Bidspirit auction | Rare and Moving: Rabbi Yisrael

Rare and Moving: Rabbi Yisrael Salanter’s Cry in ”HaMelitz” – Saving Lives from Conscription into the Czar’s Army An issue of ”HaMelitz” newspaper containing a rare and piercing public appeal by the father of the Mussar Movement, Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin of Salant. Titled ”Me'orer Nirdamim” (Awakening the Slumbering), this article is a detailed historical document addressing one of the most painful issues facing Russian Jewry in the 19th century: the conscription laws and the injustices of internal community bureaucracy. In an unusual step, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter addresses community leaders and rabbis via the pages of this Maskilic (Enlightenment) newspaper. Rather than engaging in theoretical Torah study, he dives into the minute details of administrative registration (”Metrika” books, ”Volost” records). Rabbi Yisrael cries out against the negligence regarding the ”dead souls”—deceased individuals who were not removed from the census lists. This negligence caused an artificial inflation of quotas, leading to the cruel conscription of living young men (some of whom held legal exemptions) solely to fill the slots of the deceased. Rabbi Yisrael calls to remove the disgrace of ”fugitives” and fraud, arguing that honesty in record-keeping would save the communities from the government's wrath. Simultaneously, he emphasizes the severe prohibition (by both Torah and state law) against aiding in the forgery of exemption documents. At the conclusion of the article, the editor of ”HaMelitz” adds enthusiastic words of appreciation, referring to Rabbi Yisrael as the ”Genius of Israel” and the ”Glory of our Generation.” He further promises to translate the article into Russian to demonstrate the good intentions of Jewish leaders to the government. The article was edited and submitted to the newspaper by Rabbi Zevulun Leib Brett of Plungian, a student of Rabbi Yisrael, acting under his direct instruction. As noted in his signature, he did not alter the content of Rabbi Yisrael's words but merely edited them into a more accessible style. Before us is a rare and unique item documenting the active efforts of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, father of the Mussar Movement, to save Jewish lives from conscription into the Czar's army!