Tonight Is the Holy Yartzeit Of Rav Meir Shapiro The Founder of Daf Yomi Buried on Har Hamenuchos. Zecher Tzadik V'Kodesh Livracha

Excerpt from the upcoming Moisa Edition of Maasay Avos 

Mishna 2:1 "What is the proper path that man should choose for himself?"

The story occurred on Shabbos Bereshis in the Beis Midrash of Rav Yisroel of Tchortokov. Among the many guests was the then Rav of Sanok, Rav Meir Shapira who was later famous as the Rosh Yeshiva of Chachmei Lublin and the founder of the Daf HaYomi movement.

On Shabbos morning after the Krias HaTorah the door to the Rebbe's private room opened and the Rebbe himself made an unusual appearance where before the astounded chassidim he honored the Rav of Sanok, Rav Meir Shapirah to bless the new month and to lead the prayers for Mussaf. This was an unusual occasion to say the least, however Rav Meir took the amud, and led the congregation. His powerful sweet and melodious voice awoke a strong outpouring of the soul and a holy excitement among the chassidim and many later recounted that the aura of sanctity resembled Yom Kippur. The sweet niggun and songs plucked the strings of their souls and they were all moved by Rav Meir Shapira's heartfelt prayers.

Afterwards as the chassidim passed before the Rebbe to receive his Git Shabbos blessing, Rav Meir too passed before him. "I did not know that the Rav of Sanok knew so well how to lead the prayers?!" exclaimed the Rebbe. "I too did not know this," said Rav Meir innocently, "until the Rebbe revealed this to me as well!"

The Rebbe invited Rav Meir to kiddush and after the meal they secreted themselves in the Rebbe's private room for a long drawn out conversation. When Rav Meir left the Rebbe's room his face shone with a supernal other worldly aura.

During that conversation, Rav Meir's powerful gift of prayer was mentioned once again on which he commented, "If I have such a gift perhaps I should become a Chazzan, it would be appropriate since I am a descendant of Rav Pinchas Koretzer before whom all the gates of prayer where open!"

Upon hearing these words the Tchortkover grew suddenly serious and after a few moments he said, "Rabbi of Sanok allow me to tell you a tale about the holy Rebbe Reb Zisha of Anniploi, the borther of the illustrious Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk.

Once when Rav Zisha was wandering in self imposed exile from land to land he arrived in Galicia. He had heard of Rav Yuzpa the famous Rosh Yeshivah of Zolkava and decided to travel there since his wondrous shiur, discourses in Talmudic topics were quite legendary. Rav Zisha travelled there and when he reached Zolkova he entered Rav Yuzpa's Yeshivah and Talmudic academy. At that time, Rav Yuzpa was in the midst of a Talmudic pilpul, a deep discussion of the tractate's sugya and all his students were absorbed in his profound words so that no one noticed Rav Zisha's appearance in the Yeshivah at all.

Rav Zisha was dressed as a wandering vagabond, in tattered rags with his walking stick and bundle in hand. He went and sat in the corner and listened as well to the Tamudic discourse Rav Yuzpa delivered without removing his eyes from the orator for even a moment.

After the lecture had ended, Rav Zisha approached the Rosh Yeshiva and said to him, "Thank you so much you deserve such a Yasher Koach for the lecture you delivered! I have heard of your great erudition and scholarliness from afar and about your wonderful lectures and therefore I decided to travel and hear them for myself first hand. Believe me it was well worth the long and arduous journey!"

Rav Yuzpah heard the words of praise and answered, "Well I am glad that you enjoyed the lecture and that you heard words of Torah wisdom which you enjoyed, so I understand why I find favor in your eyes. However how can you find favor in my eyes? Why I do not yet have the pleasure of knowing you, who are you and where are you from?" asked Rav Yuzpa of his guest.

"O' How can a vagabond such as myself find any favor in anyone's eyes? I do not even know how to learn or study Torah. Why I know nothing at all!" declared Rav Zisha.

"Impossible," countered Rav Yuzpah, "It cannot be that you have no wisdom or sanctity. I sense that deep inside you there is some hidden treasure which causes you to find favor in my eyes." concluded the Rosh Yeshivah.

"I only know how to pray," concluded Rav Zisha. "Well, what Jew doesn't know how to do that? Every Jew knows how to pray," exclaimed Rav Yuzpah with wonder. "But I know the proper way to pray before the Master of the World!," added Rav Zisha.

"If so, reveal it to me, teach me the secrets of your prayer," asked Rav Yuzpah. "Very well then, come let us go somewhere private and I will open the gates of prayer before you," suggested Rav Zisha.

"And so," concluded the Tchortkover Rebbe to Rav Meir Shapira, "the two entered a room and secluded themselves. Rav Zisha taught the Rosh Yeshivah the secrets of prayer and they pierced deep into Rav Yuzpah's soul. He grew aflame with excitement and declared, "I will leave my Yeshivah and go after this man! Just as Elishah followed Eliyahu and then perhaps during that time I will learn at least how to pray just one proper prayer in my lifetime! I will learn to stand before the Master of the World in prayer and to concentrate with true purity. Yes I will get up right now and leave my Yeshivah!"

"No, no Rav Yuzpah," countered Rav Zisha. "Let me explain something to you, our sages taught us that just as man's facial features are different from one another so too are their minds different. There are millions and billions of people living in this world, and each one has a different face from the other. And just as their outer appearance differs so does their inner essence, their souls and their purpose in life. And even though each soul can reach its own personal beauty equally. Why did Hashem create so many people, because each of them has his unique personal purpose to fulfill a lofty and supernal goal. Just as there are many people, there are many goals and aspirations for each individual. Each person has to fulfill his own aspirations and goals with the tools, talents and character traits that Hashem has given him. This is why our sages taught that one should always study from where his heart desires. Sincde man's heart aspires to his personal goal which Hashem expects of him to fulfill. You Rav Yuzpa have the talent and power to inspire students and teach them Torah. Heaven gifted you with this ability to deliver such beautiful Talmudic lectures and discourses. Leave the gates of prayer for someone like me," concluded Rav Zisha.

The Tchortkover ended the tale and turned to Rav Meir Shapira, who understood the meaning of the Rebbe's words. Later in life when Rav Meir was the head and Rosh Yeshiva of Chachmei Lublin he told those close to him about that Shabbos in Tchortkov saying, "With that story the Rebbe put me in my proper place and set me on the proper path in life to fulfill my unique mission and purpose, to teach and spread Torah through chinuch of the next generation of Am Yisroel – the Jewish nation."

***for dedications on this finished manuscript to help edit & print the completed manuscript please contact me***

From my good friend Jacob Lehrfeld

Tonight Monday Night Tuesday the 7th of Cheshvan is

The Holy Yartzeit of:

Rabbi Yehudah Meir ben Yaakov Shimshon Shapiro, The Founder of Daf Yomi, Famed Tzaddik and Rosh Yeshiva Of Chachmei Lublin.
Zecher Tzadik V'Kadosh Livracha Zechuso Yagen Aleinu. Amen!!!

 

 

Rav Yehuda Meir Shapiro of Lublin (1887-1933). His father, Rav Yaakov Shimshon Katz of Shatz, Romania, was a descendent of Rav Pinchas Koretz, a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. His mother, Margala, was the daughter of Rav Shmuel Yitzchak Schor, author of Minchas Shai, and a descendent of the author of Tevu'as Shor. He was also a descendent of Rav Bechor Shor of Orleans, one of the Baalie Tosefos. He was married in 1906 and took his first appointment, Rav of Galina, in 1911. In 1921, he became Rav of Sanok, then in 1924 Rav of Piotrkov. It was while there that he wrote his sefer Or HaMeir. Also in 1923, he began the first cycle of Daf Yomi, having shared this idea at the first Knessiah Gedolah of Agudath Yisrael the previous year. That first cycle began on Rosh Hashana in 1923 and was completed 2702 days later on Tu Bishvat in 1931. His other major project was to found the yeshiva Chachmei Lublin, in 1930.

 

 

LAST DANCE
Reb Meir passed away on 7th of Cheshvan. A few hours before his petira, unable to speak, Reb Meir wrote a note with shaking hands to his wife. "Why are you crying?" he wrote. "Now we will have the real joy."
Reb Meir asked his talmidim to dress him in a new white shirt and arrange his peyos. Signaling for a pencil, he wrote, "All of you, drink a lechaim."
Beverages and cake were brought. Brachos were made and then each talmid, in turn, stood before Reb Meir and shook his hand. Reb Meir warmly held each talmid and looked deeply into his eyes.
After each one had bid his rebbi farewell, Reb Meir formed the words, "Becha botchu avoseinu," "Our fathers trusted in You." The talmidim understood that Reb Meir wanted them to sing the melody he composed.
As the talmidim sang, they began to dance as they had never danced before. Tears rolled down their cheeks-their hearts were breaking-but they continued to dance around their rebbi's bed.
The talmidim realized that their rebbi would leave them a few moments. Reb Meir detected the students' muffled sobs, and motioned for them to come closer. "Nor mit simcha," "Only with joy," he whispered.
These were Reb Meir's last words. , Rav Yehuda Meir Shapiro's soul then departed. He was 46 years old.
All over Poland, newspapers put out special editions with detailed biographies of the Lubliner Rav. One newspaper described him as "the Jewish king."
Reb Meir's ohel was the only grave left standing in the Lublin cemetery after the Holocaust. In 1958, they brought his remains to a final resting place in Yerushalayim.

About The Founding Of The Daf Yomi  And The Esteemed Rosh Yeshiva Of Chachmei Lublin.  Zechusoi Yagen Aleinu!!! Amen!!!

 

The novel idea of Jews in all parts of the world studying the same daf each day, with the goal of completing the entire Talmud, was put forth at the First World Congress of the World Agudas Israel in Vienna on 16 August 1923 by Rabbi Meir Shapiro, then Rav of Sanok, Poland, and future rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin.^[9] In those years, only some of the 63 tractates of the Talmud were being studied regularly, such as Berachos, Shabbos, and Eruvin, which deal with practical laws, while others, such as Zevachim and Temurah, were hardly studied. Rav Shapiro also viewed the program as a way to unify the Jewish people. As he explained to the Congress delegates:

What a great thing! A Jew travels by boat and takes gemara Berachos under his arm. He travels for 15 days from Eretz Yisrael to America, and each day he learns the daf. When he arrives in America, he enters a beis medrash in New York and finds Jews learning the very same daf that he studied on that day, and he gladly joins them. Another Jew leaves the States and travels to Brazil or Japan, and he first goes to the beis medrash, where he finds everyone learning the same daf that he himself learned that day. Could there be greater unity of hearts than this?

Originally RavShapiro saw Daf Yomi as an obligation only for the religious youth of Poland. However, the idea was greeted enthusiastically by the nearly 600 delegates at the Congress, including many Torah leaders from Europe and America, who accepted it a universal obligation for all Jews.

The first cycle of Daf Yomi commenced on the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5684 (11 September 1923), with tens of thousands of Jews in Europe, America and Israel learning the first daf of the first tractate of the Talmud, Berachos. To show support for the idea, the Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, learned the first daf of Berachos in public on that day.^[9][11] On 12 November 1924 Tractate Berachos was completed, with small siyumim (celebrations marking the completion of study of a Talmudic tractate) in local communities. At that time, Shapiro published a calendar for the entire cycle of Daf Yomi study.^[9] (For the first cycle, there were only 2,702 pages of Talmud on the schedule; later Gedolei Yisrael increased it to 2,711,^[13] incorporating Tractate Shekalim, taken from the Jerusalem Talmud.) The siyum for the completion of Tractate Pesachim took place after the laying of the cornerstone for Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin. At that time, Rav Shapiro conceived the idea of contributing daily groschen to help raise money for the building. Each day, each person who studied Daf Yomi was asked to set aside a grosh (a Polish penny), and at the end of the tractate, to donate the sum to the yeshiva.^[14] The Gerrer Rebbe immediately contributed the entire sum of 2,700 groschen (27 złoty) to support this initiative.^[9]

The Second World Congress of the World Agudas Israel, held in 1929, coincided with the completion of Tractate Zevachim.^[9]

The 1st Siyum HaShas took place on 2 February 1931 (15 Shevat 5691) in several cities in Europe and in Jerusalem, with the main venue being the newly-opened Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin in Lublin, Poland. Tens of thousands of Jews attended these events. Rav Shapiro presided over the Siyum in his yeshiva in the presence of many leaders of Polish Jewry.^[13] In the United States, Siyums were held in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[15]

The completion of the Daf Yomi cycle is celebrated in an event known as the Siyum HaShas ("completion of the Shas").^[ In America, the main Siyum HaShas is organized by the Agudath Israel of America. Attendance at each Siyum HaShas has grown exponentially. In 1997 the 10th Siyum HaShas was celebrated by some 70,000 participants in the U.S.;^[17] at the 11th Siyum HaShas in 2005, participation had grown to 120,000 in the U.S.^[3] and 300,000 around the world.^[4]

The 12th Siyum HaShas in America was be held on August 1, 2012 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which had capacity for over 90,000 attendees.

An event that has inspired the Entire Jewish Nation For Love Of Hashem and His Holy Torah.

 

 

 Zecher Tzadik V'Kadosh Livracha Zchusoi Yagein Aleinu V'al Kul Yisrael. Amen!!!

May the Light of the Holy Tzaddikim Grow And Grow Until The Dawn Of Day. Amen.

 

An excerpt from: "A Blaze in the Darkening Gloom" The life of Rav Meir Shapiro Feldheim Publishers, 1994 (from p. 365) The Yiddish manuscript upon which this book is based was written in 1934 by a student of Rav Shapiro's, Rav Yehoshua Baumol, who was killed in the Holocaust. The manuscript was translated into English by Charles Wengrow for publication by Feldheim publishers.

The Great Rabbi Meir Shapiro's Last Moments The hour of night grew later and later. On a piece of paper he asked that he be shown all the prescriptions which the doctors had written. When they were handed him, he went through them and selected the one for a preparation to cleanse the throat and the respiratory organs and he asked that a new supply be gotten for him. Every few minutes he kept washing his hands while his mind was obviously immersed in distant thoughts. The evident struggle that he had to make to draw breath was heartbreaking. One could feel the frightul, racking agony that he had to undergo to try to get a bit of air into his lungs, and try as he would, he kept failing, because the channels were blocked. On a piece of paper, her scrawled a request to be carried into another chamber that he designated by its number ("Room number so-and-so"). Interestingly, that room had two doors, each with the name of an organization that had contributed money toward its construction. One door bore the name of the Bikur Cholim society (for care of the sick) of Chicago; the other, of the Chesed Shel Emes Society (for proper Jewish burial) of St. Louis. When the transfer was accomplished, he asked for a change into a clean shirt and a fresh Talit Katan (a four-cornered garment with Tzitzis, ritual fringes, at the corners). Needless to say, his wishes were carried out. But then his wife, the Rabanit, noticed a change in his countenance, and she began weeping emotionally. Rav Meir did his best to calm her, as he wrote the message, "Now the true Simcha begins"… In a broken, barely legible scrawl he wrote, "Let everyone drink l'Chayim!" Some liquor was poured out into tiny glasses, and all who were there drank and wished him l'Chayim, "to life!" Then he shook hands with them all, one by one, holding each one's hand in his for a long time. And now he gave his instruction, "Make a Rikud (a little Chassidic dance) to the words, 'b'Cha Batchu Avoseinu' ("In You our fathers trusted, and You rescued them"; Tehilim 22:5). His wishes were obeyed: they joined hands, put hands on shoulders, and lifted their feet in rhythm as they sang the holy words to the melody they knew so well - the melody which he himself had composed. It was clear that the end was approaching. Into the great Shul (the Hall of Prayer) the young scholars came streaming now to say Tehilim, to implore Heaven's mercy for him../. [As he noticed some of the dancing students sobbing,] clearly and distinctly he pronounced two Yiddish words: "Nor b'Simcha" ("Only with joy!"); then he snapped his fingers -- and expired. He passed over and away and out of his body. And he was gone from us. Zecher Tzadik V'Kadosh Livracha Zchusoi Yagein Aleinu V'al Kul Yisrael. Amen!!! May the Light of the Holy Tzaddikim Grow And Grow Until The Dawn Of Day. Amen.

 

Fwd: Rav Lieber "HaGadol" of Berdichev - The Founder of Berditchev .Zecher Tzadik Livracha. Zechusoi Yagen Aleinu. Amen.

From my good friend Jacob Lehrfeld

A Gutte Vuch To The Gutte Nation.

Tonight Motzei Shabbos Sunday the 28th of Tishrei is

The Holy Yartzeit of:

28 Tishrei - Rav  Lieber "HaGadol" of Berdichev His real name was Rav Eliezer ben Rav Avraham (1771) one of the Talmidim of the Baal Shem Tov. He was a great-grandson (ben acher ben) of R' Shimshon Ostropolier and was also a descendent of the Megaleh Amukos.. Zecher Tzadik VKadosh Livracha. Zechusoi Yagen Aleinu.Amen.

RAV LIEBER HAGADOL Z"L

Courtesy: David Hoffman

The Founder of Berditchev
Born:5427-(1667) - Died:5531- (1771)
Rav Lieber HaGadol had a unique way of combining his "Avodas Hashem" with an incalculable love of every Jew. At night, when he wandered around the giant forests surrounding Berditchev in order to learn, daven and ponder over Hashem's wonders, he simultaneously kept a sharp lookout for any sheep and cattle that may have strayed away from their owners during the day. At the end of the night, he would drive the animals before him back to Berditchev, pausing beneath people's windows to call out, "Here is your goat!" "Here is your cow!"
Although he had never been an official talmid of the Baal Shem Tov, Rav Lieber, the founder of the Berditchev kehillah, sowed seeds of Chassidus in his town that exploded into full bloom during the years of Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev.


THE BEGINNINGS OF BERDITCHEV
It is not surprising that Rav Lieber became one of the greatest Ukrainian "gedolim" of his time as he was the great-great-grandson of two renowned giants, Rav Shimshon of Ostropol and Rav Nasan Shapiro, author of the Megalleh Amukos. This is why Rav Lieber instructed in his will that no descendants of his should ever marry kohanim. He had received this warning from his ancestor, Rav Shimshon of Ostropol who explained that because his family was descended from Dovid HaMelech, combining kehunah with malchus could lead to the family's destruction.
Rav Lieber's father, Rav Avraham, had fled from Krakow to Bistritch in the Ukraine, probably during the Swedish invasion of Poland (5415/1655-5418/1658) when thousands of Jews from Krakow, Kalish, Piotrikov, Poznan and Lublin were slaughtered by Swedes, Poles and the plague. Some historians estimate that about half a million Polish Jews died during these few years. Although most of the Polish Jews returned home afterwards to patch up their lives, many others, including Rav Avraham fled to other countries to make a new start. After all, do not Chazal (see Rosh Hashanah 16b) state, "Shinui makom shinui mazal," "Changing one's place can improve one's mazal?"
Sadly, Rav Avraham's mazal did not seem to have improved since he died while still a young man but he left his young son, Rav Lieber, ten thousand gold coins. Rav Lieber immersed himself so deeply in Torah, it is said, that every night, his famous ancestors descended from the heavens to teach him the secrets of Kabalah.
In those days, Berditchev barely existed. Although first founded in about 5190/1430, reputedly by someone named Berdich, it had been destroyed by the Tartars and then only a handful of Jews lived in its vicinity. Most of Berditchev was still thick, untouched forest.
Something about the wild, unpopulated area attracted Rav Lieber like a magnet and he felt certain that there was something unique about the place. After his father's passing, he would cross the river every morning and evening and stroll among its ancient trees, reveling in the opportunity to be alone with Hashem without disturbances. He maintained this custom for months and years.
One morning, the ducal owner of Bistritch and its environs was traveling in the forest in his coach when his horses suddenly halted and reared upwards, almost throwing the duke out of his carriage. They had been startled by Rav Lieber, who was standing in the forest track in his tallis and tefillin, totally unaware of the coach that had almost run him down. Using every ounce of his strength, the duke's Ukrainian coachman somehow got the horses under control.
Then the infuriated duke ordered his tough coachman to give the insolent Jew a whipping he would not forget. The coachman did not need to be told twice; his whip sang through the air biting into Rav Lieber's clothes and flesh. However, Rav Lieber was so engrossed in his davening that he did not notice a thing.
"What's going on?" the coachman asked his master. "What should I do? No matter how much I beat this person, it makes no impression. He isn't a human being!"
"Leave him alone!" the duke said in disgust. "Let's go."
Back home, the duke leapt from the carriage and strode confidently into his luxurious mansion; suddenly his legs and arms went limp and he collapsed onto the floor.
"Help, help!" he cried out.
The servants who ran in from every direction could not do anything except carry him to his room and put him in bed. There he lay helpless as a newborn, and his doctor declared that his condition was hopeless. Help came from an unexpected quarter. Like most Ukrainian land-owners, the duke had a Jewish arender (estate manager). When he heard what happened, his face turned white.
"Do you know who the person the duke beat up must have been?" he asked the servants. "Obviously our great maggid who crosses the river to pray every day! I am certain the duke will never recover from his paralysis until he begs him for forgiveness!"
The duke immediately sent his doctor to help Rav Lieber recover from his beating and to bear a message begging his forgiveness. This was a golden opportunity for Rav Lieber to fulfill a long-time dream.
"I will forgive the duke if he builds a large shul at the place I was praying and a house next door in which to live," Rav Lieber told the doctor.
The duke hurriedly built the shul and the house and, after his recovery, he visited Rav Lieber and asked if there was anything else he wanted.
"Yes," he replied. "I would like you to build a town next to the shul."
This is how the Berditchev kehillah was founded in about 5451/1691.


A SPECIAL PLACE
It is not surprising that the mere mention of Berditchev's name evokes spiritual longings in Jewish hearts, as Rav Lieber used to say that the shul he built was sited opposite the gateway to Heaven where the prayers of Klal Yisroel stream skywards. This is one reason Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev established his kloiz and home right next door to the old, original shul of Berditchev when he moved there after Rav Lieber's passing.
In addition, Rav Lieber built a beis medrash next to his shul where he taught revealed and hidden Torah to talmidim. Once the Berditchev kehillah began thriving, Rav Lieber served as its maggid. Despite his deep Torah knowledge, he always bowed to the authority of the Berditchev av beis din, Rav Yosef Halperin, known as Rav Yosef Charif because of his sharp mind; the only time he paskened shaylos was when Rav Yosef was unavailable.
On one such occasion, a butcher came to Rav Lieber with an animal's problematical lung.
"This lung seems to have a sircha (lesion)," the butcher told him. "Does this make it treif?"
"Certainly!" replied Rav Lieber who was generally machmir (stringent) when it came to sirchos. "This animal is absolutely forbidden!"
At that very moment, Rav Yosef entered and Rav Lieber asked his opinion about the sircha.
"I say that is kosher!" the rav replied.
"Oy vey!" cried out Rav Lieber. "My apologies to you Reb Yid (the butcher) for almost causing you a great loss, and my apologies to you, lung, for ruling that you are treif!"
If Rav Lieber had such love and consideration even for an inanimate lung, imagine the feeling he had for Klal Yisroel! The depth of his love for every Jew was indescribable. In his home, he always had a special room ready with twelve beds for any tired and hungry wayfarers who might pass by, and he treated his simplest guests like honored personages.
There is a story told that this great hospitality almost led to tragedy when Rav Lieber once remarked to his sons, "In the Next World, I will not be embarrassed of my hachnosses orchim even before Avrohom Avinu!"
As this tiny shred of pride was unfitting for his lofty level, it was decreed on high that he should not live out the year. When Eliyahu HaNavi heard of this impending tragedy, he rushed before the Heavenly beis din and fervently pled in Rav Lieber's defense. How could such a tremendous tzaddik be condemned to perish for making a miniscule error?
The court ordered that Eliyahu HaNavi should come down in the form of a ragged, filthy pauper and test Rav Lieber. If Rav Lieber received him pleasantly and gave him every honor, the decree would be revoked. Of course, Eliyahu's duty was to make this trial as difficult as possible.
Eliyahu HaNavi arrived at Rav Lieber's home moments before Shabbos just as Rav Lieber was about to set off to shul. Physically, he seemed the most repulsive looking person Rav Lieber had met in his life.
"I'm hungry!" the stranger slurred. "Give me something to eat!"
"But it is time to go to shul," advised Rav Lieber.
"I need food now!" retorted the pauper.
Rav Lieber immediately brought him a generous plateful of food. However, the poor man's stomach was a bottomless pit and as fast as Rav Lieber rushed in food from the kitchen, the stranger gluttonously gobbled it down. In one sitting, down went the challah, fish, soup and chicken of Shabbos night, down went the cholent and kugel of Shabbos morning, and down went the fish of shalosh seudos.
"Let us go and daven," suggested Rav Lieber when the stranger was temporarily sated.
"You go yourself," said the visitor. "I want to sleep now – in your bed."
Clambering in Rav Lieber's bed with filthy clothes and muddy boots, the stranger fell into a stupor but not for long. By the time Rav Lieber returned from shul, he was already up like a new man with a new appetite, ready once more to eat his host out of house and home. The same thing happened on Shabbos morning. With no food left in his house, Rav Lieber brought in food from relatives and neighbors.
The guest's coarse behavior all this while was beyond description.
After Havdalah, Eliyahu HaNavi revealed his true identity to Rav Lieber and told him, "Because of your momentary pride, the Heavenly court condemned you to death. I came down to save your life, and because you did not get angry once this Shabbos, your sentence has been transmuted to a year of exile. You may not spend two nights in the same town except on Shabbos and Yom Tov. Set out now!"
The following morning, Rav Lieber instructed a tailor to sew him a suit of coarse traveling garments and took a wagon to Brod, intending to go from there to Austria where no one knew him. He arrived in Brod on Erev Shabbos, made his way to the local Jew in charge of giving people a place to stay and was assigned to spend Shabbos with the uncouth Jew in charge of the beis kevaros.
After enduring a terrible Shabbos night, Rav Lieber went to the local shul that was headed by Rav Ephraim, a son of Rav Tzvi Hirsh Ashkenazi (the Chacham Tzvi) and a brother of Rav Yaakov Emden. During davening, Rav Ephraim noticed Rav Lieber crouching near to the oven and recognized him immediately.
"With my authority as rav of this town," he commanded him, "I hereby order you to sit in the mizrach (the most honorable location)."
After calling him up for shlishi during Kerias HaTorah, Rav Ephraim took Rav Lieber home and honored him like a king. However, Rav Lieber felt as if he was sitting on shpilkes (pins and needles). Is this how he was supposed to be spending his galus?
"Please hurry and bentch," he implored his host at shalosh seudos. "I have to leave Brod immediately.
"What is the hurry?" inquired Rav Efraim.
"I am in galus and cannot stay in one place for more than one night!" he replied.
Suddenly Eliyahu HaNavi appeared with good tidings.
"Yom leshanah!" he told Rav Lieber. "Your one day of galus has been counted as a full year and you are free to go home whenever you wish."
Rav Ephraim was overjoyed to have the privilege of hiring an elegant coach and sending his distinguished guest back to Berditchev.


WITH THE BAAL SHEM TOV
Whenever the Baal Shem Tov visited Berditchev during his travels throughout Poland and the Ukraine, he always insisted on staying at Rav Lieber's.
"Rav Lieber is unique!" he used to say. "While there are a number of Tzaddikim who merit Gilui Eliyahu, by Rav Lieber it is the opposite – Eliyahu merits the Gilui of Rav Lieber!"
Rav Lieber's wife passed away in his old age, and one of his young nieces agreed to marry him on condition that she be blessed with righteous offspring; they named their son Yaakov.
None of Rav Lieber's descendants achieved his fame and renown. This is because Rav Lieber was once asked by Heaven what he preferred – to have sons and grandsons whose fame would spread far and wide, or to contribute a portion of his merit to speed the Moshiach's arrival and Rav Lieber chose the second option. Thus even though this son, Rav Yankele, became the son-in-law of Rav Yechiel of Mikolaiv, one of the Baal Shem Tov's great talmidim, he never achieved his father's immortal fame.
Although Rav Lieber always revered the Baal Shem Tov, he never became his talmid or followed his path of Chassidus. His awe of the Baal Shem Tov increased dramatically after the Baal Shem Tov's passing when the Megalleh Amukos, who appeared every night to study with Rav Lieber, suddenly stopped coming. Concerned, Rav Lieber sent his older son, Rav Yechiel, to the Megalleh Amukos' grave in Krakow to inquire what happened.
"Since the Baal Shem Tov's passing, the yeshivah shel ma'alah has closed down for thirty days," the Megalleh Amukos told him." "It is from there that I get the Torah I study with your father."
Rav Lieber then drew closer to Chassidus, mentioning its wisdom in his Shabbos drashos each Shabbos. Through these teachings, the Jews of Berditchev became receptive to its ideas when talmidim of the Baal Shem Tov, including Rav Leib Sarahs and Rav Yaakov Yosef of Polonoye, began passing through, and by the time Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev arrived in 5545/1785, it was easy for him to create a major Chassidic metropolis. By then, Berditchev had a thriving kehillah of about 2,000 Jews who comprised seventy-five percent of the town's population.
The kehillah reached its highpoint in 5621/1861 when its 46,683 strong community was the second largest in the Russian Empire and the only major town of the empire with a Jewish majority.
Rav Lieber enjoyed an extremely long life, passing away in 5531/1770, aged 104, during a violent plague which was killing so many that survivors were afraid to bury them according to halacha and interred them in mass graves.
"Great destruction has been decreed on the community," declared Rav Lieber. "I hereby accept death upon myself instead!"
Calling four people to him, he promised them a place in Olam Haba if they would perform all the customs of interment on him and bury him properly instead of throwing him into a mass grave. He then passed away and the plague abruptly ceased.
May Rav Lieber's memory be a blessing.

Zecher Tzadik VKadosh Livracha. Zechusoi Yagen Aleinu.

 

Zecher Tzadikim U'Kadoshim Livracha Zchusom Yagein Aleinu V'al Kul Yisrael. Amen!!!

May the Light of the Holy Tzaddikim Grow And Grow Until The Dawn Of Day. Amen.

 

Elie Wiesel "Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, the Hasidic Protest"

Elie Wiesel "Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, the Hasidic Protest" Part 1

http://ia601501.us.archive.org/11/items/ElieWieselleviYitzchokOfBerditchevTheHasidicProtestPart1april_183/160aElieWiesel.mp3

Elie Wiesel "Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, the Hasidic Protest" Part 2

http://ia601500.us.archive.org/32/items/ElieWieselleviYitzchokOfBerditchevTheHasidicProtestPart2april/160bElieWiesel.mp3

Yorzeit of Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev author of the Kedushas Levi

Today the 25th of Tishrei is the Yahrzeit of the Berditchever Rav, Levi Yitzchak Derbarmdigger author of the Kedushas Levi ZY"A

From the upcoming MeOros Kedushas Levi

The Passing of the Berditchever

When Rav Yitzchak of Neschiz married the Berditchever's granddaughter, the Berditchever said that under no circumstances could he promise to support the young couple for more than four years. This was quite a surprise to all, since it was customary to support a young couple for longer. It was only when the four-year period was over that everything became clear. At that time, Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev passed away.¹

Not long before the Berditchever's passing, a wealthy Jew living in Berditchev was involved in a dispute with Rav Levi Yitzchak. This wealthy man had invited the Rav Yechiel Michel of Rachov (another tradition says that he was from Morchov) to serve as a rav in Berditchev. When the Rachover arrived, the townspeople were certain he and Rav Levi Yitzchak, who currently served as rav in official capacity, would clash in a difference of opinion.

It seemed that things might come to a head at a bris to which both rabbis had been invited. Since the Berditchever had decreed that all circumcisions were to be conducted in the shul to honor Eliyahu HaNavi, they brought the baby there for the bris. The shamash misunderstood his instructions and instead of inviting just one of the rabbis to the bris, he invited both of them, the Rachover and the Berditchever, to the Bris.

Both rabbis lived close to the shul, one to the right of the building and one to the left, and both set out for the bris at about the same time and ended up arriving simultaneously in front of the shul. This was their first meeting face to face in Berditchev, and each stood at the doorway, waiting to allow the other to enter first. They stood there in silence for some time until finally one of the guests came out and said, "Let the Berditchever go in first since he was the rabbi here before," and so the Berdicthever entered the shul first.

After the bris, the two rabbis parted ways, but it was clear from this incident that the Berditchever respected the Rachover as a great individual. Theirs was a relationship where reproof was out in the open while their precious friendship was kept hidden from the public eye. Nonetheless, the local populace knew of their affection for each other.

When the Berditchever grew ill and bedridden, the Rachover also took ill. The Berditchever passed away that night, and the funeral was scheduled for the next day. That morning the Rachover called over his son Rav Asher and chastised him for concealing the news that the Berditchever had passed away. "Why didn't anyone tell me that the rav has passed away?" he said. "In any case, I knew it in my own way."

They admitted to him that indeed the Berditchever had left this world. The Rachover asked his son to tell Rav Yisrael of Pikov, the Berditchever's son, that when they carried the bier the funeral procession should pass by his home since he had urgent matters to tell the Berditchever. His son promised, and when the funeral procession passed by, he descended from his sickbed and approached the Berditchever's bier. He whispered into Rav Levi Yitzchak ear, speaking at length. None of what he said was audible to anyone except for the last words he spoke, a quote from a verse: "Count for yourself seven weeks" (Devarim 16:9). Seven weeks to the day that the Berditchever passed away the Rachover rav left this world as well.³

There is a tradition from the Maggid of Petriva and Rav Yisrael of Vizhnitz that Rav Levi Yitzchak passed away right after Sukkos. They related that the Berditchever grew weak after Yom Kippur, and his condition was life-threatening. He prayed that he might live a little longer so that he would merit to fulfill the mitzvah of waving the four species, which he yearned and waited for all year long. His prayers were answered and he lived until Isru Chag (the day after Sukkos). He passed away on the night of the twenty-fifth of Tishrei.⁴

When news spread of his passing, one of the chassidim of Rav Baruch of Mezibuzh rushed to tell his Rebbe the news of the Berditchever's passing. Rav Baruch was known to criticize Rav Levi Yitzchak's ways, and the chassid thought he was bringing "good" news. Instead, Rav Baruch practically fainted and began to cry and wail in distress.

He admonished the harbinger of such terrible news. "Don't think that when I spoke against Rav Levi Yitzchak I did so in order to diminish his stature or blemish his honor! Rav Levi Yitzchak rose to the loftiest levels, to the highest spiritual realms above that of even the ministering angels, and I was afraid they would harm him in their jealousy. Therefore I used trickery and guile to hide my intentions and pretended to belittle and mock his holy ways to silence their jealous accusations."⁵

When Rebbe Nachman of Breslov talked about the passing of Rav Levi Yitzchak, he said, "Even the average individual should feel the loss of a Tzaddik such as Rav Levi Yitzchak. Everyone now feels that there is something lacking in the world. There is a depressed mood everywhere. One might feel it in his business, which no longer runs as smoothly as before. Another might feel it in his bones, which somehow seem displaced. If your eyes are truly open, you will see that world has become dark, for a great light has been extinguished in the world. A great candle's light has been snuffed out and the world has filled with a great darkness."⁶

"The Berditchever said before he passed away that when he arrived in the next world he would not rest nor give any other Tzaddik respite rest until he succeeded in bringing Mashiach." Thus spoke Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel of Apta and Mezibuzh on the day he left this world. Before he passed away, the Apter Rav cried and wailed about our bitter exile. Why does Mashiach ben Yishai tarry so long? That is when he mentioned the Berditchever's promise. "However," he concluded, "when he ascended on high, they showed him such lofty spiritual levels and engaged him in such magnificent supernal chambers that he grew distracted that he forgot his mission.

"I, however, will not forget!"⁷

Notes:

1. Zichron Tov, Mei'Avodas Hashem 13, p. 16.

2. See the story in Vayeira entitled "In Honor of Eliyahu" above and the tradition of Rav Shalom Gutman of Yas that corroborates this ruling of Rav Levi Yitzchak.

3. Kisvei Rav Yoshe 32, p. 144; Eser Oros 3:40.

4. Toldos Kedushas Levi (Munkacz) 8:103; see also Sichos HaRan 196.

5. Toldos Kedushas Levi (Munkacz) 8:108; Eser Oros 3:22.

6. Toldos Kedushas Levi (Munkacz) 8:105; see also Sichos HaRan 196.

7. Otzar HaSippurim, vol. 18, p. 25.

From the upcoming MeOros Kedushas Levi on Channukah

Kedushah Shelishis

Why There Are Eight Days of Chanukah

The poskim ask,¹ why are there eight days of Chanukah if the miracle of the Menorah actually happened only on seven days?²

%%%[Since they had enough oil to last for one day, the first day that the Menorah was lit was not part of the miracle.]

It seems to me that the first day was instituted as a holiday to offer praise for the miracle of being saved from the hands of the Greeks, when Hashem "handed over the mighty into the hands of the weak, and the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and those who plotted against us into the hands of those who toil in Your Torah" (from the Al HaNissim prayer), and the other seven days were instituted to praise Him for the miracle [of the oil]. Thus the mitzvah of the first day is to commemorate the physical salvation and the victory of the royal house of Chashmonai. Then they found just one flask of oil, enough to light the Menorah [in the Beis HaMikdash] for one day, and a miracle occurred [and the lights lasted another seven days]. In other words, the Sages instituted days of praise and thanksgiving for two things: for the miracle of their salvation and for the miracle of the Menorah, as we just explained. And the praise of the first day is for the salvation and the other seven days for the miracle of the Menorah.

If the reason for instituting the first day as a holiday was to give praise for the salvation and not for the miracle of the Menorah, why do we light the menorah on the first day? Why did the Sages institute the candle lighting also on that day? It seems to me that the reason for this is because after seeing the miracle of the Menorah, they realized that it was the merit of lighting the Menorah that saved their lives. Their fulfillment of the mitzvah of the Menorah protected them. To commemorate this, they instituted the lighting of the Chanukah menorah on the first day, showing that a miracle was done for them and their lives were saved in the merit of the Menorah.

Also, this miracle occurred through the royal house of Chashmonai, who were kohanim and Levite leaders descended from Aharon, whose offering at chanukas haMizbei'ach, the inauguration of the Altar in the Mishkan, was the lighting of the Menorah, as the Midrash on parashas Beha'aloscha explains.³ This is also why they instituted the mitzvah to light the Chanukah lights on the first day — not to commemorate the miracle of the Menorah, but rather to commemorate the salvation, which occurred at the hands of Aharon's descendants.

It seems to me that the reason the lights of the Beis HaMikdash were so precious to Hashem that He performed a miracle through them, and the reason that in their merit the Jews were saved, is because candles are always used for holy purposes, even outside the Beis HaMikdash. We light candles on Shabbos, for example, and in shul, unlike the other offerings [which could be brought only in the Beis HaMikdash]. Since we continue to serve Hashem with candles even after the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, they are precious to HaKadosh Baruch Hu more than any other offerings. Even when the wicked kingdom of Greece came and interrupted the service in the Beis HaMikdash [and prevented Bnei Yisrael from lighting the Menorah], surely Bnei Yisrael still served Hashem with the Shabbos candles and lit candles in their houses of prayer, These Shabbos candles and the candles in shul went up before the Blessed Creator, the awakening that these mitzvos aroused brought about the Jews' salvation.

We can explain this with a parable. When a child does not see his father, he does not yearn to see him so much. But as soon as his father enters the courtyard, and the child can see him through the window but someone prevents him from going to him, their yearning for each other reach a peak, since they can see each other but are prevented from being together. Similarly, when the Greeks entered the Beis HaMikdash Courtyard, all the offerings and sacrifices ceased, but it was the candles of the Menorah [that Hashem missed the most]. Since the Jews still lit Shabbos candles and kindled the candles in the shuls — the only offerings that could be done outside the Temple — they rose and came before HaKadosh Baruch Hu's Throne of Glory, and since the wicked Greeks prevented us from lighting the candles [of the Menorah] that were part of a service performed inside the Beis HaMikdash, the offering of the candles [on Shabbos and in shul] intensely awakened divine mercy [because the other offerings were completely interrupted, like a father and son who are separated and cannot see each other, but there were still remnants of the service of the Menorah lighting, because there were still candles being lit outside the Beis HaMikdash, so this caused Hashem greater anguish, like a father and son who are separated yet can still see each other].

This is why the miracle happened through the candles and not through the other forms of service. Even though the Greeks had decreed against observing Shabbos,⁴ and they probably forbade lighting Shabbos candles as well, surely the Jews lit them in secret, just as they observed Shabbos itself in secret. Since these candles roused divine mercy and brought about the salvation, the miracle of Chanukah occurred with the candles.

Perhaps this is the meaning of the midrash on parashas Beha'aloscha that the Ramban cites:⁵ "Go say to Aharon, 'Your [offering] is greater than theirs [than the other tribal leaders who donated offerings for the inauguration of the Altar], because the offerings and sacrifices will continue only as long as the Beis HaMikdash stands, but your candles are forever." The Ramban comments:

But the candles of the Menorah are also not lit. Their service also ceased with the destruction of our Beis HaMikdash, due to our numerous sins! In my opinion, the mitzvah continues with Shabbos candles and the candles we light in shul, which have such sanctity when lit that it is forbidden to light other candles with their light.⁶

Furthermore, the Ramban writes that this midrash also hints at the Chanukah candles [that the candle lighting of the Temple continues on in the mitzvah of the Chanukah lighting as well]. Though in Moshe's time, this mitzvah did not yet exist, according to the Ramban, the entire Torah encompasses allusions for all generations [and not just the events described explicitly therein], as he explains with regard to the six days of Creation and the stories of the patriarchs. Study his holy opinion there at length.⁷ According to my explanation, when the Midrash says that the candles are forever, this refers to the candles that we light in shul and the Shabbos candles, which did exist in Moshe's time and would exist for eternity. Furthermore, I wrote that these two mitzvos, the Shabbos candles and the candles lit in shul, caused the miracle with the Menorah. The Ramban's opinion and my own weak opinion both lead to the same conclusion, that this is why the mitzvah of the Menorah was precious to Hashem more than the other forms of avodah, since it lived on even after the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash [through the mitzvos of the candles]. Thus in the merit of the Menorah the Jews were saved and a miracle was done for them [and therefore we commemorate this miracle on the first day of Chanukah as well].

Notes:

1. See Beis Yosef, Orach Chaim 670.

2. See Kedushas Levi, Derushim on Chanukah, s.v. "nireh," and s.v. "yadua," where Rav Levi Yitzchak gives alternate answers to this question.

3. Bamidbar Rabbah 15:3.

4. See Megillas Antiochus.

5. On the verse "Speak to Aharon and say to him, 'When you kindle the lamps…'" (Bamidbar 8:2).

6. It is forbidden to light other candles with the lights of the synagogue. See Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 154:14. As for the Shabbos candles, the Shulchan Aruch does permit lighting other candles from them (Orach Chaim 674:2). See, however, Mishnah Berurah (9) and Sha'ar HaTziyun (8) there, who forbid it.

7. See Ramban on Bereishis 2:3, 12:6, 26:1, 26:20, 32:4, 47:28.

Torah better than sacrifices - An inspirational vort from the Noam Elimelech

A Gut Moed! A Gut Kvitel

I recently required a small handheld reprint of the 1st edition of the Noam Elimelech, this reprint has someone's notes and underlinings in it. Here is what I saw underlined yesterday:

"Whereas the sacrificial offerings known as Korbanos do not atone for all sins, rather each sacrifice and offering atones for a specific sin or transgression, however the Torah atones for everything, and this is why the Torah is greater than any altar."

Noam Elimelech Parshas Tzav

Noam Elimelech for Yom Kippur

gemar chasima tova!

Noam Elimelech for Yom Kippur –

The Gemarra teaches that Sins between man and his fellow man are not atoned and absolved by Yom Kippur (Yoma 85b)

The reason for this is that so long as he has not appeased his friend and fellow there remains a prosecuting accusation against him on High which prevents his atonement until he appeases his friend and acquires his forgiveness. For as long as his friend has objections against him there remains a prosecuting accusation against him on High, and once his friend forgives him that accusation passes and is no longer there. *

(Noam Elimelech parshas Behaaloscha sv Vezehu VeAtah Yisroel Mah Hashem Elokecha Shoel Meimach)

Confession Viduy – In our Forefathers Merit We Become Beynonim

When we confess and recite Viduy we recite the formula: We and our forefathers have sinned, and we should explain the reason behind why we mention the sin of our forefathers when we confess?

Even if a person has sinned he should never make himself out to be wicked before the prosecuting accuser. Rather he should take partial blame for his wickedness, and partial credit for his righteousness. This is why we place some of the blame on our forefathers saying that if we have sinned it is partly their fault for not having sanctified us with complete holiness. This too is one of the reasons why we have sinned.

Our forefathers meanwhile, are already [safely protected] in Gan Eden where no prosecution or accusations can harm them, therefore we rely upon them and place some blame for our sins on them in order to not give the accuser any opening to blame us for our own wickedness. Then through the confession of our sins we make ourselves into average people (who are balanced neither wicked nor righteous). . . This is what the verse means "he [Yaakov] split the people up [literally halved them]," he taught the people to confess [which causes us to split up their sins and merits half and half so that they would be in equal measure] and to transform themselves into beynonim – average people.

(Noam Elimelech Parshas VaYishlach sv vezehu vayehi li shor vechamor)

Mincha Maftir Yonah:

Why did Yona flee from Hashem? To try and prevent accusations against Klal Yisroel

The Gemarra teaches: Why are Bnei Yisroel compared to a Yonah? Just as a Yonah bird never exchanges its mate for another, neither do Bnei Yisroel ever exchanges their G-d.

This means that they are forever attached to Hashem as is proper for a person to constantly always be attached cleaving to the Creator. . .

A righteous tzadik who is attached to the Creator in dveykus is called Yonah, because he is attached to Hashem like a Yona as we explained above.

We will explain the meaning of the verse "And Yona fled to Tarshish from before Hashem."

He was truly attached to Hashem and this is why he is named a Yona for he truly was one.

Now it is difficult to understand then, how can we possibly understand that Yona fled from Hashem, Whose glory fills the entire world; and the heavens and heavens' heavens cannot contain Him?!

Rather Yona's intention was to commit a sin for the sake of Hashem, known as an aveirah lishma. His intent was for the sake of Heaven, it was difficult for him to prophecy before the people of Ninveh, since if they would repent from their sins and transgressions then heaven forbid, there might be a Heavenly accusation leveled against Bnei Yisroel as the Gemarra tells uis that the nations might repent immediately. Therefore he tried to separate himself and to take to the seas and interrupt his dveykus and attachment to Hashem, all this, so long as he could prevent such a prophecy [and its consequences].

(Noam Elimelech Parshas Shelach sv O Yomar VaYishlach Osam Moshe LaTur es Eretz Canaan)

Yona and the Ship – the Soul and the Body

The Tanna teaches that one who sells a ship sells its mast as well.

The body is compared to a ship.

The Holy Zohar teaches regarding the prophet Yonah that when Yonah descended into the depths or bowels of the ship that this symbolizes the descent of the soul into the body.

Similarly the body in this world is like a ship sailing the stormy troubled seas, a person is cast into the stormy waters of life in this world where he must struggle to stay afloat, man must always ponder and contemplate that he is always navigating the great ocean of life and his quest is to stay afloat among the raging storms and tempest waters that life's trials toss at him.

Therefore the Tanna taught us that one who sells the ship has sold its mast, if a ship is like the body one who sells the ship proves that he does not care for the physical needs of his body at all. Therefore if he sells the mast, meaning that he no longer needs to act like a mast, like a guiding tower at the top of a mountain, this is because once he has proved that he does not care for the physical needs of this world, he attaches in dveykus to the Shechinah and he is no longer like a mast on the mountaintop.

Noam Elimelech (Parshas VaYec hi sv Shimon VeLevi Achim)

YomKippur with the Berditchever

Serving in White Vestments

To explain why during the other days of the year the Kohen Gadol served in gold and colored vestments and on Yom Kippur when he entered inside [the holy of holies] he served specifically in white vestments.

It is written (Tehillim 33:6) "By the word of Hashem heavens and earth were made," the Almighty created the worlds by His utterances and speech. All the worlds are filled with His life force and vitality and exist because of that life force and vitality. And if, heaven forbid, there would be a lack [of His life force] for even one moment it would be totally impossible for any of the worlds to exist so we find that all of the worlds exist through His life force.1

The shefa which the Creator sends down over all the worlds before it reaches the worlds it is without any shape or form or color. As the shefa spreads through the world then it becomes formed and colored. For example as the shefa spreads through the world of the fiery angels known as the seraphim then it takes on the form of the world of the seraphim and so it does with all the worlds wherever it spreads out it takes on that form of that world, so that for inanimate objects, plants and living animals then the shefa takes on the form and hue of the inanimate, the plants and the animals.

This is known as General and Specific. When the shefa has not yet spread out it is called general and when it has spread out over all the worlds, then it is called Specific. When the shefa has spread out over all the worlds then it has taken on the form and hue to match the world it is in and where it has spread out to, if it is shefa in the world of the seraphim then it takes on the form of that world of seraphim and it can no longer spread out past the world of seraphim. And this is true for all of the worlds. This is hinted at by the statement in (Eruvin 28a) "A General statement followed by a Specific one, the general can only contain what is in the specifics." This occurs when there is an awakening from above, however when there is an awakening from below to send forth shefa then the opposite is true. An awakening from below is always only Specific however the shefa which the Creator sends to the world is General and inclusive, including and incorporating everything and anything and this is what the aforementioned Gemarra (ibid) means, "A Specific statement followed by a General one, the general adds on to the specific."

This will explain that the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur draws down shefa to all of the worlds and this shefa when it is still being drawn down and has not yet entered the worlds, we explained that this shefa is completely colorless [and without form]. This hints at the reason that the Kohen Gadol specifically wears white vestments, which alludes to the drawing down of shefa which on Yom Kippur has no color at all. On the other days of the year his service was only to keep the shefa in the world as we explained that when the shefa in the worlds then that shefa has form and hue and that is why the rest of the year the Kohen Gadol wore gold and colored vestments.

Notes:

1. See Tanya Shaar haYichud VaHaEmunah Chap 1

Story: Like The Avodah of the Kohen Gadol or an Angel?

The Tzanz Klausenberger Rebbe related:

"This story is what I was told by Rav Tevli of Dukla who heard it from his father-in-law Yosef Moshe, who heard from Rav Yitzchak Ettinger who heard from the mouth of the Gaon author of the author of the Yeshuos Yaakov himself. He related that when he (the Yeshuos Yaakov) was but a young avrech he lived in Yaroslav (which was a city of misnagdim or opponents of chassidus) and this is what he told:

"Once on Erev Yom Kippur the holy author of the Kedushas Levi the Rav of Berditchev arrived in town. Before Kol Nidrei he entered the shul crawling on his hands and feet in such awe and self negation before Hashem! He himself approached the amud, and from the lectern he began to recite Kol Nidrei with such awe and reverence. And at the time none of us assembled knew his identity and no one there had any idea who this guest was, nonetheless we let him continue leading the prayers before the congregation because he had the sweetest voice and we could tell by the tone and feeling that his prayers stirred that this was a person of great stature.

After the evening services concluded, he continued reciting the liturgy known as Shir HaYichud before the ark and afterwards he began the recitation of the entire sefer Tehillim out loud in voice that carried. He stayed this way on his feet the entire time all night long!

In the morning when the congregation began entering shul, we found him standing there just as before and he simply continued with Adon Olam, and led the prayers for Shacharis, he himself read from the Torah and continued to lead the services for Mussaf!"

"I," said the Yeshous Yaakov, "began to doubt whether this being was a human or angel from heaven! His voice and his unceasing never ending outpouring of strength and emotion were angelic. Yet when the congregation recited their responses and he stood silent I thought he must be human.

However when we reached the Neilah services and he began to roar out his prayers like a lion, the entire congregation was filled with remorse and all gathered did teshuva and repented. All of us present were sure that only a supernal angel from heaven could have such powers!

After the Maariv prayers concluded and Yom Kippur had ended, I decided to follow him and see were he was staying. I wanted to see if he would conclude his fast and eat as human beings do! Or was he an angel that needed not to eat nor sleep?

I watched as someone recited the havdalah service to which he listened to and immediately he began to ask those present, "please bring me something to enliven me and fill my hungry soul!"

Immediately they brought him some cake, cookies and fruit to eat, understanding that anyone would be hungry after such an intense day. "No, no," he explained declining the food offered, "this is not what I had in mind please bring a volume of meseches Sukkah from the Talmud."

They brought him the requested volume and he took the Gemarra and entered his room saying he needed to rest a bit. I followed him to see what rest meant and I peeked into his room and saw him sitting enraptured learning and studying Meseches Sukkah aflame in dveykus.

I myself could not hold up, I was tired and I fell asleep. When I awoke it was morning. Again I approached and saw how the holy Berditchever was still busy learning and close to finishing the entire tractate!"

'This,' interrupted the Tzanz Klausenberger, 'was the Kedushas Levi, about whom his son Rav Meir writes in the introduction to volume one of his sefer Keser Torah - "It is known to the entire world that my father had thousands of students whose hearts my father set aflame teaching them Gemarra, Rashi and Tosfos as well as the poskim and codes of law. Their hearts were excited to serve Hashem when they heard Torah from him guiding them on the straight path to serve Hashem."'

The Tzanz Klausenbeger concluded, "Even though he was busy serving and worshipping Hashem with such an avodah that would make even angels and fiery seraphs jealous, nonetheless he could not rest knowing that he did not study enough Torah on the day of YomKippur. Only after studying and completing the entire tractate of Meseches Sukkah was his mind appeased. What can we say about ourselves?"

(Shefa Chaim #22 parashas VaYelech p8-9 [p424-425])

YomKippur: A Theft in Heaven a Berditchever Tale

From the upcoming MeOros Kedushas Levi on Moadim

 

YomKippur Story: A Theft in Heaven

Two thieves were once brought to be judged before the Heavenly Court. The first one was a young man named Nachume'l the thief. All year long he hid deep in the forest robbing all passerby, young and old alike stealing from the rich and the travelling merchants. Only on the Erev Yom Kippur he would go to town and there he would begin to distribute all the money he had stolen to the poor and the indigent. Then he would enter the Beis Midrash and the entire day of Yom Kippur. For the entire day he stood immersed in prayer and supplication from the depths of his hearty and soul; with such fervor and sweetness that the very stones beneath his feet almost melted with joy. The day after Yom Kippur he would distribute what remained of his loot among the poor to cover their upcoming Yom Tov expenses and then once again he would vanish into the recesses of the dark woods where he would continue his disdainful practice of robbery and thievery.

The second thief brought to trial was named Yaakov Yoel, and he was an older Jew with a shining countenance sporting a fine long white beard. A merchant and businessman now retired in his old age he had turned over his business to his sons while he himself sat in the house of study learning Torah day and night. He sat in the Beis Midrash every day and almost never did he step foot outside it except once a year. When the day of the trade fair arrived in town and his sons hands were so busy that they could not do so they asked their father to please come into the store and man the register while they tended to the many details that took up their time. And it goes without question that no one harbored even a suspicion nor even a shadow of a doubt against such a pious Jew! Nonetheless when no one was looking and when all watchful eyes were turned away Yaakov Yoel would simply reach his hand into the register and pluck coin after coin out and drop them into his pocket! With this stolen cash he would purchase brandy and other spirits along with cakes and cookies that he would later set before the Chassidim in shul. After the daily davening, he mamash chalished – he simply famished for a shot of strong  liquor and a tasty morsel to savor in the company of his fellow Chassidim or any other group pf Jews.

First the Heavenly Court listened to Yaakov Yoel's plea, the old man began to argue on his own behalf explaining that "After all all I took was from own children, I took what I took from my very own store, from my own business that was once under my charge, I simply handed it over to them and further. . ."
However the Accuser Satan himself representing the case for the prosecution delayed no further and pounced upon the hapless Jew with a sneer dripping with venom and malice, "Nu So what then about the red handkerchief?!"

And now Yaakov Yoel hung his head in shame because Satan, the Accuser had indeed brought up a shameful memory! Almost every Rosh Chodesh, and every other occasion such as Mondays and Thursdays Yaakov Yoel would make his rounds after the morning prayers holding a red handkerchief. He would walk back and forth asking for a donation for a "very important matter and a pressing need!" Now it goes without saying that no one had even the merest suspicion against Yaakov Yoel with the long white beard!
And so he would collect copper coins, jingling gleefully in his red handerkerchief into which once in a while even a silver coin might be thrown to join the others while Yaakov Yoel smiled into the corner of his beard saying to himself, "Isn't a Le'Chaim toasted by Chassidim an important matter after all?!" And now he stood there before the Heavenly Court accused of his crimes and misdeeds, dumbfounded and unable to utter even a single word in his own defense.

Next the court turned its attention to Nachume"l the thief and he spoke simply saying: "Master of the World what can I say? All of my actions are revealed before You. All year long I rob and steal and not one word of holiness passes my lips. On Erev Yom Kippur I distribute my money to the poor and afterwards all Yom Kippur long I engage in prayer and supplication my mouth lips do not close for Your sake and the sake of Your holy name! I have nothing more to say. Master of the World, do with me as You wish?!"

On the spot, Satan the Accuser opened his wicked mouth to prosecute before the Heavenly Court and he began to indict: "These are no simple thieves! Yaakov Yoel has grown his beard and peyos, has used his learning and his prayers as a way to people's pockets! And Nachume"l keeps one Kosher Yom Kippur day the entire year in order to return afterwards to his thieving ways robbing others wholeheartedly and passionately! Simple thievery isn't even good enough for them! Their thievery rides on false piety and false faith. They use holiness like a key to open foreign door. There acts are nothing short of a desecration of Your hallowed Name! Not even the wicked would have the heart to do as they do…"

Nonetheless the advocate for the defense, the goodly angel Michael was not disheartened. Rather than give up hope, he began to advocate and defend the sinners for their crimes.

"I would like to know," he began, "just what did these two Jews do with the stolen money? Has anyone ever seen Yaakov Yoel sitting and eating a sumptuous meal? Has Yaakov Yoel ever lay himself down on soft comfortable cushions instead of the hard wood benches of the Beis Midrash? And with those few coins he gathered to buy le'chaim liquor, did he drink it alone or rather in the company of fellow Chassidim, where a tale of the righteous or words of Torah were shared and the hearts and souls of our brethren are warmed to serve You Hashem? His sons and fellow worshippers in the Beis Midrash, would they not have derived great pleasure and satisfaction from the good use their few coins were put to had they been told the truth?"

"And what did Nachum did with his money? Did he buy estates and property? Did he leave a fat inheritance behind him? He was but a young man, yet did Nachum spend his money on how own pleasures and delights? Rather every Erev Yom Kippur he gave out his money to the poor while he poured out his entire heart in prayer! Now if those poor souls who were robbed would know the good their money was being used for would they not have complained about the mistreatment of these souls?!"

"Nachum and Yaakov Yoel have somehow transformed robbery and thievery into an act of kindness. They found a way to draw out holiness from the depths of impurity and darkness itself! Not many tzadikim could have even succeeded in doing such a thing!"

Before passing judgment, having heard both sides of the argument, the Heavenly Court ordered Nachume"l and Yaakov Yoel to each in turn place their good deeds and weigh them against their demerits and misdeeds on the Heavenly Scales of Justice. And here is where the terrible incident occurred!

Nachum stood up and on the black side of the scale he placed all the years of his life, year after year. His eyes dimmed because there was not a year that was filled with misdeeds of robbery and theft and each act was as heavy as iron. The only counterweight he had to balance this out were the scant few days of Yom Kippur. These he placed on the other, white side of the scale and he began to breathe more easily as the scale began to tip towards the positive side. Each day of Yom Kippur was just one day but its weight was great for each day was soaked with tears and each teardrop heavier than iron. And as he placed the last day of Yom Kippur of his life on the scale he saw that – unbelievably his scale was still tipped towards guilty! For the difference of a hair's breadth his soul felt like it would expire!

Yaakov Yoel also approached and trembling and sweating with trepidation he placed all the days of his manning the register during the fair alongside with his infamous red handkerchiefs on the black side of the scale. Each day of each fair and each handkerchief bore down the weight of the scale tipping the balance against him more and more. They were heavy laden the copper and silver coins, each coin heavy as lead. However once he began to place his learning, his prayers and his good deeds and acts of piety on the white side of the scale, their counterweight balanced out and began to tip the scales in his favor. Especially heavy were his inspirational songs and dances which he did on holidays, festivals and joyous occasions. He almost breathed a sigh of relief – almost, except that just like what happened to Nachume'l, the same thing happened to Yaakov Yoel as well! The indicator pointed to guilty, and as his nervous eyes watched the pointer, it trembled ever so slightly almost moving to the side of merit, yet no, it remained a hairs breadth away. What a heart ache!

They stood there each man next to his fellow despondently until Nachum'l turned to Yaakov Yoel with a wink. Unable to contain themselves and hold back they simply stretched out their right hands with a sideways glance to make sure no one was watching while they simply lightened the load a bit and removed just a bit from the black side of the scale! Obviously they didn't realize that whoever steals from the scales of heavenly justice only increases his own guilt!

Just as their hands grazed the scale the entire scales and balance toppled over causing such a din, that the loud disturbance shook and rattled the entire heavens! A great commotion took place, this was the first robbery ever done in heaven! And now Satan leaped with glee to point his accusing finger at the two trembling forms and his accusations were dark as a raven:

"See for Yourself, Master of the World, Your own attributes of Mercy which You extend to these pathetic creatures are all for naught. They dare to rob the very Heaven itself and even in such close proximity to Your Heavenly throne of glory!?" The dark black sin rose up higher and higher ascending its way to the heights of Heaven, as all the souls left their heavenly chambers, and all the angles left their abodes and heavenly palaces in commotion. Even the goodly angel, Michael the defender and advocate had for once been silenced. He grew weak and he prostrated himself before the Heavenly Court begging for mercy and asked:

"All the seven heavens are crying out! Is there no angel or advocate who can plead on behalf of these two Jews? Please call forth Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, for surely he alone has the power and the strength to find some merit to defend these two Jews!"

Seeing this Nachum'l and Yaakov Yoel stood together in despair desperately clutching one another in fear weeping and crying copiously.

Now all of this took place on Yom Kippur and at that very moment the Berditchever Rav stood before the amud, leading the congregation in Mussaf in his Beis Midrash in Berditchev. Even before Mussaf began, he could feel that there was a great disturbance going on in Heaven, and that horrific judgments had been forecast, like black storm clouds spread out across the heavens. He was at the words of Mussaf, "Man's origin is dust . . ." and just then he was summoned as a defense attorney before the Heavenly Court itself. When the Berditchever Rav saw these two poor Jews huddled there crying in despair he outsretched his two arms heavenward and called out brokenheartedly: "Helige Derbarmdige Tatte! Holy Merciful Father!"

As soon as these words were uttered a great wave of pure refined love and compassion was awakened and silence spread itself across the Heavens. The only sound heard on High, was the weeping of the two thieves who felt they were lost. The Berditchever felt his heart contract in pain and he raised his face heavenwards and opened his lips with words of prayer. He sang the prayers as was his holy custom with heartache and sweetness:

"Man's origin is dust," . . .son of Adam, such a lowly creature who is created from the very dust of the earth itself; "And his end is dust," . . .he returns at the end back to the dust itself, "With his soul he obtains his bread," . . .sometimes he has no choice but to sin to feed himself, and if that is not enough "He is compared to fragile shard of clay pottery" if he sins he is cast like broken potsherds!

"Heilige Derbarmdige Tatte! – Holy Merciful Father! First You hide from our eyes both Gan Eden and Your Presence the Shechinah, and You placed it in the next world. Then You placed the evil inclination into man which inflames the passions and desires in our hearts in this world. Is it any wonder that we are burned by this raging fire which You Yorself placed within us?! Let the heavens tremble and quake! For what is heaven itself compared to the tears of these broken hearted souls?!"

Once again the Berditchever raised his hands heavenward and his voice rose in a plea for mercy. With great love and a broken heart he said:

"Heilige Derbarmdige Tatte! – Holy Merciful Father!"

"Heilige Derbarmdige Tatte! – Holy Merciful Father!"

All the gates of mercy swung open immediately and Yaakov Yoel and Nachum'l were uplifted by Divine mercy. Seeing that it was an Es Ratzon – an auspicious moment of grace Rav levi Yitzchak seized the opportunity to plead on behalf of the entire world!

"How long shall the world be battered by pain and suffering?! All the calculated dates and projected times have passed! May the Holy and Merciful One send us the righteous redeemer, the Moshiach who shall redeem us and end the sins and sufferings of our world!"

Seeking to interrupt the Berditchever's pleas, Satan called out red with rage:

"Is it not enough that the Berditchever is trying to bring thieves into Gan Eden?! He now has the audacity on the heels of their thievery and robbery of Heaven itself, to attempt to bring about the redemption and bring Moshiach to this world?!"

Even before the Berditchever Rav had a chance to open his mouth and attempt to answer the proceedings of the Heavenly Court were interrupted by a disturbance coming from the Beis Midrash down below. The source of the tumult was a weak older Jew who could no longer hold out. The Yom Kippur fast had taken its toll on his weak constitution and he began to faint. All those around him were trying to revive to no avail.

 

The Berditchever immediately interrupted his prayers before the amud, and he approached the aged Jew. He hugged and caressed him, caringly he whispered to him until the man regained his strength and opened his eyes.

Meanwhile . . .the Divine moment of grace, the Es Ratzon passed. . .And who knows, perhaps had there been no tumult down there in the Beis Midrash, perhaps, just maybe the Berditchever Rav would have succeeded? Who knows?

 

 

Kol Tuv,
R' Tal Moshe Zwecker
Director Machon Be'er Mayim Chaim
Chassidic Classics in the English Language
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our Olympic champions Siyum HaShas

I heard a rabbi here in Israel comment about the contrast between the focus of the world at large vs the Jewish world these last 2 weeks

The entire world is focused on the Olympics, brawn, muscle, might, physique, lithe, atheltic, sportsmanship, teamwork, competition and all that physical gashmiyus which the Greeks and Romans championed.

The Jewish world's heroes were not awarded gold medals, did not participate in any sports-like competition and yet their achievement was much greater, for in ruchniyus and spirituality they defeated and competed against an ancient enemy, the yetzer hara, and succeeded for 7 long difficult years through all manner of weather, seasons and days to learn that daf, attend that shiur and study that Gemarra.

So I salute our gold medal winners the mesayimim of the Daf

I was zoche to hear Rav Aharon Feldman the Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Yisroel in Baltimore as he surprisingly quoted from the Maor VaShemesh a Hasidic work regarding the differences between Us and Them.

I then looked up the Sefer and the Maor vaShemesh is actually quoting the Chafetz Hashem -  a work by Rav Chaim Ben Attar better known for his work on Chumash as the "Ohr HaChaim haKadosh"

The following is my own understanding of the sefer:

In Chafetz Hashem on Shas the baal Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh teaches us

http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=15237&st=&pgnum=17

that the prayer we recite after leaving the Beis Midrash has a unique interpretation

The Baal Maor vaShemesh explains how the Ohr HaChaim points out that it repeats itself seemingly unnecessarily by saying:

we get up early and they get up early, we work hard and they work hard, we run and they run,

it would suffice to sum it up and say in one clear sentence we get up early to study Torah, and therefore we run to everlasting life in the coming world whereas they get up for idle matters and therefore they end up in the pit of gehinom.

However the Ohe HaChaim asks further why does the prayer open with the words thanking Hashem for placing us "MiYoshvei - from among those who sit in the Beis HaMidrash,"  why doesnt it simply say "BeYoshvei - along with those who sit in the Beis Midrash,?" then he ask about the running and the work which seem superfluous

He explains that the world is made up of 4 groups: Talmidei Chachamim who study all day like Rashbi, and those who work for a living yet also set aside time for Torah study, and those whose life is consumed by the drive to work and earn more and more money and finally the last group who are idle good for nothings, who dont bother working hard and waste their lives away criminally full of mischief without any responsibility at all.

Whereas there are those like Rashbi who study Torah as a way of life, the majority of us do not. This prayer is referring to those indivduals who work for a living yet set aside time to study Torah and serve Hashem. That little but of Torah whoch they study before their workday infuses and permeates the entire workday sanctifying it so that their work is also purely to earn a living in order to learn more and study more and serve Hashem more, thus im ayn Kemach ayn Torah - since if there is no flour there is no Torah - one cannot learn if he cannot support himself and his family and even his amal in work is thus cpounted to be rewarded for in ruchniyus as well as his learning, it all becomes part of the same equation, says the Ohe HaChaim.

This is why it says MiYoshvei "from among those", as opposed BeYoshvei which refers to those whose Torah study is their occupation, since they are the few in the Beis Midrash - those who also work and also study.

This is also what the double wording means, it refers to the other two groups. We get up early and so do they, those who work for a living and toil for sheer love of money also work hard and get up early except that "we get up early and study Torah and receive reward, they get up early and work hard and do not receive this spiritual reward," we are rewarded for our work as well as Torah study since the one is done for the sake of the other as we explained above.

Finally we run and they run, we run to the everlasting life in the olam haba - the coming world, whereas they run to a pit of darkness and despair in gehinom - this refers to the idlers, and criminals whose life is not in pursuit of Hashem and not even spent working and earning a decent living.

May we merit to sit among those in the Beis Medrash and that our Torah study sanctify our entire day!

You just gotta love Eretz Yisroel

So the other day I go to pump gas and my credit card says denied (guess I reached my credit limit I say) and pay cash. The next day on Erev Shabbos I go to check out at the supermarket and say lets try my card just in case, well the cashier takes it and it goes thru, so I say to myself, wow, look at that for the gas it did not work but now it did? The chashier looks at me, nice young lady (did not appear religious) and says in all seriousness, off course it worked for you now, you are shopping for food lekavod Shabbat! but for gas it wouldnt work because thats not lekevod Shabbat! - what Emunah - and Pashtus - gotta love it!!!

Siyum HaShas some thoughts

I was zoche to escort my Rebbe, The Clevelander of Raanana to yesterday's English Siyum HaShas in Jerusalem organized by Kollel Iyun HaDaf.

This gave me amazing front row seats (I kid you not as I actually sat behin him among all the chassuve Rabanim and Admorim on the dais!).

Well it was amazing to the see the achdus dancing in the crowd from this angle, (I was happy to dance with my good friend on stage the gabbai of the Trisker rebbe) and to be on the dais with some of today's greatest English speaking Gedolim and Rabbanim such as Rav Aharon Feldman, Rav Kushelvesky, The Pitsburger, Trisker, Bostoner, Boyaner, Monistritcher Rebbe (to name a few that I recognized and heard speak) and many many others no less great.

Here are some highlights from the Pittsburgher Rebbe's speech:

The Kesav Sofer in this week's parsha (Ekev) asks a question. The Tur teaches us that women light Shabbos candles because of Chava's hand in the sin of Adam, which caused death to be brought upon all manking. Thus she "extinguished the candle of the world!" Therefore women are commanded to light Shabbos candles which rectifies and atones for this. Well, asked the Kesav Sofer, at Har Sinai we are taught that they heard G-d speak and were cured of all ailments including death. Death only returned to them because of the sin of the golden calf. Who participated in Chet HaEgel? The men! So why are they not now obligated in lighting Shabbos candles instead of the women, since their sin caused death and they extinguished the "Nero Shel Olam - the light of the world?! (The Rebbe didnt mention this but the Kesav Sofer's answer is that their sin only reinstated the original punishment of death, the proof is that after Adam sinned he was punished with the curse of by the sweat of your brow shall you eat your bread, whereas after the sin of the calf klal Yisroel stil recieved Manna from Heaven)
The Rebbe gave his own marvelous novel answer - Ner Mitzvah veTorah Ohr - thus the men who are obligated in the mitzvah of Talmud Torah study the Torah they are constantly engaged and actively partcipating in the lighting of the Nero Shel Olam - the light of their Torah study lights the candle of the world and thus women and not men light Shabbos candles!

The Rebbe concluded with a powerful message of chizuk against things like unfiltered Internet and the myriad devices which he did not mention by name but called tools of destruction which pull us away from Torah study and devotion to Hashem. He encouraged us to eschew what our Rabbis forbade, he encouraged us to only use what the Rabbis permitted.

His message was well  received by a round of applause, I hope those of us using Internet heed his call. Filters, everyone they are an obligation, not just a good idea.

Some Thoughts. . .

Have not had so much time to write lately. . .

Some thoughts on recent things:

1. Three stories I heard recently from my Rebbe Shlit"a the Clevelander Rebbe of Raanana:

The Tafkid of a Rebbe

We were discussing the hardships of working for a living and how a Rebbes parnassah and financial hardship are part of his mesirus nefesh, "A Rebbe is a Rebbe, not a businessman, my Rebbe told me," and so he continued with the following story:

When my Rebbe was a teenage bachur he was studying the beis medrash. He soon met a chassid of his father, the Strozhnitzer who took a liking to the young Rebbe's son and began to involve him in some of his ideas. He was a wealthy succesful businessman and entrepreneur, and he was eager to partner with my Rebbe. My Rebbe's mother noticed this and did not like it. One day she called my Rebbe in to her and said:

"I notice you are spending too much time with that businessman." Then my Rebbe continued to quote his saintly mother, in choked sobs with tears in his eyes he related, "Isaac'el," she said (My Rebbe is named after Rav Yitzchak Isaac of Komarno) "Isaac'el, I did not shed tears to the Ribbono Shel Olam and daven and beg Him for children so they should be businessman ! I want you to be devoted Oved Hashem and nothing else!" With tears in his eyes my Rebbe concluded: "Azay Heilige Mama! - I had such a holy mother!"

He certainly did . . .,

2.The Golden Coin Dripped Blood

and then he added regarding Pidyonos - the monetary donation handed to a Rebbe along with the kvitel - the note inscribed with the names and requests of the petitioner(s). "My zeide (grandfather) the Rebbe Reb Mordechail'e (founder of Nadworna's dynasty) once told his chassidim that if they could snap the golden reinish coin he accepted as a pdyon in half his very own blood would pour out from the coin!" (Alluding to the sweat blood and tears of toil that the tzadik did in order to grant his petitioners salvation and thus earn his keep).

3.Who's the Ba'alHaBus?
Regarding the concept of Shidduchim my Rebbe related how hos mother and father's shidduch came about.

"My Babbe, (Reb Isamar of Nadworna's Rebbitzen) once came to the zeida Reb Isamar (son of Rav Meir of Kretchnif) and said, I was told in a  dream last night that Esther'el from Satmar (my Rebbe's mother, the daughter of Reb Bertzi of Satmar [son of Reb Mordechaile of Nadworna] ) is the shidduch for our son Ber'l (my Rebbe's father). 'Well,' replied Reb Isamar, 'who do you think is the Ba'al HaBus here? (who is the master of this house?) you or me? If she is the heaven sent shidduch for our son, let them reveal to me from on High in a dream!' And so it was that night Reb Isamar dreamed that he was standing at the window and saw people running to and fro outside, he asked them where they were all hurrying off to? and they said, didn't you hear that the Rebbe Reb Bertzi is here! (who was no longer alive at the time), Reb Isamar put on his Razhvulke (the silk satin overcoat) and proceeded to the train station where the train had arrived, he stepped onto the platform and the door opened, Reb Bertzi stretched out his hand to him in greeting and said Mazal Tov Mazal Tov! and so was the shidduch, sealed. The next morning Reb Isamar wrote a letter to Satmar and his parents became engaged."

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A sample of Kedushas Levi on Avos Enjoy!

Mishna 2:8 "If you have studied much Torah do not hold yourself in favor for that, for it is for that purpose that you were created."

The Berditchever Rav, author of Kedushas Levi was a paragon of holiness and sanctity. His passion, excitement and fiery Dveykus was legendary. He was once offered some pepper by a passing waiter who made the mistake of saying to the tzadik, "would you like some pepper, I love pepper."

Unknowingly the poor waiter had applied the word love to a physical object of food. Such an appellation was foreign to the Berditchever, who stared, appalled at the waiter and replied quietly, "You love pepper?"

The waiter, oblivious to the Berditchever Rav's slowly mounting excitement simply replied, Yes. "You love pepper," repeated the tzadik again in a slightly higher tone as he flushed and got to his feet. He then proclaimed in a booming voice so loud that all those at the table stopped and turned to stare,
"You Love Pepper?!!! But I Love HASHEM!!!!"
As he declared his passionate love for Hashem, hands outspread in a gesture of Dveykus he simply sprang up with all his energy and landed on top of the table! Dishes came crashing down and silverware fell as those seated toppled over, as the holy tzadik's face shone with intense fiery passion as he continued to yell, "But I LOVE HASHEM!!!"
The following explanation of our Mishna, by Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev author of the Kedushas Levi is thus characteristic of one whose fiery passion consumed him to the very core.

He gave the following parable:

There was once a king who was commanded his servant to study the art of warfare. The servant went to train as a soldier. During his military training exercises he was taught how to bear arms and how to handle weaponry. He was taught how to aim at the enemy and how to attack and defeat them. Off course because this was all simply a training exercise he was not given live ammunition. That is to say, he was not given any live fire to use. Thus he studied the theory hands on.
One day later on, this servant, trained as a soldier was called into battle. During the war he made a complete fool of himself and a laughing stock as he attempted to engage the enemy with his weapon exactly as he had been taught during training! In other words, he did not fire or use any live ammunition. The enemy jeered and mocked him finally conquering the pathetic excuse for a soldier.

The idea behind this parable is that the Awesome Creator Whom we cannot fathom gave us His holy Torah as black fire on white fire. This is the weapon we must use against the evil inclination in our war against him. When we recite the blessings over Torah study and mitzvos we say "Who has sanctified us with His mitzvos," this sanctification refers to separation as Rashi explains in his commentary to the verse "be holy."
Thus by attachment to the very essence of the mitzvos which is like the white fire, through passion, Dveykus and excitement this distances and separates us from the base physical world and attaches us further to Hashem.

However whoever acts and performs mitzvos lacking any enthusiasm, passion or excitement is like our servant the failed soldier who failed to fire or use live ammunition, he adds no fiery passion or enthusiasm to his weapons and thus his weapons remain useless against the enemy when he engages them in battle.
This is what our sages meant when they said "do not hold yourself in favor," do not hold onto the Torah while yourself – your physical body is also likewise held in favor. Rather your enthusiasm should be directed at spiritual pursuits while you distance and separate yourself from too much physicality. "For it is with this that you were created," the word for created here is Notzarta which comes from the word for Tzurah or form. Thus we read the Mishna to imply that you were created in a Divine G-dly form of Tzurah which aids you in conquering the base physicality of the body, through fiery passion and excitement in mitzvah observance you can attach yourself on High.