Rav Sholom Yosef Freidman (Elul 11, 5611 / 1851 - 173rd Yahrzeit)
It was the 11th of Elul, and Rav Shlomo Chaim of Sadigura was about to conduct the first tisch since his older brother, the Abir Yaakov of Sadigura, had passed away (on 5 Teves תשכ׳׳א/5721).
Before washing netilas yadayim he sighed, “It is difficult to sit in the place of my holy brother, the Rebbe.” After drinking l’chayim, he said, “Zecher tzaddik livracha (the memory of a tzaddik is a blessing). This expression has two meanings: first, that his memory should be a blessing; and second, that we should be ready to accept that blessing!
“Today is the hillula of my ancestor, the holy tzaddik Rav Shulem Yosef. My holy ancestor didn’t have time to be a mentor and teacher, guiding us on the proper path, because he passed away shortly after his own father, the heilige Ruzhiner, in the very same year.
Rav Zev Wolf Landau Keser Torah, Zer Zahav (Elul 11, 5651 / 1891 - 133rd Yahrzeit)
Rav Zev Wolf of Strikov was born in 1807 (תקס"ז) in Plotsk to Rav Avrohom of Tschechnov. He was the eldest of four brothers. The other three were Rav Berish of Biala, Rav Raphael, and Rav Yaakov of Yezov. Rav Avrohom used to praise each son according to their abilities: Rav Zev Wolf – a sage/chacham, Rav Berish a pious chassid, Rav Raphael a perfect Tam, and Rav Yaakov an ilui/prodigy.
When he reached marriageable age, Zev Wolf married the daughter of Rav Shmuel Zanvil Weiner, one of the wealthiest Jews of Strikov. Rav Shmuel Zanvil’s home was a typical wealthy chassidish home, full of guests and travelers looking for a place to rest and grab a bite before heading off to visit the various chassidishe rebbes in the area. Rav Shmuel Zanvil himself was a learned scholar and he would deliver a daily shiur in the beis midrash every evening after he concluded his business dealings for the day.
A group of Chassidim of Tomashov (which would later become famous as the chassidic court of Kotzk) gathered in Strikov and soon set their sights on the budding Torah scholar, son-in-law of their host. They sent their best and brightest to him and ultimately convinced Zev Wolf to visit the Kotzker rebbe. After doing so, he too became among one of the rebbe’s greatest disciples.
At first, his father-in-law, Rav Shmuel Zanvil, was upset that his illustrious son-in-law spent weeks or months away in Kotzk until his mechutan, Rav Avrohom of Tshechonuv, allayed his fears by declaring, “If he doesn’t turn out better than me, than the whole deal [taking him as son-in-law] was a mistake!”
When the Kotzker Rebbe passed away, Rav Zev Wolf followed Rav Yitzchok Meir of Warsaw, author of Chiddushei HaRim and founder of the Gerrer Dynasty. After his passing, he did not go on to Rav Henich of Alexander as did many others; instead, he and his friends and followers including Rav Elazar of Poltosk and Rav Yechiel Meir of Gustanyn urged Rav Zev Wolf’s father to don the mantle of leadership as rebbe and thus, Rav Avrohom of Tsechanov became rebbe.
Remembering The Egel
“And on the day, I make My account, I shall bring their sin to account against them” (Shemos 32:34).
After his Rebbe, the Chiddushei HaRim, passed away, Rav Wolf Strikover did not travel to Rav Heinich of Alexander and accept him as rebbe. He once met an Alexander chassid and asked him to repeat a Torah teaching he had heard from his rebbe. The chassid opened with the above pasuk, explaining it according to Rav Heinich’s insights. A typical reading of the pasuk is that while Hashem forgave Bnei Yisrael to the extent that He did not annihilate them, whenever Hashem took an account of their sins, He would count the sin of the egel hazahav (golden calf) among them as well.
Rav Heinich, however, explained: “Whenever Bnei Yisrael sin, Heaven forbid, if they seek forgiveness and do teshuvah, I will forgive them.” Why? “Because I will always count the chet ha’egel (the sin of the golden calf).” The logic for this is that any calamity that befalls the Jewish people will also carry with it the consequence of the chet ha’egel. Just as the sin of the egel hazahav was a terrible sin, yet Hashem forgave them, all the more so regarding other, lesser, sins – surely Hashem pardons them if they request His forgiveness.
When Rav Wolf Strikover heard this explanation, he was so moved and so disappointed that he had not gone to Rav Heinich himself that he tore at his hair in grief crying, “This is the great and holy Alexander Rebbe, and I was prevented from traveling to him!”
After his father’s passing at age 86 on 5th of Adar תרל'ה, the chassidim began to ask his son to serve as rebbe. They finally convinced Rav Zev Wolf, then aged seventy-three to serve as their rebbe, and he did so faithfully for sixteen years. He blessed his descendants that they should never serve as rebbes nor as rabbonim. He left behind a sefer called Zer Zahav Kesser Torah and many beautiful poems in lashon hakodesh.
He left behind sons: Moshe Chaim who was son-in-law of Rav Yechiel Meir of Gustanin and Rav Yechiel Eichel of Frashnitz, both of whom died in his lifetime; His other sons were: Rav Mordechai Mottel of Strikov, who printed his father’s seforim, and Rav Menachem Mendel of Gumbin.
He passed away on the 11th of Elul, 1891 (5651 תרנ"א). His soul departed while saying the passage, “A man goes out each evening to conduct his business and affairs” from Sefer Tehillim.
Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Freund Maor Yehoshua (Elul 11, 5692 / 1932 - 92nd Yahrzeit)
(תרט"ו - תרצ"ה)
Born תרט"ו in Sighet to his father Rav Moshe Aryeh Freund who was rosh kehillah in Sighet, descended from Dovid Hamelech as well as major poskim such as the Rema, the Maharshal, the Maharam, the Shach and others.
He studied under the Maharam Schick in his yeshivah in Chust where he quickly climbed the ranks of the top students. In תרכ"ט he married the daughter of Rav Mordechai Yehudah Loew AvBeisDin of Interdam. He was a disciple of Rav Chaim Halberstam of Sanz, author of Divrei Chaim and of Yerios Shlomo.
He lived for ten years, immersed in his studies, with his in-laws until he was appointed as rav of Radna.
In תרס"ה he was appointed to succeed his father-in-law as Rav of Interdam and the neighboring town of Nassod.
He was considered one of the leading poskim in his generation and counted among the tzaddikim of Hungary who spread the Torah of chassidus.
He was a gaon and mastered all four volumes of the Shulchan Aruch which knew by heart. He attained exceptional mastery of the halachic laws of mikvaos.
He frequently gave away all his monies to tzedakah.
He passed away on 11 Elul תרצ"ה he was laid to rest in Satmar.
