In the great yeshivah of the saintly Rebbe, Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum zt”l, author of the Yitav Lev, in the esteemed city of Sighet, hundreds of diligent and devout young scholars studied Torah, representing the finest of the Orthodox Jewish youth of Hungary in those days.
In his immense righteousness, the compassionate heart of the Rebbe was also concerned for a small group of struggling boys who, for various reasons, had been expelled from their studies and strayed somewhat from the path of Torah and reverence for God. For these wayward youths (nowadays known as noshrim), he wisely and painstakingly established a special yeshivah with a tailored framework designed specifically for such struggling talmidim. (See Tiv HaKehillah, 5774, Parashas Mishpatim, for a wondrous story about one of these mischievous youths and his antics in the streets of Sighet.)
The Rebbe exerted tremendous effort in numerous ways to bring them back to repentance and to draw their hearts closer to their Father in Heaven. This work was one of the most arduous tasks the Rebbe undertook, in addition to his many responsibilities in leading the community and overseeing the yeshivaH’s studies.
During one of his journeys to spend Shabbos with the holy Rebbe, Rav Yitzchak Yitzchak of Ziditchov zt”l, he mentioned these boys to him, asking for a blessing for their physical and spiritual wellbeing. He added that he toiled greatly to bring them back to the proper path but did not always see success in his efforts. He requested a prayer to return their hearts to complete repentance.
When the Ziditchoiver Rebbe read the kvittel (request) concerning them, he asked the Yitav Lev to bring this group of boys with him the next time he came for Shabbos in Ziditchov. He also requested that these boys be placed close to him, within his sight, during the Shabbos morning prayer. He offered no further explanation.
The holy Rav of Sighet, faithful to the words of his master, immediately began organizing a special “Shabbos journey” for those struggling boys. At the earliest opportunity, he traveled with them to Ziditchov.
Upon their arrival, the holy Rebbe warmly welcomed them, and throughout Shabbos, he treated them with kindness and graciousness. The Sigheter Rebbe carefully remembered the instructions regarding the Shabbos morning prayer. He ensured that his dear talmidim would wake early on Shabbos morning and that none were missing from the tefillah. During the tefillah, he arranged with the gabba’im to reserve special seats for them, close and within view of the holy Rebbe.
When the Ziditchover Rebbe reached the blessing of Yotzer in Shabbos davening, during the tune for Hakol Yoducha, he suddenly turned to face the boys. He began singing in a voice like fiery flames the Ziditchov melody: הַכֹּל יוֹדוּךָ, וְהַכֹּל יְשַׁבְּחוּךָ, וְהַכֹּל יֹאמְרוּ אֵין קָדוֹשׁ כַּה’ (Everyone shall thank You; everyone shall praise You and everyone shall say, There is no one as holy as Hashem). While singing these words with great emphasis on the word הַ כֹּל (everyone), he gazed with his burning holy eyes into the eyes of each of the boys, one by one, repeatedly.
Miraculously, immediately after that Shabbos, the entire group became complete baalei teshuvah. They said that when the holy Rebbe sang that melody to them, they felt an overwhelming longing for “repentance out of love” and were transformed into entirely new beings.
Within a short period, the entire group moved to the renowned great yeshivah of the holy Rebbe in Sighet and became individuals of stature. Most of them went on to become prominent rabbanim and talmidei chachamim in Yisrael.
From this story, we learn of the profound power of teshuvah me’ahavah (repentance out of love) on Shabbos, as well as the ability of righteous leaders to ignite and illuminate it within the hearts of Yisrael, bringing them to complete repentance. Additionally, we learn the unique spiritual power of the Shabbos prayer Hakol Yoducha, which, when recited with sincere and complete kavanah, can lead one to achieve full repentance.
