The Driving Force
What motivated Reb Shmuel to dedicate himself to founding and supporting the Vizhnitz institutions?
It was a remarkable combination of internal elements: ahavah of Torah; ahavah of the path of chassidus in general and Vizhnitz in particular; ahavah of chessed; and above all, his ahavah for the Rebbe, his leader and guide who illuminated his every move.
At the annual Melaveh Malkah, the Rebbe would tell the assembled, “I do not demand money; I ask for your hearts. Anyone who has a ‘heart’ for the institutions of Vizhnitz already knows on his own what he has to do.”
With Reb Shmuel, this was manifested in its entirety — he definitely had a warm heart for Vizhnitz and its institutions.
A Thousand Dollars a Month — At the Beginning!
The gabbai Reb Ezra Weiss of Kiryat Vizhnitz, related:
I was in the Imrei Chaim’s room before tekios on Rosh Hashanah. The Rebbe [the Yeshuos Moshe] — who was then the Rosh Yeshivah — entered the room and told the Imrei Chaim, “Reb Shmuel Daskal came to me and said he wishes to donate $1,000 a month to the yeshivah. He asked that I be mazkir him to the Rebbe.”
Reb Shmuel was not yet a familiar name, as it was still right at the inception of his diamond business. A thousand dollars in those years was a huge sum, and a monthly pledge for that amount was a truly remarkable commitment.
Astounding Amounts
Rabbi Baruch Weltzer, the deputy director of the institutions at the time, related:
The mosdos were in a dire financial state, and could not pay the monthly salaries.
I called Reb Shmuel and began to explain, “Look, I’m in a serious situation...”
“Don’t waste your time,” Reb Shmuel cut me off. “How much do you need?”
“A lot...”
“Tell me how much!”
“One h-u-n-d-r-e-d thousand dollars...”
There was silence on the line, and my anxiety mounted.
“Send me a courier to the Bourse. I’ll prepare you a check,” Reb Shmuel said to me, as though I had asked for a dollar.
“Who do you want as guarantors for the loan?” I asked.
“Guarantors? Loan? For Vizhnitz? Chalilah! This is a donation,” Reb Shmuel declared.
“And what do you want in exchange for this donation?” I pressed.
“You should live and be well!” Reb Shmuel concluded the conversation, leaving me in total shock.
One hundred thousand dollars, thirty years ago, just like that — and he didn’t even want recognition, public acclaim, or anything in exchange.
At Igud Bank at the Bourse they knew — when the executive director of Vizhnitz institutions called, he was to be granted any sum that he asked from Reb Shmuel Daskal’s private account. Incredibly, that was the standing instruction for many years.
Rabbi Mendel Eisenberg, the executive director of Vizhnitz institutions (from 5763–5770/2003–2010) related:
Reb Shmuel’s checks from Igud Bank were an integral part of the Vizhnitz institutions’ budget, and he did it all with such modesty, without any desire for acclaim or honor. It is impossible to calculate on paper the amount of money he gave to Vizhnitz.
“Once, the Rebbe told me, Reb Shmuel gave everything he had to Vizhnitz!” related Rabbi Tzvi Feivish Miller.
Like a Poor Man at the Door
The way in which Reb Shmuel submitted his donations was notable indeed.
Harav Aryeh Tobias, a member of the Badatz of Vizhnitz, related:
One day, Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Vizhnitzer, the executive director of the institutions at the time, said to me, “Stand behind the curtain and look how Reb Shmuel gives his donations to the mosdos. He looks like a poor man paying off his debts!”
Modesty and a Warm Heart
Reb Yitzchak Rosenberg of Kiryat Vizhnitz related:
Reb Shmuel was not only a generous donor to the yeshivah, he was also exceedingly modest. Every young bachur from the yeshivah ketanah knew that they could approach him directly and ask for what they needed — Sifrei Tehillim for the beis medrash, travel expenses to Meron and the like, and even milk for coffee for those who learned early in the morning.
Anyone who wasn’t familiar with the concept of “Reb Shmuel Daskal” would never believe it. My father, Reb Hershel, would always tell me, “Vizhnitz merited Reb Shmuel — a combination of modesty and a warm heart, along with the ability to give generously, and the inclination and good nature to do so!”
Chassan Torah in the Main Beis Medrash
Philanthropist Rabbi Meir Shalom Rosenberg was one of the prominent donors in Vizhnitz. He built many of the buildings for the mosdos, and as a token of appreciation, the Imrei Chaim gave him Chassan Torah on Simchas Torah each year. It was the most prestigious kavod in the court.
The custom of the Viznitzer Rebbes was that they received the Chassan Bereishis aliyah. The Chassan Torah has the aliyah right before the Rebbe and stands next to him. It is a very lofty and holy moment, which remains etched in the minds and hearts of the chassidim for months afterwards.
Rabbi Baruch Weltzer, the deputy director of the mosdos, related:
In 5741/1980, after the passing of Reb Meir Shalom Rosenberg, the Rebbe asked me, “Who gave the biggest donations to Vizhnitz institutions in recent years?”
I was puzzled by the question because the Rebbe had never asked anything of the sort. Immediately, I replied, “Reb Shmuel Daskal!”
“Then he will receive Chassan Torah from now on,” the Rebbe declared.
That is how Reb Shmuel merited the greatest honor in Vizhnitzer Beis Medrash, which he received for the next twenty-three years, until his passing.
Exceedingly Beloved
Out of love for Reb Shmuel, the Rebbe would give him first from the shirayim at the tish on Friday night. He also gave him from the kos shel brachah each Friday night, thereby bentshing him with an abundance of blessing and success.
Aside for that, the Rebbe would accord him great honor on Simchas Torah, as a token of appreciation for his support to Torah scholars. The Rebbe would dance with him alone, in front of thousands of people, and his fondness of Reb Shmuel was apparent.
Each Simchas Torah, Reb Shmuel was also the first person that the Rebbe called to dance with the Baal Shem Tov’s sefer Torah, after the Rebbe had danced with it for the first hakafah.
It should be noted that the Imrei Chaim inherited this sefer Torah from his mechutan, Harav Zev of Rachmistrivke. Each year on Yom Kippur, during the recital of Kol Nidrei and for the hakafah that follows, when Ohr Zarua Latzaddik is recited, the Rebbe would carry this sefer Torah. He also carried it on Simchas Torah, for the first and the sixth hakafos. The Yeshuos Moshe continued this practice.
The Gvir and Educator
Reb Shmuel did not only donate generously to Vizhnitzer institutions; his largesse extended to all Torah mosdos. His love for Torah had no bounds.
He will be remembered for generations as a master mechanech on matters of tzedakah. “[By example,] he educated wealthy people to donate huge sums to Torah institutions, in order to glorify and expand Torah,” said Rabbi Green, the director of the Dushinski institutions.
A close confidant of Harav Aharon Leib Steinman told this story to Reb Shmuel’s son-in-law, Rabbi Moshe Yosef Rosner:
After Reb Shmuel’s passing, Rav Aharon Leib wanted to come be menachem avel. I asked him why he was exerting himself to such an extent and he explained, “Reb Shmuel initiated the awareness that one should give significant donations to Torah institutions. Until then, the wealthy people knew that it was necessary to give to the needy, but they did not yet adequately support Torah institutions. Reb Shmuel introduced these concepts among the philanthropists of our nation.”
Influencing Others to Give
Harav Yoel Tobias, Av Beis Din of Shikun Vav, related:
Reb Shmuel once donated the hefty sum of $50,000 to a different chassidic court. I was present when he spoke to a gvir who belonged to that chassidus, and suggested that he, too, make a donation.
“I’ll give $10,000,” the man replied.
Replied Reb Shmuel firmly, “I belong to the Vizhnitz chassidus, and yet I gave $50,000 to your chassidus. You, as a loyal and devoted chassid of your Rebbe, have to give at least that much!”
The man could not repudiate Reb Shmuel’s claims and indeed, donated the same amount.
A Welcome Initiative
Reb Rachamim Arbel related:
A new yeshivah opened in Petach Tikvah. As I was very close to the Rosh Yeshivah, we worked together to make a dinner to raise funds for the yeshivah. I approached Reb Shmuel Daskal and asked him how he could help us.
“Hold a raffle for a diamond ring,” he suggested. “I’ll donate a large, beautiful diamond for the yeshivah.”
That’s what we did. The initiative secured many donations that made it possible to support the yeshivah. To this day, the yeshivah is a bastion of Torah learning.
The Certificates in the Cupboard
Reb Shmuel received dozens of certificates of appreciation from Torah institutions. They were all filled with praise and gratitude for his generous support. The certificates came from various places, from communities across the spectrum of Judaism.
But he did not hang even one of these certificates on the walls of his house; he put them all into a cupboard. Only on Erev Pesach, when all drawers and shelves were cleaned and aired out, the certificates were dusted off and put back into their place. He refused to hang a single one on the walls.
When he moved, he tossed out these certificates along with many other items that he didn’t want. He didn’t attribute any importance to them and didn’t think that he deserved any acclaim for fulfilling his obligation to support Torah institutions.
