Inevitably, the Napoleonic War disrupted the studies
disastrously and gave many reason for worry. With the arrival of the Mitteler
Rebbe, however, his settling in Lubavitch and the issuance of his instructions
described above (ch. 5), Anash was again aroused, and the glory of
Chasidus and chasidim uplifted.
Under the leadership of the Mitteler Rebbe the number of
chasidim doubled and tripled. His young disciples possessed scholarly
qualities—many were also proficient orators—and the Rebbe’s discourses
themselves contained broad explanations to facilitate understanding by the
average layman. Elder chasidim related, that during his first year of
leadership, an additional fifteen thousand Jews became chasidim in White Russia
alone, and during his second year (1815) all of Chernigev province embraced
Chabad.
Throughout his leadership, the Rabbi DovBer strove to avoid
encounters between chasidim and mitnagdim. He cautioned his disciples to
maintain peace. If ever a conflict did erupt, he censured the chasidim and
punished them by forbidding visits to Lubavitch for appropriate periods of time.
As a result, debates rarely occurred. The mitnagdim persisted in
denouncing chasidim, but they were ignored, since the chasidim were forbidden to
resort to counter-arguments and justification.
In all of his communal activities, governmental or general,
the Mitteler Rebbe did have contact with the mitnagdim, but only on
communal matters relating to the improvement of the material welfare of the
Jewish people. No word was ever uttered concerning Torah or Chasidus.
