Pinkas Kethavim U’Keruzim Hanoge’a LeDivrei Rivoth U’Machloketh al Devar Ha’Av Beth Din Ha’Acharon BeVilna, 1768-1790.

One of the most notorious cause-celebres of the 18th century was the thirty-year communal dispute between the Vilna Community and their Rabbi, Samuel ben Avigdor. The contention began as a struggle for power between the Rabbi and the lay-leadership. It divided the community and spread to outlying cities involving rabbis, from as far afield as Posen and communal tribunals from Brisk, Horodna, Slutzk as well as the civil and ecclesiastical authorities. Eventually, the Gaon of Vilna and the leaders of Chabad Chasidim became involved. As a result, there was no official Chief Rabbi in Vilna until after World War I when the title was revived, with another bitter controversy between Chaim Ozer Grodzensky and Isaac Rubinstein. This chronicle is exceptionally rare. Israel Klausner, who based his research for his book Vilna Be’tekufath Ha’gaon (Jerusalem, 1942) on this document, could locate only a single copy. Earlier studies of the dispute include: I. Zinberg in Historishe Schriften, Vol. II pp. 291-37 and S. Y. Finn in: Kirya Ne’emana, pp. 138-43. Finn did not have access to this chronicle and relied on an oral description from the elders of the community. A radical Chasidic interpretation of this controversy was addressed by Y. Mondshein in Kerem Chabad, vol. IV.