By: R’ Dovid Bitton
Based on Rav Bumbach’s biography on Rav Shimshon in Sefer Nitzotzay Shimshon
On the bitter day of the 3rd of Av in the year 5408/1648, the Cossacks and Tartar forces conquered the fortified city of Polnoa with the help of the Ukrainian guards who were supposed to be guarding the cities from the invaders. According to the testimony of Rav Nosson Nota Hanover, Rav Shimshon was in the city of Polnoa at the time, since many Jews had fled there seeking protection within its fortified walls. The murderous hordes headed straight for the shul. Rav Shimshon was in the shul with three hundred followers, all of whom are said to have been Chachomim Gedolim. They were all dressed in burial shrouds and wrapped in talleisim; they were butchered Al Kiddush Hashem in the midst of davening.
There is a Matzeiva for Rav Shimshon in the center of Ostropoli and it seems that his coffin was transferred to Ostropoli once calm returned to the area.
About the murder of Rav Shimshon, the Chozeh of Lublin writes that Rav Shimshon was Moshiach ben Yosef and was therefore killed, as we know will happen to Moshiach ben Yosef. (The neshoma of Moshiach is found in every generation.) The Chozeh even writes that since Moshiach ben Yosef (Rav Shimshon) was killed, this misfortune will not repeat itself when Moshiach finally comes. His words are quoted by Rav Tzodok HaKohen of Lublin and the Damesek Eliezer of Komarna. The truth is, that even while Rav Shimshon was alive, it was known that he possessed the neshoma of Moshiach ben Yosef. Had his generation only merited...
Many of Rav Shimshon’s desendants were great Rabbonim in their own rights. Some of the more well-known ones include: Rav Yoel Ba’al Shem of Zamotch; Rav Leiber HaGodol of Berditchev; Rav Yaakov Yosef of Polnoa, one of the greatest talmidim of the Ba’al Shem Tov; Rav Yaakov Shimshon of Shpotivka; and Rav Shlomo Eliyashiv known as the Leshem (Rav Eliyashiv’s grandfather), to name just a few.
Rav Shimshon of Ostropoli, born in approximately the year 1599, was one of the greatest Torah giants and Mekubolim of his time. He was named after his grandfather, Rav Shimshon of Kremnitz, one of the four brothers who were all Gedolei HaDor, the most well known of whom was the Maharal of Prague.
During the forty-eight short years that Rav Shimshon lived, he reached levels in Torah and Kedusha that were nothing short of legendary. As a youngster, he began studying Torah under his father’s tutelage. He is also assumed to have learned under Rav Nosson Nota of Austra, the author of the Tzon Kodoshim on Seder Kodshim.
Rav Shimshon’s entry into the study of the hidden parts of Torah began when he was relatively young, as he himself writes (Don Yodin): “I began learning Kabbola at a young age and toiled immensely to master the ‘Chochma’. Eventually, he became one of the foremost Mekubolim of his time.
Ostropoli, a town situated in the plains of Eastern Ukraine, became Rav Shimshon’s home when he was appointed as the town’s Maggid. He was fondly known by all as “Rav Shimshon Maggid” (the preacher). Rav Shimshon also headed a Yeshiva in Ostropoli in which he taught his Talmidim both the revealed and hidden parts of Torah. A few of his Divrei Torah that are printed today are thanks to the notes of his Talmidim.
Rav Shimshon’s greatness in both the revealed and hidden parts of Torah, coupled with his exalted levels of Kedusha and his brilliant mind, caused his fame to spread across Europe. We can catch a glimpse of his greatness by seeing some of the unparalleled praises the Gedolim of his time wrote about him. They testified that he learned with, and merited many revelations in the secrets of Torah from, Eliyohu HaNovi. He also learned with Malochim and Maggidim, who taught him many secrets. Some Gedolim even wrote: “All of his words are prophecy”. He also merited many revelations of the secrets of the Torah in dreams. In one place, Rav Shimshon writes how the Megaleh Amukos, Rav Nosson Nota of Krakow, appeared to him in a dream and explained to him a difficult piece of liturgy.
