A Synagogue with a Soul
By Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles
As soon as Rabbi Shalom of Belz began building his synagogue, a local gentile noble began to build a place of worship directly opposite it, with a tall steeple. To make his point clearer, he sent a message to the Rebbe saying that he was a second Haman. The Rebbe replied that his end would resemble that of his Biblical namesake.
On his way to shul one day, R. Shalom was stopped by the son of that same graf (nobleman) who held up a piece of pork and said: "Eat this, rabbi!"
No sooner had he uttered these words than he began trembling convulsively. Panic spread through the bystanders, and the young man's father came running to ask the Tzadik to forgive him and pray for his son - but he refused, and the young man died. From that time on the graf was ten times more furious than before.
R. Shalom built his shul in such a way that it should stand higher than the other edifice over the road.[ Not only because it was a church; Jewish law decrees that the synagogue should be the highest building in its area] The graf thereupon made his steeple taller - but one day Reb Shalom told him: "With the Almighty's help you will not be able to beat me, nor will you ever complete your building."
In the course of time it became known that the land on which that building stood belonged to a family of orphans, and had been held by the noble unlawfully. One thing led to another, until the courts advertised the block of land for public sale. The noble promptly made it known that any Jew daring to buy it would be killed at once by his sword, no matter what consequences he himself would later have to face.
R. Shalom, however, was on friendly terms with a Christian medical specialist in Vienna, to whom he dispatched a courier with a message, asking him to come to Belz for the auction, and buy the land for whatever price was named. This he did and in due course buildings belonging to the Rav were constructed there.
The graf now began to build his house of worship on a different street, but still opposite the shul, and once again the two buildings were competing for prominence. At this point the festival of Pesach was approaching, and the noble, who was the lord of Belz and owned most of its property, decided to issue a new decree forbidding the baking of matzot in the town, ostensibly for fear of outbreaks of fire.
Reb Shalom had been accustomed year by year to distribute his many students among the householders of the surrounding towns and villages for the duration of the festival. Though his own household could provide meals for them throughout the year, the special needs of Pesach meant that the burden had to be shared out. This year, however, he gave the order that they should all remain with him for the festival, for he trusted the Almighty that there would be ample matzot for all comers.
And so there was. Only a few days after the decree was issued the noble was out riding on his horse on a narrow track, where he encountered the graf of the nearby town of Hubnov. An argument flared up as to which of them was going to make way for the other, and in the course of the duel which followed, the graf of Belz was killed - to the relief of the Jews of the town, who were now able to bake matzot as in earlier years.
When R. Shalom laid the foundation stone of the shul in Belz, he requested heaven that the prayers of all persons entering it be heard On High.
One day he took up a bucket of mortar, wanting to have a share personally in its construction. A chasid who saw him hastened to help by taking the bucket from his hand, but his pious Rebbetzin urgently motioned to the chasid through the window that he should not dare to touch it, for fear of confusing the Rebbe in his inspired concentration.
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There is a tradition among the Belzer chasidim that this shul will continue being built until the coming of the Mashiach, and that R. Shalom did not complete it intentionally, in order that the worshipers of each succeeding generation should add to it - and since 1843 until this day the building is not quite finished, though additions are made from time to time. On one occasion the Tzadik was offered a large sum of money to enable him to complete its construction, but he refused it, saying: "I would like all of Israel to have a share in this synagogue."
It is told of his Rebbetzin, Malka, that for a thousand nights she stayed awake with her husband, holding the candle for him as he studied in preparation for the attainment of the lofty spiritual insights involved in the building of his shul. If he fell asleep for more than half an hour he could depend on her to wake him up. On the thousandth night he was overcome by a deep sleep, but the Rebbetzin did not let him succumb, for on that night he finally attained the exalted level of spirituality to which he had for so long aspired and toiled.
When his devout and devoted helpmate passed away, R. Shalom said, "Almighty G-D, You know that it was the Rebbetzin who made a Jew of me! If I were able to revive the dead I would bring her back to life - but I cannot. But You, Master of the Universe, are able to raise up the whole house of Israel. Why then do you not raise her up?"
Reprinted from an email of KabbalaOnline.org,
