By COLlive reporter
It sounds like fiction, but it’s true. In 1905 the Rebbe Rashab successfully enlisted the full support of the Czarist government in a campaign to ship vast quantities of matzah to China.
A full account of how this came to be was published this week on the Judaism website Chabad.org by its Academic Liaison, Eli Rubin.
“I came across the story several years ago while reading a sicha from the Freidiker Rebbe,” Rubin said. “I decided to investigate further, and found a whole wealth of sources and documents. Piece by piece an almost unknown episode unfolded before my eyes.”
This unlikely episode occurred during the Russo-Japanese War, in which tens of thousands of Jewish Soldiers fought in the Russian ranks. In a public letter the Rebbe Rashab wrote, “many of our soldierly brethren who will not eat chametz on Passover so long as their soul is yet within them, but one cannot survive eight days without eating.”
The 5th Chabad Rebbe, known for his analytic mind but also humanitarian care, was determined to find a way to raise sufficient funds to provide them with the means to celebrate Pesach, but there were many obstacles to be overcome.
The biggest problem, according to Rubin’s account, was that nothing could be done without the permission and aid of the highest authorities in the Tzar’s government. The odds of success seemed impossible, but the Rebbe Rashab was insistent.
“The Jewish people,” the Rebbe said, “can achieve anything. It is G‑d who bestowed the Torah and its commandments upon us. It was us that He chose to serves Him. He will help us. All that is required of us is action.”
Ultimately his faith and his fortitude met with unbelievable success, and the Chinese matzah campaign of 1905 became the little known forerunner of Chabad Pesach campaigns across the globe.
Read the full story at Chabad.org
Poland was part of Russia at that time, and there were hundreds of Gerer chassidim on the fronts. The Sfass Emess would display his immense pride in the pilpulim and divrei Torah he received from the fox-holes.
It appears that Lubavitch had a century more of experience in avoiding conscription to the Tzar’s army, and very few of the early Tmimim ended up on that front. There are many anecdotes to support this.