Harav Rabbi Simcha Bunim Bonhardt the Grand Rabbi of Peshischa (Przysucha, Poland) (born in the year 5525 – 12 Elul 5587) His classic Sefer is called “Kol Simcha”. He was the main student and successor of Rebbe Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowitz the Yehudi Ha-Kadosh who passed away 19 Tishrei 5574, until his passing in 5587, he led the Peshischa movement of Chassidic thought.
He believed that authenticity and self-honesty were the foundation of true piety and that the pursuance of authenticity, the Middah of Emes, should always take over the situation. They aspired to be the pillar of Emes. His students were Harav Menachem Mendel, the Rebbe of Kotzk, who authored his Sefer “Amud HaEmes” the pillar of Emes, which is studied in depth by all the crowds of Yidden.
The other students were: the Chidushei Harim of Ger, Reb Yaakov Dovid of Amshinov, The Zychliner Rebbe, Rabbi Chanoch Henach of Aleksander, Rabbi Yitzchok of Vurka, Rabbi Avrohom Borenstein of Sochatchov, The Avnei Nezer, Reb Yaakov Aryeh of Radzymin, Reb Yehuda Leib Eiger of Lublin, Reb Mendel of Strikov, Reb Dovid of Lelov, Rav Yechezkel of Kuzmir and Reb Mordechai Yosef of Izhbitza-Radzin.
Reb Simcha Bunim was once sitting and learning the Laws of honoring a Talmid Chacham, and was greatly puzzled by the statement the Rema in Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah, In Yoreh De'ah 243:2, the Rema brings the ruling of the Terumas HaDeshen (342), which states that the Talmudic ruling (Bava Kamma 8:6) that one who embarrasses a Talmid Chacham is obligated to pay a Litra of gold no longer applies in his time that in our times there are no Talmide Chachamim — how could that be? Rabbi Simcha Bunim thought to himself: I was very close the Chozeh of Lublin, the Yehudi Ha-Kadosh of Peshischa and others, and from what I could tell of their great knowledge of learning, could it be that they are not to be considered Talmide Chachamim?
While Rabbi Simcha Bunim was dwelling over this difficult question, a small child entered — the daughter of the holy Rabbi R' Yerachmiel of Peshischa — holding a copy of the Sefer Shevet Musar by the great Rabbi Eliyahu Haitmari, the Kohen of Izmir, and she handed the book to Rabbi Simcha Bunim. When Rabbi Bunim took the Shevet Musar in his hand he noticed that a page had been folded over to mark a particular passage. He opened to that passage and found that it was written there, “Even in these days there is a Talmid Chacham who possesses all the qualifications that define a Talmid Chacham.” Rabbi Simcha Bunim was overjoyed; his eyes began to shine.
He marveled how the Rebbe Reb Yerachmiel had read his mind, and had sent him the Sefer Shevet Musar by his child. A few days later Rabbi Simcha Bunim met Rabbi Yerachmiel and asked him why he had sent the Shevet Musar with his daughter, and why he had marked that specific place for him to read. Rabbi Yerachmiel stood there astonished and said that he knew nothing about any of this. He had not sent the book and therefore had not marked any passage. Soon they called for the child to come over and Rabbi Simcha Bunim asked her who had given her the Sefer to bring to him. The daughter of Rabbi Yerachmiel recounted: she was walking outside of her house when an elderly holy looking Yid approached her and gave her the Sefer,..
And he told him: "Go straight to the Rebbe, Rabbi Simcha Bunim, and give him the Sefer, since he is waiting for it." And so she did. Rabbi Simcha Bunim exclaimed in awe: "I am sure that Eliyahu Hanavi Zachor Latov - be remembered for good — was the one who sent the important Sefer through her in order to benefit me.
After Rabbi Simcha Bunim, came to himself, he reflected: How did the Sefer Shevet Musar come to the hands of Eliyahu Hanavi? After all, he did not take away the Sefer from another person! From this we learn that Eliyahu did not take the book from this planet. It was sent By Hashem, with the page folded, to show its endorsement of the Halacha, that in our days there are Talmidei Chachamim, and it surely came from Heaven. All this was to show that my Rebbe’s were indeed Talmidei Chachamim! We also learn from this episode how great and important the Sefer is in Heaven, that they agreed to his opinion.
The Sefer was kept sacred as a treasure in the library of Rabbi Simcha Bunim, and his Talmid, Rabbi Chanoch Henach the Rebbe of Aleksander, used to always relate that he had seen the Sefer that Rabbi Simcha Bunim received from Eliyahu, and he also at times studied from it, and felt great holiness in the Sefer.
