Dov Baer of Lubavitch (Mitteler Rebbe). Ma'amarim [Chassidic discourses]

(CHASSIDISM).

Ben-Zion Judah Leib (Scribe)

Ushatz (Ushachi, Belarus)

1827

Hebrew. Aschkenazic cursive script. Many hands. Title within artistic surround

A talented cadre of dedicated scribes preserved for posterity the spiritual legacy of Chabad Chasidism. The oral discourses (ma'amorim) of the Admo”rim, usually delivered on Sabbaths and holidays, when it is forbidden by Jewish law to write, would be recorded later and submitted to the Rebbe for review. If they met with the Rebbe's approval, they would be designated “Mugah” (Proofread). A “buch” (book) or “bichel” (booklet) penned by a superior scribe would be prized highly. In time, a unique paleography developed, with the letters formed in a recognizably “Lubavitch” style. This "bichel" of Lubavitch Chassidism contains six discourses of R. Dov Baer Shneuri (1773-1827), referred to as the Mitteler Rebbe. They are as follows: I. Vayehi be-etzem ha-yom ha-zeh (published in Torath Chaim — Exodus, Bo); II. Koh tevarchu eth b'nei yisrael (published in Ma'amrei Admor ha-Emtza'i, Bamidbar, Vol. I [Brooklyn, 1986], pp. 222-299; III. Az yashir yisrael alei be'er (published in Ma'amrei Admor ha-Emtza'i, Bamidbar IV [Brooklyn, 1987], pp. 1403-1446); IV. Hechaltzu me-itchem anashim la-tzava (published in Ma'amrei Admor ha-Emtza'i, Bamidbar V [Brooklyn, 1990], pp. 1739-1814); V. Al tatzer eth mo'av (published in Ma'amrei Admor ha-Emtza'i, Devarim, Vol. I [Brooklyn, 1986], pp. 1-104); VI. Ki tezei la-milchamah al oyvecha (published in Ma'amrei Admor ha-Emtza'i, Devarim II [Brooklyn, 1986], pp. 481-549). The town of Ushatz (today in Belarus), figures prominently in the annals of Chabad history. In 1780, Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of the movement, penned an epistle to the Chassidic community of Ushatz (Admor ha-Zaken, Igroth Kodesh, Vol. I, chap. 2).