Vayeira 5787

Story

Rebbe Shalom of Kaminka: Peeling Potatoes

Rebbe Shalom Rosenfeld, the rebbe of Kaminka and the founding father of the Chassidut of Kaminka, was born to the philanthropist Yaakov Yosef, and Yenta, the daughter of Rabbi Yehoshua Tzvi Heschel of Behr. He finished the entire Talmud at the age of 9. In his youth, he studied under the tutelage of Rebbe Tzvi Hirsch Harif and Rebbe Shlomo Kluger and later became a chasid and disciple of Rebbe Naftoli of Ropschitz. Rebbe Shalom, who never officially served as a chasidic rebbe, was known as a great and brilliant tzaddik. Many of his teachings are intertwined with witticisms that conceal supernal secrets. He passed away on the 20 of Cheshvan, 5612 (1851). His only son, Rebbe Yehoshua, succeeded him in Kaminka. His Torah teachings and stories about him were printed in the book, Ohev Shalom.

After the passing of his Rebbe and teacher, Rebbe Naftoli of Ropschitz, Rebbe Shalom of Kaminka learned under the tutelage of Rebbe Sar Shalom of Belz. Once Rebbe Sar Shalom told Rebbe Shalom to prepare himself well to study a special unification for the time when a soul is departing this world. When he exited Rebbe Sar Shalom’s room after learning the unification, Rebbe Shalom was confronted by Rebbe Sar Shalom’s famously righteous wife, Malkah. “Did you ever learn such amazing revelations with your previous Rebbe?” she asked. Rebbe Shalom attempted to avoid answering her, but ultimately replied:

“Once I was sitting in the kitchen in Rospschitz with Rebbe Chaim of Sanz, peeling potatoes for everyone’s meal. Suddenly, the holy Rebbe Naftali entered, put his hand on my shoulder and his other hand on Rebbe Chaim’s shoulder and taught us the unification for peeling potatoes. This is the same unification that I now learned from Rebbe Sar Shalom.”

What does the departure of the soul from the body have to do with peeling potatoes? We can imagine that the number of potatoes that needed to be peeled in Ropschitz was enough to make anyone’s soul depart from their body, but that is not the only connection.

The departure of the soul from the body is the separation of the internal soul from the external body. This can be compared to separating the fruit from its peel. This is the secret of the verse (from which this unification is learned), “And you will go to your fathers in peace, you will be buried at a good old age” (Genesis 15:15), which God said to Abraham. “And you will go to your fathers in peace” refers to the soul, i.e., to the fruit in the analogy, which departs the body, while “you will be buried at a good old age” refers to the burial of the body, i.e., the peel in the analogy. The numerical value of this entire verse (וְאַתָּה תָּבוֹא אֶל אֲבֹתֶיךָ בְּשָׁלוֹם תִּקָּבֵר בְּשֵׂיבָה טוֹבָה ) is 2706, or the product of “pleasure” (עֹנֶג), 123 and “good” (טוֹבָה), 22, which is also the last word in this verse.

Another story about the two friends, Rebbe Shalom of Kaminka and Rebbe Chaim of Sanz in the Ropschitz kitchen:

Once, Rebbe Shalom and Rebbe Chaim were peeling potatoes in Rebbe Naftali of Ropschitz’s kitchen. The Rebbe entered the kitchen suddenly and vigorously threw a potato into the water-filled pot there. Water splashed everywhere and Rebbe Naftali said to them, “And I will throw upon you pure waters and you will be purified” (Ezekiel 36:25). From that time on, a spirit of purity dwelled upon them.

Since the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, we lack the purification of the ritual purifying waters prepared with the ashes of the red heifer. Only in the future will the verse that the Ropschitzer quoted from Ezekiel be fulfilled. True tzaddikim find allusions to objects of great holiness and unique value in everyday affairs. In this case, the potato the Ropschitzer threw into the pot is called an Erdepl meaning “earth apple” in Yiddish and other Germanic languages (Erdapfel). The Hebrew version, which is apparently based on the Yiddish, is a tapu’ach adamah (תַּפּוּחַ אֲדָמָה), but the Hebrew word for “earth” (אֲדָמָה), adamah is cognate with “red” (אָדֹם), adumah. Thus, for the true tzaddik, a potato can take the place of the red heifer and monotonous kitchen work can vicariously represent the service performed in the Holy Temple.