Matzah Under Fire - Chof Av 5784

 This Shabbat, the 20th day of the month of Av, marks the 80th Yahrzeit of the towering saint, scholar and Kabbalist, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson. Besides his own greatness, he was the father of our Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. 

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was the Rabbi of Yekatrinoslav, known today as Dnepopetrovsk, capital of Ukraine, at the height of the rule of the Communist butchers. The Soviets put tremendous pressure on the Rabbis to go along with their vicious antisemitic rules, but Rabbi Levi Yitzchak stood strong and refused to succumb in any way. 

One remarkable story that the Rebbe told stands out to me. In order for us to grasp the magnitude of the sacrifice and strength of character that Rabbi Levi Yitzchak showed, we need to put ourselves in the shoes of the Jewish people at that time.

The Soviet Union was determined to wipe out any trace of religion. The “Yevsektsia” - the Jewish section of what was then the NKVD, was tasked with wiping out any trace of Jewish life. They were, unfortunately, Jewish communists who understood the inner workings of our community and did everything they could, including intimidation, imprisonment, exile and even murder in order to fulfill their goal. 

At the same time, the Soviets wanted the world to think that they were upright people who believed in justice, human rights and freedom of religion. All the Rabbis in the area were “asked” to sign a letter stating that the government was treating the Jewish community well and allowing them to practice their religion. 

Several Rabbis succumbed to the pressure and danger and signed the letter. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak refused, and stated so publicly. This, the Rebbe said, helped him arrange for kosher for Pesach Matzah for the entire Soviet Union. 

The area of Ukraine where Rabbi Levi Yitzchak lived was where most of the wheat for the whole country grew, and it was there that flour was milled for baking Matzah. The local government officials did not want Rabbi Levi Yitzchak to interfere with their shoddy practices that would render most of the flour Chametz. They arranged for the Matzah to be prepared without his involvement and expected him to accept it. 

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak did something that is literally unbelievable given the circumstances. He personally traveled to meet with Mikhail Kalinin, the leader of the Soviet Union and a world class antisemite. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was able to have orders sent to Dnepropetrovsk that all Matzah had to be under the supervision of Rabbi Schneerson, that all Mashgichim (kosher supervisors) must be appointed by him. The orders also said that if any Mashgiach rejects any flour, their decision must be accepted and the flour should be sold at a lower price for non Passover use. 

This was an incredible event, where the head of the wicked regime himself ordered the local government to do the opposite of what they were trying to accomplish, and support Torah and Halacha even at the loss of revenue. The outcome for the Jewish community was that there was Kosher for Passover matzah distributed throughout the Soviet Union. The Rebbe writes that it was Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s refusal to succumb to the letter signing pressure that gave him the standing to speak to Kalinin.

Eventually, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was arrested for his “counterrevolutionary activities” of upholding Torah and educating Jews.  He was sent first to prison and then to exile, where he suffered terribly and his life was shortened from the torture.  Even so, in those horribly harsh conditions, he continued to influence the Jews in his area.  He also wrote deep Kabbalistic teachings, and that itself was another superhuman feat.  He had no paper or ink.  The rabbi’s wife, Rebbetzin Chana, joined him in his exile, and she manufactured ink for him from plants she found.  With that ink Rabbi Levi Yitzchak wrote brief notes in the margins of his books.

The Rebbe expounded on those cryptic notes, and these brilliant mystical insights have been published in several books.  On the day of his Yartzeit, we draw strength from the legacy of this great, proud Jewish leader who inspires us to stand strong to uphold our heritage and the Torah that is a treasure that we have been given by Hashem.  Today our sacrifice to educate our children in the true tradition of Torah is much smaller than anything Rabbi Levi Yitzchak faced.  The lesson of this day moves us to do everything we can to pass this great message on to the next generation through providing our children and youth with Torah true Jewish education.