An Everlasting Bond
“You’ll never understand what my kesher with the Rebbe, the Imrei Chaim, did for me,” Reb Shmuel once told his son, Reb Yitzchak Beirach. “Through the Rebbe’s hashpa’ah, I was zocheh to an abundance of brachah, and he then guided me what to do with the shefa I’d been blessed with. He illuminated the path for me through all life has given me; he infused my heart with the emunah and bitachon needed to handle all of life’s travails. He taught me the purpose of the life of a Jew; he impressed upon me the value of proper chinuch in a home.”
The influence that the Imrei Chaim had on Reb Shmuel was tremendous. He drew from the wellsprings of the Rebbe’s purity, holiness, and chassidus. With his sharp eye, the Rebbe discerned that his chassid was a precious gem with unique qualities, and he knew how to appreciate his real value. He recognized Reb Shmuel’s uniqueness and his exceptional middos, and thus, his ahavah for him was boundless and indescribable.
“Kamayim Hapanim Lapanim”
Harav Baruch Shimshon Hager, a son of the Vizhnitz-Monsey Rebbe, related that when he told his father that Reb Shmuel Daskal had passed away, the Rebbe said to him, “Der Tatte haht ehm azoi lib gehat, nisht stam!” (My father loved him so much, he was special!)
The Antiniya Rebbe related:
I was present when the Imrei Chaim told Reb Shmuel “Di veist fahr vos ich hab dir lib? Do you know why I love you? Because you love that a Yid lives next to you!”
What the Rebbe meant to say is that wealthy people often display tzarus ayin about other people’s money. My father wanted everyone to be blessed with the abundance that he enjoyed. He loved the idea of fellow Yidden living “with him” — in wealth.
Just like one’s face is reflected in the water, so, too, the feelings of one person are reflected in the heart of another — as the passuk says “Kamayim hapanim lapanim, kein lev ha’adam la’adam, as in water, face answers to face, so is the heart of a man to a man.” Reb Shmuel’s connection to the Rebbe, the Imrei Chaim, was so intense, his bond was so powerful; it was a connection that was not contingent on any externals. He didn’t think of deriving any material benefit from his relationship with the Rebbe. It was a genuine connection that stemmed from a purity of heart.
Who Is the Man?
Harav Shimon Werner, Rosh Kollel in Tel Aviv and the son of Harav Shmuel Werner, related:
One Friday night, a group of bachurim from Ponevezh Yeshivah went to the tish of the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz.
We saw that the Rebbe turned his head around after each dish was served, and gave shirayim of that food to a Yid standing behind his chair. As he handed over the shirayim with a radiant face, it was clear that he loved this person. It was a captivating scene.
“Who is that man?” we asked.
Those standing near us explained. “That is Reb Shmuel Daskal; he is very wealthy. He gives all of his wealth to the Vizhnitzer mosdos.”
Listening to His Word
Reb Shmuel would comply with the Rebbe’s word with more alacrity than a soldier obeying his commander. Even when the Rebbe did not explicitly express what he wanted, Reb Shmuel understood what he had to do — a slight insinuation from the Rebbe was sufficient. He fulfilled the Rebbe’s wishes without any questions or doubts, even when it entailed mesirus nefesh on his part.
Indicative of this is a story related by Rabbi Menachem Eliezer Moses, formerly an MK from Agudas Yisrael, who was the Imrei Chaim’s meshamesh during the last seven years of his life:
The Imrei Chaim had traveled to a hotel in Teveria for some rest. Reb Shmuel brought him to the hotel and after a short time, came inside to bid farewell to the Rebbe.
“You’re leaving already?” the Rebbe asked gently. Reb Shmuel didn’t need to be told another word. He called home and said, “I’m staying in the hotel in Teveria tonight.”
“You’re staying in Teveria?” his wife asked, not concealing her surprise. “Tomorrow at 8:30 you have a very important meeting at the Diamond Exchange! How will you make it back on time?”
“I have to stay,” he replied calmly. “The Rebbe didn’t give me a brachah to leave, so I just won’t; I’ll stay here overnight.”
The gabbaim were heartened at Reb Shmuel’s dedication to every word and hint expressed by the Rebbe. After supper, the Rebbe went up to the roof of the hotel to get some fresh air. Reb Shmuel joined him and listened to the sichos kodesh that the Rebbe shared. In between the divrei Torah, the Rebbe hummed moving songs. Suddenly, Reb Shmuel said to me in a whisper, “It was worth staying just for this spiritual pleasure.”
Night passed and when morning finally dawned, Reb Shmuel approached the Rebbe to get a brachah before leaving. The Rebbe proffered his hand and wished him, “Tzeischem ubo’achem leshalom!” After this heartfelt brachah, Reb Shmuel felt like he could set out.
An hour later, I got a panicked call from Reb Shmuel. “Menachem Eliezer, it’s urgent that you be mazkir my name to the Rebbe. I’m stuck in a dangerous place, in Wadi Ara, near the village of Musmus. Cars are passing and not one of them is stopping to help me. I got out of my car to call the towing company to tell them the car has broken down, and also to ask you to be mazkir me to the Rebbe,” he said nervously.
I was mazkir Reb Shmuel to the Rebbe, who was calm and said, “Passersby will help him.” Not long thereafter, Reb Shmuel called to let me know that indeed, someone had stopped to help him, and he was able to reach his destination safely.
He then concluded, “If I would have traveled at night, who knows what would have happened to me!”
An Unbreakable Bond
One word from the Rebbe was enough to alter important — even crucial — plans. It was clear to Reb Shmuel that the Rebbe kept him in mind at all times.
Words cannot describe the essence and core nature of this bond. There is no way to illustrate just how much the Rebbe illuminated Reb Shmuel’s life and to what extent the Rebbe guided him every step of the way.
Vizhnitz: The Root of the Soul
Reb Shmuel would often speak about how his father and grandfathers were linked to the tzaddikim of Vizhnitz.
Already as a child, while living in Pashkan, very distant from the Vizhnitzer court, his father, Reb Chaim Moshe, imbued him with the love and connection to this path of chassidus, which his ancestors had followed for generations.
Despite being born following a brachah from the Ahavas Yisrael of Vizhnitz, as related in the appendices, as a child, Reb Shmuel did not merit to see the glory of the Vizhnitzer court. It was only after the war, when he was in the Agudas Yisrael camp in Grosswardein, that he first met the son of the Ahavas Yisrael, the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz.
Several years later, when he was twenty-five years old, Reb Shmuel merited to live near Kiryat Vizhnitz and to become very close to the Rebbe.
The flame of Vizhnitz burned in his heart all his life and intensified as time went on, elevating him to great heights. His home was saturated with the richness of Vizhnitz chassidus, and his family breathed it every step of the way. He strictly adhered to every minhag and made sure to sing all the Vizhnitzer niggunim.
Reb Shmuel also merited to become a pillar of the community. He helped many Vizhnitzer chassidim financially, and put hundreds of families on their feet. He played a pivotal role in the construction and establishment of Vizhnitzer mosdos in Eretz Yisrael after the Holocaust.
Based on Ahavah
Through his personality and conduct, Reb Shmuel manifested the three tenets upon which Vizhnitz is built: ahavas Hashem, ahavas Torah, and ahavas Yisrael.
A person has many spiritual strengths, but love is the most intense. Through it, a person can reach the lofty level of being close to Hashem. Indeed, there are commandments for all three aspects: “v’ahavta es Hashem Elokecha,” to love Hashem; “b’ahavasah tisgeh tamid,” referring to the love of Torah; and “v’ahavta lerei’acha kamocha,” which means ahavas Yisrael. All three of these complement one another, and it’s impossible to truly have one without the others.
How can we know if a person truly loves the Torah or if he has chosen to use it as the proverbial “kardom lachpor bo, a shovel with which to dig”? The test that determines this is a person’s ahavah for Hashem and his ahavah for other Yidden. If those exist in his heart, then his love of Torah is real.
The same applies to the other two loves: a genuine ohev Yisrael is one who also loves Hashem and values Torah; an ohev Hashem demonstrates his true love of Hashem when he cleaves to Torah and helps other people.
It was awe-inspiring to see all of these three loves evident in Reb Shmuel — his ahavah for Torah and his ahavah of Am Yisrael indicated more than anything else the ahavah he had for his Creator.
You Have No Idea What Emunah Peshutah Is
Reb Shmuel once told his children:
The Rebbe didn’t have a car. I naively thought that it was fitting that the Rebbe should have his own vehicle. Some people tried to talk me out of the idea. “It’s not suitable for the Rebbe to have a car,” they said. The Rebbe heard the argument, interjected and said, “You have no idea what emunah peshutah is!”
After the Rebbe gave me his full backing to buy a car for him, no one could prevent me from doing so. That is how I received the privilege of buying the Rebbe his first car, and later, another one.
The greatest privilege I received by purchasing the car was becoming the Rebbe’s personal driver. I traveled with him to the mekomos hakedoshim, to visit gedolei Yisrael, and when he went away to rest. I merited to be with him everywhere.
Personal Chauffeur
Reb Shmuel also told his children:
I once went with the Rebbe to the Beis Yisrael of Ger, who was sick at the time, and only a few individuals were granted permission to see him.
As soon as I entered with the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, the Beis Yisrael turned to him and asked, “Is this the driver?”
“No!” the Rebbe replied firmly. “This is my personal assistant!”
The Rebbe Comes before the Syndicate
Another story that Reb Shmuel’s children heard from him:
One day, I received a message from the Syndicate in London that its representatives were visiting Israel and wanted to meet me at the Diamond Exchange. But just then, the Rebbe asked if we could go visit mekomos hakedoshim.
Although I could theoretically have asked someone else to drive the Rebbe, I decided that the trip with the Rebbe was more important, and instructed my foremen to tour the factory with the representatives. “Apologize in my name and explain that I had to urgently be available for my Rabbi,” I told them.
Remarkably, the gentiles from the Syndicate were understanding!
Divine Assistance
Reb Nuta Brizel related:
In the summer of 5723/1963, the Imrei Chaim was vacationing in Kiryat Sanz, Netanya. The gabbai, the Rebbe’s attendant Reb Yitzchak Dovid Razmovitz, had traveled abroad for the yeshivah, and I was appointed to serve in his place during this vacation.
With little advance notice, the Rebbe turned to me and said, “I want to travel tomorrow morning to Meron to daven at the tziyun of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai.”
I called Reb Shmuel to ask if he could fulfill the Rebbe’s request. At first, Reb Shmuel replied that he had an important business meeting in the morning, as well as a meeting at the bank that he had been awaiting for two weeks. But he immediately retracted and said, “It’s okay, I’ll manage. I’ll cancel the business meeting and I’ll try to push off the meeting at the bank.”
The next day, Reb Shmuel told me, “I canceled my meeting in the morning. Also, I traveled to the Bourse earlier than usual, so I could be at the bank early. I met the bank manager at the entrance to the Bourse and was amazed when he turned to me and said, ‘We have a meeting today at ten. How about we meet now?’
“I received Divine assistance so I would be able to travel with the Rebbe,” he concluded.
Something Urgent Happened
Reb Yaakov Meir Ehrlich, the foreman at the Komemiyus factory, related:
I once saw Reb Shmuel meeting with a customer and discussing a big diamond deal. During the negotiations, Reb Shmuel got a phone call. “The Rebbe needs you.”
Reb Shmuel hastily told the client, “I’m very sorry. Something urgent has come up. I must leave; we’ll continue another time.” And he stood up and went to the Rebbe.
The Note on the Desk
Rabbi Menachem Eliezer Moses, the Rebbe’s gabbai, related:
One morning, the Rebbe wanted to go to the Kosel. I called Reb Shmuel and asked him if he would be able to drive the Rebbe.
“I have an important meeting at three o’clock at the Hilton with a customer who came specially from Japan,” he said. “If we leave at eleven, I can be back at my meeting on time.”
The trip passed uneventfully. The Rebbe davened at the Kosel and we set out for home. Suddenly the Rebbe said, “I would like to return through Kever Yosef Hatzaddik in Shechem.”
Reb Shmuel knew that if he’d agree, he’d miss the meeting, but he did not hesitate. It was clear that he would not miss out on a single moment of serving the Rebbe and complying with his wishes. Moreover, for Kever Yosef, it would certainly be worth the effort.
He recalled the first time he had traveled to Shechem with the Rebbe.
It was in Sivan 5727/1967, at the end of the Six-Day War, during which Reb Shmuel had fought in the Armored Corps. He went into the Rebbe and informed him excitedly, “We have been zocheh to capture many places that were in Arab hands!” He then listed various sites. When he mentioned the city of Shechem, the Rebbe leaped out of his seat and cried, “I want to travel to Kever Yosef Hatzaddik in Shechem!”
Reb Shmuel was quiet. It was true that they had recaptured the site, but getting in was very dangerous. The city was closed to civilians and was under military rule.
“I want very much to travel to Shechem to daven at the kever of Yosef Hatzaddik!” the Rebbe declared fervently to Reb Shmuel. “Please, do something to fulfill this wish!”
Reb Shmuel accepted the challenge. He asked Agudas Yisrael MK Rabbi Menachem Porush to obtain an entry permit to Shechem for the Rebbe. The efforts bore fruit and the permit was duly obtained.
They arrived there and were pleasantly surprised to find the site well-tended and clean.
“Where is Yosef’s head?” the Rebbe asked.
“We have no idea!” was the answer.
The Rebbe approached the kever and passed his hand over the entire grave. Finally, he declared, “Here is the head!” The Rebbe davened at the holy site. When he emerged, his face was luminous with an ethereal glow.
That trip to Shechem was etched in Reb Shmuel’s memory and now rose in his mind and he was able to push aside every other thought. True, he had an important meeting at the Hilton, but what was that compared to the Rebbe’s wishes?
Before they got there, the car stalled. They got out of the car and were struck in the face by the heavy heat. Reb Shmuel was worried — not about the meeting and not about the flat tire. He was worried only about the Rebbe, and tried to find ways to make it more comfortable for him, so that he shouldn’t suffer from the heat until the car was fixed.
His creative mind found a solution. He went into a local restaurant and addressed the Arab owner with an interesting question. “How much would it cost for you to close your shop for a short time?”
The Arab looked at him quizzically; this was a strange question indeed.
“I want to bring an important person here so he can rest in a shady place until I fix the flat tire on my car,” he explained. The man quoted a sum. The matter was settled and the Rebbe came into the restaurant.
Reb Shmuel went out to find someone to fix the car. After it was taken care of, they traveled to Kever Yosef.
The next day, Reb Shmuel told me what had happened at the hotel. “I went to the hotel at about nine o’clock, my heart pounding with anxiety. An important businessman from Japan, whose time was precious, had been waiting for me. What would he think? What would he say?
“I entered the hotel hurriedly. I went over to the reception desk and was told that there was a note waiting for me. I could not believe my eyes. It was from the Japanese customer and it read, ‘Due to an unexpected delay, I will be late. I ask that the meeting take place at nine p.m. My apologies.’”
Mesirus Nefesh to Hear Kinnos from the Rebbe
Rabbi Menachem Eliezer Moses related:
On Erev Tishah B’Av 5729/1969, we learned of the sad news of the passing of the Rebbe’s son-in-law, Harav Yehoshua Greenwald of Chust. He was the second husband of his daughter, Rebbetzin Manya. The Rebbe was in Tzfas at the time, and Reb Shmuel set out for the north before dawn to bring the Rebbe to the levayah in Yerushalayim.
After bringing the Rebbe to the levayah and to Har Hamenuchos, Reb Shmuel returned with the Rebbe to Bnei Brak, where they ate the seudas hamafsekes. The Rebbe expressed his wish that right after the meal, he would like to go with his daughter back to Tzfas, where she would sit shivah.
I suggested to Reb Shmuel that we find a driver to replace him. Obviously, Reb Shmuel refused.
Tishah B’Av began. Reb Shmuel sat down near the Rebbe and listened to the kinnos, recited with heartbreaking cries and anguish over the galus of the Shechinah.
“You wanted me to forfeit these kinnos?” he asked me afterwards. “The whole effort was worth it just to hear the yearning kinnos from the Rebbe!”
On the Account
Reb Shmuel would oftentimes repeat this to his family:
At the end of his life, the Rebbe had trouble getting into the car. Each time I helped the Rebbe settle into the car, the Rebbe would ask me, “How much are you owed for the trip?”
“The day will come in the future that I will need...and then the Rebbe will make a calculation of how much I’m owed,” I would always answer. I was referring to after 120, of course. The Rebbe understood what I meant, and when he heard the answer, he was satisfied. He nodded his head as if to say, “Yes, of course.”
This scenario repeated itself hundreds of times, with the Rebbe asking the question even though he already knew the answer.
“The day will come and I’ll get the bill,” he would say.
The Rebbe appreciated someone who was at the pinnacle of success, and yet completely submitted himself to the Rebbe, with such humility and emunah peshutah.
This Avreich Merited Wisdom
The gabbai Rabbi Menachem Eliezer Moses related:
One day, Reb Shmuel asked me to be mazkir him to the Rebbe on the following Tuesday. “At twelve o’clock, I’ll be attending a very important meeting at the Syndicate in London,” he explained.
I mentioned it to the Rebbe. After Shacharis, the Rebbe said that he wanted to go daven at the tziyun of his father, the Ahavas Yisrael, in the cemetery next to Kiryat Vizhnitz.
While we were traveling towards the cemetery, I asked the Rebbe, “Why are we specifically going today to the tziyun?”
“You mentioned to me Shmuel Yehuda ben Faiga,” the Rebbe replied simply.
The driver, Reb Shmuel Wertzberger, did not know Reb Shmuel at the time, and asked the Rebbe, “Who is Shmuel Yehuda ben Faiga?”
We were amazed by the Rebbe’s response. “He is an avreich who is a tachshit [literally, a piece of jewelry],” the Rebbe replied. “It’s impossible to describe the way he gives tzedakah. Now he is in need of success, and I want to daven for him.”
At the tziyun of the Ahavas Yisrael, the Rebbe recited the three chapters of Tehillim: 16, 33 and 130, which he customarily said at the gravesites of tzaddikim.
When we left the ohel, the Rebbe said, “The Gemara says on the passuk, ‘Vehamaskilim yazhiru kezohar harakia, and the wise will shine like the brightness of the sky’ (Daniel 12:3). This refers to the gabba’ei tzedakah. Why do they need to be wise? Because they need wisdom to know how to give tzedakah — and this avreich has merited just that!”
The Rebbe then added, “In the past, I used to send letters to philanthropists living abroad for various tzedakah initiatives. Since we have this young man, I don’t need to send such letters anymore...”
A Specific Amount
Rabbi Moses also related:
We all remember the monumental and unforgettable gathering of Chinuch Atzmai, the holy enterprise that has been providing a Torah chinuch to tens of thousands of children in Eretz Yisrael for decades.
Chinuch Atzmai was in danger of collapse due to dire financial straits. The directors convened an emergency meeting attended by the gedolei hador: the Gerrer Rebbe, the Ozherover Rebbe, Harav Yechezkel Abramsky, Harav Elazar Menachem Mann Shach, and other rabbanim and respected figures, as well as dozens of philanthropists and wealthy people.
Due to the Imrei Chaim’s ill health, it was understood that he would not be attending. Nevertheless, the organizers called during the gathering and asked that the Rebbe come. “Everyone is sitting and waiting for the Rebbe,” they said. And to our surprise, the Rebbe asked to go!
The event began, and much was said about the necessity of donating to Chinuch Atzmai in order to make it sustainable. However, when the philanthropists took out their pens and wrote checks, they were for very disappointing amounts. It appeared that in the best case scenario, they would collect only five thousand liras all together.
When the Rebbe saw this, he began to speak loudly, in a voice that surprised everyone, “As the eldest of this group, I allow myself to speak!” and he began to describe the importance of the enterprise and how essential it is for Klal Yisrael.
He passionately quoted the passuk from Megillas Esther, when Mordechai sent a message to Esther, cautioning her that she must ignore the risk to her own life, because, “If you remain silent at this time, salvation and reprieve will come to the Jews from another place, and at u’veis avich, you and your father’s house, will be lost” (Esther 4:14). He then explained that the nature of a person is to feel gratitude to someone who has benefitted him materially, to the point that he also can be—
