This day is not just a date on the Chassidic calendar. It is the yahrzeit – the memorial day – of the younger brother of the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib Schneerson. He was born in the city of Nikolaev on 21 Iyar 5666 (May 16, 1906) and was four years younger than Menachem Mendel, who would later become the Seventh Rebbe of Chabad. Known affectionately at home as Leibel, he, like his brothers, displayed extraordinary talent. The cheder curriculum was too basic for them, and all three studied privately at home for up to 18 hours a day.
When Leibel was just eight years old, his paternal grandfather, Rabbi Baruch Shneur Schneerson, proudly wrote to his relative, the Fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, about his young grandson, who was “showing signs of genius, proficient in Talmud and Midrash, and able to learn exceptionally well.” Even as a child, Leibel was known for his sharp intellect and diligence.
As a young man, he lived in Leningrad and became very close to the Previous Rebbe (Rebbe Rayatz), who drew him near and included him in his inner circle. The Chassidim who surrounded the Rebbe also held Leibel in high regard and frequently discussed Jewish law and Chassidic philosophy with him, asking him questions from both the revealed and mystical dimensions of Torah.
In 5691 (1931), as communism spread, Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib moved to Berlin, Germany, under the name Mark Gourary, where he lived with the Rebbe and Rebbetzin. He took the name from Mordechai Gourary, a close family friend who had tragically died young in Yekaterinoslav. His stay with the Rebbe is confirmed in a New Year’s letter from the Rebbe’s maternal grandmother, Rebbetzin Rachel Yanovsky, in which she adds a few lines addressed to Yisroel Aryeh Leib at the end.
In 5694 (1933), he immigrated to the Land of Israel and settled in Tel Aviv. There, he married a woman named Genya (Regina). While in Israel, Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib worked as a librarian and also managed a clothing store for some time. He maintained close ties with the Chabad community in Tel Aviv, including his childhood friend Rabbi Nochum Goldschmid.
In 5710 (1949), he moved with his wife and daughter to Liverpool, England, to continue his studies. A gifted mathematician and physicist, he planned to complete a Ph.D. in theoretical physics at the University of Liverpool. On 13 Iyar 5712 (1952), he passed away tragically at the age of just 46.
At the Rebbe’s request, he was buried in Tzfat, in the section of the cemetery designated for Chabad. Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib was survived by one daughter, Mrs. Dalia Roitman, whose family was very close to the Rebbe and Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka.
According to contemporaries, the Rebbe had deep affection and reverence for his younger brother. Their bond grew even stronger after the murder of their middle brother Dov Ber by the Nazis. When news of Leibel’s passing reached the Rebbe, he went to great lengths to shield his mother from the tragic news, fearing it would harm her health. At his request, letters were sent to her in Leibel’s name, as she longed to hear from the son she had not seen in many years.
Since Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib had no son to recite Kaddish for him, the Rebbe himself did so every year on the 13th of Iyar.
(Source: chabad.org, collive.com)
