Rav Gershon Chanoch Henoch Leiner Radziner Rebbe, Orchos Chayim, Ba’al HaTecheiles (Teves 4)
WHAT IS THE COLOR OF TECHEILES
When Rav Gershon Henoch came up with his new formula for reintroducing the techeiles with which to dye the wool of tzitzis, he created a huge stir. He went from rebbe to rebbe trying to get their approval for his method. Among those he approached was Rav Yehoshua of Belz who turned him down. The Rebbe didn’t approve of his dye.
‘‘Let me explain my refusal,’’ Rav Yehoshua said. ‘‘If you wish to argue with me using your Talmudic skills and erudition, you will surely defeat me because your intellectual prowess in Torah is certainly superior to mine! However, I will tell you a story that explains why I simply cannot agree with you.
‘‘Once, my saintly father, the tzaddik, the Sar Sholom of Belz, woke me at dawn and asked me to come outside with him. He pointed upward to the heavens and said, ‘Do you see the color of the sky?
This is the color of techeiles’.
Now, unfortunately, the color you show me here does not match the color my father showed me.’’ (Otzar Yisrael in the name of Mordechai Hirsch p.119)
Rav Avrohom Yaakov Friedman Sadigerer Rebbe, Abir Yaakov (Teves 5)
PERSERVERANCE WITH THE OHR HACHAIM
Once, when some of his Chassidim came from the kloiz in Haifa, they told the Rebbe, Reb Avrohom Yaakov Friedman that every Shabbos night they study the sefer Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh together. However, when they reached Parshas Vayikra and tried to study his holy words and commentary, they ran into problems – they had difficulty understanding it. They wanted to know if instead they could switch to studying the commentary of the Ramban. The Rebbe’s answer was harsh. ‘‘Do you mean to tell me if you study Gemora and reach a difficult point or sugya that you cease learning?!’’ Under the Rebbe’s guidance the kloiz persisted in its custom and the weekly Shabbos night shiur in Ohr HaChaim continued, as well as in the sefer Toldos Yaakov Yosef.
THOUGHTS LOFTIER THAN DEEDS
A Chassid once came to spend Shabbos with the Rebbe, and on Erev Shabbos he hurried off to immerse in the mikve. To his dismay, although he had rushed to be on time, when he arrived it was too late and he found the mikve locked. When the Chassid related this to the Abir Yaakov, he responded with a story:
One of the talmidim of the Ba’al Shem Tov had to work very, very hard to build a mikve in his hometown. Finally, after he had succeeded, he needed to exert tremendous efforts to build a ladder, and finally, when that was done and the mikve was ready, the ladder broke! When he poured out his sorrows before the Ba’al Shem Tov, the Tzaddik answered him that even though he lacked the act itself of having performed the mitzva corresponding to the exterior of the mitzva, he had at least succeeded in fulfilling the intention behind the mitzva, which succeeded with no ulterior motives whatsoever, because there was no act involved. And so, in a certain way, his mitzva of mikve was loftier than had he actually succeeded in performing the deed itself! (Abir Yaakov p. 313–315)
Rav Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam Shinover Rebbe, Divrei Yechezkel (Teves 6)
THE SHINOVER RAV’S BRACHAH
In 5660, he married the daughter of Rav Yisrael Yosef (HaCharif) Kluger of Tchebin, one of the most ardent followers and chassidim of the Shinover Rav, author of Divrei Yechezkel. At the time of the marriage, Rav Yisrael Yosef was no longer alive, and it was his widow who went to seek the advice and approval of Rav Yechezkel of Shinava whether she should agree to the match or not. The tzaddik told her to go ahead with the shidduch, explaining, ‘‘Although I do not know the boy personally, I know his brother Rav Nachum, Av Beis Din Dombrova, and surely he is similar. If so, the shidduch will be to the satisfaction and nachas ruach of your late husband Rav Yisrael Yosef in the world of emes.’’
SAVED BY MELAVE MALKA
Rav Yaakov Leiser of Peshervorsk writes, ‘‘The following was related to me by my father-in-law on motzaei Shabbos on the 20th of Teves: ‘I once heard the following tale about Rav Simcha Yissacher Ber of Cheshunov’:
‘‘It was a cold winter night when the following request was made by his two brothers-in-law, the Maharam Pristker and Maharn Vizhnitzer: ‘Please, make an exception to your rigorous schedule, we need your rooms. We have nowhere else to go for melave malka since the stove broke down and the rooms are bitterly cold. How can you turn away all the disappointed chassidim?’
They stood pleading opposite the resolute figure of the Divrei Simcha of Cheshonuv, son of the Shinuver Rav. At the time of this episode, the Divrei Simcha was just a young bachur. But he did have his own room, one with a warm stove heating it. Finally, the Divrei Simcha relented and, to his brothers-in-laws’ delight, he agreed.
Every motzaei Shabbos of that winter, the melave malka took place in the Divrei Simcha’s room. On one such night, he had a dream. His saintly mother, the tzadekes Chava Rachel, appeared in a vision. ‘My son, my precious child, you have been saved! Know that a decree of a terrible disease is descending now over the world; however, agreeing to allow your brothers-in-law and the chassidim as your guests to conduct melave malka, brought the merit which cancelled the decree and kept you alive!’
The next morning, he related the dream to his father, the Divrei Yechezkel. That summer one of the chassidim did indeed fall sick and the dream’s power became evident. As soon as the Divrei Yechezkel turned his gaze towards his son, the Cheshunover, the sickness departed and the chassid recovered fully.’’
‘Well, well,’ the Peshervorkser rebbe said, concluding his tale, ‘‘It does seem like up in Heaven, they do consider melave malka as something quite important!’’ (based on Siach Yitzchok Peshervorsk p. 52)
THE DERECH ERETZ OF A CLOCK
The Tosher Rebbe once told over that Rav Yechezkel of Shinova had the custom to relate the following story regarding the Ateres Tzvi of Zidatchov.:
When the Ateres Tzvi recited Torah on Shabbos during shalosh seudos (the third Shabbos meal) and the clock would begin to chime, the Ateres Tzvi would silence the clock by yelling at it, ‘‘Sha! Derech eretz! (Silence! Do you have no manners?)’’; whereupon the clock would freeze mid-chime and only resume working after the shalosh seudos Torah ended. This occurred quite often. Once the Torah recitation was indeed concluded, the clock resumed chiming and ticking where it left off, making up whatever it had missed during the break!
The Shinover Rav then concluded the tale with the following remarks: ‘‘See how even an inanimate object such as a clock demonstrated derech eretz (manners) with respect to the words of the tzaddik!’’ (Avodas Avoda Sichos Kodesh I p. 290)
THE ROPSHITZER’S MIRACLE OIL
The Shinover Rav, mechaber of Divrei Yechezkel, did not refrain from saying Tachanun on the yahrzeits of various tzaddikim. Similarly, he did not have the custom to visit the gravesites of tzaddikim. There was one exception: He observed the yahrzeit, and visited the tziyun of the heilige Ropshitzer Rav, mechaber of Zera Kodesh to whom the Shinover Rav felt he owed his very life. This is the story why: When Rav Yechezkel Shraga was seven-years old when his life was almost cut short by a terrible accident. Rav Yechezkel Shraga’s uncle, Rav Avigdor of Dukla, was in town visiting his brother, Rav Chaim of Sanz in Rudnick. At the end of the visit, when Rav Avigdor entered his carriage to leave, he realized that he had forgotten something back in the house and sent young Yechezkel Shraga on an errand to fetch the forgotten object.
In his zeal to help his uncle, he dashed across the street. A passing wagon carrying a heavy load of lumber came careening down the road at high speed, running him over! The heavy wheels had crushed his body. When the doctors rushed to examine his mangled body, they shook their heads. They despaired for his life as the surgeon determined that the wheel had sliced his liver in half!
Hearing the terrible diagnosis, Rav Avigdor raised his hands heavenward and cried, ‘‘Ribbono Shel Olam – Master of the World, if I am destined to have a son, I would gladly exchange him so that this young man’s life be spared.’’ And so it was that Rav Avigdor never had any sons born to him, only daughters.
The holy Divrei Chaim examined his son’s broken body and each limb he touched, the bones grew back together and straightened themselves out! Even later, in his old age, people would remark – especially the physicians – how straight and stately a stature the Shinover Rav had!
The Divrei Chaim still feared for his young child’s life, as Yechezkel Shraga’s internal organs had been damaged beyond natural repair. He sent word with one of the chassidim to his own rebbe, the great tzaddik, Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer, to daven for his son’s life. The Rebbe did this and more: he sent back a flask of pure olive oil with instructions to anoint and massage the child’s body. In a short while, miraculously, the child healthy again.
In the weakened state of old age, the Shinover Rav would recount his miraculous salvation. He would recall how when he was massaged with the oil sent by the Ropshitzer, he could feel his bones repair themselves and how his organs regenerated and straightened themselves until his body became healed and whole again. He would then sigh and remark longingly, ‘‘From where could we get such pure, holy oil today if we needed it?’’ (Divrei Yechezkel pp. 2–3)
THE JOURNEY TO ERETZ HAKODESH
When the tzaddik, the Shinover Rav, reached the age of sixty-four, he went into self-imposed exile. He decided to undertake the long, arduous journey to the Holy Land, and thereby to warn the kohanim not to defile themselves with ritual impurity by visiting kivrei tzaddikim, a mission he saw as his responsibility as a master of halacha.
The Divrei Yechezkel spent some twelve months on his journey, setting out in the summer of the year תרכ״ט. Before he climbed the gangplank to board the boat in Constantinople, he received a letter from his father, the Divrei Chaim. Knowing his father’s misgivings about his journey, and fearing that the letter contained a missive that would prevent his setting out on the trip (if it contained an outright command that would obligate him because of kibbud av to forgo the journey), he tucked the unopened letter away to be read at some later time.
During the sea journey, he attracted the attention of one of the wealthy seamen who recognized the tzaddik’s holiness and realized that he was a Jew of great stature. He subsequently wrote the Shinover a letter of recommendation that would be useful when he landed as a newcomer in the Holy Land. The rav would be able present the endorsement to those who could help support him and his cause. Secure in these thoughts, he continued his journey with comfortable anticipation. Soon, however, the Shinover felt his tefillos were compromised because of the letter and the false security it brought. He attributed his lack of devotion and concentration in his prayers to his having relied on human help instead of trusting in Hashem alone. These thoughts plagued him until he tossed the seaman’s letter overboard.
A similar incident occurred when one of his wealthy supporters gave him a valuable promissory note which could be cashed against the debt owed for a hefty sum. This too was discarded when the Divrei Yechezkel felt that reliance on the material world interrupted his spiritual devotions. Upon arrival, the tzaddik traveled to our avos in Chevron. While he was there, a letter arrived from Rav Elozor Mendel of Lelov. The emissary who brought the letter was astonished to see that it was written with seemingly no order; it contained just random letters of the alef-bais. But the Shinover Rav read the letter and remarked that if a tzaddik can compose such a wondrous letter, he must meet him in Yerushalayim without delay. The very next day, he left Chevron and set out for Yerushalayim.
That year, a plague was decimating the population, but as soon as the Shinover Rav entered the city’s holy gates, the plague ceased. The Shinover stayed with Rav Elozor Mendel of Lelov in his home and together they visited the great mekubalim and tzaddikim of Yerushalayim-- especially the tzaddik and mechaber of Shemen Sasson on the Zohar. While he was in Chevron, he greatly wished to daven at Meoras Hamachpela, but the Muslims prevented it. In order to bypass them, the Shinover and the Lelover disguised themselves as Arab Muslims and attempted to blend in to the local crowd and evade detection. It almost worked. They entered the Meora unhindered, but as they came closer to the site of the avos, they were seized with overwhelming fear and awe, and fled.
From Yerushalayim, the Shinover made his way to Tzefas where the Tzaddik and Chassid, Rav Shmuel Heller, a descendant of the Tosafos Yom Tov, served as chief Rav. The Shinover slept near Teveria and continued on his way toward Tzefas. All the city came out to greet him, but waited long hours in anticipation for the arrival of the caravan he was traveling with. When they finally arrived long after expected, they asked the guide what had held them up. He told them how the Shinover Rav stopped by one hills to daven. He was in such a state of dveikus that he remained in prayer for many hours on the site. Rav Shmuel Heller then explained what attraction that hill had had for the Shinover Rav:
Tradition has it that hidden on that particular hill is the location where the efer pora -- the ashes of the red heifer used to ritually purify the kohanim for avodas haMikdosh. The story goes that once an Arab dug there and discovered a golden pot filled with ashes. He coveted the treasure and took it home. That night, a magnificent vision appeared to him in his dream. A tall, fearsome-looking Jew ordered him to return the vessel to its proper place:
‘‘This golden pot is full of the holy ashes of the pora aduma. You must rebury it,’’ the apparition commanded.
The Arab took no heed even after the dream recurred several times. Finally, the Jew warned that the Arab’s children would die one by one as long as the pot remained in his possession. Again, the Arab paid no heed until the last of his children mysteriously died. Then the Arab himself fell sick and with his last ounces of strength, he reburied the ashes and tried to keep the gold pot. Only when he felt he was close to death himself did he reinter the golden pot with the ashes of the pora aduma there on that hill. And that is the spot to which the tzaddik was drawn. He felt its vibrations and this is where he davened!
Another tradition has it that while in Tzefas, the Shinover encountered one of the thirty-six hidden tzaddikim. When he was in the mikvah on erev Shabbos, he noticed someone immersing in a unique manner. He tried to follow him, but the Jew moved quickly and was out of sight before he could speak with him. Even when the Shinover inquired after his address, he discovered that the lamed-vovnik could not be found; the elusive figure had packed up his family and possessions that very day and moved to nearby Biriya! Even when the Divrei Yechezkel attempted to follow him to the Biryia on motzei Shabbos, the hidden tzaddik had run away and the Shinover never found him or discovered who he was.
The Shinover had wanted to travel from Tzefas to Meron for Lag BaOmer. Before the trip, he opened the letter from his father and found that it included a command that he not visit Meron. This turned out to be great hashgocha protis for it was discovered that a bandits lay in wait to capture him during that journey and then ransom him.
In the summer of ל״תר he traveled again to Yerushalayim and stayed there until the date of the Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh’s yahrzeit, in order to daven at his tziyun.
When he returned to Tzefas, he perceived that from Shomayim he was meant to return to Europe. He traveled to the Yaffo port to board a ship home.
Upon his return, he found a group of Chassidim sitting in discussion. When asked what they were talking about, they admitted to discussing why the Shinover worked so hard to have the sefer, Ohr HaChama printed. This sefer, which the Shinover had discovered in a handwritten manuscript while in Yerushalayim, was written by the Mekubol Rav Avrohom Azulai, chief rav of Chevron and one of the forebears of the Chida.
‘‘Yes,’’ remarked the tzaddik, ‘‘printing that sefer was one achievement of mine during that journey; but my real reasons for going…well, let’s just say that they will be revealed only with the arrival of Moshiach.’’ (Divrei Yechezkel pp. 10–12)
THE LARGER THE SUM, THE SMALLER THE WORRY
Rav Elimelech Biderman shared the following anecdote about emuna and bitachon:
The Shinover Rav once remarked to his talmidim that the people in our world are surely backward. The normal way of the world is that when people are in need of a small sum of money for a particular purpose, then they are at peace. They have great bitachon (trust) that somehow, they will get the money – after all, it’s such a small amount! But when a person needs a larger sum of money, then the opposite happens. They get all nervous; they worry and fret – how will they ever come up with such a large amount?!
The opposite attitude, however, is appropriate, explains the Shinover. Whoever is in need of a great sum, a large amount of money that he knows for sure he has no way in the world to amass – such a person must place all of his emuna and bitachon in Hashem alone. Since he is relying solely on Hashem, surely Hashem will take care of all his needs! Conversely, someone who only needs a small sum of money and believes that he has the power himself to gather together the needed sum or borrow it from somewhere – he should surely worry! For if he is not relying on Hashem then, me’ayin yavo ezri – from where will his salvation come?!
THE TAILORS INVESTMENT
Rav Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam of Shinova was standing in the train station when suddenly he heard the sound of someone crying. ‘‘Who is crying?’’ he asked Berel, the tailor, who was also waiting for the train.
‘‘It’s a little girl,’’ answered Berel. ‘‘Why is she crying?’’ the Tzaddik wondered. ‘‘I don’t know,’’ said Berel. ‘‘I’ll go ask her.’’
After a few minutes he came back and said, ‘‘The little girl’s purse is lost. She has no money to buy a ticket to get home.’’
The Tzaddik looked at him strangely. ‘‘Perhaps you can help her out, Berel,’’ he suggested. ‘‘One day it might stand you in good stead.’’