STORIES RELATED BY THE TOSHER REBBE ABOUT REB YOEL TEITELBAUM
One Motza’ei Shabbos Kodesh, parshas Eikev, the Tosher Rebbe sat at Melave Malka with his Chassidim and related:
This upcoming twenty-sixth of Av is the Yahrzeit of the holy Satmar Rav. Even before he was born, the Sanzer Rav, author of Divrei Chaim, testified as to his upcoming greatness. Rav Yoel’s father, the author of Kedushas Yom Tov, was childless for many years and when he came before his Rebbe, the Sanzer Rav, the Divrei Chaim promised him in a letter that he would have children blessed by Hashem. His prophetic words were, of course, fulfilled: the Kedushas Yom Tov had two luminaries, his sons Rav Yoel of Satmar and Rav Yoel’s brother, the holy author of the Atzei Chaim of Sighet, as well as several daughters. From the sanctity and righteousness of these two brothers alone, we see that the Sanzer Rav’s blessings were fulfilled and that the Kedushas Yom Tov merited children blessed by Hashem. The Kedushas Yom Tov’s grandfather, the Yetev Lev of Sighet, was similarly blessed at his wedding by Rav Tzvi Hirsch of Rymanow that he, too, would merit children, generations blessed by Hashem. Obviously the Satmar Rav was one of the blessed descendants of this beracha.
(The Tosher Rebbe Shlit’a related the story of the Yetev Lev’s chassuna in greater detail on Motza’ei Shabbos Parshas Toldos in the context of Rav Hirschel of Rymanow’s Yahrzeit.)
Rav Hirsch of Rymanow was a Kohen and had the minhag to bless Klal Yisrael, bestowing abundant berachos and goodness upon them. Whatever he said was fulfilled. When he was younger, before he became well-known, he still had great power to dispense berachos, as I heard from my grandfather about the chassuna of the Yetev Lev of Sighet and this is the story he told me (here the Tosher Rebbe Shlit’a retold the story heard from his grandfather):
When the Yetev Lev married the daughter of Rav Moshe Dovid Ashkenazi, the Av Beis Din of Taltsheva, the grandfather, the author of Yismach Moshe, gave his son Rav Elazar Nissan (the father of the chosson) a certain amount of money to distribute as tzedaka to the poor who were present at the chassuna. Amongst the poor there was one particular pauper who, having received the allotted amount of tzedaka which Rav Elazar Nisan distributed to each one, insisted that he add more money to the amount and asked for a certain very large sum - so large that Rav Elazar Nissan kindly told him that the money was not his and he could not use his discretion to give one pauper such a princely sum. He turned and went to his father, the Yismach Moshe, related the pauper’s request and asked him what to do.
“I wish to see this pauper,” said the Yismach Moshe, and from his room the crowd parted so as to allow him to peer through the door and see the face of the anonymous pauper who had requested such a sum of tzedaka. When the Yismach Moshe saw who it was, he turned to his son, Rav Elazar Nissan, and told him to give the poor man the entire sum of tzedaka he had requested, without arguing.
When the pauper received the money, he blessed Rav Elazar Nissan and the Chosson, the Yetev Lev, with a great beracha, promising them that from this marriage would come forth generations of holy righteous descendants. Afterward, he vanished without a trace.
Many years later, when the Kallah’s father, the Taltsheca Rav, prepared to move to Eretz Yisrael, his son-in-law, the Yetev Lev, accompanied him to visit many Rebbes and Tzaddikim, among them Rav Hirsch Rymanower. The Yetev Lev immediately recognized his face – it was the pauper who had attended his wedding so many years before, who had blessed him with descendants who would be Tzaddikim. Among those descendants was the Satmar Rav.
When the Satmar Rav was a six-year-old lad, he merited to visit the holy sanctuary of Rav Mordechai’leh of Nadworna. Rav Mordechai’leh asked the young child what he was studying in cheder. Rav Yoel answered that he studied Chumash with Rashi’s commentary. Rav Mordechai’leh farhered (tested) him and was pleased to see he knew the material well. He then told him to be very diligent in studying Chumash with Rashi every week, saying, “Mordechai’leh knew several great men, who, in their older years, they did not know where HaKodosh Boruch Hu dwells, because they were not diligent in studying Chumash with Rashi.” He promised the young Rav Yoel that if he would diligently study Chumash Rashi week by week, he would rise to very high levels.
The holy Satmar Rav fulfilled these words all his life. The words of Rav Mordechai’leh were very precious to him: every day after davening, while still adorned in tallis and tefillin, the Satmar Rav studied Chumash and Rashi; even in his old age when this practice was difficult and taxing for him, he never gave it up.
The Satmar Rav’s kochos in Tzedaka were very great. He would give out huge sums to the poor and destitute, looking after their needs and helping to care for them.
When he was Rav in Kruly in his younger years, the Satmar Rav asked his gabbai to invite the wealthy Rav Chaim Shtern of Pest and explain that he had an urgent and important matter of business to discuss with him. When Rav Shtern arrived in Kruly, Rav Yoel explained the reason for his summons: “You should know that in Pest, there are approximately forty families I know of who are so destitute that they cannot even put bread on their tables. I am asking you to please see to it that at least their needs for Shabbos are taken care of.”
Rav Chaim answered Rav Yoel, “Surely I will fulfill what the Rav is asking of me, on one condition – that the Rav does not make me a Chassid!”
Rav Yoel smiled and answered sweetly, “Mein tei’ere kind (My precious child)! Why, if you fulfill my request and take care of fulfilling the needs of the poor, I will be your Chassid!”
(Based on Avodas Avodah Sichos Kodesh II)
SATMAR RAV'S BERACHA
Once, after the war, a young man approached the Satmar Rav for a beracha. “What makes you think I can give you a beracha?” asked the Tzaddik.
"Someone whose opinion counts even in heaven surely has the right to bestow berachos," answered the young man.
"Well, if you could prove that were true about me, surely I would bestow my beracha upon you. Any person who knows that someone's opinion counts in heaven is worthy of a beracha!" smiled the Satmar Rav. "Pray tell, how you would know such a thing."
The young man told how, as they were almost liberated, he and a friend ran in search of food to feed their starving brethren. The Nazis caught them both and hanged his friend immediately.
"They would have hanged me too on the spot, except that I had done some favors for a few officers and they decided to at least grant me one final wish as thanks for my good deeds. I asked to be able to see my mother one last time and to say goodbye. At first they protested that the women's camp was too far and it would take too long, but finally they agreed. They took me to her and as I stood there before her, I said goodbye, explaining that they were going to kill me. My mother fainted on the spot. As they were taking care of her to revive her, she came to and whispered to me, ‘You will live! You will live!’
“I was dragged away by the Nazis and as they led me to the gallows, the American forces attacked and began to rain heavy artillery and bombs on the camp. The noise and explosions caused the Nazis to flee for cover and I escaped. Later, when the American officers liberated us, I was reunited with my mother. I asked her how she knew I would live. She told me that when she fainted, she rose up before the Heavenly tribunal and saw many Tzaddikim with long beards and hadras ponim (radiant countenances). She did not recognize any of them till she spotted the Satmar Rav, whom she recognized from her childhood in Rumania. ‘Rebbe, Rebbe, save my son!’ she cried to him, ‘Have mercy.’
‘Do not worry,’ said the Satmar Rav, ‘he will live.’ Then she woke up."
So saying, the young man turned to the Satmar Rav and said, "You see, Rebbe, my mother told me how your opinion counts in heaven and I am living proof!"
"Well said,” smiled the Satmar Rav – and gave him his beracha.
(Yiddish Licht Vol. 33 No. 8 Kislev 5742, pages 9-12)
THE SATMAR RAV'S FORESIGHT
Rav Yitzchok Hutner, Ra”m of Chaim Berlin and author of Pachad Yitzchok, used to say that the Satmar Rav was able to see with a far-reaching vision, greater than many other Rebbes and Rabbonim, saying, "He sees further than all of us."
He once told the following story which demonstrated this far-reaching vision:
Once, two messengers arrived from Eretz Yisrael to visit the offices of Agudas Yisrael in America. They told how recently, many missionaries had been traveling from village to village and from city to city, attempting to turn Jews away from Yiddishkeit toward Christianity. The Rabbonim in Eretz Yisrael asked the Rabbonim of the Agudah to sign a letter of protest against these missionary activities, which would then be sent to the Israeli prime minister, protesting the missionaries’ nefarious activities.
Rav Moshe Feinstein and Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, as well as Rav Hutner and Rav Kalmanovitsh and others discussed the issue, wrote up such a letter and protested vehemently against what was going on. They decided to enlist the help and support of the Satmar Rav as well, thinking that perhaps he too would sign the letter.
Two important Rabbonim acted as messengers and visited the Satmar Rav in his home, asking him to sign the letter and pledge his support in protest against the missionary activities in Eretz Yisrael.
The Rav read the letter and answered them, "I cannot sign this letter." The Satmar Rav then offered the following explanation as to why he would not sign:
"I know that in the next few days the Israeli prime minister has a trip scheduled to Italy. Surely he will take the opportunity to visit the Vatican and meet with the Pope.
“Once he receives this letter, I believe that he will take it with him, show it to the Pope and use it as a tool to find favor in the pontiff's eyes. He will wave our letter of protest and say to the Pope, ‘See – they asked me to intercede against missionary activities, but no – even though Israel is a medina for Yidden, we believe in freedom of religion, and each religion has the right to practice unhindered and teach its ideas to anyone. See – even though the American Rabbonim protest against me, we – the Israeli government – pay them no heed and do not listen to them.’"
The Satmar Rav concluded and said, "I believe the Israeli prime minister will take this letter to the Pope and thereby cause a great Chillul Hashem (desecration of Hashem’s name) – and so I cannot sign a letter which will be used in such a way."
The messengers thought that the Satmar Rav was simply pushing them off with excuses. They did not believe that what he said was true, nor did they take it seriously at all. The letter was signed, sealed and delivered to the Israeli prime minister without the Satmar Rav's signature.
A few weeks later, they all saw just how prophetic the Satmar Rav's words were; they all came true – not one word was false. The prime minister of Israel took the letter with him to the Vatican, showed it to the Pope and the entire episode became public news. Then we all understood that a Divine spirit of intuition spoke through the Satmar Rav, and through his Torah and righteousness he had the power and foresight to see what would indeed happen.
Rav Yitzchok Hutner concluded, "Der Satmar Rav hot gezen far ois mit a pur chodoshim vus es vet zayn– the Satmar Rav saw a few months ahead what would be!" (Moshiyan Shel Yisrael II, page 20)
