Napoleon Bonepart, "Armed Soldier of Democracy"
Jewish lore contains stories of dead tzaddikim who, when their graves were opened years after their deaths, had not decomposed. (Chabad claims this for at least one of their rebbes, I think the MAHARASH.) This is considered to be a sign that the deceased was a true tzaddik.
As many of you know, Chabad’s founder Schneur Zalman of Liadi opposed Napoleon. He ordered several of his followers to spy for the Czar and worked to defeat Napoleon, who was known as the "Armed Soldier of Democracy." It is said that Schneur Zalman feared democracy, believing Judaism would flourish under oppression and tyranny but fail under democracy.
19 years after Napoleon’s death on St. Helena, his tomb was opened and the body taken to Paris for reburial. After 19 years in the grave, Napoleon’s body showed no sign of decomposition.
Was this a Divine endorsement of democracy?
14 Comments
October 9, 2005 at 12:45 pm
In the book, The Rav, a short biography of the Alter Rebbe of Chabad, it says that he opposed Napolean DESPITE the fact that he promoted democracy, not because of it. According to this biographer, the reason he supported Napolean was that Napolean once asked how many horses he had lost in a battle before he asked how many men he had lost. He conckuded that a cruel person would not be good for the Jews regardless of politics.
It is well known that the AR supported the Czar over Napolean.
October 9, 2005 at 1:58 pm
1. The Czar was PLENTY cruel.
2. Napoleon fought battles, some ill advised. He certainly was not uncaring about casualties, although he amassed many. He inspired tremendous loyalty from his troops right down to the end.
3. Being a bit familiar with the story behind the publication of the book you mention, I ask you one question: Are you wholly unfamiliar with the concept of after-the-fact-spin? The Alter Rebbe’s decision led to more – not less – oppression of Jews: pogroms, the haskala becoming dominent under less-than-opportune conditions, two revolutions, the Soviet purges, Stalin and the destruction of Jewish (and all religious) life in Russia along with the enslavement of most of Eastern Europe. Further, a Russia liberated by Napoleon would have been an unlikely ally of Hitler and ***MAY*** (I repeat: ***MAY***) have prevented WW2 (or vastly limited its scope) and the Holocaust.
4. No serious historian believes the horse story.
October 9, 2005 at 2:57 pm
Some Rabbonim favoured Napoleon, and approved of his seeming interest at improving the Jewish lot, translating literally the name Bonaparte as “chelek-tov”. The Rimanover Rebbe saw the war between France and Russia as the start of the War of Gog & Magog, and he prayed for a French victory. “I see the Red Jew (the Rimanover was red haired) walking by my side through the heat of battle, assuring me of victory: he is my stategist!” lauded Napoleon. But “Whenever I ride I also see the Blond Jew always railed against me (Shneur Zalman was fair haired)” pained Napoleon.
October 9, 2005 at 10:03 pm
I did not mean that I have some means to favor one version over the other. It just seemed worthy to comment that there was another view of the story. We have certainly seen the spin more than once. On the other hand, even if true, the AR was there and knew the subtlties and chose what he felt was the lesser of two evils. It is plausible enough.
October 10, 2005 at 5:47 am
“Jewish lore contains stories of dead tzaddikim who, when their graves were opened years after their deaths, had not decomposed. (Chabad claims this for at least one of their rebbes, I think the MAHARASH.) This is considered to be a sign that the deceased was a true tzaddik.”
None of Chabad Rebbe’s graves were ever opened, you may be confusing this with Rabbi Menachem Mendel the youngest son of the Rebbe Mharas”h, who was a number of years ago reintered in Israel. (I don’t remember all the details, but I’m certain that he had partially decomposed).
“9 years after Napoleon’s death on St. Helena, his tomb was opened and the body taken to Paris for reburial. After 19 years in the grave, Napoleon’s body showed no sign of decomposition.”
Ahh, you of coursr forgot to mention the reason why he did’nt decompose “This may have been due to arsenic poisoning” (see the entire article).
In your efforts to smear everything associated with Chabad, you once again show a complete lack of logic with regards to your conclusions.
[On a historical note: I have heard (I will look into this, I am somewhat of a Chabad history buff) that the Alter Rebbe chose the spiriual good the apparent material good. [And I bet you will twist that he thought democracy is bad for Yiddishkeit].
October 10, 2005 at 5:48 am
Spiritual good over the apparent material good.
October 10, 2005 at 7:41 am
Dovid –
Read the entire article. Napoleon did not die of arsenic poisoning.
October 10, 2005 at 11:07 am
hey scotty – some people’s remains stay intact long after they’re gone
some on the other hand, begin to rot and decay even while they’re here
October 10, 2005 at 11:07 am
dovid, the Rebbe N”E was moved (in Rostov itself). Reb Aizik Homlyer zt”l was also moved. Both were completely intact.
Napoleon – another ignorant rant by Scott. Napoleon’s vision for the Jews (starting with the compulsory “sanhedrin” in Paris) DID NOT include real religious freedom/autonomy. His intend was to set the Jews on a path to acculturation, followed by assimilation (in our language – spiritual annihilation).
Furthermore, democracy is NOT a panacea in Jewish law, it is so only in Scott’s inflamed mind.
October 10, 2005 at 11:15 am
the Alter Rebbe apparently thought that it was better for the yidden to live under a situation where their “gashmius” would take a greater hit(under the Tsar where physical conditions would be challenging but the yiddishe neshomo would remain intact) than the alternative where they would be cast into the midst of the Enlightment and mainstream European society with its concomitant toll on their neshama. as Rebeljew says – it was the lesser of the two evils
The very existence of this blog proves that the Alter Rebbe was unfortunately right
October 10, 2005 at 11:49 am
i am rather slow , reb shmuel , but la’aniyut da’ati , following the alter rebbe’s logic , moshe would have done well to keep the jews in egypt where their ruchniyus would have been better off than the sinning and trouble they gotten into in the desert ?!
velo hee .
as we learned , unfortunately in both cases , 400 (or 230 if u prefer) years in egypt ang 70 years under communism all we achieved was wallowing under mem tet shaarei tumoh , which the spiritual heirs of r’ shneir zalmen have inherted the zchus to clean up – u seem to be saying ?
if we take it to a further painful and absurd extent , may be we can look at the holocaust as maassei chessed , whereby millions lost their gashmiyus , but achieved tzeiruf of their noshomos in ruchniyus
to the ultimate redemption bemaalos kedoshim utehorim !
somewhat , it does not add up .
i could never master the maths of the science of gashmiyus and ruchniyus . perhaps this hocus pocus , is not a science !
and hence , may be we should bentch shehechiyoynu for this and many other likeminded blogs !
October 10, 2005 at 7:14 pm
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12). Just as the bodies of some Tzaddikim are preserved for extra reward, maybe the bodies of some Reshoyim are also preserved for EXTRA punishment!
October 11, 2005 at 7:45 am
I don’t understand, a Tzadik doesn’t decay when he dies, but can decay when he’s alive?
Didn’t the Rebbe have laser surgery to remove gangrenous diabetic tissue from his feet?
What does the technicality of ‘brain death’ mean if there is no decay in Tzadik’s body?
October 12, 2005 at 9:06 am
BL
And the gallbladder as well.
However, you may have found the justification for the “Rebbe is still alive” theology.