lubavitch, rooted in his teachings, is one of the most widespread Jewish movements in the world.

He also left a musical legacy. Several niggunim are attributed to him, among them the solemn 'Niggun of Four Stanzas', which Chabad Chassidim sing with great reverence on special occasions such as Yud-Tes Kislev and weddings. For his Chassidim, his path joined head and heart: deep study of G-dliness that leads to heartfelt prayer and to practical kindness toward every Jew.