Likkutei Levi Yitzchak

Who was R’ Levi Yitzchak?

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson (1878-1944) was the father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, and descendant of the 3rd Lubavitcher Rebbe, the “Tzemach Tzedek.” Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was a renowned scholar and mystic, who served as the chief rabbi of Dnipropetrovsk (Yekaterinoslav), Ukraine, for 30 years. He was arrested by the Soviet authorities in 1939 for his courageous efforts to preserve Judaism under communism, and was exiled to Kazakhstan, where he passed away on the 20th of Av, 5704 (1944).

R’ Levi Yitzchak was a true Gaon (genius), having mastered the revealed parts of Torah as well as the kabalistic, esoteric teachings of Torah. The extent of his brilliance, in both breadth and depth of Torah knowledge, as well as his novel approach, was largely unknown until his manuscripts were discovered, deciphered and published, many years after his passing.

Although he wrote hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of Torah commentary while serving as Chief Rabbi of Yekaterinoslav, most of those have yet to be found. The vast majority of his works which survived him are the glosses he penned on the margins of the few books he had with him in exile in Chi’ili, Kazakhstan.

Welcome to Likkutei Levi Yitzchak

Today, Reb Levi Yitzchak’s teachings are published in a five-volume set, known as “Likutei Levi Yitzchok / Toras Levi Yitzchok,” published by Kehot.

Included in this collection are teachings on Tanach, Midrash, Mishnah, Talmud, Zohar & Tanya, as well as letters which Reb Levi Yitzchok wrote to his son, the future Lubavitcher Rebbe, sharing his deep Torah insights, as well as many personal letters to the Rebbe and Rebbetzin around auspicious days in their lives (wedding, birthdays, anniversaries, Jewish holidays) – with the Kabbalistic significance of these dates.

The Uniqueness of R’ Levi Yitzchak’s Teachings

There are several distinctive aspects to Reb Levi Yitzchok’s teachings. 

• The interconnectedness of all dimensions of Torah—the literal, allegorical, metaphorical and mystical levels (known as Pardes) —highlighting the unity of Torah.

• The precision of every last detail in Torah. For example, when a word has a Gematria (numerical value), it’s not only the total number that is an indicator but also the particular combination of letters, their order, the word’s literal meaning and Kabbalistic meaning that provide critical insight. 

• Deriving from the name of a sage deep insight into their soul type, purpose, and Sefirah-alignment thus illuminating why they said what they said, and their perspective of Torah being influenced by that.

• Learning from the location a teaching was discussed to why this teaching was taught, and why it had to happen here. No detail mentioned in Torah is unnecessary, and these clues help us understand the mystical element of the teaching and experience.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's writings are also remarkable for their circumstances. He wrote most of them in exile, under harsh conditions, with limited access to books and writing materials. His wife, Rebbetzin Chana, would make ink from flowers and plants, and he would write on the margins of his few books or on scraps of paper. Some of these writings were smuggled out of Russia by Rebbetzin Chana or retrieved later by others. Many more were lost or confiscated by the Soviets.