The Mitteler Rebbe (Avtzon)

While much has been written about the Rebbeim of Lubavitchtheir incredible accomplishments, Mesirus Nefesh and love for every Jew relatively little was written about the Mittler Rebbe: Harav Dovber Scheuri, the second Rebbe of Lubavitch.

The duration of his leadership was the shortest of all the Rebbeim and took place in extremely tumultuous times, when Russian Jewry was devastated by the Napoleonic War and harsh Czarist Decrees.

But his accomplishments in the fourteen years of his Nesius were remarkable. In those years, he wrote and published more chassidus than almost every one of the rebbeim. In bringing Chassidus to hundreds of thousands of Jews, he clarified the distinction of Chassidus Chabad and what it set out to accomplish.

At the same time, he toiled to improve the harsh living conditions of Russian Jewry. His greatest accomplishment in this endeavor was his successful petition to the Czar to allow Jews to settle in the Ukraine. Over the years, the twenty-two Ukrainian settlements he established developed into towns and cities, ultimately becoming home to hundreds and thousands of Jews.

It is an honor to present the first English biography of the Mitteler Rebbe the second volume in the series The Rebbeim: A Biography.

By reading about the Mitteler Rebbe, may we become connected to him fulfill his directive that when two Jews meet, they should discuss G-dliness and inspire each other to improve in their avodas Hashem.