When Rav Chaim Reisher Hirschman came before Rav Aharon of Belz and introduced himself as a Gorlitzer Chassid, Rav Aharon responded that his father, Rav Yissochor Dov of Belz, said of Rav Boruch, “no hint of laughter was ever seen on his holy lips!” This despite the fact that he was known to jest and poke barbs of rebuke at many of the Tzaddikim of his own generation! We must conclude that these “jokes” and “barbs” had a hidden purpose and were not to be taken at face value. (Rabbeinu HaKodosh MiSanz Vol. II p. 331)
Rav Boruch greatly admired his older brother, the Shinover Rav. In their youth they would arise early and study Torah before daybreak lishma (for its own sake), purely to give nachas ruach (satisfaction) to Hashem!
He once described the difference between themselves as follows: “My brother greatly admires truth and I simply detest falsehood. When my brother sees a matter that is full of falsehood and lies, if he still finds an ounce of truth in it, he honors and respects the matter and draws it close, because of this small truth which he values so highly. However, if I find a matter in which I discern even an ounce of falsehood, I cannot stand it!” (Vayaged Yaakov, Vol. IV Intro.)
As was his custom, his sharp barbs of rebuke were reserved for his brother as well. A Shinover Chassid once spent a Shabbos in Gorlitz and listened in pain and distress, as jibe after jibe was aimed at his beloved Rebbe, the Shinover Rav! All Shabbos, Rav Boruch referred to his brother the Shinover mockingly as the Dybbuk, [because he had previously chased out a Dybbuk from someone] until the Chassid could no longer control his emotions and simply could not hold back, yelling, “Enough!”
Rav Boruch gave him a stern knock on the head and remarked, “Fool! Don’t you know the meaning of Dybbuk? It means that he is constantly dovuk – bound and attached to the Ribbono Shel Olom!” (Ateres Chaim, Vol. I Intro.)
When his own Chassidim asked him why he seemingly spoke against his brother when there were many more deserving of his rebuke, he replied, “When I arrive before the heavenly court and they rule against me that I deserve Gehinnom because of this, they shall ask me to face my brother, the Tzaddik against whom I spoke and – don’t worry – when he sees me, he himself will be the one to redeem me and take me out of there as a favor!”
The Stropkover once told Rav Chaim Meir of Vizhnitz that Rav Boruch would pause before reciting the Shabbos Kiddush on Friday night, relating some jest or barb of rebuke as a joke against one of the Tzaddikim of the generation. Even his nephew, Rav Shlomo of Bobov, was no exception. He too was the brunt of his uncle Rav Boruch’s comic comments. During Rav Shlomo’s last years, Rav Boruch’s sister, Rebbetzin Nechama Rubin, begged and pleaded that he desist. He finally listened to her. Not long after, Rav Shlomo passed away while in Badenheim for his health. His body was recovered from the resort town to be laid to rest and that Shabbos, many Chassidim who had traveled from far and wide spent Shabbos in Gorlitz. No one wished to reveal the matter to Rav Boruch until he questioned his son, Rav Sinai of Zemigrod, as to the reason for the unusually large number of Shabbos guests. At first Rav Sinai tried to avoid the matter; yet when his father commanded him to fulfill the mitzva of Kibbud Av (the biblical command to honor one’s father) he had no choice but to tell him the truth. When he heard the sad news he cried out in pain and distress, “I told her [my sister] to leave me be and not stop me! I kept him alive all these years and now – oy vavoy!”
Before he passed away, he asked his attendant for a cup of tea and recited the berocha shehakol – that everything was created by Hashem’s words. He drank half the cup and began to recite words of Torah, returning his neshoma in the middle of reciting the derosha [see Avos DeRabbi Nosson 25:2 that this is a good sign] on Rosh Chodesh, 1st of Adar, tov-reish-samech-vov, at the age of seventy-six. (Based on Al HaTzaddikim ve’al HaChassidim, p. 45–49, Tzaddikei Olom, p. 116–122)
