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| Mekor Baruch R. Baruch Halevi Epstein (1860-1941) |
Introduction
In a most interesting source found in Mekor Baruch, the
first three Rebbes of Chabad are said to have acknowledged the Vilna Gaon for
his role in keeping Chassidism within the framework of traditional
Judaism. Considering that the Vilna Gaon was Chassidism’s most ardent
opponent, this seems like quite an outlandish and unlikely claim.
Mekor Baruch
Mekor Baruch was written by R. Baruch Halevi Epstein (1860-1941) and is a four-volume collection of memoirs and recollections from leading personalities of previous generations. His father, R. Yechiel Michel Epstein (1829–1908), the author of Aruch haShulchan, is said to have studied together with R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (1789-1866) the third Chabad Rebbe, known as the Tzemach Tzedek.
