Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
Heartfelt wishes to haTomim Sholom Dov Ber ben Miriam for a complete and immediate refuah shleima. May this time of melech basodeh bring about all of the brochos from the Melech בסבר פנים יפות .. ופנים שוחקות , beginning with the brocho and nesinas koach to be able to be mekabel pnei haMelech on two gezunte feet gezunte heit and freiliche heit!
Mazel tov to Dovid Zaltzman on the occasion of his engagement (and a special Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Boruch Zaltzman). Mazel tov to Yosef Epstein on the occasion of his engagement. May they use out the period of yokor mikol yokor to its’ utmost! Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Sholom Schochet on the birth of their son. (Mazel tov, as well to grandparents, Rabbi and Mrs. Yossi Schochet, and to great grandparents, the Rov and Rebbetzin, Rabbi and Mrs. Dovid Schochet). Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Shmuli Shuchat on the birth of their son. May they bring them up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be true chayolim! (If anyone is aware of any mazeltov’s that I omitted please let me know).
Thank you as always for the feedback, it is much appreciated.
One of the foremost talmidim of the great magid was known as the “Volper” (having had spent time in the city of Volpe, and, perhaps, for a time also served as its’ Rov). When he was by the magid, he was considered one of the greatest talmidim; - the other talmidim would go to him for his reviewing of their Rebbe’s teachings. It was said that during the discourses of the magid all of the talmidim would lose themselves in the spiritual experience and rapture, and would not be able to recall the actual teachings. Only 2 talmidim were able to follow until the end; - the Alter Rebbe and the Volper.
Nobody knew what led to the Volper's downfall. At some point, he began drinking excessively. He even began to frequent bars. Wherever he went in his wanderings, his mouth would continuously be speaking words of Torah and chassidus. The more he drank, the more was נכנס יין יצא סוד , and he would be pronouncing even deeper Torah secrets.
One day the Volper arrived in Liozna in White Russia, where he went to the local beis midrash. The Alter Rebbe was there with his Chasidim and outstanding students, and he was saying a deep Chasidic discourse. The Volper sat in a corner, and in a rare moment of seriousness and lucidity, he rested his head on his hands and listened closely to the Rebbe's teachings. Nobody paid him any attention at all.
When the Alter Rebbe finished the maamar, he left the beis midrash and went home. The Volper also left the study hall, backpack on his shoulders, to continue his wanderings. Before leaving though, he exclaimed, "Ah, we all ate from one bowl, but all the gedichte (the choice part of the food) remained with him." Word got around, until the Alter Rebbe was told what had been said. "That was the Volper," the Rebbe said, "if I knew he was here, I would have tried to get him to stay with us so that he wouldn't wander anymore."
The Volper once arrived in Vilna, a large city full of Torah scholars. Nobody paid him any attention. He entered a hostel where he got a warm meal. Then he removed a bottle of vodka from his worn satchel and poured himself a big glass. The poor drunkard settled down in his place and went to sleep by the warm oven, while mumbling secrets of Torah. He quoted from works of Kabala and concepts from the innermost teachings of Torah, and every so often he burst into drunken laughter.
One of the respected scholars in Vilna, an important student of the Vilna Gaon, needed to raise money for an important matter of pidyon shvuyim. He was making the rounds, and he came to the place where the Volper was. He noticed the drunkard in the corner, and was shocked to hear the deepest concepts in Torah coming from his mouth! He shook the Volper awake, and asked him, excitedly, “Tell me, where did you learn these amazing teachings from?”
The Volper peered at him. “Where I acquired my knowledge you can no longer learn anything (because the Magid was at that time no longer amongst the living). But if you want Torah such as this, go to Liozna where you will find peace for your soul." The scholar was shocked; - he knew that Liozna was the place of the leader of the chassidim, to whom his Rebbe, the Gro, was so vehemently opposed. Was that, then were these gems originated? He fought an inner battle, but eventually decided that he had to follow the advice of the drunkard and see for himself.
He finally arrived in Liozna, where he became an outstanding Chasid of the Alter Rebbe, and a great scholar in Chasidic teachings. The Rebbe eventually sent him to Liepelei to serve as rabbi of the city and to bring the light of Chasidus to the people living there.
The famous chosid R’ Boruch Mordechai, once encountered the Volper in an inn. Realizing who he was, and aware of the great esteem with which his Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe, had held him, he became very excited. When the Volper left his room, R’ Boruch Mordechai gained entry, and began rummaging through his belongings, hoping to discover some Chassidic writings. The Volper suddenly returned, and caught the chosid red-handed. “What are you doing?”, he demanded, “did I, perhaps, steal something from you?” R’ Boruch Mordechai confessed that he was seeking a “ksav’, a manuscript of chassidus.
The Volper dismissed him: “With you, modern chassidim, the chosid is one entity, and the Rebbe is a separate entity, and therefore you need a “ksav” to connect between them. However, with us, the Rebbe and the chosid and the chassidus were all one, and there was no need for a ”ksav”.
What was the root of his downfall? It was said, that while studying by the Magid, the Magid once remarked " תולעת אוכלת בו ", - ‘he is being devoured by a worm’! [Another version: “He is being eaten by a worm, and I don’t know who will win in the end, he or the worm”]. There are two reasons given for this remark of the magid: 1) The magid used to give each of his talmidim a stipend for their living expenses. The Volper however complained that it was not sufficient. 2) The Volper once complained about his living quarters; - the small room was smoke-filled, and the only breathing space was near the floor. These two complaints prompted the Magid to note about his quarrel with the worm.
A final note: R’ Shlomo Karliner said that he is certain that he passed away with pure teshuva.
