By COLlive reporter
An halachic ruling handwritten by the third Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (1789-1866), known as the “Tzemach Tzedek,” was recently retrieved and returned to Chabad possession.
The 4-page psak that is filled with side notes was part of the Schneerson Collection that was in American hands and later stolen by the Nazis during the Second World War.
It was then captured by the Russians and held by them among the many other books and manuscripts of the Rebbe Rashab and Rebbe Rayatz.
This manuscript was stolen from that collection over 15 years ago and ended up in an archive of a Chassidic rabbi who isn’t part of Chabad.
After extensive efforts, it was redeemed by Rabbi Moshe Orenstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Chabad in Netanya, Israel, who is one of the Chassidim active in redeeming Chabad literature.
He personally brought the pages of the Agudas Chassidei Chabad Library near 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, NY, on Wednesday. He handed them over to its director and chief librarian, Rabbi Berel Levine.
Rabbi Orenstein made copies of those historic pages and brought them with him to his Yeshiva to share with the bochurim. They held a festive meal to celebrate the occasion and even danced away.
What was the Tzemach Tzedek giving a psak about? What was his psak?
May all of the Schneerson collection be brought to 770.
Can we see pictures of the psak instead of pictures of the party?