We are in the sixth lesson on the genealogy of the Chabad Rebbes and the princes of Beis Rabbi, in the fifth part of the description of the life of Admur Hazaken - the events from 5551 onwards.
Regarding the year "5551", the Rebbe brings in Shalsheles Hayachas: "His writings in Nigleh and Nistar spread far and wide" - the writings of Admur Hazaken, in Nigleh and in the pnimiyus of the Torah, attained very wide distribution.
A more detailed description exists regarding his writings in Nistar, in the Tanya. In a record written by the previous Rebbe, it is described how chassidim sought out copies of the sefer Tanya with great longing. They knew there was a sefer called "Sefer Shel Beinonim", a sefer that provides an order of advice and guidance in the avodah of tefillah and the avodah of teshuvah, and they would copy it. The ones in charge among Chabad chassidim chose Jews with clear and beautiful handwriting, who were also sensible and reliable, and tasked them with copying the Tanya - since it was not yet available in print. They made copy after copy, and specifically they would be the ones to distribute it, so that corrupted copies would not circulate - sometimes due to inadvertent errors, and sometimes intentional errors.
In every chassidic settlement, the previous Rebbe describes, hundreds of chassidim - even the simplest ones, who were not great scholars - requested to have a copy of the sefer, a copy of the Tanya; and within a few months the sefer became known and spread to many countries outside of Russia as well - to Romania, Galicia, and more. Later in the record it is described that there were also those who intentionally copied it with forgeries and things that would create the impression of heresy and the like, in order to speak against the chassidim, and it describes there how they dealt with the matter. In any case, it describes here how the writings of Admur Hazaken spread in 5551.
"5554 - He prints his sefer Hilchos Talmud Torah" from the Shulchan Aruch. The part that Admur Hazaken printed himself during his lifetime was Hilchos Talmud Torah, in the year 5554. The first printing was in Shklov, and the author's name was not indicated on the sefer; he gave the world a composition on Hilchos Talmud Torah, without anyone knowing who authored it. The sefer was very well received, even among the great misnagdim, who did not know who the author was.
It is told that the Gaon of Vilna saw the sefer, and saw the Kuntres Acharon that Admur Hazaken wrote in the margins of the page in Hilchos Talmud Torah, and was amazed that there was an act of true genius here - and he did not know who the author was. The Rebbe writes in one of his letters why Admur Hazaken made a point of printing specifically Hilchos Talmud Torah as his first sefer: to emphasize the obligation of every Jew to learn Torah, to support Torah, and to conduct his life according to the Torah. Therefore, this was the first thing that Admur Hazaken printed.
"5557 - He prints the sefer Tanya" The sefer Tanya was printed during the lifetime of Admur Hazaken, in the year 5557, after Hilchos Talmud Torah. These are the two things that Admur Hazaken printed himself from his seforim: Hilchos Talmud Torah and the sefer Tanya. The exact date of the printing of the Tanya appears in "Hayom Yom" for 20 Kislev - Tuesday, 20 Kislev 5557, in the city of Slavita; then the sefer Tanya was printed for the first time, and we have already seen this as well in the sefer "Hayom Yom".
We spoke about the fact that Admur Hazaken began to recite the Tanya in the year 5550; every Shabbos and Yom Tov he would say half a chapter or a third of a chapter, depending on the length of the chapter. And on 9 Kislev 5554, after three years, Admur Hazaken concluded chapter 53 in Tanya. The printing was years later, in 5557.
It is interesting to note the connection between the two seforim that Admur Hazaken printed - Hilchos Talmud Torah and the sefer Tanya - two seforim that complement each other. In Hilchos Talmud Torah, Admur Hazaken elaborates mainly on the halachos, how a person fulfills his obligation in the mitzvah of learning Torah; whereas the sefer Tanya explains the pnimiyus - what is the inner content of the mitzvah of learning Torah, and what is the purpose of a Jew specifically in learning. In many places throughout the chapters, Admur Hazaken explains the pnimiyus and the reason for studying Torah. The complement is evident even in the numbers: in the sefer Tanya that was first printed, Likkutei Amarim, there are 53 chapters, and with the introduction - 54; and in Hilchos Talmud Torah there are fifty-four halachos. We see a literal parallel between the first two things that Admur Hazaken printed.
The next thing that appears here is the year "5559", two years after the printing of the Tanya: on "Isru Chag of Sukkos he was imprisoned". The imprisonment of Admur Hazaken was on Isru Chag of the holiday of Sukkos. There is a very interesting description, which does not appear in all versions, but in the sefer "Beis Rabbi" the sequence of events when they came to arrest Admur Hazaken is described, and I will bring an interesting point from there.
They slandered Admur Hazaken that he was rebelling against the monarchy, and an order was issued to bring him to the capital city and investigate whether the matter was true or not. They sent a tough and wicked officer to bring him. The officer arrived at the home of Admur Hazaken and entered his room, and Admur Hazaken - since it was Isru Chag, after the holiday of Sukkos during which tefillin are not worn - was wrapped in tallis and tefillin in the middle of tefillah. The officer said he would not disturb him, that they should let him finish his tefillah, and he went outside to eat and drink in the meantime until he finished.
In that same room, while Admur Hazaken was praying, there was a certain Jew named Rabbi DovBer Litman, one of the local residents of Liozna. Admur Hazaken said to him: The order is, that when they come to take someone to prison - first of all one must flee, as it is stated "And Yaakov fled"; or in the words of the verse "hide yourself for a brief moment" - to hide a little, not a true escape. And why? Because when severe judgments are aroused against a person, when they come to imprison him, he must hide, and then the judgments are sweetened, and afterwards we will see what will be. Admur Hazaken said to him: We must flee now.
Admur Hazaken removed his tallis and tefillin. He could not leave through the regular door, since the officer was sitting there waiting; but there was a door in his room that led outside in another direction, and from there he left the room and his house. It is described there that this Jew carried the Rebbe on his shoulders, and led him toward the river, and there was a cemetery there, and Admur Hazaken hid in the cemetery. That Jew went and brought a wagon driver with a wagon, and in haste they took Admur Hazaken to another place, to an inn.
Meanwhile, after some time, the officer went inside to see if he had finished his tefillah, and saw that the Rebbe was not there. He understood that something had happened here, and began to shout: "Where did he disappear to?". He asked the Rebbetzin where he was, and even struck her, and it is described there how angry he was - that he threatened to burn down the entire town, and had already brought barrels and fire all around. And when he saw that the shouting was ineffective and the threats were ineffective, he changed his style of speaking and said gently: "Reveal to me where he is located, for ultimately I will find him".
Meanwhile, people went to the place where the Rebbe was staying and told him about the reactions and what was happening there. The Rebbe said: My escape was only for a short time, as it is stated "And Yaakov fled"; now you may reveal to him where I am. And then they took him in the black carriage, etc. This is the version of the event as it is described in the sefer "Beis Rabbi".
"On 19 Kislev - he went out to freedom" The last thing written here, which we will read for this lesson, is that on 19 Kislev he went out to freedom. On 19 Kislev, after fifty-three days of imprisonment, Admur Hazaken went out to freedom. It is known and famous that Admur Hazaken wrote two things about that day. First, he described when he received the tidings of redemption - while he was reciting Tehillim, when he reached chapter 55, verse 19, "He redeemed my soul in peace"; and before he began the following verse, he received the tidings of redemption.
And Admur Hazaken established regarding this day, 19 Kislev, with very special wording: "This day shall be established as a permanent festival in Israel, for on it the Name of Heaven will be magnified and sanctified, and thousands of Jewish hearts will be awakened to teshuvah and avodah of the heart". This is the great day of 19 Kislev, the festival of redemption of Admur Hazaken.