The 29th of Iyar marks the yahrzeit of the holy Rebbe Meir’l of Premishlan, one of the great luminaries in the Chassidic movement. In honor of this occasion, let us explore some of the incredible lessons and teachings of the tzaddik which continue to illuminate the way for us nearly 200 years later.
Why Would a Kohen Know the Price?
In Parashas Bechukosai, we learn about the mitzvah of erachin: If a person promises to donate the worth of a certain object to the bedek habayis (the coffers of the Beis HaMikdash), that object must be appraised, and its worth in money must be given to bedek habayis. If one promised to give the worth of a non-kosher animal, he must bring the animal to the Kohen to be appraised.
Asks the Rebbe Reb Meir’l of Premishlan: What does a Kohen know about non-kosher animals? After all, they’re not offered on the Mizbei’ach—and the Kohen wouldn’t be familiar with them at all!
Answers Rebbe Meir’l: The Tanna teaches, “One who studies Torah for its own sake merits many things” (Pirkei Avos 6:1). One of those things, explains Rebbe Meir’l, is to understand everything about This World, even the worth of non-kosher animals.
Let us analyze this peshat.
Meriting “Many Things”
The assurance of the Tanna, and the peshat of Rebbe Meir’l Premishlaner have two aspects:
- Since all intelligences are included in the wisdom of Torah, one who aptly connects with the Torah will automatically be knowledgeable in all matters of the world. In this vein, the story is told of a person who came to the Chazon Ish and explained that he would like to build a staircase to reach his upper floor—an endeavor that involves much calculation of how high each step riser should be, etc.. But in one moment, the Chazon Ish was able to tell him exactly how to build the staircase, and he cited the precise Gemara that taught him this calculation!
- Even without seeing this wisdom explicitly in the Torah, through their tremendous deveikus in the Torah, the neshamah of those who connect with the Torah senses the solution to worldly matters—often without the tzaddik being able to explain his reasoning. This has been witnessed by the holy tzaddikim throughout the centuries: Through their tremendous attachment to Torah, their neshamos were illuminated with light and wisdom, and they were able to Divine wisdom in worldly matters.
“What Can Do If This Is the Truth?”
Rav Shlomk’e of Zvehill was sitting at his tish and reciting divrei Torah. A bachur who was sitting there was thinking, “That dvar Torah doesn’t really work out.” Instantly, the Rebbe turned to him and said, “Shloime! I know that that dvar Torah doesn’t make sense in your eyes. But what can I do, this is the emes!
In a similar vein, the Divrei Chaim of Sanz did not allow the correction of sources brought in the Taz—even when they clearly seemed to be mistakes. He explained that the Taz was written with ruach hakodesh, and no part of it should be altered.
1. Rebbe Shlomo Goldman of Zvehill, zecher tzaddik v’kodosh livrachah (1869-1945), one of the illustrious and holy tzaddikim of Yerushalayim.
2. Rav Shloime Hoffman, a renowned ba’al mussar and student of Rav Isaac Scher of Slabodka.
3. A commentary on the Shulchan Aruch.
This underscores the point a tzaddik senses things with his neshamah—through his deveikus in Torah—that mere mortals cannot necessarily understand. Even if we have questions, this does not change the truth of what the tzaddik knows in his heart.
“When Tethered from Above, We Don’t Slide Below”
One time, in the dead of winter, the Rebbe Reb Meir’l made his way up a an extremely steep hill. This hill was impossible to navigate without sliding down, and all the townspeople would take the roundabout way—yet Rebbe Meir’l made the walk effortlessly and smoothly. When asked about this, the Rebbe responded, “When one is tethered from Above, he doesn’t slide below.” When a person is connected to something higher, he doesn’t slide down.
In this, the Rebbe had a spiritual message:
The world below is a slippery and fraught one—and it seems impossible to navigate it without sliding. One may ask, “How are we expected to make our way in the world without sliding? After all, aren’t we made of flesh and blood?” It was this challenge that Rebbe Meir’l was addressing: When you’re connected to something higher, to the positive aspects of Torah and mitzvos, when you’re tethered to spirituality and to tzaddikim, you won’t slide into the abyss of the yetzer hara—such is the power of Torah and mitzvos to protect us!
“It Was My Voice!”
Another time, the Rebbe had an infection in his throat, and the doctors could not find a cure for him. Chassidim related to the Rebbe that there is an elderly woman who has an incredible power to heal through her berachos. Rebbe Meir’l came to the woman and asked her for the secret of her power—and this was her story:
“Many years ago, I lost my husband; I had no money to support myself and my young family, and we were left without a morsel of food. So, I ran into the shul, and poured out my heart to HaKadosh Baruch Hu near the aron kodesh. Suddenly, I heard a bas kol call out, “From today and on, you will have the power to heal people through your berachos, and you will support yourself through the payments you receive from the sick people.”
As soon as the Rebbe heard this, he burst out laughing, and said, “The voice that you heard was no Heavenly voice; it was my voice. I was sitting in the gallery of the shul when I heard your plight, so I bentched you that you should have the power to heal....”
According to the narrative, the laughter of the Rebbe caused the infection to leave his body.
Attaining the Highest Heights Through Chessed
Rebbe Meir’l was known primarily for his tremendous avodah in chessed. He would regularly raise large sums from the wealthy and distribute them generously to the needy. Rebbe Yehuda Tzvi of Razla once remarked that by distributing jackets to the poor, Rebbe Meir’l reaches higher than the great tzaddikim attain with their great yichudim.
Old and Wealthy Through One Chessed
The Rebbe once asked an individual to give him his coat, as he needed it to clothe a certain poor person. The man declined, saying that it was a brand-new coat. Another man standing at the side seized the opportunity and gave the Rebbe his own coat. Visibly pleased, the Rebbe exclaimed, “Old, old, old. Rich, rich, rich!
Indeed, the man lived a long life with much wealth all the years in the merit of the chessed and the berachah of the tzaddik.
Eyewitness to the Tzaddik’s Berachah
Rav Chanoch Dov Padwa, Av Beis Din of London, told the following incredible story in which he was an eyewitness to the fulfillment of the tzaddik’s berachah:
“I was once walking in the streets of Vienna alongside my brother, when we encountered an elderly couple. My brother said, “Do you see these two? Do you know why they merited long life? Because of the berachah of Rebbe Meir’l of Premishlan.” Immediately, the man turned to us and said, “Are you talking about me? I will tell you the story exactly as it was:
“As a youngster, I was the meshamesh of Rav Shlomo Kluger and one Erev Shabbos, as I was preparing the fish for Shabbos, he urged me to be careful that none of the fish innards should touch the flesh of the fish, as they would impart a bitter taste. When Rav Kluger came to taste the fish, he detected bitterness, and he admonished me. When I assured him that I was careful to carry out his instructions to the letter, he tasted it again and realized that I was right. On the spot, he bentched me that I should live until 100.
“I later came to Rebbe Meir’l of Premishlan, and, looking at my kvittel, he said, ‘What do you want? You already have 100 years! But I will make it even sweeter for you. I will bentch you that you should live together with the same spouse for all these years, and that your hearing and eyesight will remain good until your last day.’”
The old man continued, “I am now 98, and I have two years remaining, and this is the same wife whom I married many decades ago.”
Said Rav Padwa, “The man was clearly able to hear well, and he had no eyeglasses; thus, I am an eyewitness to the fact that all three of the Rebbe’s berachos were indeed fulfilled.”
זכותו יגן עלינו ועל כל ישראל אמן
4. Rebbe Yehuda Tzvi of Razla (1791-1847) was a holy and illustrious Rebbe from the Zidichoiver dynasty.
5. Rav Shlomo Kluger (1785-1869) was the rav of Brezan.
