Tanya

Shneur Zalman of Liady

1797

Tzimtzum: An Infusion of Light

Introduction

Now, aside from the fact that it is altogether impossible to interpret the matter of tzimtzum literally, for that would attribute corporeal events to the Holy One, Who is removed from them by many myriads of separation ad infinitum, they also do not speak wisely. Surely they believe, as befits “believers…
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Creator Bio

Shneur Zalman of Liady

1745–1812

Shneur Zalman of Liady, born in Liozno, present-day Belarus, was the founder of Ḥabad (Chabad) Hasidism. He was first a disciple of Dov Ber, the Magid of Mezritsh, and then of Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. Shneur Zalman was involved in conflicts with the Vilna Gaon and other Misnagdim, leading to his arrest and brief imprisonments in 1798 and in 1801. After his second release, he moved his court to Liady, also in presentday Belarus. Characteristic of his leadership was his establishment of a court that attracted thousands, with satellite sites in other Eastern European locations; he also listened personally to individual sorrows and requests. His Hasidic philosophy expressed Kabbalah and Hasidism in terms of the rational and intellectual sphere, as reflected in his magnum opus, Tanya.

Related Guide

Rabbinic Scholarship, 1750–1880

Despite the challenges of the early modern period, rabbinic scholarship flourished in Central and Eastern Europe in the latter half of the eighteenth century and the first half of the nineteenth century. 

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