B’Oholei Tzadikim
When One Doesn’t Go to the Rebbe on His Own, He is Taken by the Police:
My grandfather, the Kretchnifer Rebbe zy”a, related the following story involving a resident of the Marmorosh region who was a chasid of his grandfather, Rav Eliezer Zev of Kretchnif zy”a.
This man would travel to be with the Rebbe every yomtov, and he never missed such an opportunity. One year before Shavuos, his wife told him that she did not want him to go to the Rebbe for yomtov. She argued that she had the right to hear her own husband make Kiddush, just like all the neighbors, and she pressured him not to go. After much coercion, he agreed.
On Shavuos night, the police suddenly burst into his house and announced that he was under arrest. They grabbed him and led him out to the street as he cried that he was innocent and had committed no crime. They ignored him and said that they had orders to follow.
He succeeded in convincing them that he could not get onto a wagon on yomtov, so they led him by foot all night long. By the time morning arrived, they had reached the city of Sighet, where the police station was located. As they entered the station, the police commander told them that they had made a mistake and had brought the wrong man. He was then released.
The man went straight to the home of the Rebbe – which was then in Sighet – and asked him to explain what had happened to him. He told him with a smile, “If you don’t come to me on your own for Shavuos, you have to be brought here by the police!”
The Levels Reached by the Baal Shem Tov and Magid of Mezheritch on Shavuos:
The Riyatz of Lubavitch zy”a related the following (Kesser Shem Tov, Hosafos, Ois 235):
The Magid of Mezheritch zy”a said, “When we were by the Rebbe (the Baal Shem Tov zy”a) for Shavuos, the Heavens opened and we saw the image of Hashem.”
The Baal Hatanya zy”a said, “When we were by the Rebbe (the Magid of Mezheritch) for Shavuos, throughout the entire yomtov ‘we saw it and felt it’.”
Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchov zy”a once gave a deep, lomdishe drasha, beginning with the pasuk (Yeshaya 19:1): “Behold Hashem is riding on a light cloud (av kal).” He then asked 72 questions (the numerical value of the word “av”) and gave 130 answers (the numerical value of the word “kal”). The Baal Hatanya wrote 400 pages of Torah about this, but he still said that it didn’t come close to what he witnessed by the Magid on Shavuos.
The Kabalas Hatorah of the Lechovitcher Rebbe:
Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen relates in the name of Rav Mordechai Chaim of Slonim zy”a that a group of chasidim of the Lechovitcher Rebbe zy”a once spent Shabbos with the Chozeh of Lublin zy”a, and the Chozeh saw that they weren’t as impressed with him as they were with their own Rebbe.
He turned to them and said, “What do you want from me? You want to experience Lechovitcher Shabbosim here? This year, the Lechovitcher Rebbe’s kabalas haTorah put to shame tzadikim who have been in Gan Eden for 150 years already!”
He then added, “But we also are focused solely on Hashem!”
The Angels Came to Hear the Stoliner Rebbe’s Akdamus:
Sefer Pri Yesha Aharon relates that the Apta Rov zy”a would often send letters of greeting to Rav Osher of Stolin zy”a. He once sent him a letter with a chasid who was going to Stolin for Shavuos. When the chasid returned to Apta, the Rov asked him, “Did the Stoliner Rebbe recite Akdamus like he does every year?”
The chasid replied that since Rav Osher was not feeling well, he did not say Akdamus.
The Apta Rov told him, “Now I understand. Every year, I see the Heavenly angels gathering to hear the Stoliner Rebbe’s Akdamus. This year I didn’t see it and I didn’t know why. Now I understand why.”
When One Comes to Sanz, One Realizes What He Cannot Do:
Rav Elchonon Halpern zt”l (Sefer Sichasan Shel Avdei Avos, Chelek 1, page 67) writes that his grandfather, the Rov of Radmoshila zt”l, once spent Shavuos in Sanz. That year, the Chasan Sofer zt”l also was in Sanz, together with 20 of his students.
The Chasan Sofer said to the Rov of Radmoshila, “Until we came to Sanz, we thought that we knew how to learn. But now that we came here, we see that we can’t do it!”
On the First Day, One Cannot Speak:
Sefer She’eris Boruch relates that one year at the tish of the Chozeh of Lublin zy”a on the first night of Shavuos, the Chozeh turned to the author of Sefer Noam Magadim zy”a and said, “Tarnograder Rov, they say that you know how to speak. Say some divrei Torah for us!”
The Noam Magadim remained silent and didn’t say a word, and the Chozeh recited Birchas Hamazon.
On the second night of Shavuos, the Chozeh again asked the Noam Magadim to speak and he again was silent. Once more, the Chozeh said, “Nu, ‘ain mesarvin’ (you cannot refuse).”
The Noam Magadim then said, “I certainly want to speak, but I can’t!”
The Chozeh responded, “You are correct. But why didn’t you tell me this the first time I asked you to speak?”
The Noam Magadim answered, “The Gemara says (Shabbos 86b): ‘On the first day, He didn’t say anything to them.’ (The Gemara is speaking about the first day of the week when the Torah was given, and saying that Hashem didn’t say anything to them on that day.) For me, this means that on the first day of Shavuos, I could not even say that I was unable to speak.”
Hashem Saves the One Who Redeems the Tzadik:
Rav Halpern further relates (Sichasan Shel Avdei Avos, Chelek 1, page 76) that on another year when his grandfather, the Rov of Radmoshila zt”l, was in Sanz for Shavuos, the Tiferes Shlomo of Radmosk zy”a also was there, accompanied by about 1,000 chasidim.
In the city of Sanz there lived a devoted chasid of the Divrei Chaim. When the Sanzer Rov was once very ill, this chasid accepted upon himself to be a kaparah for the Rov, and, indeed, the Rov was healed and he became very sick.
The sick chasid brought a kvitel to the Sanzer Rov and asked him to daven for him to be cured. The Sanzer Rov handed the kvitel to the Radomsker Rebbe, who said, “In davening, we say: ‘Boruch podeh u’matzil.’ Blessed is He who redeems and saves. This means that Hashem also saves one who is ‘podeh’ – who redeems someone else.” (His intent was that since this chasid redeemed the Sanzer Rov from his illness, he should be healed.)
Indeed, the man had a refuah sheleimah, and the Sanzer Rov was amazed by the way the Radomsker Rebbe brought about the yeshua.
Bringing Up Jewish Souls from the Ground:
The Kobriner Rebbe zy”a (quoted in Sefer Ma’amarim Tehorim, Parshas Yisro) relates that during Kriyas Hatorah on Shavuos, when the ba’al koreh reached the pasuk of (Shemos 19:17): “And Moshe went out with the people to greet Hashem”, the Magid of Kozhnitz loudly screamed, “Oy vavoy! How sweet it is! The holy Moshe raised up Jewish souls from the ground and brought them to Hashem!”
In Yerushalaim for Shavuos:
Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen (Chelek 2, page 376) relates that the Bais Avrohom of Slonim zy”a once told his chasidim that he was going to travel to Yerushalaim for Shavuos. He explained that the city of Yerushalaim is like a lokshen kugel – if it works out, it is delicious, but if it doesn’t, at the very least you still have the lokshen.
His intent was that just being in Yerushalaim for Shavuos is a very good thing.