This week is the yahrzeit of Reb Moshe of Lelov zt'l (niftar 13th of Teves, 5611)
Toward the end of his life, Rebbe Moshe decided to travel to Eretz Yisrael because he saw, through ruach hakodesh, that if he davened at the Kosel HaMaravi, he could bring Moshiach.
Before he began his journey, he went to gezeigen (take leave) from several tzaddikim. When he came to Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin zy’a, the Ruzhiner said, "Wait for me, and I will go with you." Rebbe Moshe Lelover pointed to his white beard, implying that he was getting older and couldn’t wait any longer.
Rebbe Moshe Lelover planned to travel to Eretz Yisrael with a minyan of his followers, and he saved up money to pay for the voyage. But whenever he had enough money, he gave it away to some important tzedakah. Then, he would start saving up money for the trip once again.
Once, a wealthy woman came to Rebbe Moshe of Lelov and asked for a brachah that she bear children. Rebbe Moshe told her that she would have a child if she gave him the money he needed for the trip. She was prepared to provide the funds, but Rebbe Moshe Lelover told her that she must first ask permission from her husband.
Her husband was a chassid of "The Gitte Yid" of Neustadt, and he asked the Gitte Yid whether he should give the money. His Rebbe replied, "If Rebbe Moshe guarantees a child, you can rely on that. However, before you give the money, ask Rebbe Moshe Lelover to guarantee that the child will live long because sometimes, a child born through a miracle won’t live long."
When the parents placed that condition before Rebbe Moshe of Lelov, he replied, "The years of your child's life will be as many as the days I live in Eretz Yisrael."
Rebbe Moshe Lelover lived in Eretz Yisrael for 74 days, and the child lived for 74 years.
When Rebbe Moshe Lelover was on the boat, he kept repeating, לשנה יום לשנה יום, "a day for a year," and it is explained that he was saying he would live in Eretz Yisrael for 74 days, as he was 74 years old.
During his voyage to Eretz Yisrael, the ship sprung a hole and started taking on water. Rebbe Moshe placed a cloth over the hole, miraculously stopping the influx of water. (This cloth is now used as a deck tichel [veil] for the kallahs of Rebbe Moshe's descendants.)
During the trip, the ship docked at a deserted island. Everyone got off the boat, including Rebbe Moshe Lelover and his gabai. Eventually, the sailors blew their horns to call everyone back aboard. Everyone returned except the Rebbe's gabai. The ship departed, and his gabai was left behind! That following Friday night, before Kiddush, Rebbe Moshe announced, "I will not make Kiddush until the gabai arrives." Immediately, they heard a loud sound (boom), and the gabai appeared.
The gabai told them, "I was captured by the other side (sheidim/demons). I heard them say, 'The old tzaddik said he won't make Kiddush until his gabai comes, but he can't do anything. The gabai is with us.' But their leader announced, 'This isn't a joke. If the old tzaddik said he isn't making Kiddush until the gabai comes, we must obey,' and they returned me here."
The ship docked in northern Eretz Yisrael, and Rebbe Moshe Lelover visited the holy tzaddikim living in Tzefas and Teveria and went to Miron and other locations where holy tzaddikim are buried. He explained that after he gets to Yerushalayim, he will never leave her.
When he finally arrived in the Old City of Yerushalayim, he became ill. His children debated whether to bring him to the Kosel HaMaravi in this condition. Finally, they decided to take him since his primary goal for coming to Eretz Yisrael was to go to the Kosel and bring Moshiach.
On the way to the Kosel, a group of Arabs threw rocks at them, making it impossible to get to the Kosel. Shortly afterwards, he was niftar. Unfortunately, he never did make it to the Kosel....
He said that his yahrtzeit is mesugal for rain, and it is unnecessary to proclaim a fast day for rain before his yahrtzeit passes. Reb Shmuel Salant zt’l, the Rav of Yerushalayim, kept this counsel. He wouldn’t decree a fast day for rain until the 13th of Teves passed.
A Remarkable Sequel
This remarkable story has a sequel: Rebbe Moshe Mordechai of Lelov zy’a (a descendant of Rebbe Moshe Lelover) lived in Germany before World War II. It was dangerous for a Yid to be seen outdoors during those times. Nevertheless, on Friday afternoon, Rebbe Moshe Mordechai left his house to use the mikvah because Rebbe Dovid of Lelov taught that a Yid must have mesirus nefesh to go to the mikvah. He passed a group of Germans. They grabbed him and began to beat him. Just then, a chassid, Reb Avraham Frankel z’l, passed by. Reb Avraham Frankel was a strong man, and he rescued Reb Moshe Mordechai without any trouble. Soon, the police arrived and arrested Reb Avraham Frankel!
Later that night, before Kiddush, Reb Moshe Mordechai repeated this story that happened to his grandfather, Rebbe Moshe of Lelov. When Reb Moshe Mordechai completed telling the story, Reb Avraham Frankel walked in. (When one repeats a story of a miracle that occurred, this can cause the miracle to happen again.)
Rebbe Avraham Frankel said that in the police headquarters, an interrogator asked him why he was arrested. Reb Avraham replied that he hadn’t committed any crime. He only protected a Yid, who was harassed and beaten by a gang. The interrogator believed him and set him free. It was miraculous!
