Rav Yaakov Yosef was known as a righteous tzaddik and a tamim who attempted to conceal his ways from the public eye. He was renowned for his charitableness, donating vast sums to tzedakah while he lived in poverty.
From morning until dusk, he would collect money to feed the hungry, provide needed clothing, and make sure all had shelter. He cared like a father for orphans and widows. He was brotherly to the downtrodden and anyone who needed his help and compassion. When the coffers were empty, he would borrow the money and spend all day collecting the funds to pay back what he borrowed. He even had a secret fund for those who were once wealthy upper classmen and had fallen on hard times. He reasoned that they needed the tzedakah as much as others but were ashamed and embarrassed to ask.
There was once an impoverished ben tovim (an upper-class yungerman) who was staying with Rav Getzil. In the manner of customary rebbishe garb he was dressed in a silken kaftan, but it was torn and rent full of holes. Rav Getzil, in his compassion, tried to have a new silk kaftan made for him, but the ben tovim was ashamed and refused all offers, claiming that his old garment was fine and sufficient. Rav Getzil came up with a plan. He ordered the tailor to come by and secretly size up the measurements of his guest in order to sew him a new silk kaftan. Rav Getzil paid the tailor and brought the new garment upstairs. While the guest was fast asleep, Rav Getzil stealthily removed the old kaftan that was draped over a chair, and swapped it for the new silken garment that the tailor had sewn. The next morning, when the guest awoke, he got dressed, and though the clothes fit him, he realized that the kaftan was new. He began to yell, “My clothes are gone!”
“Listen my good friend, calm yourself down,” said Rav Getzil, “there are no thieves here in my house; if your old clothes are gone and this was left in their place, surely a miracle has occurred and your new garments are Heaven sent!”
His guest had off course no choice but to accept the new “miracle kaftan.”
Like his father, Rav L evi, before him, Rav Getzil was extremely scrupulous regarding weights and measures. When he would pass by the marketplace all the merchants would quickly hide any false weights, lest the wonder rabbi would discover them!
He refused to move to a larger home, stating that the reason was that he didn’t want live in any permanent home outside of Eretz Yisroel. For many generations he was venerated in Ostrog for his legendary tzedakah.
Rav Getzil once overheard a tumult going on. A wandering maggid visiting Ostrog had said his drashah and became outraged by payment that he considered well below his standard. He was berating and cursing the baalei batim when Rav Getzil came by. He turned to the angry darshan and quipped: “You know you are even worse than Bilaam! At least when Bilaam wanted to curse Bnei Yisroel, he asked for houses full of gold and silver-- but the brachos, he gave them for free! You, however, want a lot of money for your brachos, but your curses you are willing to give us for free!”
He was well-respected by the lamdanim of the generation as well. Rav Chaim HaKohen Rappaport wrote him a teshuvah (found in Mayim Chaim Vol 2 Even HaEzer p. 59 Siman 38).
In תקנ"ב he published his father’s Torah as the sefer Rav Levi and wrote an extensive introduction full of mussar and chassidus.
His Humility
Regarding his great humility, they tell how, once, through a drawing of lots, Rav Getzil was appointed as chevra kadisha of halvaos chen – nowadays, known as a “gemach,” or free loan society. An additional drawing, resulted in a simple porter becoming the second appointee. The porter was thrilled with this new assignment and was about to position himself at the top of the table as the head of the society. When he arrived, he realized that the sainted tzaddik, Rav Getzil, was already seated there. Considering himself to be unworthy to sit side by side as an equal to the rav, the porter became embarrassed. He couldn’t bring himself to sit himself down next to such an important and respected individual. He therefore remained standing at a distance. Rav Getzil was sensitive to the man’s feelings and warmly called him over. “My dear friend, come and sit next to me; take your proper place beside me at the head of the table. It is from Heaven that you be appointed to head the free loan society together with me. And if so, why do you stand so far away?”
And so, they sat down side by side - the great rav and tzaddik, alongside the simple porter.
