Scissors of Rebbetzin Rivkah (Wife of the Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch)

Scissors of Rebbetzin Rivkah (Wife of the Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch)

Small scissors of Rebbetzin Rivkah Schneerson, wife of the Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch.

Small metal scissors for sewing, embroidery and other handiwork. In the center of the hinge, one of the blades is inscribed with the letter S – the initial of Rebbetzin Rivkah's surname (Schneerson).

Enclosed is a letter of authenticity (handwritten note in English), signed in Hebrew by her great-granddaughter Rebbetzin Chana Gurary (1899-1991), eldest daughter of the Rebbe Rayatz: "I hereby gift… my great-grandmother's small scissors. Rebbetzin Rivkah was the wife of the Maharash. These scissors had engraved on them the letter S for Schneerson". The letter is dated March 4, 1990.

Rebbetzin Rivkah Schneersohn, mother of the Rebbe Rashab and grandmother of the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch. Born in 1833 to Rebbetzin Sarah, daughter of the Mitteler Rebbe of Lubavitch and to R. Aharon Alexander of Shklow, she was orphaned of both her parents at a young age, and was raised by her grandmother, Rebbetzin Sheina, wife of the Mitteler Rebbe (who had himself passed away before she was born, in 1827). In 1849, her wedding to the Rebbe Maharash was celebrated. After her marriage, Rebbetzin Rivkah assisted her husband in all communal matters. She took upon herself the responsibility of the finances of the rebbe's court, and was in charge of distributing the Maamad funds (charity given by Chassidim to support the rebbe's court). She also worked actively on behalf of the students of the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Lubavitch. She supervised the boys' eating and sleeping arrangements, inquired about their wellbeing and made sure they could study diligently without material worries.

She was known as a Baalat Shemuah, a source for many stories on the history of the Chabad Chassidut and its rebbes. Her grandson, the Rebbe Rayatz, would visit her regularly to hear her stories, as instructed by his father the Rebbe Rashab. Many of these stories were later published in the books of the Rayatz – Sefer HaZichronot, Likutei Diburim, Sefer HaSichot, and others. The Rashab once related to his son the Rayatz that his father the Maharash once stated that when his wife Rebbetzin Rivkah would relate a certain story to him, he would experience an "inner pleasure", since she was a Baalat Shemuah. Her father-in-law, the Tzemach Tzedek, blessed her with longevity, and Rebbetzin Rivkah indeed lived to the ripe old age of eighty, passing away on Erev Shabbat, 10 Shevat, 1914. She was buried in Lubavitch, near the gravesite of her father-in-law the Tzemach Tzedek and her husband the Maharash. In a letter to his daughter-in-law and grandsons, her son the Rashab wrote: "There are no words sufficient to describe our great loss. A great and holy light was removed from our home… I am consoled only with the clear knowledge that she is still with us now, and wherever we are, she is there with us" (Igrot Kodesh of Rebbe Rashab, Part II, p. 781). The Beit Rivkah network of educational institutions were established in her memory.

Approx. 8 cm. Good condition.

Included is a wooden box that may have also been used by the rebbe or his family (the box was given along with the scissors, but it is not mentioned in the letter of authenticity).