A brief glimpse into the life of R’ Avrohom Schneersohn, the son of Admur Reb Yisroel Noach of Niezhin and the father-in-law of the Rebbe Rayatz. Many wanted him to take on the mantle of leadership, but in his humility he refused. About a Chassid who was invigorated from the maamarei Chassidus that he received from his son-in-law overseas and who yearned to hear his grandson, over forty years younger than him, review Chassidus.
The renovated burial place of R’ Avrohom Schneersohn in Kishinev
R’ Avrohom Schneersohn was born on 11 Sivan 5620/1860 in Lubavitch. His father was the Admur, R’ Yisroel Noach, known as Maharin of Niezhin, who was the son of the Tzemach Tzedek.
He married Rebbetzin Yocheved on 15 Kislev. She was the daughter of R’ Yehoshua Falik Scheinberg, a distinguished Chassid in Kishinev, Moldavia.
After he married, he settled in Kishinev and devoted himself to Torah study and prayer. He was famous for his righteousness, his Chassidus, and his extraordinary humility.
ADVICE FROM HIS UNCLE
We learn of the fondness between the holy brothers, R’ Yisroel Noach of Niezhin and the Rebbe Maharash, and perhaps also the reason why R’ Avrohom refused to take on the mantle of leadership in Niezhin after the passing of his father, from the following incident that occurred not long before the passing of the two brothers.
While in Kishinev, he once went to visit his father in Niezhin and he said to his father: Before I receive welcome greetings from you, I want to have yechidus with you. I did not come here as a son, but as a Chassid.
R’ Yisroel Noach said: I understand that you need advice. If so, go to your uncle in Lubavitch.
When he arrived in Lubavitch, Rebbetzin Rivka received him as an important guest. She set the table for him and the Rebbe Maharash joined them and spent about half an hour with them. When the Rebbe Maharash got up to go, R’ Avrohom said to him: Uncle, I need yechidus.
The Rebbe Maharash said: Tonight a vein in my body ruptured and I tore a piece of material from my shirt in order to bandage it and I am suffering terribly. However, this pain is nothing and of no significance when compared to receiving someone for yechidus. Tomorrow, G-d willing, I will see you.
When he returned to his father in Niezhin, his father said: Nu, did you get good advice from your uncle, Maharash?
After the passing of his father, R’ Yisroel Noach, his father’s Chassidim begged him to be his successor in Niezhin, but he refused to accept the position. After all, he had received good advice from the Rebbe Maharash.
“His truth and mesirus nefesh,” said R’ Avrohom about the Rebbe Rashab, “are two pillars of light. To what level of truth and mesirus nefesh this person can reach, nobody can apprehend, especially the truth and mesirus nefesh of a comprehensive soul. I knew who would succeed the Rebbe Maharash.”
R’ Avrohom remained in Kishinev and went into business. Even then, he spent most of his days and nights involved in Torah and avoda until his last day. The Rebbe Rashab once said to his son, “You can learn truth and the attribute of humility from your father-in-law.”
He was considered one of the eminent personalities of the community and when the question arose about appointing a new rav, he and his brother-in-law, R’ Tzvi Scheinberg, were among those who worked to get a Chassidishe rav appointed, Rav Tzirelson.
MECHUTAN OF THE REBBE
When the Rebbe Rayatz became of age for a shidduch, many suggestions were proposed, including suggestions from wealthy people who promised large dowries. The Rebbe Rayatz’s parents, the Rebbe Rashab and Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah, were inclined toward a shidduch with the daughter of R’ Avrohom Schneersohn, while the Rebbe Rayatz’s grandmother, Rebbetzin Rivka, preferred other suggestions.
They decided to ask the young man himself. His parents told him about the shidduch suggestions and said that as per the account in the Torah about the marriage of Yitzchok and Rivka in which it says, “we will ask her,” they were asking him his opinion about the matter.
He said to his parents: In that same section it says, “Take a wife for my son from my family and my father’s house …”
On 28 Sivan 5656/1896, the Rebbe’s tenaim took place with the daughter of R’ Avrohom Schneersohn. The farbrengens in celebration of the shidduch took place at the country retreat in Balivka (near the Krasnaya train station) and lasted seven days.
At the tenaim, R’ Avrohom told his son-in-law to be that at his own wedding festivities his father said the maamer, “HaMaggid M’Reishis Acharis,” in the hopes that the Rebbe Rashab would say a maamer on these same words, but the Rebbe declined, saying that we do not follow that version (our custom is that in the tenaim document it does not say these words; rather, it starts with the words, “L’Mazal tov yaaleh v’yitzmach”).
IF YOU MERELY OPEN – IT WILL POUR
In the years that followed, he worked in the wine business. The wines he produced were kept in the cellar of Yeshivas Tomchei T’mimim in Lubavitch, and the bachurim would farbreng with this wine and say l’chaim.
Every now and then, the father-in-law enjoyed the visit of his holy son-in-law and his household. On these visits, the (Rebbe) Rayatz would review maamarim for his father-in-law that his father had said in Lubavitch. When the Rebbe Rashab would write to his son during these visits, he would inquire about the welfare of his father-in-law.
THE MARRIAGE OF HIS GRANDDAUGHTER
In 5689/1929, R’ Avrohom attended the wedding of his granddaughter, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, with the Ramash, as our Rebbe was known at the time. With the absence of the groom’s father, R’ Avrohom sat next to him, and on his other side sat his son-in-law, the father of the kalla, the Rebbe Rayatz.
About two weeks before the wedding, his excitement was very great. In a letter that he wrote to his son-in-law, the Rebbe, he said he was not sure whether to arrive a few days before the wedding in order to see his granddaughters or whether that would make it harder for his daughter who was preoccupied with wedding preparations.
Another thing on his mind was how to bring silver items as a gift to the wedding when items such as these were confiscated on the Romanian border between Kishinev and Warsaw.
HE LIVED FROM THE MAAMARIM
His great admiration for his son-in-law, the Rebbe Rayatz, is apparent in a letter that he wrote to his daughter, Rebbetzin Nechama Dina, in Tamuz 5690/1930 in which he wrote, “From your husband, my dear son-in-law, HaRav HaKadosh shlita, I received the Chassidus (discourses) from 12-13 Tammuz from America, to my great delight, thank G-d. This is all the nachas there is in the world…”
On another occasion, “Yesterday I received a letter from your husband, my son-in-law…. This letter revived me. He sent me a maamer Chassidus that he said before Rosh HaShana, excellent Chassidus; I greatly enjoyed both the letter and the maamer Chassidus. He writes that every Shabbos he says Chassidus; he has already said Chassidus thirteen times. May Hashem give him strength, mind and success.”
In another letter to his daughter he wrote: “I am very happy that your husband, my son-in-law, is traveling to Eretz Yisroel. It is really a great thing and I hope that his prayers are accepted for good for himself and for all of us within Klal Yisroel, that the Jewish people be speedily uplifted with a true salvation, Hashem willing, and that Hashem fulfill all requests, material and spiritual, in all details, as per his will, and that Hashem pave his road to America with great success and great honor and that he return home with success and with all good, forever.
“Write to me when your son-in-law, my dear grandson, R’ Mendel comes from Berlin to Riga.”
The last line of the letter reveals to us that the son-in-law of the son-in-law, i.e. our Rebbe, was greatly admired by his grandfather who looked forward to his arrival in Latvia.
A few months later, R’ Avrohom told his household about the farbrengen of his grandson through marriage:
“Much nachas and pleasure was had from the Yom Tov Simchas Torah, from the joyous seuda, especially when my dear grandson, R’ Mendel, said Chassidus for three hours. I cannot express at all in a letter my delight in this, I hope that Hashem will help me see you soon and hear how my dear grandson Mendel says Chassidus.”
Being the son of a long line of holy people he accumulated many holy items. In a letter to his granddaughter, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, he told her to whom he wanted to give the silver ke’ara from his father, which he got from the Cherkasser:
“I have a silver ke’ara, my inheritance from my father which he received from R’ Yaakov Yisroel [of Cherkass]. I want to give this ke’ara to your husband, my dear son-in-law, since my mechutenista Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah [the mother of the Rebbe Rayatz] is his granddaughter, but sending a silver item from here is very hard.”
He fell sick in the summer of 1937 and deteriorated after Sukkos. He passed away on the eve of 2 Cheshvan 5698 and was buried in Kishinev. His wife had passed away almost two decades earlier on 16 Cheshvan in 5680.
Sources: Beis Moshiach, Yemei Chabad, Igros Kodesh, Zichron Livnei Yisroel, Kovetz 14 Kislev, Toldos Mishpachas HaRav M’Liadi, Shmuos V’Sippurim