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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Meir (Meirl) of Premishlan  (1783-1850) is commemorated on the 29th of Iyar. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

His Meeting with the Gaon, Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathanson

Once, the great teacher, the famous Gaon, the Rav, Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathanson (z’tz’l) was traveling toward Premishlan.

It was back when he was a young man and, he had come from Lvov where he had just been married (lit. near the table of his nuptials). He was traveling toward Premishlan with an ultimate destination of Berezhany so he could fulfill the mitzvah of honoring his father, the Gaon Rabbi Aryeh Leibush Nathanson ztz’l (author of the book “Beth El”) who lived in Berezhany.

Since the Gaon, Rabbi Yosef Shaul (z’tz’l) had already heard of our holy Rabbi’s reputation, because serious-minded Jews (lit. people of faith) had told him of the Ruach HaKodesh (spirit of holiness) that would always appear when they were with him, he desired to make time to go to him and check him out himself.

When he came into his room, he found our holy Rabbi sitting by his table but no book lay open before him.

Right away, the Gaon Reb Yosef Shaul ztz’l felt critical, for on his part, he was a great perseverer in his studies, did not allow himself to deviate one iota from studies of Torah (lit. did not walk four cubits without Torah).”How was it possible,” he asked himself, “that a person sitting idly, not engaged with torah, could merit for the spirit of holiness (Ruach Hakodesh)?”

When he aproached him and greeted him, the holy Rabbi Meirl said to him:

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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Mordechai Twersky (“Chernobyler Maggid”, “Reb Mottel”) (1770-1837) is commemorated on the 20th of Iyar. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

He Raises Sparks of Holiness

Once, a well-to-do Hasid of Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl who lived in a different town sought to invite his master to stay as a guest at his house the next time he traveled to his town. And the holy Rav accepted his invitation.

So when the Rabbi was in the vicinity of his town, the Hasid, joined by many of the townspeople, came to meet him to accompany him into the town. The Hasid prepared a big meal for the holy Rav and, when they reached the town, they went to the wealthy man’s house.

When the time for eating arrived, the man noticed that his master had hardly tasted anything of the meal, that the Rav’s way was to either insert the spoon at an angle into the plate and eat that which stuck to the spoon or, he would insert the spoon straight in and then do the same.

This really bothered the man so he approached his master and said to him:

“Rabbeinu (our teacher): I went to all the effort just on account of the holiness which is so much a part of who you are so that I would earn the opportunity for Rabbeinu to eat at my house.

“But instead, his honored holiness won’t taste anything!”

And Rabbi Mordechai answered and said to him:

“You are confused.

“Behold, the purpose of the eating is in order to extract the holy sparks.

“As I stick in my spoon, they are adhering to it, immediately, all the sparks!”

(Library of Tzaddikim)

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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim of Sudilkov (“Degel Machaneh Ephraim”) (1748-1800) is commemorated on the 17th of Iyar. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

The Two Brothers

Rabbi Ephraim and his brother, Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh were grandsons of the Baal Shem Tov.

Rabbi Boruch used to frequently travel so he could visit with his Hasidim.

Once, when Rabbi Boruch was on one of his trips, he made a visit to his brother in Sudlikov and saw that his brother’s wife, the Rabbonit, was lighting plain, brass candlesticks for Shabbos.

He groaned and said:

“My brother! Woe is me, that I have witnessed this! For, by now, the time should have already come to pass for you to be lighting silver candlesticks!”

Rabbi Ephraim answered:

“Be happy for what you’re seeing, my brother:

“Better that the candlesticks should be בנכר / unfortunate (b’nikar) with me at home than that I should be roaming about בנכר / in foreign lands (b’nikar) with the candlesticks at home!”

(as told by their Hasidim)

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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Horowitz of Ropshitz (1760-1827) is commemorated on the 11th of Iyar. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

His Passion Was Mitzvot of the Sukkah

The Tzadikim of his generation said about our Rabbi Naftali of Ropczyce that his soul was passionate for the Mitzvah of the Sukkah in the Torah.

The whole year he was focused on this Mitzvah.

Every day he did some service in a Sukkah or he studied in Masechet Sukkah.

Thus was his way all the days of his life. No matter what, every single day, he mentioned the term “Sukkah” and his words would circle around until he would come to say something about the Sukkah.

(Tent of Naftali).

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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yehudah Tzvi of Stretin (1780-1854) is commemorated on the 11th of Iyar. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

The Slaughterer of Animals and Meat Inspector

A Hasid from the city of Stretin happened to be traveling to the holy Rabbi of Lublin, (may his memory be a blessing for eternal life in the world to come) and so, the holy Rabbi Yehudah Tzvi asked him to take a Kvittel / petitionary note with a seal to give to him.

When the Hasid came to the holy Rabbi of Lublin and gave him the note with the seal of Rabbi Yehudah Tzvi, he opened it and said these words:

“He shines, he shines in all the worlds.

“Tell him, in my name, I order him to give up his job of slaughtering animals; he should no longer be a slaughterer or meat inspector from this day forward for, many myriads of souls of Jews in heaven are standing attentively and longing for his prayer. They know he could be raising them to higher regions, but they say that his prayers will never arrive in a particular, special palace in heaven while he still slaughters animals and inspects meat.

“Therefore, when you arrive back home, tell him, in my name, that I order him to no longer be a slaughterer and meat inspector.”

When the aforementioned Hasid arrived home and told the holy teacher Reb Yehudah Tzvi all the words of the Rabbi of Lublin, he felt compelled to check it out with his holy mentor and teacher, the Rabbi of Strelisk; he did not want to do anything without his knowledge. So he traveled to Strelisk to ask for advice whether to leave off his slaughtering.

The holy one of Strelisk told him that he did not agree with this and Reb Yehudah Tzvi returned home.

Nonetheless, he continued to think about it, could not stop, and he went a second time to Strelisk to ask him to agree with the recommendation but, he still didn’t agree.

However, when he traveled to see him the third time, (it was on Shabbos after the holiday of Shavuot, at the third meal), then the Rabbi of Strelisk called out to him and told him:

“I am also in agreement with the Rabbi of Lublin.”

And the Rabbi of Strelisk told the close-knit group gathered there:

“I hadn’t agreed with the Rabbi of Lublin until now, but, since souls from four corners of the world have testified that it would be a tikkun for them if he left off slaughtering, I felt compelled to change my mind.”

(Standard of the Tribe of Judah, Stories)

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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yitzchak Eisik of Komarno (1806-1874) is commemorated on the 10th of Iyar. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

Six Years Old

When he was a boy, just finishing his sixth year, the holy Rav Rabbi Tzvi of Zidichov said to him with these words:

“My dear child, I want to bless you: For your age, as old as you are now, do not place attention onto your connection to God  (lit. ruach hakodesh / the holy spirit). This will actually distract you in the development of your Yiddishkeit.

“On the other hand, when you are approaching thirty years of age and, if at this time you desire to grow in your connection to God, then I bless you with the return of this gift so that the Ruach Hakodesh comes to you in spades.

“For, until thirty years of age, every Jewish man must serve the Creator, Blessed be He, in a simple generosity after some many trials he has faced.”

And the holy boy consented right away.

And immediately, the Ruach Hakodesh that had been his up until then, departed from him.

(Ten Levels of Sanctity)

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The Yahrzeit of Reb Dovid of Tolna (1808-1882) is commemorated on the 6th of Iyar. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

By Holy Inspiration

Once the Rav, the Tzaddik of Tolna was in Lodz. His reputation was well-known throughout the area and so, every person with resources at his disposal, all the important and powerful people in Lodz were well-aware of the Rav’s pedigree, how he came from holy stock, from a family of dependable, “deeply rooted cedars of Lebanon”. For he was one of the sons of the one whom they knew as the “pure oil”, the holy Rav our teacher Rabbi Mordechai (may his merits shield us) of Tchernobyl. And they knew that of this stock, he was of the most “tender pickings”.

Thus, due to his background and reputation with those well-off in Lodz, on this occasion, he leveraged this to raise monies in support of his holy work. And here was his holy way of doing this:

He collected from those dear ones of his community, from the Hasidim, a great amount of money.

And then, he told them with these words:

“Incline your ears in my direction and I will relate to you what happened to the holy brothers the Rav Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk and Rabbi Zusha ztz’l.

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The Yahrzeit of Reb Shmelke of Nikolsburg (1726-1778) is commemorated on the 1st of Iyar. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

A Charitable Man

Once, a pauper came to Rabbi Shmelke and asked for a handout.

Rabbi Shmelke did not have a single penny in his house. Nonetheless, he didn’t want the pauper to leave empty-handed.

So, he searched around the house and found a ring and gave it to the pauper.

As soon as his wife, the Rabbanit, heard what had happened, she complained to him, explaining that the ring had been very valuable.

So, after hearing this, and without delay, Rabbi Shmelke sent someone to make a call on the pauper so he could bring it to the poor man’s attention not to sell the ring for too low a price because it is very valuable.

(The Good Oil)

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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe of Kobrin (1783-1858) is commemorated on the 29th of Nissan. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)

Rabbi Moshe, On Himself

Once, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, before Minchah, he fell upon the “Kvitelach” / petition-notes which lay before him and he said:

“Master of worlds, ‘You know my folly, and my acts of guilt are not concealed from You.’ My only question is this, (I am really at a loss here):

“What can be done with the requests of the community?

“For they are surely thinking that I am a person of influence and if I put in a good word You will respond.

“Therefore, I am coming before You and asking for Your grace:

“Please: Don’t dry up my hope that You will help them! And don’t disappoint all those who are making these requests of You.

“They, certainly, are not to blame in this mistake they’ve made of assessing me as a person who has influence with You….”

(Pure Utterances, Rosh Hashanah Subjects)

Auschwitzion
(To the melody Eli Tzion)
by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

May HaMakom console the whole world
Auschwitz-tzion
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Alas, how poor are words to state our pain
In remembering the millions slain,
While yet upon our souls the stain
Of standing by while brothers called in vain.

Unshriven here we are depressed
As long as somewhere someone is oppressed
As long as the murderers the meek suppressed,
And grieving mothers wail distressed.

Shalt Thou, O G-d, not bear Thy guilt this day
For standing by while multitudes in blood did lay,
And silent Thou unmoved didst stay,
Thy covenant to help us didst betray.

While millions’ lives to ash were turned,
To their last breath Thine intervention yearned,
Still hoping day and night, while all the ovens burned.
Why were our prayers of desperation spurned?

If Thine own we are, O Lord, then Thou art King
If only by Thy leave occurs each thing,
Then butcher Thou, and we the offering.
Yet who, but Thou, can heal our suffering?

The help Thou sendest must renew
All of mankind, not just the Jew
The Arabs and the Russians too
Must be freed, ere peace is true.

Send Thine annointed Savior Lord,
To turn to plowshare atom’s sword.
May each in Him see One adored
And prophesied by prophet’s word.

המקום ינחם את העולם כולו
אושביציון
מאת משלם זלמן הכהן שחטר-שלומי

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