The Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch: A Life of Courage, Torah, and Chassidic Leadership

Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, known by the title of his responsa, Tzemach Tzedek, was born on the 29th of Elul, 5549 (1789), in the city of Liadi. His father was Rabbi Shalom Shachna, and his mother was Rebbetzin Devorah Leah, the daughter of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the author of the Tanya.

He was named after Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. When he was four years old, he lost his mother, and his holy grandfather, the author of the Tanya, took him under his care and raised him.

Even in his early years he began writing Torah insights, both in the revealed and inner dimensions of Torah, based on what he heard from his grandfather, adding his own original depth.

Marriage, Exile, and Leadership

In the year 5563 (1803), he married his cousin, a daughter of Rabbi Dov Ber of Lubavitch, later known as the Mitteler Rebbe.

During the turmoil of the war between Russia and France, he fled together with his grandfather, the author of the Tanya, and was with him at the time of his passing on the 24th of Tevet, 5573 (1813), in the village of Piena.

After the passing of his father in law and uncle, Rabbi Dov Ber, on the 9th of Kislev, 5588 (1827), the leading chassidim resolved to crown Rabbi Menachem Mendel with the mantle of leadership. For a long time he refused, until their persistent pleas finally moved him to accept.

Thousands of chassidim, Torah scholars, and God fearing Jews gathered around him, drawing light and strength from his sanctity and wisdom.

The Era of the Cantonist Decrees: Mesirut Nefesh for Jewish Children

His leadership coincided with a time of severe crisis for Russian Jewry, the era of the Cantonist decrees. Jewish boys were seized from their families and taken to be raised under the Czar’s rule until adulthood, then forced into decades of military service. In those settings, they were pressured and brutalized in attempts to tear them away from Torah and Judaism.

Tragically, some Jews who had abandoned Torah cooperated with the authorities, and kidnapped children for money.

The Tzemach Tzedek devoted himself with extraordinary courage to saving Jewish children, both physically and spiritually. He sent people to teach them, strengthen them, and help them keep mitzvot even under terrifying conditions. This work placed his own life in danger, since such efforts could be treated as rebellion against the state.

He also fought fiercely against the kidnappers, without fear of any man, and his door remained open to those trapped in the army system, even at times when others could not enter.

Passing and Legacy

The Tzemach Tzedek passed away on Thursday, the 13th of Nissan, 5626 (1866), and was laid to rest in Lubavitch.

At his request, no honorific titles were engraved on his tombstone. Instead, it recorded a single defining truth: that he brought many back from sin.

May his merit protect us and all of Israel, Amen.

What Is a Chassid: Living for the Good of Another

In a talk delivered on the 19th of Kislev, 5667 (1906), Rabbi Shalom DovBer of Lubavitch, the Rebbe Rashab, shared a striking definition he once heard from Rabbi Dov Ber Zvi Kozevnikov, known as the Radaz.

When asked, “What is a chassid,” he answered: A chassid is someone who dedicates himself to seeking the good of another.

The Radaz explained that this was the way the elder chassidim educated their children, to plant in them a deep inner instinct to care for others with true devotion.

He told how, as a young boy in a small town, he felt intense compassion for simple Jews who did not even know the meaning of the prayer words. He set a regular time to teach them the siddur and share teachings from the sages. It was hard for him, especially because he struggled with speech, yet he did not stop.

At age seventeen he traveled to Lubavitch and entered a private audience with the Tzemach Tzedek, describing his work and how difficult speaking was for him. The Rebbe told him to continue teaching the simple people, blessed him with the ability to explain clearly, and with pleasant speech.

The Radaz later said that after leaving the Rebbe, he felt like a different person. His speech flowed, and his Torah could be expressed with clarity. The Rebbe Rashab concluded: this is the reward of a chassid who gives himself over to the good of another.

Three Short Stories of Guidance and Transformation

The Merchant, the Doctor, and the Childless Man

A story is told of three men in Minsk: a merchant who kept losing money, a doctor who could not earn a living, and a wealthy man without children. They traveled to the Tzemach Tzedek for guidance.

The merchant was told to sleep later and rise very early. The doctor was told to dress with dignity and acquire a horse and wagon so people would take him seriously. The wealthy man was told to spend a night, together with his wife, in a guesthouse where the poor slept.

Each instruction uncovered something hidden: theft in the shop, the importance of presence and respect in the doctor’s work, and the painful effects of stinginess and cruelty toward the needy.

“Blessing Comes Where There Is Action”

The Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, taught that blessing is like rain. Rain helps only after the field has been plowed and seeded. A blessing takes hold where there is real effort and practical work, especially when one is acting for the good of the community.

“Because With Joy You Will Go Out”

A story is told of a chassidic grain merchant who faced financial disaster due to a major mistake. Instead of collapsing, he began to sing a joyful chassidic melody, recalling the Rebbe’s teaching: “With joy you will go out,” meaning that joy can open a path out of constriction.

In the end, events turned in a surprising way, and he was saved from loss. The chassid explained that joy was not denial, but a spiritual tool that created a vessel for salvation.

Teachings in Brief: Precision, Responsibility, and Inner Healing

Hiddenness and the Deeper Request

A parable is cited in the name of the Tzemach Tzedek about a king who exiled his son. The son, freezing in the forest, asks a passerby for a sack to cover himself, not realizing the passerby is the king. The pain is that even after all the concealment, the son does not understand that what he truly needs is to ask to return home.

The lesson is that concealment is intended to awaken deeper longing, not just for relief, but for closeness.

Be Careful With Your Words

A teaching recorded in a letter of the Previous Rebbe attributes this to the Tzemach Tzedek: when a Jew speaks, his words travel among people. When he writes, his words stand before the world. When something is printed, it remains for generations. If the sages warned, “Be careful with your words,” how much more so must ordinary people be cautious.

“Heal Me” as Freedom From Desire

On the verse “Hashem my God, I cried to You and You healed me,” the Tzemach Tzedek is quoted as interpreting “heal me” as: weaken me from the cravings of this world, loosen my grip on the things that enslave the heart.

“Until You Show Us Favor”

A teaching is cited on the prayer line, “Our eyes are turned to You until You show us favor,” explaining why the text can speak of servants and yet still trust in compassion: one who acquires a servant is said to acquire a master for himself. In other words, responsibility is built into the relationship, and we rely on that Divine responsibility with confidence.

A Unifying Thread

Across biography, stories, and teachings, a single theme emerges. The Tzemach Tzedek represents a Judaism that is both courageous and tender, principled and practical, mystical yet deeply grounded.

He fought for Jewish children when it was dangerous to do so. He demanded moral clarity when it was costly. He taught that blessing needs action, that words carry weight, and that the deepest healing is not only the end of pain, but the return to inner truth.