This week we celebrate the 19th of Kislev, the “Rosh Hashanah of Chassidism.”

It was on this date, in the year 1798, that the founder of Chabad Chassidism, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), was freed from his imprisonment in czarist Russia. More than a personal liberation, this was a watershed event in Jewish history, heralding a new era in the revelation of the “inner soul” of Torah.

In its formative years, the Chabad chassidic movement was the object of strong, and often venomous, opposition from establishment rabbis and laymen.

In the fall of 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman was arrested on charges that his teachings and activities threatened the imperial authority of the czar. After 53 days, he was exonerated of all charges and released.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman's opponents made three libelous charges against him. In this class, we learn what they were, what the truth was, and how to apply it to our lives.