Lesson thirteen in the Shalsheles HaYachas - the life of the Mitteler Rebbe, part three: his family.
"His wife: Rebbetzin Sheina" Rebbetzin Sheina was the daughter of one of the chassidim of the Alter Rebbe, a melamed who had five daughters. The Alter Rebbe once asked him: "Why do you not marry off your daughters?" The melamed answered him: "No one wants to make a shidduch with me; because of my great poverty no one seeks shidduchim with me." The Alter Rebbe said to him: "I will make a shidduch with you, and then many others will jump at the chance to make a shidduch with you." And so it was - the Alter Rebbe took his daughter as a bride for his son, the Mitteler Rebbe.
"His sons" of the Mitteler Rebbe:
"a) The holy rav, the chassidishe rav, Reb Menachem Nachum" the first son of the Mitteler Rebbe, who was born a few months after the passing of the tzaddik Reb Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl, and was named after him. It is told of him that he occupied himself with mesirus nefesh in the burial of the Alter Rebbe in Haditch, and that he was present at his passing. He passed away in the year 5636. The Rebbe wrote about his character, that he had a pleasant disposition and a radiant countenance, and even at the age of eighty he was as light in his movements as if he were not that age at all. When he would tell stories, he was precise in every single detail, and the entire story of the redemption of Yud Tes Kislev came through him - it was he who transmitted it to the coming generations, and it is by virtue of him that we have the story in its entirety.
b) The chassidishe rav, Reb Baruch: here only one name is noted, but in the sefer "Beis Rebbi" it is noted that he had an additional name, and he was called Baruch Shmuel. He married his cousin, Rebbetzin Beila Reiza, the daughter of Reb Chaim Avraham, son of the Alter Rebbe.
"His daughters" of the Mitteler Rebbe:
"a) Rebbetzin Sarah" about whom only one line was written - "she passed away in her youth", apparently not long after her wedding. She was married to a grandson of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, to his son's son.
"b) Rebbetzin Beila. Her husband, the chassidishe rav, Reb Yekusiel Zalman" he too was a grandson of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev - his mother was Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's daughter. It turns out that the Mitteler Rebbe had shidduch ties with Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev twice. Their wedding took place in Sivan 5567 in Zhlobin, and it is famous as "the great wedding in Zhlobin". The Alter Rebbe and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev participated in this wedding, and there are many stories about the events surrounding it. In one place it is written that the wedding was a year later, in the beis midrash in Liadi, but the accepted view is that their wedding took place in Zhlobin, and that is the famous wedding.
"c) Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. Her husband, kevod kedushas admur, the Tzemach Tzedek". We will speak about them, with Hashem's help, when we reach the life of the Tzemach Tzedek.
"d) Rebbetzin Devorah Leah. Her husband, the tzaddik, the holy rav, Reb Yaakov Yisrael", known as Reb Yaakov Yisrael of Cherkas, son of Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl, who was the son of Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl. His mother too was of distinguished lineage - the daughter of Reb Aharon of Karlin. Their wedding took place in the year 5571 in the presence of the Alter Rebbe.
Two interesting stories are connected with them: one about their shidduch, and the second about their passing.
The story is full of details, and we will touch only on the point relevant to our subject. The Alter Rebbe was once staying in the home of Rabbi Menachem of Chernobyl, and the topic discussed there was from where Moshiach would come - from the older students of the Maggid or from the younger ones among them. The Alter Rebbe said: "Let us make a shidduch between us now, so that it will be the older one together with the younger one." The Alter Rebbe went over to the room where the grandsons and granddaughters of Rabbi Menachem of Chernobyl were, infants in their cradles, and he passed by and touched the head of each one of them, until he reached the infant Reb Yaakov Yisrael, touched his head and said: "He is for my granddaughter Devorah Leah." That is to say, while both were still infants in the cradle, the Alter Rebbe had already established the shidduch with the fourth daughter of the Mitteler Rebbe.
An interesting story, and an astounding one as well. Once Reb Yaakov Yisrael invited his grandson, Reb Mordechai Dov of Hornisteipel, who would later be a Rebbe himself, and said to him: "I need you, come to my home." When the grandson arrived, he brought him into the room where Rebbetzin Devorah Leah was also present, and the grandfather said to him: "I have a dispute with your grandmother, and we have decided that you will decide it. I will tell you what we are discussing, and we will see how you rule. Your grandmother says that she must depart from the world first, for if the husband departs first, she will remain a lonely widow and will not be able to manage; and I say the opposite - I must depart first, for as a widower I will not be able to manage. So we decided that you, the grandson, will decide."
The grandson answered: "Essentially your grandmother is right, and her reasoning is sound; but the truth is like your grandfather's opinion, and I do not want to disagree with him. Therefore my solution is that both of you should depart in the same year." And so it indeed was: she passed away on Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5636, and three months and two weeks later, on 13 Elul 5636, Reb Yaakov Yisrael passed away - both in the same year, as the grandson had determined. Astounding stories about very great people.
Up to here, the first four sons-in-law of the daughters of the Mitteler Rebbe.