53 Days in Prison: Why Was the Baal HaTanya Arrested?

In 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, known as the Baal HaTanya, was arrested by the Russian authorities and taken from the town of Liozna to St. Petersburg. The stated grounds for his arrest were accusations portraying his activities as politically dangerous. At the center of the allegations was the work of the Chassidim: collecting money and sending it to the Land of Israel, which at the time was under Ottoman rule.

The episode lasted 53 days and ended with his release on Yud-Tet Kislev, 5559, a day that would become known among Chabad Chassidim as the “Festival of Liberation” and the “New Year of Chassidism.”

But what was really behind the lengthy arrest?

Why Was the Baal HaTanya Considered a Threat?

By the end of the 18th century, the Chassidic movement had already become a major force in Eastern Europe. Rabbi Schneur Zalman led the Chassidim of Lithuania and White Russia, a region that was also one of the most significant centers of opposition to Chassidism.

The conflict between Chassidim and Misnagdim was not merely a theological disagreement. It included disputes over the authority of righteous leaders, approaches to serving Hashem, prayer, and the study of Kabbalah. In some places, the conflict escalated to the point of informing on opponents to the secular authorities.

In 1798, a denunciation was submitted to the Russian authorities against Rabbi Schneur Zalman, portraying him as a threat to the state.

The timing was significant. Russia under Tsar Paul I was living in the shadow of the French Revolution and feared subversive movements. The government was particularly sensitive to organized activity that could be portrayed as having connections beyond the empire’s borders. Against that backdrop, even traditional Jewish charitable activity could take on a very different meaning in the eyes of the authorities.

One of the central issues Rabbi Schneur Zalman was questioned about was the transfer of money to the Land of Israel. Russian Jews traditionally sent charitable funds to support the Jewish community there, and Rabbi Schneur Zalman was involved in raising and sending those funds.

From the Jewish community’s perspective, this was familiar charitable activity. But the accusers presented it very differently. The Land of Israel was part of the Ottoman Empire, a rival of Russia, and the donations could therefore be portrayed as money being transferred to the territory of a hostile power.

The accusations went beyond the money. The denunciation also portrayed Chassidism as a kind of new religion forbidden by law and claimed that its leaders encouraged young people to take money from their parents and give it to the movement’s leaders.

Arrested and Taken to St. Petersburg

In October 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman was arrested on the night following Simchat Torah. Soldiers arrived at his home in Liozna, and he was taken under guard to a waiting carriage.

From there, the journey to St. Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire, began. Chabad tradition emphasizes that he was transported in a black carriage used for prisoners considered especially dangerous.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, one of the major detention centers of tsarist Russia. There, the interrogations began.

The investigation sought to determine the true nature of the activities in which he was involved. What was Chassidism? Who led it? What was Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s role? Where did the collected money come from, and where was it being sent? What connected Chassidim living in different cities?

Above all, the authorities wanted to determine whether Chassidism was simply an internal Jewish religious movement or an organized group with political significance.

Documents from the Russian investigation have survived, allowing historians to reconstruct parts of the episode. They indicate that Rabbi Schneur Zalman succeeded in disproving the accusations against him, and at the end of November he was released from prison in St. Petersburg.

53 Days Later: The Festival of Liberation

On Yud-Tet Kislev, 5559, Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s 53-day imprisonment came to an end.

According to Chabad tradition, at the time of his release he was reading Tehillim and had reached the verse:

“He redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me, for many were with me” (Psalms 55:19).

The date of his release, Yud-Tet Kislev, later became a central celebration among Chabad Chassidim, known as the “Festival of Liberation.”

Soon after his release, Rabbi Schneur Zalman wrote a letter to his followers beginning with the words, “I am humbled by all the kindnesses.” Rather than encouraging celebration at the expense of his opponents, he cautioned his followers against revenge or boasting about victory over the Misnagdim. Instead, he urged the Chassidim to respond with humility and reconciliation. The letter has been preserved among the writings of the Baal HaTanya.

About two years later, in 1800, Rabbi Schneur Zalman was arrested for a second time following another denunciation. This time, the accusations were connected to Rabbi Avigdor ben Chaim, the ousted rabbi of Pinsk, who brought claims against Chassidism and Rabbi Schneur Zalman before the Russian authorities.

The second imprisonment also ended with Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s release.