Igrot ha-kodesh (Holy Epistles)

Shneur Zalman of Liady, born in Liozno, present-day Belarus, was the founder of Ḥabad 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. (Excerpts of other works by Shneur Zalman appear in this volume.)