1. The Significance of Rosh Chodesh Elul
Rosh Chodesh Elul, the first day of Elul, holds special significance as it marks the wedding of Reb Baruch, the second son of the Mitteler Rebbe. This date is notable within Chabad history and is remembered each year for this important family event.
2. The Chabad Dynasty: Generational Overview
To understand the context, it is helpful to review the lineage of the Chabad Rebbes. The Alter Rebbe—the Old Rebbe, also known as Schneur Zalman—was the founder. His son was known as the Mitteler Rebbe—the Middle Rebbe, whose name was Dov Ber. During that period, there were three generations: first, the Alter Rebbe; second, his son Dov Ber (the Mitteler Rebbe); and third, the Tzemach Tzedek, who was Dov Ber’s nephew as well as his son-in-law and successor, and a grandson of the Alter Rebbe through his mother, Rebbetzin Devorah Leah. The title Mitteler Rebbe stuck with Dov Ber throughout history.
3. Reb Baruch: Namesake and Family Connections
The Mitteler Rebbe’s second son was Reb Baruch. He was named after his great-grandfather Baruch, who was the father of Schneur Zalman, the Alter Rebbe. This naming tradition highlights how names were often passed down to honor previous generations within the family.
4. The Wedding of Reb Baruch and Bela Reza
Reb Baruch’s wedding took place on Rosh Chodesh Elul in the year 5582 (1822). In those times, especially among Rebbes’ families, marriages often occurred between close relatives to maintain strong family ties and dynastic continuity.
Reb Baruch married his first cousin Bela Reza. She was a daughter of Reb Chaim Avraham, who himself was a brother of the Mitteler Rebbe and a son of the Alter Rebbe. Thus, both bride and groom were grandchildren of Schneur Zalman—the Alter Rebbe—making this a marriage between cousins within the same illustrious lineage.
5. Teachings Associated with the Wedding
During this period, several discourses were delivered by the Mitteler Rebbe in connection with Reb Baruch’s wedding. These teachings are preserved and studied as part of Chabad’s rich spiritual heritage and reflect on themes relevant to marriage and family within Chassidic thought.
Notes
The Mitteler Rebbe – Reb Baruch's father. See 10 Kislev and 25 Tishrei – the marriage of his daughter to a grandson of Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev.
The Tzemach Tzedek – the Mitteler Rebbe's nephew and son-in-law. See 29 Elul – his birth.
Other Elul weddings in the Rebbe's family – see 10 Elul, 11 Elul, 13 Elul and 17 Elul.