Rabbi Avraham David Wahrman of Buchach, also eponymously after his book, Eshel Avraham on the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim, was a prominent figure among the later scholars of Torah. Born on the 6th of Adar, 5531 (1771), in Nadvorna (Ukraine), he was the son of Rabbi Asher Anshel and Rachel. In his youth, he was tested by Rabbi David Shlomo Eibeschitz while simultaneously studying arithmetic, German, and Polish. He further expanded his knowledge into fields such as astronomy and natural sciences, following the perspective that the sages of the Talmud themselves studied worldly sciences and practical wisdom.
He married the daughter of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Karo, the Rabbi of Buchach, at a very young age and the young couple lived in the home of the bride’s parents. By the age of twenty, Rabbi Avraham Dovid was already appointed as the Rabbi of Yazlovets (Ukraine). During this period, he became close to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev and Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov. In 5574 (1814), after the passing of his father-in-law, he took over his position as Rabbi of Buchach.
As the year 5600 (1840) approached, marking 600 years into the sixth millennium, Rabbi Avraham David eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Mashiach in that year. When the year passed without the expected redemption, he was so stricken by heartbreak that he passed away about a month later, on the 29th of Tishrei, 5601 (1840), and was buried in his city, Buchach.
Rabbi Avraham Dovid had a daily custom to innovate eighteen new halachot and study eighteen chapters of Mishnah. It is said that he received this practice from his teacher Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov as a remedy against madness. Why did this great scholar fear going mad?
Besides Rabbi Moshe Leib, Rabbi Avraham David was deeply connected to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, whom he considered the greatest sage of the generation. One time, they were traveling together in a carriage, and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak began making unusual movements, as was his holy custom. Though the Eshel Avraham was aware of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's customs, during that journey, the tzaddik's actions seemed so strange that Rabbi Avraham David, still a young man at the time, could not contain his smile. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak noticed his smile, looked at him, and asked, "Have you gone mad?"
Rabbi Avraham Dovid was alarmed by the tzaddik’s reprimand. He immediately jumped out of the carriage and ran to Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov to save his sanity. Rabbi Moshe Leib gave him this spiritual remedy—innovating 18 new halachot and reciting 18 chapters of Mishnah—which he kept for the rest of his life.
The Eshel Avraham's concern wasn't trivial. In some versions of the story, it is even mentioned that he did lose his sanity for a period. The expression used by Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and other stories highlight the idea that mocking the righteous can lead to madness. For instance, it is told that the Arizal once informed his students that he could bring the Seven Shepherds (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.) into his study hall. He warned them not to laugh, but when King David entered and danced with intense joyous movements, one student laughed. He was immediately stricken with madness, only to be cured by the Arizal through his prayers and spiritual unifications.
In our story, Rabbi Avraham David was saved from madness, but the remedy given by Rabbi Moshe Leib seems equally perplexing—continuously innovating eighteen new halachot daily. How could one possibly innovate so many new laws?
The answer lies in the infinite nature of the Torah. Though the Torah appears finite, the Divine teachings embedded within it are limitless. This is demonstrated by the infinite number of laws that can emerge from each verse and word in the Torah. As the sages interpret the verse, “maidens without number” refer to the myriad laws found in the Talmud. Just as a line that has a beginning and an end seems to be finite in length yet still contains an infinite number of points, so too the Torah, which has a beginning and end, contains infinite halachot.
However, this vast potential can only be accessed through intense effort and dedication in Torah study. When fully immersing in Torah study, one not only breaks one’s mind as it were, but also breaks the Torah open, so to speak, revealing its hidden depths. As the verse states, “Is not My word like fire, says God, and like a hammer that shatters a rock into pieces?” Every verse in the Torah becomes a raw stone to be shattered into countless halachic fragments. By striking one’s mind against the rock of the Torah, it eventually breaks apart, revealing a multitude of innovations.
The same principle applies to Chassidut. To achieve true inner transformation and to give birth to love and awe in the soul, one must exert both “the toil of the soul and the toil of the flesh.” The toil of the flesh involves overcoming interference originating with the body and the animal soul, while the toil of the soul refers to exerting effort in deep contemplation. This can be seen as the two aspects of the advice given by Rabbi Moshe Leib: the toil of the soul is achieved by innovating new halachot and the toil of the flesh with the constant review of mishnayot.
There Is Nothing More Whole Than a Broken Heart
In addition to toiling with one’s head in Torah study to the point where one feels that all previous conceptions are shattered, there is another place in the body that needs breaking. That is, of course, the heart, which feels broken once we realize how distant we are from God. The heart is also broken by the experience of the limitations and evil found in our world. Like the mind, it is specifically when the heart is broken into infinite pieces that it is able to touch and be drawn up into God’s infinite revelation. Until now we have a head broken by Torah and a heart broken by its service of God. Can we add another broken organ?
If there is brokenness in Torah and in service of God, we will certainly be able to find it in the third pillar—acts of lovingkindness—as well. In this case, the focus is not on the heart or the head, but specifically on the legs that are firmly planted in reality. To perform acts of kindness, we often must run from one place to another, to walk step after step; it can feel like we are breaking our legs into infinite pieces. With this act of breaking in the realm of action, we access the merit to “provide for all the land,” like Joseph. By doing so, we also gain the merit to break our lusts, which dwell in the sefirah of foundation (yesod), the third leg as it were, similar to how Joseph successfully navigated the test of Potiphar’s wife.
Ultimately it is in our broken vessel that God Himself is revealed. There is nothing more whole than a broken vessel!
