As the holy day drew to a close, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak found it hard to part from its sanctity. After a cup of tea, he sat down in his home to farbreng (a Chassidic gathering), with many guests listening intently to his stirring words until the early hours of the morning. He spoke mainly about the preciousness of the Jewish soul, using as an example those Jews who were forced to work during the High Holidays.
“These Jews,” he said, “who came to Ne’ilah after their workday ended, couldn’t even enter the synagogue—it was packed wall to wall. So they stood outside in the street, praying with broken hearts, weary and hungry from fasting, having walked long distances, filled with sorrow over having to work on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They stood there and prayed, with a brokenness that cannot be described.”
As he spoke about these Jews, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak wept bitterly. At the same time, he expressed the great joy that such spiritual awakening brings in Heaven, repeating again and again: “Come and see what a Jew is!”
Transformation
The cantors also spent Sukkot and Simchat Torah in Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s presence. On the nights of the holiday, all who wished to celebrate would gather in his home. At first, they entered hesitantly, fearful of being seen, but once inside, they were swept up in the overwhelming joy that radiated from the Rabbi, until they forgot the outside world entirely.
After returning home, the two cantors wrote a letter of thanks to Rebbetzin Chana, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s wife. They described a remarkable phenomenon unlike anything they had ever witnessed: as the Rabbi rejoiced and danced on Simchat Torah, he wept inwardly with a depth of emotion beyond words.
Mr. Liber added that the positive change he experienced during his time in Yekaterinoslav was entirely thanks to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak.
