Rebbe Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz: The Choizeh of Lublin
Seeing All the Way to Safed
Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak HaLevi Horovitz, known as the Choizeh, or the Seer of Lublin, was born in Poland in 5505 (1745). He was the disciple of the holy Rebbe Shmuel Shmelkeh of Nikolsburg (Mikulov) and the holy Maggid of Mezritch. After they passed away, he became the primary disciple of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk (Leżajsk). He established his chasidic court in the large city of Lublin and the masses flocked to learn Torah from him. The Choizeh was known as a holy genius who had the gift of special spiritual sight. It is told that he received this gift from his Rebbe, Rebbe Elimelech. The Choizeh was deeply engaged in efforts to bring the redemption. He sent his senior students to spread the teachings of Chasidut throughout Poland and Galicia. Among those students were “The Holy Jew” of Parshischa, Rebbe Uri “the Saraf” of Sterlisk, Rebbe Naftali of Ropschitz and many more. On Simchat Torah 5575 (1814) the Choizeh fell from the window of his home under wondrous and mysterious circumstances while he was engaging in spiritual endeavors to bring the redemption. He was severely injured and bedridden for close to a year and passed away on the ninth of Av, 5575 (1815). He was laid to rest in Lublin.
Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman Heller, the father of Rabbi Shmuel Heller of Safed, was closely associated with the Seer of Lublin. The father, son, and grandfather were all esteemed chasidim and rabbis in the Holy Land, and from time to time, they would travel back to Europe to visit the courts of the tzaddikim, especially in Lublin.
On one of these journeys, Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman stayed in Lublin for an extended period. During this time, he did not receive any letters from his family in the Holy Land, and he became very worried. One day, the Choizeh called him, seated him on a chair beside him, and spoke to him as if seeing a vivid vision: "Right now, your wife is leaving the market with a basket of vegetables. In her basket, she has such and such a number of onions and such and such a number of cucumbers, and she is walking home from the market. Your daughter is sitting by the table and drinking a cup of coffee." The Choizeh continued to describe what each family member in Safed was doing while he was sitting in distant Lublin. Then the Choizeh said to him, "I am revealing this to you not only to reassure you about the well-being of your household, but also so you know: even when you are at home, I see everything you do, and I am watching you wherever you are."
It is interesting to note that the tzaddik does not suffice with merely seeing but wants his chasid to be aware that he is being observed. This awareness instills a fear of Heaven, as highlighted by a central line in the Tanya, which the Lubavitcher Rebbe chose to include in the "Twelve Pesukim": "And behold, God stands over him, and the whole earth is full of His glory, and He looks upon him and examines his kidneys and heart to see if he serves Him as is fitting." A person connected to a tzaddik must know that his teacher is, in this respect, similar to the Almighty, and there is even a reason to fear that he might be less patient than the Master of the Universe... Moreover, because the tzaddik is a flesh-and-blood figure visible to our eyes, we clearly feel that God is also a very real being Who is always watching us.
The Holy Yid of Peshischa, when he was still a mitnaged, was sitting in the study hall with his study partner, Rabbi Yeshayah (who also became one of the great chasidim of Poland). Rabbi Dovid of Lelov entered the study hall and tried to strike up a conversation with them (it is possible he had a specific mission from his rebbe regarding these young scholars, or perhaps he came on his own). He did not want to interrupt them in the middle of their learning, so he stood there for a long time, waiting for someone to stop and go get a book from the bookshelf. He waited and waited, and the moment one of the pair got up, he approached them with a single sentence: "Study is not the main thing, but action." And then he fled. Because he himself was a tzaddik, the few words he said ignited and burned within them instantly. They immediately closed their Talmudic tomes and ran after him, asking him: "Where does one learn about this?" Rabbi Dovid told them: "This is learned in Lublin. Go there, and know that the Rebbe there is a reincarnation of Rabbi Yosei HaKohen, one of the great Tannaim, and one of the five principal students of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai."
The fire burned within them, and both of them immediately traveled to Lublin—both the Holy Yid, whose name was the same as the Choizeh’s (Yaakov Yitzchak), and Rabbi Yeshayah. When they entered the study hall of the Choizeh, they found him in the middle of a conversation with Rabbi Peretz Heller, the grandfather of Rabbi Shmuel Heller of Safed. Since Rabbi Peretz came from the Land of Israel and was knowledgeable about all the graves of the tzaddikim there, the conversation revolved around the graves of the tzaddikim. They spoke for a long time about all the graves until they reached the grave of Rabbi Yosei HaKohen. The moment Rabbi Peretz began to describe where the tomb was located, the Choizeh turned to him and said: "I am he."
Rebbe Dovid of Lelov clarifies to the pair of prodigies, in one sentence, that their way of life is lacking. You are immersed in study, and that is very good (he does not interrupt them even for a brief moment), but there is something more important and fundamental: action. In this context, action encompasses the entire service of God: good deeds, prayer, and refining one's character traits. A tzaddik like Rebbe Dovid of Lelov needed to say no more than this, and he turned and ran out with them hot on his heels. He directed them to Lublin but added more seemingly irrelevant information: the Rebbe there is a reincarnation of Rabbi Yosei HaKohen. What is in this statement, beyond the revelation of Divine inspiration when he told them what they would hear from the Rebbe?
Rabbi Yosei was one of the disciples of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, who praised him as a chasid—one who goes beyond the letter of the law. Furthermore, his status as a Kohen, according to the Zohar, connects him to the attribute of loving-kindness. There is no one more fitting than a reincarnation of Rabbi Yosei to teach the path of Chasidut. This is evident in Rabbi Yosei’s saying, "Let the property of your friend be as dear to you as your own. Make yourself worthy to study Torah, for it is not an inheritance for you. And let all your deeds be for the sake of Heaven."
