Coin Purse of Rebbetzin Rivkah, Wife of Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch – With Letter of Authenticity Signed by ...

Coin Purse of Rebbetzin Rivkah, Wife of Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch – With Letter of Authenticity Signed by Rebbetzin Chanah Gurary

Coin purse which Rebbetzin Rivkah received as a gift from her husband R. Shmuel Schneersohn – Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch.
Silver (marked); chain mail.
A letter of authenticity (handwritten note, in English) is enclosed, signed in Hebrew by Rebbetzin Chanah Gurary (1899-1991), eldest daughter of Rebbe Rayatz, great-granddaughter of Rebbetzin Rivkah: "I hereby gift… the silver coin purse of my great grandmother Rebbetzin Rivkah. She received it as a gift from her Husband the Mahrash after he returned from one of his trips to Paris". Dated 14th May 1989. Enclosed: Wooden jewelry box of Rebbetzin Rivkah (the box was given as a gift together with the purse, but is not mentioned in the letter).

Rebbe Maharash, fourth Rebbe of the Chabad dynasty, was the first rebbe of Chabad to visit Paris. His first trip was in 1868, at the age of 34 – in order to meet with communal activists (HaYom Yom, Shalshelet HaYachas). In 1870-1881, the Maharash paid several more visits to France, whether to stay at health spas and consult doctors or for communal matters (particularly renowned is the episode which took place when the Maharash lodged in the Alexander Hotel in Paris, and influenced a young Jewish man to repent).

The Lubavitcher Rebbe describes (in the name of his father-in-law the Rayatz) the Maharash's practice of buying gifts and jewelry for his wife Rebbetzin Rivkah when he travelled abroad: "The custom was that Rebbe Maharash frequently travelled abroad, and when he sometimes offered the Rebbetzin to accompany him, she would ask him to give her instead the value of the ticket, and she would know what to do with the money… she also had a lot of jewelry – gifts she received from her husband, Rebbe Maharash, upon returning from his travels – which she would pawn in order to borrow a few more rubles for her activities" (Torat Menachem, part 13, p. 337). In Divrei Yemei HaRabbanit Rivkah, her grandson the Rayatz relates about the Tzemach Tzedek's great affection for his daughter-in-law Rebbetzin Rivkah, and his practice of giving her jewelry through his son the Maharash:"Likewise, he would draw her close with expensive gifts, through his son, her husband, large gifts to buy jewelry and the like" (ibid., p. 52).
According to the enclosed letter, Rebbe Maharash bought this coin purse after he returned from one of his visits to Paris.

Rebbetzin Rivkah Schneersohn, mother of Rebbe Rashab and grandmother of 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 (he himself passed away before she was born, in 1828). In 1849, her wedding to 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 was also very active 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" and was the source of many stories on the history of the Chabad Chassidut and its rebbes. Her grandson Rebbe Rayatz would visit her regularly to hear her stories, as instructed by his father 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 HaShemuah". 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 10th Shevat 1914. She was buried in Lubavitch, close to 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.

Silver purse: approx. 7X6 cm. Good condition. Wooden jewelry box: 20.5X14 cm. Good condition. Scratches and abrasions. Minor defects.