Rebbe Yisrael Alter was born in the town of Gur in Poland, on the 24th of Tishrei 5655 (1894), to his father Rebbe Avraham Mordechai Alter, the Imrei Emet of Gur. Until the age of ten, he studied under his grandfather, the author of the Sefat Emet, and was known as a prodigy and particularly strict about keeping time. At the age of thirteen, he was betrothed to Rebbetzin Chayah Sarah, the daughter of his uncle Rabbi Yaakov Meir Biderman, and married in 5670 (1910). At his father's instruction, he led groups of young married men known as "bnei aliyah" of Gur chasidim, even during his father's lifetime, and gave them guidance and instructions.
During the Holocaust, he managed to escape from Poland to the Land of Israel with his father, but all his close family members were murdered by the Nazis, as were most of the chasidim living in Poland.
After his father's passing in 5708 (1948), he was appointed as his successor to lead the chasidic court and became the fourth rebbe in the Gur dynasty. In this role, he rebuilt the chasidic court in the Land of Israel after the Holocaust and was one of the prominent leaders of the entire Haredi community in the country. He married for a second time to Rebbetzin Pearl, daughter of Rabbi David Widenfeld, but they had no children. On the 2nd of Adar 5737 (1977), he passed away and was buried in the Gur burial cave on Mount of Olives. Upon his passing, his brother, Rabbi Simchah Bunim Alter, author of Lev Simchah, was appointed as the rebbe.
The venerable Rabbi Tzvi Yitzchak Abramovitz of blessed memory told me: The wife of a Torah scholar who was close to the Beit Yisrael (Rebbe Yisrael Alter) of blessed memory, became very ill and almost lost her mind. The Torah scholar had already decided to divorce her and re-marry, as he could not establish a Jewish home with his current wife. The rebbe was greatly pained by this.
Since Rabbi Abramovitz was close with this Torah scholar, the Beit Yisrael once said to him with great sorrow, “You surely know that they are already close to giving a get.” Rabbi Abramovitz told me that he gathered courage and said aloud: “Surely the rebbe can do something, as the language of Tosafot in Yevamot states, ‘for the compassion of Shakai (God) is abundant....’” At that moment, a great change came over the rebbe’s face, and he said, “I know which Tosafot you mean” (see Tosafot, s.v. Ki Ha on Yevamot 65b at the end; in the name of a responsa from the Ritzba regarding a certain difficulty in matters of marriage, they write “that she should not hasten to destroy the marriage that she built, for the compassion of Shakai is abundant”). The Rebbe repeated this phrase several times, “for the compassion of Shakai is abundant,” and sent him in peace.
Rabbi Abramovitz concluded by telling me: “By virtue of that tzaddik's prayer, that woman began to recover immediately afterward, until she fully recovered from her illness, and she and her husband established a wonderful family.”
Rabbi Abramovitz told me that it seemed to him that the reason the Ritzba specifically used this holy Name, Shakai, is because this Name is auspicious for procreation, as is found in the Ba’al HaTurim on the verse, “I am Kel Shakai, be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 35:11). I added that in that very passage (Yevamot 65b), this verse is indeed brought to derive that a man is commanded to procreate.
The name Shakai, as the story reveals, is auspicious for fertility and domestic peace. What can we learn from this?
Let us begin with the understanding that the dwelling of the Divine Presence among the Jewish people, particularly in Jewish family life, depends on the love and peace between husband and wife, hence, “Whoever marries a worthy woman, it is as if he has fulfilled the entire Torah from start to finish.” Love-peace is the holy fire within man and woman as is known in the teaching that “man” (יש א) is “the fire of yud” (י ש א) and “woman” (ה ש א) is “the fire of hei (ה ש א). If through their love and peace they merit, then the two letters yud and hei form God’s Name, Kah, and the fire is one of holiness. If they do not merit, the fire becomes a fire of anger and lust that consumes the couple.
According to Kabbalah, the name of love and loving-kindness is Kel, and the name of peace is Shakai, the Name that corresponds to the sefirah of foundation (yesod). The initials of Kel Shakai (י ּ־דַׁש־לֵא) spell “fire” (שֵא). This secret, of the importance of love and peace between husband and wife for the dwelling of the Divine Presence, is alluded to in Jacob’s prayer for his sons’ success when they traveled a second time to Egypt to meet with the viceroy, i.e., with Joseph, “And may Kel Shakai grant you compassion before the man.” Kel Shakai are the names of love and peace as mentioned, but the drawing down of love into peace (the drawing of loving-kindness into foundation) is through the attribute of compassion (beauty or tiferet), which is Jacob’s attribute.
As explained in the holy books, the unification of Joseph and his brothers is the secret of the unification of husband and wife. Therefore, the rectification of love and peace between them is an aspect of rectifying domestic peace, which also requires compassion. Love alone, without compassion, is not sufficient to draw peace between husband and wife. This is because love tends towards perfect unity—the value of “love” (ה ב ה א) is the same as “one” (ד ח א)—and is therefore prone to swallow the beloved without true attention to their needs. Moreover, when unity is shaken, for whatever reason, it is difficult for love to hold its ground. When there is compassion in the relationship, attention to the other becomes more genuine and focused, and even gaps and difficulties strengthen compassion and love.
Let us add a remez, a numerical analysis: “Kel Shakai shall grant you compassion” (ל־ֵא יםִמֲחַם רֶכָן לֵּתִי יַּד־ַׁש) has the same value as, “He who has found a wife has found goodness and obtains favor from God” (א צָה מָּׁשִא א צָמ הוה־יֵן מֹצוָק רֶפָּיַב וֹטו). The verb “obtains” (קֶפָּיַו) refers to drawing down abundance from God to the couple and drawing the masculine waters from the man to his wife. It also alludes to self-control (קּוּיפִא). The ability of the man or woman to restrain themselves, and to not hasten to destroy what they have built together, depends on faith that “the compassion of Shakai is abundant” and on the ability to identify with God’s compassion towards one’s spouse.
Fittingly, the initial letters of the phrase “Kel Shakai shall grant you compassion” (יםִמֲחַ רםֶכָלןֵּתִ ייַּ־דַׁש־לֵא) spell “Israel” (לֵאָרְׂשִי) alluding to the secret of Israel’s holiness, which depends on the love and peace between them. Rebbe Yisrael of Gur, who was very sensitive to this, succeeded in drawing down the compassion of Shakai to that couple and building their edifice for eternity.
