Enthusiasm for Torah and Avodah:
The Saba Kadisha’s parents were extremely poor. His father didn’t have a penny to his name and was known as “Berel the Batlan”. He didn’t make any attempt to do business to earn a living but rather spent his days in the bais medrash, learning Torah and serving Hashem, or with his holy rabbeim.
Not Listening to the Yeitzer Hara:
The Chozeh of Lublin zy”a was once sitting with his chassidm and he pointed out the Saba Kadisha to them. He said, “Do you see that young man who is filled with the yeitzer hara from head to toe?” The chassidim were puzzled by his words, so he explained, “But he doesn’t listen to it at all...”
The Power of His Tehillim:
The Yid Hakadosh of Peshischa zy”a once pointed out the Saba Kadisha to his students before he became revealed to the world and said, “Look how he says Tehillim with such passion. His Tehillim is more precious to Hashem than all of our Torah!” One of the students who was present at the time was Rav Shimshon of Zvolin zt”l. He later told the Saba Kadisha what the Yid Hakadosh said about him. When the Saba Kadisha heard this, he got up and walked away.
After he became revealed and was leading his community in Radoshitz, Rav Shimshon came to visit him but he would not let him in. When he finally let him in, he told him that the reason he didn’t want to see him was because when he told him how the Yid Hakadosh had praised his Tehillim, he had to work very hard for a long time to make sure that he was not proud of himself and did not feel any haughtiness.
Healing the Sick With an Apple:
A wealthy man once came to see him and related that he was suffering from a wound on the center of his head that gave him extreme headaches, which caused him much pain. His doctors had told him that his life was in danger, as the ailment could spread to his brain, and there was no known cure.
The Saba Kadisha looked at the wound and took an ointment out of his drawer. He placed some on a clean bandage and tied it on the wound. He told the man to wear the bandage for a full 24 hours and then to come back to him.
When the man returned the next day, the Saba Kadisha removed the bandage and saw that a scab had formed over the wound. Rav Nosson Dovid of Shidlovitza zy”a was in the room at the time. He saw the scab and said, “It seems like it is already healing and nothing else needs to be done!”
However, the sick man asked for the ointment to be placed on his head once more. The Saba Kadisha did as requested and told him to come back in another 24 hours. When he returned, he took off the bandage and saw that the wound was completely gone, with not a trace remaining.
Rav Nosson Dovid asked if he could have a little bit of the ointment so that he could use it to heal people but the Saba Kadisha told him, “There is no medicine in this ointment. I made it from pieces of the apple I dipped in honey and ate on Rosh Hashana.”
May the tzadik’s memory be a blessing for Klal Yisroel.
