Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Orthodox rabbi who led Chabad-Lubavitch to global influence.
Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902 – June 12, 1994) was an Orthodox rabbi and the Rebbe of the Lubavitch Hasidic dynasty. Known to adherents of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply the Rebbe, he is considered one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century. He transformed an insular Hasidic group that almost ended with the Holocaust into a major movement with an international network of over 5,000 educational and social centers.
- born
- April 18, 1902 (Nikolaev, Russian Empire)
- died
- June 12, 1994
- field
- Orthodox rabbi, Rebbe of Lubavitch Hasidic dynasty
- nationality
- Russian Empire (later United States)
- known_for
- Pioneer of Jewish outreach; transforming Chabad-Lubavitch into a global movement; published teachings filling over 400 volumes
Lore & Background
Menachem Mendel Schneerson was born on April 5, 1902 (OS) in Nikolaev, Russian Empire, to rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson and Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson. He was named after the third Chabad rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, from whom he was a direct patrilineal descendant. By age 17, he had mastered the entire Talmud and all its early commentaries. He received rabbinical ordinations from Joseph Rosen and Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg. In 1928, he married Chaya Mushka, the middle daughter of the sixth Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn; the couple was childless and married for 60 years.
Reader's Guide
Schneerson's significance lies in his transformation of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement from a nearly extinguished Hasidic group after the Holocaust into one of the most influential movements in religious Jewry, establishing over 5,000 educational and social centers worldwide. His published teachings exceed 400 volumes, and he is noted for contributions to Jewish continuity, religious thought, and traditional Torah scholarship. He is recognized as the pioneer of Jewish outreach. During his lifetime, many adherents believed he was the Messiah, though not all Chabadniks subscribe to this belief; his own attitude toward the subject is hotly debated. In 1978, the U.S. Congress asked President Jimmy Carter to designate his birthday as national Education Day, now commemorated as Education and Sharing Day. In 1994, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for contributions to world education, morality, and charity. His resting place attracts Jews for prayer.
Did You Know?
- Schneerson's published teachings fill more than 400 volumes.
- He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1994.
- His birthday is commemorated in the U.S. as Education and Sharing Day.
- He mastered the entire Talmud by age 17.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"As cited in Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel, Israel Shahak and Norton Mezvinsky, Pluto Press (1999), pp. 59–60. ISBN: 0-7453-2091-0." — Menachem Mendel Schneerson "If you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that G-d has left for you to perfect." — Menachem Mendel Schneerson "It's the small acts that you do on a daily basis that turn two people from a 'you and I' into an 'us.'" — Menachem Mendel Schneerson "God gave each of us a soul, which is a candle that He gives us to illuminate our surroundings with His light. We must not only illuminate the inside of homes, but also the outside, and the world at large." — Menachem Mendel Schneerson
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