Reb Yitzchak Beirach Daskal related:
Immediately after the passing of the Imrei Chaim, my father accepted his son, the Yeshuos Moshe of Vizhnitz, as his Rebbe — completely, fully, and faithfully. They forged a very close and powerful bond that cannot be described in mere words.
On the Friday following 9 Nissan 5732, right after the seudah, my father informed us, “We’re going to the Rebbe’s tish.” We were young children, and at first, we were puzzled.
“What? The Rebbe was niftar!” we responded.
“When the Rebbe passed away, the leadership of Vizhnitz was passed to his son and successor, the Rav and Av Beis Din of Kiryat Vizhnitz. A community does not remain without a leader for even one minute. What I said was correct. We are going to the Rebbe’s tish,” he explained calmly.
He called a few neighbors from Neve Achiezer who were Vizhnitzer chassidim, and together, we walked to Kiryat Vizhnitz. We were very excited. We couldn’t understand how the leadership had changed so quickly! How was it possible to call a Rav — a Rebbe? But we understood one thing — our father saw the Rebbe’s son as his Rebbe in every sense.
When we arrived in Kiryat Vizhnitz, we found out that the Rebbe was not conducting a tish for the public that night for reasons known only to him.
A Rebbe in His Father’s Lifetime!
During that initial period of leadership, Reb Shmuel once said:
“Not every son of a Rebbe becomes Rebbe upon his father’s passing. If he is not deserving, he stays just an orphan. But our Rebbe was already a Rebbe in his father’s lifetime.
“I was close to him when he was the Rav. Already then, we sensed that he was a G-dly person. After the Rebbe passed away, he was appointed to actually lead the kehillah, but a Rebbe — he was that beforehand as well.”
Emunas Chachamim
Reb Yitzchak Beirach Daskal related:
We were young, during the life of the Imrei Chaim, so I cannot share too many details of his leadership that I observed myself. But I witnessed hundreds, if not thousands, of encounters between my father and the Yeshuos Moshe. We saw what genuine emunas chachamim is; what the love for a talmid to his Rebbe is; what absolute submission and derech eretz is.
I can write an entire mussar chapter about the awe that my father felt when he entered the Rebbe’s room. He stood in front of the Rebbe with complete self-negation, waiting for the Rebbe to speak. Every word that emerged from the Rebbe’s mouth was holy. Whenever the Rebbe asked a question, my father answered while trembling in awe. He would choose each word carefully, and speak like a servant standing before his master.
We spoke a lot about subjects relating to Vizhnitz, and he never expressed a single doubt or reservation about the Rebbe. Whatever the Rebbe asked, he did, without calculating if it was worth his while or not. When he would speak about the Rebbe and Vizhnitz, he didn’t think about himself. Countless times we were left astounded at his unshakeable, boundless emunah.
Where did this rock-solid emunah come from? Where did this purity of heart stem from? The only way to explain it is that the spiritual foundations of his soul were extremely deep. There was no such concept as “I understand better than the Rebbe” on any subject.
His unbelievable level of emunas chachamim was like that of a chassid in an earlier generation, who never questioned his Rebbe.
The Secret of the Connection
Reb Shmuel was extremely obedient to every directive issued by the Rebbe, but that compliance did not come from a weak character. On the contrary, he was very independent and quite decisive when the situation warranted it. Yet the awareness that the Rebbe was his guide in every area was complete and genuine, and therefore, he submitted himself entirely to the Rebbe. His love for the Rebbe was infinite, and he adhered to the Rebbe’s word in every step he took in life.
In time, Reb Shmuel shared some of his thoughts on his very close bond with the Rebbe: “The Imrei Chaim carried me in his heart and mind all the time. I sensed it without a doubt. Likewise, I feel it with the Rebbe as well.”
The Tishen
Reb Shmuel did not miss a single Friday night tish despite the distance he had to traverse to get there, despite his exhaustion and the tiring walk. He would spend hours at the tish and wouldn’t leave his place before “Kah Ribbon” (which is sung towards the end of the tish) was completed. He would walk home in the wee hours of the night.
The next morning, after just a few short hours of sleep, he would again set out for Vizhnitzer Beis Medrash in Kiryat Vizhnitz, even though the davening there took a long time. It often happened that the Rebbe summoned him to partake of Kiddush in his house after davening. He would never tell the Rebbe, “They are waiting for me at home.” He went happily, appreciating the zechus, and returned home quite late.
Shalosh Seudos
“The Rebbe was so pleased that I came,” Reb Shmuel said joyfully. “I think I’ll go for shalosh seudos every Shabbos.”
He said this after Simchas Torah 5748/1987. That year, Yom Tov fell on Shabbos, and even though he had already walked to Vizhnitz twice that Yom Tov, he returned a third time for shalosh seudos and ne’ilas hachag.
From that point on, he made the effort to go to Kiryat Vizhnitz for shalosh seudos each week. He did this during the winter as well, when the daytime seudah concluded just a short time before shalosh seudos began.
The Rebbe Didn’t Sing ‘Kah Ribbon’ Yet
Sometimes, Reb Shmuel would return from a trip abroad on Friday. Even if he wouldn’t have time to rest before the tish, he would not forego attending.
Rabbi Tzvi Feivish Miller, the deputy director of Iggud Mosdos Vizhnitz, related:
One Friday night, I noticed that Reb Shmuel was very tired, as he had returned from a trip a few hours earlier and hadn’t had a chance to rest. But he refused to give up the tish.
“Why don’t you go home? You are exhausted!” I asked Reb Shmuel.
“The Rebbe didn’t sing ‘Kah Ribbon’ yet,” he answered simply.
The Place behind the Rebbe
Reb Shmuel Stern, the gabbai of the Imrei Chaim, related:
My place at the tish was behind the Rebbe. When Reb Shmuel became a gvir, I gave him my spot. It was natural that in light of his closeness and dedication to the Rebbe, I should give him my place.
Reb Shmuel loved his place, because it meant that he could be very close to the Rebbe.
But he also had deeper intentions. He often said to his family, “Because I’m always behind the Rebbe, because I was davuk to him all my life, I will have the zechus of basking in the Rebbe’s shadow in the Upper Worlds as well.”
Pidyon Nefesh
Each Rosh Chodesh, as well as on special occasions, Reb Shmuel would go to the Rebbe to receive a brachah, and he always gave a large sum of money for pidyon nefesh along with his kvittel.
When the Yamim Tovim neared, he didn’t suffice with his regular sum, he multiplied it several times over. This was in addition to his tremendous support of the Vizhnitzer court and the tzedakah causes to which the Rebbe regularly asked him to contribute.
Reb Shmuel’s son, Reb Yitzchak Beirach, related:
Each time I went with him to the Rebbe, I was amazed to see the huge sum that he gave with his kvittel, especially before the Yamim Tovim. Yet, his donation was wrapped in a mantle of submission! I could see that my father felt like he was the recipient and the Rebbe was the giver.
A Check for the Entire Amount
Reb Shmuel felt it was incumbent upon him to help when the Rebbe married off one of his children.
One of the gabbaim related to the family:
It was the day of the wedding of one of the Rebbe’s children. Reb Shmuel asked to enter the Rebbe’s room, but I told him that the Rebbe had asked not to let anyone in because he was preparing for the chuppah.
I sensed that Reb Shmuel was a bit uneasy. He looked like he wanted to say something but wondered if I was the right person. “Reb Shmuel, what is the problem?” I inquired.
“I’ll tell you the truth. I have something for the Rebbe that will help him be calmer as he prepares for the wedding. I won’t disturb the Rebbe; it will take just a few moments.”
I took the responsibility upon myself, went into the Rebbe’s room, and received permission to grant Reb Shmuel entry.
In time, I learned the story. Reb Shmuel had walked in with an open check. He asked the Rebbe which financial obligations he had undertaken for the wedding. When he heard the amount, he wrote the check out for the entire sum!
The gabbai Reb Aharon Gottesman related:
Reb Shmuel was one in a generation when it came to tzedakah. There was no one like him. Anyone who tried to imitate him, well, it was just an imitation. I remember that no matter what the Rebbe needed, we called Reb Shmuel, and it all fell into place right away.
Rays of Warmth in the Frost of Switzerland
Each year, the Rebbe would spend the summer months in Switzerland. A large building was rented for this time, and expansive hachnassas orchim took place there for anyone who needed a place to stay.
During the weeks the Rebbe spent in Switzerland, other vacationers would also be able to bask in his light. Each day between Minchah and Maariv, he delivered a shiur, and the audience sat riveted as they imbibed the Rebbe’s sweet divrei Torah.
Many came to receive brachos, and the Rebbe would encourage the petitioners with warm words about the Torah way of life, how it’s the only truth; about the illuminating paths of chassidus, which are a guarantee to merit upstanding children who follow in the footsteps of their ancestors.
Who can describe Friday nights in the Rebbe’s presence? People streamed to participate in the tish and to hear his pearls of Torah and chassidus, feeling their souls being infused with the nourishment they so yearned for.
“The Vizhnitzer Rebbe plays a tremendous role in establishing the chassidic world after the Holocaust,” many residents of Switzerland, and even the rest of Europe, would say.
Reb Tzvi Feivish Miller related:
Reb Shmuel was very instrumental in this whole enterprise. He took upon himself a large share of the expenses of the guest house, together with another generous philanthropist.
One day, Reb Shmuel noticed that donations were being collected from those who had spent Shabbos with the Rebbe, to cover various expenses, such as purchasing drinks and fruits for Shabbos. Reb Shmuel asked the gabbai about this.
“We don’t feel comfortable asking you for more,” was the reply. “You’ve given so much towards the expenses of this retreat.”
“Don’t collect from anyone else. These expenses are on me as well,” Reb Shmuel declared firmly.
Boundless Dedication
Reb Tzvi Katz, the gabbai, related emotionally:
Reb Shmuel’s devotion to the Rebbe in Switzerland cannot be described. There wasn’t a single thing, big or small, that we needed for the Rebbe or his family that Reb Shmuel did not immediately supply. No matter the amount, Reb Shmuel would generously provide what was needed.
Reb Shmuel’s contribution was not only monetary. Whenever the Rebbe needed to travel anywhere, near or far, Reb Shmuel was always available. The Rebbe came before anything else in his life, whether family, business, or any personal needs. He never relinquished a trip with the Rebbe because of a family trip or a business trip.
The Rebbe’s stays in Switzerland were made possible with Reb Shmuel’s generous and constant support. And it was all done with pure faith in the Rebbe, and without any expectation for any personal benefit in return.
In the Rebbe’s Presence
Each year, Reb Shmuel would travel with his whole family to Switzerland to be near the Rebbe. His sons learning in yeshivah would also join, even though they learned in Vizhnitz, where there is no bein hazmanim during the summer. Reb Shmuel knew that these weeks that they spent in close proximity to the Rebbe would have long-lasting effects on their lives.
Reb Shmuel davened all the tefillos with the Rebbe’s minyan, which was quite a distance away from where he was staying, even though the Jewish hotel, with its own minyan, was very close to his own apartment.
On Friday night after the seudah, he walked with his children to the Rebbe’s tish. It was a forty-five-minute walk, but the tish was the culmination of a sublime Shabbos experience that Reb Shmuel simply could not forego.
Worth the Loss
During the Rebbe’s early years as Rebbe, he would spend his vacation in the resort town of St. Moritz. Like each year, in 5736/1976, Reb Shmuel rented a comfortable apartment in town. Then he heard the surprising news that the Rebbe would not be spending his vacation in St. Moritz that year, but would be staying in Arosa.
There was no doubt what Reb Shmuel would do next. Although he’d booked an apartment in St. Moritz, and canceling it would incur a monetary loss, what was that compared to staying in close proximity to the Rebbe?
He told the landlord that he was canceling the reservation. The response was vehement. “You won’t be able to rent an apartment from us again! And you’ll have to pay us compensation!” Reb Shmuel covered the loss and then got busy looking for an apartment in Arosa.
The problems didn’t end there. Being that it was the last minute, so close to the actual vacation time, there wasn’t a single apartment available that could accommodate a large family of eleven for the full month. But Reb Shmuel overcame that hurdle as well — he rented an apartment that was available for just a few days, and then another apartment for the next few days, and thus, the large family moved apartments several times over the month.
Reb Shmuel thought nothing of this effort compared to the merit of basking in the Rebbe’s presence.
Early in the Morning
Reb Tzvi Feivish Miller related:
When the Rebbe was in St. Moritz, he would immerse each day in the mikveh in the Jewish hotel, Edelweiss.
The mikveh was cold, and in order to have the time to heat it and prepare it for the Rebbe, Reb Shmuel would rise early. He would then take the Rebbe to the mikveh and back to his lodgings for davening. He did this for many years, every day that the Rebbe was in Switzerland.
His Wisdom Opened Gates
Reb Yitzchak Beirach Daskal related:
We were sitting in the shul during Krias HaTorah on Shabbos when we heard the gabbai announce, “Yaamod, Reb Shmuel...” After the aliyah, a Mi Shebeirach was made, and the gabbai concluded, “Ba’avur sheyiten...” and then announced, “one hundred Swiss francs!”
The crowd was shocked, as this was a very large sum. We wondered why my father had decided to donate such a large sum specifically here, while we were in Switzerland, so after davening, we asked him about it.
“If I would promise a big sum, then others would also feel obligated to donate generously. I want an aliyah in Switzerland with the Rebbe to be very expensive, and this way, the mispallelim will earn the zechus of supporting the yeshivah!”
The mispallelim, among them very prominent and wealthy personalities, were ashamed to give small amounts and felt obligated to donate sums in a similar range.
The next Shabbos, Reb Shmuel increased the value of the Mi Shebeirach even further, and so, the other wealthy people who davened there raised their donations as well. Things reached the point that an aliyah in Switzerland became a prestigious — and costly — honor. That is how he wisely led people to open their hearts, and with personal example, guided them to give large, worthy sums for tzedakah.
Unbreakable Ties
Reb Shmuel was tied to the Rebbe with an unbreakable bond until his final day. Even in his last few years, when he was very weak, he did not forego participating at the tish that the Rebbe held each Friday night. He also adhered to his practice of going to the Rebbe each Rosh Chodesh. Even while in a wheelchair, and very frail, he didn’t yield to his weakness, and he persevered with his regular attendances.
By the same token, the Rebbe returned this love and displayed remarkable favor for Reb Shmuel. Often, the Rebbe asked after Reb Shmuel and spoke of his dedication to Vizhnitz.
Crowning Glory
This incident happened in Reb Shmuel’s final years, when his health was very poor. Excitement rippled through the streets of Kiryat Vizhnitz. Everyone streamed to the beis medrash for the kabbalas panim prior to the chuppah of the Rebbe’s grandson.
Reb Yitzchak Beirach Daskal related:
My father was home, sick and bedridden. During the last two years of his life, he hardly left home, and didn’t even attend the Rebbe’s simchos. I was with him when the wedding music began to play and the time for the chuppah neared.
I suddenly heard his weak voice, “Bring me my shtreimel.”
I was astonished at the request, and anxious about it as well. “But you can’t go to the chuppah. Your condition doesn’t allow it.”
“I repeat, bring me the shtreimel,” he pleaded.
I brought it. To my surprise my father put on the shtreimel and sat up in his bed. Although he didn’t leave his bed and didn’t go to the wedding, by sitting up and wearing the shtreimel, he felt a sense of participation in the Rebbe’s simchah. He couldn’t bear to simply continue lying in bed as the Rebbe walked to his grandson’s chuppah.
From the moment my father put on that shtreimel, his demeanor changed; he was completely immersed in the Rebbe’s simchah. Although his physical condition was poor, when the Rebbe walked to the chuppah, he felt like he was a participant.
It was the bond with the holy Rebbes, who polished his middos and illuminated his soul, that enabled him to give all that he had to others.
Nafsho keshurah benafsho
