Editing Shneur Zalman of Liadi (section)

=== Early life ===
Shneur Zalman was born in 1745 in the small town of [[Liozna]], [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] (present-day [[Belarus]]). He was the son of Baruch,<ref>''Lubavitcher Rabbi's memoirs: The memoirs of Rabbi [[Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn|Joseph Isaac Schneersohn]]'' 1971 "Judah Loewe, as follows: Rabbi Judah — Betzalel — Samuel — Judah Leib — Moses of Posen — Shneur Zalman — Baruch — Shneur Zalman of Liady "</ref> who was a paternal descendant of the mystic and philosopher Rabbi [[Judah Loew ben Bezalel]].<ref name="hayomyom">''Hayom Yom'', introduction</ref> According to Meir Perels of [[Prague]], the Maharal was the great-great-grandson of [[Judah Leib the Elder]] who was said to have descended paternally from [[Hai Gaon]] and therefore also from the [[Davidic line|Davidic dynasty]]; however, several modern historians such as [[Otto Muneles]] and Shlomo Engard have questioned this claim.<ref>See [http://chfreedman.blogspot.com/2007/06/maharal-of-pragues-descent-from-king.html The Maharal of Prague's Descent from King David], by Chaim Freedman, published in ''Avotaynu'' Vol 22 No 1, Spring 2006</ref> Shneur Zalman was a prominent (and the youngest) disciple of [[Dov Ber of Mezeritch]], the "Great Maggid", who was in turn the successor of the founder of [[Hasidic Judaism]], Yisrael ben Eliezer, known as the [[Baal Shem Tov]].{{fact|date=March 2021}}
[[File:Brockhaus and Efron Jewish Encyclopedia e16 055-0.jpg|left|alt=|Writing sample from the Brockhaus and Efron Jewish Encyclopedia (1906–1913)|thumb]]

He displayed extraordinary talent while still a child. By the time he was eight years old, he wrote an all-inclusive commentary on the [[Torah]] based on the works of [[Rashi]], [[Nahmanides]] and [[Abraham ibn Ezra]].<ref name="Sipurie Chassidim Lenoar vol 1.">'Sipurie Chassidim Lenoar' Kfar Chabad 1984</ref>

Until the age of 12, he studied under Issachar Ber in [[Lyubavichi, Rudnyansky District, Smolensk Oblast|Lyubavichi]] (Lubavitch); he distinguished himself as a [[Talmud]]ist, such that his teacher sent him back home, informing his father that the boy could continue his studies without the aid of a teacher.<ref name=zichronos>''The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Memoirs'', vol 1.</ref> At the age of 12, he delivered a discourse concerning the complicated laws of Kiddush Hachodesh, to which the people of the town granted him the title "Rav".<ref>Hayom Yom, 7 of Shvat</ref>

At age 15 he married Sterna Segal, the daughter of Yehuda Leib Segal, a wealthy resident of [[Vitebsk]], and he was then able to devote himself entirely to study. During these years, Shneur Zalman was introduced to mathematics, [[geometry]], and [[astronomy]] by two learned brothers, refugees from [[Bohemia]], who had settled in Liozna.<ref name="The Alter Rebbe">{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishcontent.org/cgi-bin/calendar?holiday=chanuka35|title=The Alter Rebbe|website=www.jewishcontent.org|access-date=2019-02-27}}</ref> One of them was also a scholar of the [[Kabbalah]]. Thus, besides mastering [[rabbinic literature]], he also acquired a fair knowledge of the sciences, philosophy, and Kabbalah.<ref name="The Alter Rebbe"/> He became an adept in [[Isaac Luria]]'s system of Kabbalah, and in 1764 he became a disciple of [[Dov Ber of Mezeritch]]. In 1767, at the age of 22, he was appointed [[maggid]] of Liozna, a position he held until 1801.{{fact|date=March 2021}}

==== Parents ====
According to the Chabad Hasidic tradition, Shneur Zalman's father, Baruch, was a laborer who preferred to earn a living as a gardener rather than accept a post as a community rabbi or as a preacher (''magid''). In this tradition, Baruch was one of the disciples of Rabbi [[Israel Baal Shem Tov]]. However, he only occasionally joined his teacher on his legendary travels. This tradition is used to justify why Hasidic records do not refer to Baruch with a rabbinic title, claiming that Baruch was averse to any public acknowledgment of his status.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/2281929/jewish/Biographical-information-concerning-Alter-Rebbes-father-yechidus-whether-it-is-valuable-to-write-the-Tanya-by-hand.htm|title=Biographical information concerning Alter Rebbe's father; yechidus; whether it is valuable to write the Tanya by hand - Letter No. 343: - Chabad.org|accessdate=2 December 2023}}</ref>