We are in the fourteenth lesson in the chain of lineage, in the history of the life of the Mitteler Rebbe, in the fourth part. We are in the midst of the daughters of the Mitteler Rebbe, the fifth: the Rebbetzin Bracha, whose husband was the chassid Rav Yulah. There are not many stories about him. We only know that he was a Kohen, and lived in Zhitomir. The wedding took place on the 14th of Shevat 5562.
Vav: The Rebbetzin Menucha Rachel, who is already much more famous. Her husband was the Rav and chassid, Rav Yaakov Kuli, and his family name was Slonim. The Rebbetzin Menucha Rachel was born on the 19th of Kislev 5559, on the very day of the redemption of the Alter Rebbe. And when the Mitteler Rebbe heard that a daughter was born to him, he said: from now on we will have menucha (rest), and therefore they named her Menucha. The second name they gave her was Rachel, after the daughter of the Alter Rebbe, as we learned in the account of the life of the Alter Rebbe, that he had a daughter Rachel who passed away young. They named the daughter of the Mitteler Rebbe also after her, and therefore her name was Menucha Rachel.
Menucha Rachel ascended to Eretz Yisrael and lived in Chevron. There are interesting stories surrounding her, and I will bring just an example or two. Before she traveled to the Land, she tried to take leave of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, who was both her brother-in-law, and her uncle, and also the Rebbe. Among other things, she told the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek that she was a bit apprehensive about the journey to Chevron. He asked: What are you apprehensive about? She said she was apprehensive mainly about the rains. He said to her: Travel between the raindrops. And it is told of her that until the end of her life no rain fell upon her. Wherever she went, even in the rain, she was completely dry, because the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek had promised her: You will be between the raindrops.
Another interesting story that shows her greatness. In the home of her grandson, Rav Azriel Slonim, there was a silver candlestick that had been received as an inheritance, and it was an accepted tradition in the family that it came from the Alter Rebbe. After Rav Azriel Slonim passed away, his son Rav Moshe Slonim, may he rest in peace, brought this candlestick as a gift to the Rebbe. The Rebbe asked him whether it was certain that it came from the Alter Rebbe, and he said that this was the tradition in the family. The Rebbe said to him: Well, for me it is important enough, even if it is only from the Rebbetzin Menucha Rochel.
Her husband, as we mentioned, was Rabbi Yaakov Kuli, the son of the Alter Rebbe's famous chassid, Reb Zalman Rozis of Shklov. Rabbi Yaakov Kuli Slonim, the father of the famous Slonim family, was born through a wondrous act of the Alter Rebbe. What was the story? Reizel, his grandmother, his mother's mother, did not particularly like chassidim, and did not much accept the approach of the Alter Rebbe. She had two sons-in-law who had become chassidim of the Alter Rebbe, and she used to torment her sons-in-law. In the course of time, her daughter was about to give birth, and was in mortal danger. In her distress she went to request a blessing from the Alter Rebbe, and the Alter Rebbe said to her: If you stop tormenting your sons-in-law, your daughter will give birth safely. She accepted this upon herself, and her daughter gave birth to Yaakov Kuli, the father of the Slonim family, through the blessing of the Alter Rebbe.
Let us continue further. The next daughter, the seventh, Rebbetzin Sarah, whose husband was the chassid Rabbi Aharon of Shklov. We saw earlier that the first daughter of the Mitteler Rebbe was also named Sarah, and we read about her that she passed away in her youth. The Mitteler Rebbe named the seventh daughter Sarah as well, after his first daughter, with the same name. Her husband was a Jew called Rabbi Aharon of Shklov. Particularly interesting about them is that their daughter, Rebbetzin Rivkah, was the Rebbetzin of the Rebbe Maharash, about whom I will tell later in the history of the Rebbe Maharash. She was the daughter of Rebbetzin Sarah, the daughter of the Mitteler Rebbe. Many in the family married relatives.
Here the list of daughters of the Mitteler Rebbe essentially concludes. In the more recent editions we see in brackets an eighth, an additional daughter, Rebbetzin Esther Miriam. What is this daughter who was added? In Lubavitch there is an ohel of the rebbetzins; the rebbetzin of the Alter Rebbe is there, and so on. In 5750 they found in the ohel of the rebbetzins in Lubavitch a marked grave, and on the tombstone it was written that Mrs. Esther Miriam, the daughter of the Mitteler Rebbe, was buried there. It is written there that she passed away on the first of Tammuz 5579. Until 5750 it was not known at all that the Mitteler Rebbe had such a daughter. The moment they found this, they inserted here, in square brackets, an eighth daughter of the Mitteler Rebbe, who was only discovered in 5750.
Now to the works of the Mitteler Rebbe, and with this we will conclude. Here too one can see in the various editions of the HaYom Yom changes in the list of works—of course, for the Mitteler Rebbe, as for all the Rebbes, over the years additional material that had been in manuscript was added and printed. In earlier editions of the HaYom Yom the list was more limited, and afterward the list grew.
The first book, part one, is Imrei Binah. Imrei Binah is a very analytical and very profound work by the Mitteler Rebbe. The subject there is divided into she'arim (gates): the gate of keriat shema, tzitzit, and tefillin. It discusses the unity of God, very very deep matters. For example, Rabbi the Rashab said about himself, that when he studied the book Imrei Binah, the hairs of his head fell out from the great exertion of the brain in the analytical contemplation, continuous hours in order to understand the things written there. A very very deep book, that is Imrei Binah.
Afterward, Shaar HaEmunah, and following that Shaar HaYichud, which is appended to Shaar HaEmunah. They are essentially two parts of one book. Today they are called by a collective name: Ner Mitzvah VeTorah Or. These are ma'amarim. Shaar HaEmunah are ma'amarim on the mitzvot of emunah and the unity of Hashem, and also on the festival of Pesach. And Shaar HaYichud speaks mainly about the entire seder hahishtalshelut and the matter of hitbonenut in the seder hahishtalshelut.
Afterwards, the gate of teshuvah and prayer is mentioned, in three parts. Sha'arei Orah is a book that discusses matters of Chanukah and Purim. It is interesting that earlier we mentioned Sha'ar HaYichud, and here Sha'ar HaOrah. If one looks in the Hayom Yom, in one of the sayings of the 15th of Adar II, it is brought that sometimes the Mitteler Rebbe would write books and ma'amarim for chassidim on a personal basis; there are of course general books, for everyone. For example: Sha'ar HaYichud and Sha'arei Orah are general books. He distinguishes and says that Sha'ar HaYichud is the key to the teachings of Chassidus, and Sha'arei Orah is the alef-beis of the teachings of Chassidus.
Afterward, Ateret Rosh is mentioned, a book that discusses Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance, and Yom Kippur. Therefore it is called Ateret Rosh, because it discusses Rosh Hashanah and what is connected to this until Yom Kippur. Afterward, he mentions Perush HaMilot, discourses arranged according to the order of the prayers, discourses of the Alter Rebbe. Afterward, there are addenda to Torah Or, Torat Chaim, which is on the books of Bereshit and Shemot.
Afterward, the list of the maamarim of the Mitteler Rebbe. Today the list is very long; there are nineteen volumes of the maamarim of the Mitteler Rebbe. Here he details some of them. There are two volumes on Bereishit and Shemot, two volumes on Vayikra, five volumes on Bamidbar, four volumes on Devarim, and volumes on Neviim and Ketuvim. There are maamarim of the Mitteler Rebbe called Drushei Chatunah, another two volumes. There are maamarim of the Mitteler Rebbe called Kuntreisim, a collection of all the kuntreisim. There are maamarim of the Mitteler Rebbe—Hanachot that chassidim wrote from 5577.
There is a book called Shnei HaMe'orot, which was printed in 5642 (1882) in Lvov, and there it is written that they found a manuscript in the handwriting of the Mitteler Rebbe and printed them, but afterwards it became clear that these are actually ma'amarim of the Alter Rebbe, only in the handwriting of the Mitteler Rebbe. In any case, here they are still listed among the books of the Mitteler Rebbe.
There is a work called Bad Kodesh. What is Bad Kodesh? It is a thin pamphlet, containing a letter of request that the Mitteler Rebbe wrote to the governor of Vitebsk when they arrested him, in which he explains to him matters connected to his imprisonment and his release. The Rebbe writes about this book that he did not find why the book is called Bad Kodesh. Apparently whoever printed it for the first time gave it this name and so it remained, but there is really no explanation for this name.
Afterward, in various places, there is a list of unique maamarim mentioned in their own right: the maamar of the fifth of Kislev, the maamar "Midor Ledor," the maamar concerning the splitting of the Red Sea. In other editions this is already found within the book together with other maamarim. At the end are mentioned the halachic rulings of the Mitteler Rebbe, and among them are several sections: there are rulings on Yoreh De'ah, and there are rulings on Lev HaIvri. And the last item here is Igrot Kodesh, two volumes of the Igrot Kodesh of the Mitteler Rebbe. This is the list of the writings of the Mitteler Rebbe.