The Holy Rebbe from the Mishkenos Haro’im neighborhood, Rav Binyamin Rabinovitch, zt”l, Dayan of the Eida HaChareidis in Yerushalayim
Rosh Chodesh Shevat is the yahrzeit of the holy Rebbe from Mishkenos Haro’im, Rav Binyamin Rabinovitch, zt”l, a dayan and posek of the Holy City of Yerushalayim who greatly influenced me. He passed away about twenty years ago. Here is a small collection of stories about him drawn from the treasure troves of his sefarim and shmuessen. May his zechus, along with the zechus of his Torah and sanctity, which emanated from the heart of Yerushalayim to all of Yisrael, serve to bring us Hashem’s salvation and compassion. Amen.
The Importance of Stories of Tzaddikim
My teacher and master, Rav Binyamin Rabinovitch zt”l, told me that in his youth in the Old City, he made every effort to absorb the wisdom and spirit of the Yerushalayim elders of the previous generation.
He recounted that his regular custom was to daven Shacharis in the historic and magnificent kloiz of the early Ruzhin-Sadigura chassidim, named the Rav Nissan Beck’s Shul after the esteemed philanthropist Rav Nissan Beck, zt”l. Rav Nissan Beck had built this grand shul under the directive of his holy Rebbe, the saintly Rav Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura zt”l, son of the holy Rebbe of Ruzhin, zt”l. This shul was adorned and beautified with great splendor and elegance.
(Unfortunately, when the Arabs, yimach shemam, invaded the Old City in 1948, they destroyed this magnificent shul in their rage and hatred, desecrating the glory of Yisrael that had been a thorn in their eyes.)
In the old kloiz building, alongside the large main beis midrash, additional rooms and small shtiebelach served the worshippers. The chassidim would gather after Shacharis to drink a le’chaim in one room, rejuvenating their spirits with food and drink after hours of toil and exertion in Torah and prayer. This gathering included some of the elder chassidim who had merited to see the holy countenance of the Rebbe of Sadigura, and they would recount sacred stories of the tzaddikim they had the privilege to be close to.
Rav Binyamin zt”l, recounted to me that he witnessed, on several occasions during these gatherings, chassidim holding handkerchiefs to discreetly wipe away tears that streamed from their eyes out of profound emotion and inspiration when hearing these stories of the tzaddikim. While recounting this memory, Rav Binyamin would be moved to tears, his holy eyes shedding burning tears from the intensity of his emotions. He would recall the fiery sparks when hearts opened to teshuvah and good deeds during those exalted chassidic gatherings.
This teaches us a moral lesson: When we hear or read stories of the righteous, we should derive a personal lesson and consider how we can apply it to ourselves, each person according to his soul. As we have discussed many times, these stories should not be merely pleasant and engaging tales but should leave a positive impression and inspire us to action.
Repeating Old Stories of Tzaddikim
My father, the esteemed Rav Levi Hakohen zt”l, author of Ma’adanei HaShulchan, once told me that when his father, the mekubal Rav Gamliel Hakohen zt”l, head of the Kishinev Yeshivah, was about to start his deep shiurim in his holy yeshivah, he would always first relate stories of the tzaddikim to open the heart to Torah. As the Gemara states (Shabbos 30b): “Rabbah, before he began his shiur to the rabbanim, would cite something humorous, causing the rabbanim to laugh. Then he would sit in trepidation and begin the shiur.” The commentaries explain that this was done to prepare the heart for Torah study. As Rashi explains: “Before discussing halachah, one must begin with something humorous.”
Rav Gamliel the tzaddik often repeated the same story multiple times, each time with renewed vigor, discovering new mussar lessons from the story. Yet, there were talmidim, who, in their limited understanding, would occasionally remark that they had already heard the story and knew it well, asking for a new tale instead—failing to grasp the renewed insights and depth revealed each time he retold it.
But he marveled at their comments, asking: “Would you say the same about studying the Gemara—that we’ve already learned this and why repeat it? Just as you understand that we must review and study the lesson in the Gemara many times, so too, must we revisit and deeply internalize these stories.”
Protecting the Honor of Torah
A story from my teacher, as related by Rav Binyamin Rabinovitch, zt”l:
During World War II, as the accursed Nazis, yimach shemam, advanced in their campaigns, nearing the gates of the Holy Land, Field Marshal Rommel, yimach shemo, and thousands of his troops reached El Alamein in Egypt. The enemy boasted that once they reached Alexandria, they could conquer the entire Eretz Yisrael in a single lunch hour and carry out a decree reminiscent of Haman’s to destroy, kill, and annihilate the Jewish people, chas veshalom.
At this terrifying moment, all the Jews of Yerushalayim gathered in great distress for a monumental day of prayer and repentance in the hall of the Meah Shearim Yeshivah.
At this assembly, the holy Rebbe, the Shomer Emunim zt”l, delivered a fiery address to arouse the hearts of Yisrael to repentance below, hoping to awaken Divine mercy above to rescue them from the terrible decree. He stood and spoke for an extended time, as it says of Mordechai Hatzaddik (Esther 4:1), וַיִּזְעַק זְעָקָה גְדוֹלָה וּמָרָה - He cried out in the city, a loud and bitter cry.
Rav Binyamin zt”l, recounted that he stood among the throng gathered in this sacred assembly. Among them was the elderly and frail Rav Ben Zion, son of the mekubal Rav Tzvi Michel Shapira zt”l (known as Rav Ben Zion ben Rav Hirsch Michel). Despite his advanced age and weakness, Rav Ben Zion gathered all his strength to attend the prayer assembly. Rav Binyamin, then a young avreich, stood beside him to assist and ensure he was not pushed in the immense crowd that packed and overflowed the hall.
Amid the Shomer Emunim’s impassioned words of rebuke and inspiration, a disturbed individual began shouting and disrupting the speech. He cried out, “How much longer will you burden the kehillah? Finish the speech already!” This caused a minor commotion. It was an apparent effort by the sitra achra (the forces of evil) to sow discord and prevent the assembly’s prayers from achieving their intended effect during such a dire time.
Rav Binyamin recounted that amidst this disturbance, the elderly Rav Ben Zion rose from his seat, turned toward the crowd, cupped his hands around his mouth, and cried out with all his strength from the depths of his heart: “Oy! Where is the honor of the Torah?!”
However, due to his extreme frailty, his words were barely audible despite all his efforts. Still, he persisted and did not rest, fulfilling his responsibility to protest for the honor of the holy Torah, which had been disrespected chas veshalom.
The Power of Torah and Holiness
On another occasion, when I spoke with Rav Binyamin about the Holocaust, we discussed how the decree was annulled, baruch Hashem, and the black clouds dispersed. The battles came to an abrupt halt close to the borders of the Holy Land, and the hand of Hashem was evident in driving out the fleeing Germans with great miracles. Many spoke of the great wonder that was clear and visible to all, how the land’s inhabitants were saved while millions in Europe died on the altar of kiddush Hashem.
It is well known from several tzaddikim who spoke of the merit that stood for the inhabitants of the Holy Land—that their numerous prayers and supplications were accepted. Regarding this, Rav Binyamin said to me: “What did you think? That Eretz Yisrael is like any other land? That Yerushalayim, the Holy City, is just another city (noch a shtetele) among the cities of the world?”
In those times, before intruders came and defiled it, Yerushalayim was saturated with holiness and purity, filled with chachamim and sofrim who devoted their lives to Torah and service amidst hardship, casting aside all worldly vanities and living in supreme sanctity.
Did not King Shlomoh a”h, the wisest of all men, say (Kohelles 2:9), וְ גָ דַ לְ תִּ י וְהוֹסַפְתִּי מִכֹּל שֶׁהָיָה לְפָנַי בִּירוּשָׁלִָם אַף חָכְמָתִי עָ מְ דָ ה לִּ י - I grew and increased in wisdom more than anyone before me in Yerushalayim, and my wisdom stood by me? And Chazal explained (Koheles Rabbah ibid.): “Rav Chama bar Papa said, ‘All the Torah I learned here, amidst affliction, remained with me.’”
The abundance of Torah studied amidst hardship and pain by the inhabitants of Yerushalayim was what stood by them, saving them from the wicked Nazi oppressor. Through this zechus, they emerged from darkness to light and from subjugation to redemption.
