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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk (1717-1787) is commemorated on the 21st of Adar. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

Rabbi Elimelech’s True Nature

Once, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, author of the “Tanya“, happened to find himself in the house of one of the Rabbis who were Mitnagdim (those opposed to the Hasidic movement). The Rav Mitnaged asked him about the book, “Noam  Elimelech“, and about its author, Rebbe Elimelech and, Rabbi Shneur Zalman noticed that in this Rabbi’s great scorn, the said book had been left lying under the bench upon which the Rav Mitnaged sat.

The author of the “Tanya” answered and said:

“I will paint a picture before the one who asks this question of the true nature of the author: If you Rabbis were to leave the body of the author lying under the bench, then just as this book lies there in silence, so would he be silent and not say a thing, since he is very humble and unassuming.”

(My Teacher’s House)

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The Yahrzeit of Reb Meir Yechiel Halevi Halstock of Ostrowiec (1852-1928) is commemorated on the 19th of Adar. The following praise of his works appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

Who Can Bring Us a Replacement?

In Midrash Bereishit Parshah 91:

“Four materials, (silver, gold, iron and copper), stand out in terms of their utility in the world, and if any of the four is lost, it can be replaced as follows: For silver has a mine, and there is a place for gold to be refined, iron may be gotten from dust and from ore is smelted copper.”

But a wise sage who has died, who can bring us his replacement, who can bring us his equal?

All four of these qualities were contained in the Tzaddik, our master, our teacher zichron tzaddik l’vracha.

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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Abraham Of Ciechanow (1789-1875) is commemorated on the 5th of Adar (I). The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

Newly Composed Lament

For Rabbi Abraham of Tchechnov, on Tisha B’Av, it was usual to come to the synagogue holding a newly composed Kinah / Lament. He would recite the Kinnot (and also the new one) and after he finished, he would toss the new “Kinah” into a box under the Bimah. When asked to explain this practice of his, he said:

“Behold, I am confident that in the course of the year the Goel / redeemer should be coming and so it will no longer be necessary to say Kinnot.”

(Jewish Customs, “Annals” Volume 1)

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The Yahrzeit of Reb Leibele Eiger (1816-1888) is commemorated on the 22nd of Shvat. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

In Kotzk, By The Tzaddik

I heard from a reliable source, (an old Hassid who was in Kotzk at the same time as Reb Leibele, author of “Torat Emet“), that once, in the middle of the night, the holy Rabbi of Kotzk opened the door of Reb Leibele’s room and he saw that the author of “Torat Emet” was pacing back and forth, weaving about in his holy thoughts, and the Rabbi, Reb Leibele, because he was so caught up in his ruminations, didn’t notice his holy master standing at the door. Then, the Rabbi of Kotzk said to him: “You’ve done enough already Leibele, go lie down and sleep.” (Supernal Angels)

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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (“Kotzker”) (1787-1859) is commemorated on the 22nd of Shvat. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

A Story Of Kotzk

Once, the Kotzker’s brother came to him.

The Kotzker’s Shamash would not allow the brother to cut ahead of the line of people there that day.

This angered the Tzaddik‘s brother who said:

“Don’t you have a clue who I am?!? Tell the Tzaddik that his brother has come!”

“As far as I am concerned” – answered the Shamash – “it makes no difference; everyone gets equal treatment. The one who comes first goes in first.”

The visitor was angry and he grumbled. He did not want to wait any longer.

The Shamash went inside the Rabbi’s chamber, stayed a brief instant inside, emerged and said:

“The Rabbi ordered me to ask you to wait. That all the Jews are his brothers – is what the Rabbi ruled…”

Embarrassed, the brother of Rabbi Menachem Mendel stood and waited his turn.

As soon as his time arrived, he entered into the chamber of the Tzaddik, approached the table, received a greeting from the Rabbi, and then the brother asked for a blessing: He was in need of a blessing for healing.

The Rabbi asked:

“What is your mother’s name?”

“Do you deny that we are brothers?!” – the visitor was surprised and concerned.

The Tzaddik replied:

“About myself, I don’t know a thing and, you would demand that I should know the name of your mother?…”

The Hasidim of Kotzk add:

This story illustrates the hidden meaning in the verse, “who said of his father and his mother, ‘I do not see him’, neither did he recognize his brothers”. (Deuteronomy 33:9 – cf. Rashi on this verse.)

(Kotzker tales)

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The Yahrzeit of Reb Yitzchak of Neshchiz (1790?–1868) is commemorated on the 21st of Shvat. The following praise of his works appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

His Dedication to Charity

Maot chitin, (or kimcha d’Pischa, i.e., money for making Matzah), was sent to several towns, even to the town of Byelsk, which is very far from here (Neshchiz).

In the early years, he, himself, wrote the record of the Tzedakah that was given, e.g. like this:

“Baruch Hashem, Parashat Vayikra, I gave thirteen silver roubles. In addition, eleven and a half silver roubles. In addition, one silver rouble, one gold, etc.

Parashat Behaalotecha, twenty silver roubles, sixty-three silver roubles, etc.

Parashat Vayigash, twenty-four silver roubles, one hundred eight silver roubles, etc.”

And in the middle of his ledger were found also a little bit entered in the handwriting of his Shammos according to his own reckonings.

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The Yahrzeit of Reb Shlomo of Lutzk (1740-1813) is commemorated on the 10th of Tevet. The following praise of his works appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

The Chozeh of Lublin on His Book

It is known to those who know me that my way is not to conduct myself in grandiosity. And something of this also transfers to giving the appropation on a book. But to honor a great man, I have reversed my wish (to not speak with grandeur).

For, behold, well-known is the Rav (of Mezritch), a preacher (Maggid) of uprightness, he is ingenious and expert in revealed and hidden teachings, a holy one of Israel. Already the fame of his nature has spread out in the world  through the introduction to the book (of his teachings), “Collected Sayings” of our teacher and our master, the great and the holy, our teacher the Rav Dov Ber z’l.

And now, they have shown me new writings from a student of the Rav, the Maggid, viz., our teacher the Rav Shlomo, a preacher (Maggid) of uprightness of the holy congregation of Skohl, whose name is Reb Shlomo Lutzker and Koretzer.

And I have seen in the writings many amazing innovations and they are sweet as honey. And greatly have I benefited from them. And I understood after reading these that there are men who are particularly astute.

Being the approbation from me, I have been compelled to reverse my wish to not speak with grandeur and to give notice that:

His uprightness in my eyes is exceeding and, it is very appropriate to advertise to many myriads that they should drink in his sweet words.

(Excerpt from the approbation for “Divrat Shlomo“)

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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Dovid Biederman of Lelov (1746-1814) is commemorated on the 7th of Shvat. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

The Merchant

The holy Rav, Rabbi Dovid used to be in the business of selling salt but, in the end, he gave it up.

When they asked him about this, he said:

“Here’s the way I am:

“When I see that the purchaser is going to another merchant to buy over there instead of here, I have a feeling of great joy that at another merchant there is a sale.

“However, when the situation is reversed, if another merchant will see that some purchaser is going to me to buy and not to him, he becomes soul-distressed.

“And I have no desire that there should be soul-distress in a Jewish person because of me.

“Therefore, I gave up the business.”

(Tower of David)

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The Yahrzeit of Reb Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter (“Sefat Emet“) (1847-1905) is commemorated on the 5th of Shvat. The following lamentation on his passing appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

A Father To Israel

Is there anyone who does not know of it?

For a prince and a great one has fallen in Israel; the lion among his pride.

When the lion, “Aryeh“, roared, who did not fear? Whose heart did not feel anxious? And who did not shake?

The sages z’l said that when the tribes found what they sought, they trembled in great terror, but for us who have not found or gained but only lost, how much the more so!

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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe Leib Erblich of Sassov (1745–1807) is commemorated on the 4th of Shvat. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

From a Gentile Villager, The “How” of “Ahavat Yisrael” Is Learned

The Holy Rav, Rabbi Moshe Leib told us that he learned from a gentile villager about how he should go about loving his fellow Jew (lit. “Ahavat Yisrael” / “Love of Israel”):

Once, when he was at a gathering with some villagers, one of the villagers was feeling a bit giddy with wine, and he asked his friend, “Do you love me? Or no?”

The latter replied, “I love you very much!”

Then, the villager said:

“You say  you love me, yet you don’t know what I lack. Indeed, if you truly loved me, wouldn’t you know what I lacked?”

The second villager was dumbfounded and could not say a single word.

But from this dialogue, the Rav learned that Ahavat Yisrael is:

To feel everything a person feels missing in his life and to share in all the pain this causes the person and, in all their troubles was he troubled.

(From the “Complete Teachings of Reb Moshe Leib”)