In the annals of Chabad, who has not heard of Reb Peretz Chein z”l, the prodigious Chasid of the Alter Rebbe, first Chabad Rebbe. His progeny today are leaders and shakers and movers around the world numbering in the thousands. Reb Peretz merited to live during the lifetime of six Chabad Rebbes, beginning with the Alter Rebbe till the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Yet his family from the Shaltiel clan, a well respected and knowledgeable Jewish family who were leaders among the Jewish people for many centuries, were not previously Chassidim. How did he come to become a Chasid?
In the city of Schottland, Germany, there lived a Jewish woman, let’s call her Esther. Esther had a young son by the name of Elchanan. Her husband, Meir Chein traveled often on business, and she was left to raise their dear child. Esther’s father had been the rabbi of Schottland, a scholar and G-d fearing man, who instilled the love of G-d and the love of Torah and mitzvot in his children. He was heir to a long scion of great rabbis and leaders going back generations. However, times were changing and in Germany and it became mandatory to teach children secular subjects and send them to schools under German authority. Esther worried often about her young son Elchanan. How would he grow up into an upstanding Jewish husband and father and be a credit to his pedigree?
Miles away lived Rabbi Alexander Sender in Russia. He was a Chasid of the first Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi. Rabbi Alexander was an outstanding Torah scholar and a very successful businessman. Once a year he would travel to the large fair in Liepzig, Germany to purchase goods. Before leaving he would go to see his Rebbe and receive a blessing for his trip. This time the Alter Rebbe suggested that since he was traveling to Germany, he should stop in a city called Schottland. No further instructions were forthcoming.
As a true Chasid, Rabbi Alexander did just that. When he arrived in Schottland, he inquired where he could stay with his entourage of a minyan men for Shabbat. The villagers assured him that only at the home of Esther Chein would he meet the standard of kashrut he would be comfortable with. “Esther is very strict about all aspects of Judaism and keeps a strictly kosher home,” they said.
Rabbi Alexander sent her a message requesting lodging at her home. She replied that since her husband was out of town, it would not be possible for him to be at her house.
Rabbi Alexander assured her that he had come with a minyan of men all of whom were great Torah scholars, which would make it permissible for them to spend Shabbat at her home. She agreed and invited them to come.
Esther prepared a beautiful Shabbat repast for her guests. But she was in for a very pleasant surprise.
The Friday evening Shabbat meal was filled with non-ending stream of passionate Torah discussion and interspersed with heartfelt Chassidic melodies. She had not felt so inspired since her days in her father’s house. A flood of memories came rushing back to Esther, who sat quietly in a nearby room.
Suddenly, the group heard weeping coming from close by. Rabbi Alexander quickly got up and hurried to see what the cause of the weeping was and where it was coming from. How surprised he was to see their hostess crying uncontrollably.
Rabbi Alexander waited for her to calm down and asked what was the matter?
Esther replied that seeing and hearing the rabbis gathered at the Shabbat table so fully engrossed in Torah and the joy of Judaism, she was reminded of her late father and their illustrious lineage. She pointed to her young son, and after explaining that due to government decrees all children needed to be educated in government schools, she lamented, “What will be with my son?!”
Esther turned a pleading eye to Rabbi Alexander and with tears in her eyes, begged him to take her son back to Russia with him and educate him in a proper cheder (Torah-true Jewish school for children) under his care.
Rabbi Alexander now understood why the Alter Rebbe had requested that he spend time in Schuttland. He agreed and took Elchanan under his personal care as a son and brought him up in the spirit of the Chassidim.
Elchanan grew up and married and had a son Peretz Chein who was a devoted Chasid of the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, the Rebbe Rashab and the Rebbe Maharash. He lived to see children and grandchildren follow in the path of Torah and mitzvot illuminated with the joy and teachings of Chassidism. Before he passed away at a ripe old age, he managed to see the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneerson, as a baby! Thus, he merited to see six Chabad Rebbes.
Today there are many Peretz Cheins (or Leins as the family name had been changed), and thousands of his progeny around the world.
Information for this story was culled from several sources including the book- Avnei Chein-Toldos Mishpachas Chein L’Doroseha (Hebrew).
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