Yahrtzeit of the Beis Aharon

Today (Sivan 17) is the Beis Aharon's yahrtzeit. He was the grandson of Rebbe Aharon HaGadol of Karlin.

This morning before Ashrei, while the oilam was putting on Rabeinu Tam's, the Rebbe repeated what he often says from the Beis Aharon: A Yid is supposed to be b'simcha every day. I'm not referring to the madreiga of simcha. I am talking about basic joy. Saying the berachah of שלא עשני גוי, that Hashem did not make me a non-Jew, should generate intense, profound joy. If one truly thought about what it means to be a Jew and all of its implications, he would surely be dancing in the streets."

See also here from a week ago.

What Planet Are You On?

There are two worlds a person can live in. When we say "world", we really mean perspective or "mind-space". When a person perceives the people and things around him to be separate from the Divine energy and hence from the Divine influence, that is a world of pirud, of division and schism.

The second space a person can live in is a world of ichud, of oneness and unification. Recognizing that when one person is Klal Yisroel defies the edict of Hashem, it is as though each one of us individually have sinned. Similarly, when one person performs a mitzvah, in essence we all have done that mitzvah. I am you and you are me and there is no difference. It is a place of ahavas yisroel, of positivity and constant connection with Hashem. Everything has its source in Hashem. Linking every situation, every person and thing we come in contact with to its Source, and experiencing the inner core of everything as opposed to getting caught up in the "bubble-wrap" (as the Rebbe often gives as a mashal), is what the Maor Einayim and others refer to as the embodiment of the pasuk חכם עיניו בראשו, "a wise person's eyes are in his head" (Koheles 2:14). The Zohar Hakadosh (Parshas Balak 187a) asks the obvious question. Inasmuch as that every person's eyes are in his head, not just the eyes of a wise person, the Maor Einayim explains this pasuk to mean that a person who is wise, is someone who always looks to the head, the source, the beginning of everything. From where did this thing emanate? He sees things as they are in their source.

The Rebbe said that the first step towards spending more of the time connected to the Source of everything is to identify the differences between life lived in pirud-world as opposed connected, oneness-world. Once we can picture the kinds of things that stem from living in the world of pirud, then when we sense ourselves slipping into those areas or those kinds of behaviors, we can train ourselves to have a signal go off in our heads. At that point we can step back into the right space. By reacting to those signals, we can slowly learn how to stay in the right mindset more and more often.

If I were seeing things clearly, how would I behave? What would my speech be like? Would I see things in a better light? Would I be more tolerant of others, of the situation, of myself? How would I spend my time? How about the converse? And when I am not seeing things as connected, what does my world look like?

These are the types of questions we need to ask. Once we have a clear picture of both worlds then we can be cognizant of where we are and take the requisite steps towards where we want to be.

Drops of Rain: Sh'lach 5771

The past two weeks survived somehow without any Drops of Rain. In a last minute effort to break the chazakah, here is Drops of Rain for Parshas Sh'lach. It includes the previous post about Rav Shulem Leizer of Ratzfert. Enjoy and a wonderful Shabbos to all.

And for your listening pleasure, a gitten Shabbos...

Minhagim: Answering Amen to Harachaman

In this coming week's learning quota from Laws of Daily Living, I noticed that there is a discussion regarding saying "Amen" to berachos that do not contain Hashem's Name. In addition, it mentions that one should answer "Amen" to each Harachaman in bentching.
I just wanted to point out that the minhag in Hornosteipel, as heard in the name of Rav Shoime of Denver, ztz"l, was indeed to answer "Amen" after each Harachaman (brought in Malchus Shlomo). Interestingly, the Radviller siddur (Tefillah Yesharah) also says that it is proper to do so (see below).

After a bit of research I found that although this is a fairly uncommon practice, it is clearly brought both in the Mishnah Berurah (189:5) and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (189:6). The source is apparently a Kol Bo in the name of the Geonim, and the Shlah Hakadosh mentions it as well. The Magen Avraham (216:3), pointing to a Medrash, is also an advocate of this minhag.

Comments, anybody?

Yahrtzeit of Rebbe Shulem Leizer'l of Ratzfert

Rav Shulem Leizer of Ratzfert

The 16th of Sivan is the yahrtzeit of Rebbe Shulem Leizer Halberstam of Ratzfert. Born in 1862, he was a son of the saintly Divrei Chaim of Sanz and hence a brother-in-law to the Rebbe Reb Motele. He was a son-in-law as well as Reb Shulem Leizer married Reb Motele's daughter, Sarah Mariam.

Medrash: Sh'lach 5771

In this week's Medrash shiur, the Rebbe explained the difference between chait harabim and yachid, their respective korbanos, nisuch hayin vs. nisuch hamayim, and their connections to the sin of the Golden Calf and the sin of the spies. A running theme that the Rebbe has been speaking about recently is the importance that koach hadimyon (imagination) has in avodah. Be it in davening or learning or in teshuva, using your imagination has a profound and personal effect and helps bolster the reality of what you are doing. This idea was elaborated on in this shiur as well.

47 minutes, 11 MB PLAY DOWNLOAD

Yahrtzeit of the Baal Shem Hakadosh (belated)

The Rebbe, shlit"a, at the kever of the Baal Shem Hakadosh

There has always been some controversy as to when exactly the yahrtzeit of the Baal Shem Hakadosh is. It is well-known that he was niftar on Shavuos but whether it happened on the first day or the second day has always been a mystery.

I recall hearing in the name of the Rebbe's brother, HaRav Shloime of Denver, ztz"l, that the Baal Shem Tov was indeed niftar on the first day of Shavuos, but since it was Yom Tov they could not bury him until they found goyim to help with the malachos of the burial. Turns out that the Baal Shem Tov was buried on the second day, hence the beginning of the confusion. Apparently as the years went on, some remembered when he was actually niftar, while some remembered (correctly) when he was buried and confused it with the day he passed away.

In corroboration with this mesorah, I came across a mekor that proves without any shadow of a doubt that the Baal Shem Tov was niftar on the first day of Shavuos. The famous talmid of the Baal Shem Tov, the Toldos Yaakov Yosef, had a son named Rav Avrohom Shimon of Rashkov who was also a student of the Baal Shem Tov. Within the last few years, his handwritten siddur was discovered. By Birkas Kohanim he wrote a certain kavanah that he heard from his rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov. When attributing it to the Baal Shem Tov, he adds "who in our many sins passed away on the first day of this past Shavuos." Below is the page where this line is written (in the box).

Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov...

As many of you may know, the ohel (mausoleum) over the kever of the Rebbe shlit"a's father, Rebbe Reb Yaakov Yisroel, ztz"l, was recently renovated. Much needed new doors were added. Beautiful Jerusalemite stone now makes up the exterior of the building. It is quite befitting as the love the tzaddikim had for Eretz Yisroel was always apparent, and the seforim hakedoshim mention that the grave of a tzadik has kedushas Eretz Yisroel.

Rebbe Quotes: Spiritual Symbiosis

"The relationship between a Rebbe and a chosid is symbiotic."

Three Sources of Simcha

A week ago (6-6-11) after davening, the Rebbe spoke about simcha.

 The Rebbe quoted the Beis Aharon who said that a Yid is supposed to be b'simcha every day. He said, "I'm not referring to the madreiga of simcha. I am talking about basic joy. The berachah of שלא עשני גוי, that Hashem did not make me a non-Jew, should generate such profound joy if one truly thought about what it means to be a Jew and all of its implications, he would surely be dancing in the streets." The Rebbe Reb Motele of Hornosteipel also said that the fact that one is not a goy (let alone that he is a Yid) is reason enough to maintain a joyful mindset.

Without a great stretch, one can take some time and reorient himself and put himself in a very positive place.

613 Roses

The Rebbe's shul was decorated with 613 roses in honor of Shavuos and Kabbalas HaTorah. Click any picture to enlarge.

Photography courtesy of R' Yosef Aryeh Schlussel (mshb"k).

Checking Our Vital Signs

This past Shabbos (Parshas Nasso, Sivan 2, 5771), the Rebbe, shlit"a spoke about the importance of constantly "taking our vital signs", even ad nauseum. We need to be sure that we are alive. As preparation for accepting the Torah on Shavous, we need to ask ourselves if we are any different and in what have we grown since the "surgery" of yetzias Miztrayim.

In Parshas Nasso, the Torah enumerates three types of ritual impurity that render a person unfit to remain within the various camps of Klal Yisroel until they become pure again. One is tzoraas, a form of leprosy wrought upon one who has issue with any one of a number of midos. Lashon hara, haughtiness and anger are just some of the more well known transgressions that are the cause of this tumaa. Are we any better in our midos then when we left Egypt forty-nine days ago?

Another form of tumaa mentioned here is that of a zav. This impurity is generally caused by overindulgence in various appetites. Have we taken any steps in the right direction in this regard? Have we been successful in curbing some of the hedonistic tendencies that we so often ignore and allow to go by unchecked?

The third impurity that we must face before we are ready to re-accept the Torah is tumaas meis, a person who has come in contact with a dead body. Have we given up on any part of ourselves? Is there some aspect of our personality or fault in our character that we have come to terms with the fact that we will not grow or change in that regard? Are we alive? Are we responsive? When we have consigned any part of ourselves to stagnancy and death, then we become tamei meis.

 

In anticipation of Shavuos, we must answer these questions. Sefiras Haomer is intended to be a constant, at least daily, check-up of where we are with our spiritual health. When we can say we have indeed done something decisive to restore our purity and return to the camps of Klal Yisroel, that is when we are ready to answer will conviction "naaseh v'nishma", we will do and we will hear.

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2nd of Sivan - Four Yahrtzeits (Part 2)

(3) Rebbe Yisroel Hager of Vizhnitz, known as the "Ahavas Yisroel":
A connection to between the Ahavas Yisroel and Milwaukee exists by way of Rav Avrohom Stein, the Rebbe shlit"a's father-in-law. As a young man he was very close with the Ahavas Yisroel. The Rebbe, shlit"a, related the following story as he heard from his father-in-law:

The Ahavas Yisroel of Vizhnitz (Center)

When Rav Stein was a young man, the Ahavas Yisroel was accustomed to taking him on long walks. On one of these excursions, the Rebbe stopped and gave out a krechtz, “Oy! What must one have for Shabbos?”
The other Chassidim who were there immediately began discussing amongst themselves what the Rebbe could possibly need for Shabbos. What have we not prepared for him?
They continued and the Ahavas Yisroel said it again. “Oy! What must one take for Shabbos?” But then he turned to Rav Stein and added, “If I have a kepeleh (a head) and hartzeleh (a heart), it is already enough!”

(4) Rav Yosef Irgas (1685-1730):
An major Italian kabbalist, he authored Divrei Yosef and the better known Shomer Emunim. Shomer Emunim Hakadmon, as it is also known, was first published in Amsterdam in 5496 (1736). It is written in two sections and explains the basic principles and concepts of kabbalah in the form of a dialogue. Written as an introductory book for beginners in kabbalah, it also provides a history of the development of kabbalah as well as the importance of its study.
Rav Shloime Twerski, ztz"l, Hornosteipeler Rebbe of Denver, had an order of seforim for one new to kabbalah to learn. The significance of Shomer Emunim is clearly seen by the fact that it was selected to be the first sefer in this program.
While most sources record his yahrtzeit as Sivan 2, some maintain he passed away a day later.

2nd of Sivan - Four Yahrtzeits (Part 1)

This Shabbos (Sivan 2) is the yahrtzeit of four greats, all of whom have a connection, some more than others, to Hornosteipel and/or Milwaukee. They are:

A shul in Tlomach that remained standing. From here.

(1) Rebbe Meshulam Zisha Yitzchok Auerbach of Tolmitch: "Renowned as a gaon, a lofty tzadik, a chasid and removed from the world" (Rabeinu Hakadosh Mitzanz, page 441). Born in 5579 (1819). His father, Rebbe Yechiel Michel of Kerima (d. Sivan 25 ) was the son of Rebbe Hirsch Mendel of Dinavitz whose father was none other than the famous Rebbe Reb Zisha of Anipoli, zy"a.

Reb Zisha (the second) married the daughter of the Cherkasser, Rebbetzin Shterna Rochel. Their only son was the Rebbe Reb Motele of Hornosteipel.

After his wedding, he was supported by his father-in-law, the Cherkasser, as was the custom then (both in Chernobyl and in Lubavitch). On the 6th of Cheshvan 5606, Shterna Rochel passed away, leaving the young Reb Motele, who was not yet six years old, to be raised by his father and grandparents.

Not much is known regarding Reb Zisha but we do know that at some point he traveled to Kosov where the tzadik Rebbe Chaim of Kosov wanted him to marry his daughter Henya. She did not want the shidduch and Reb Zisha set out to return to Cherkass. Reb Chaim wanted the shiduch very much and his daughter had a change of heart. They dispatched a messenger to fetch Reb Zisha but when told that Henya had consented, Reb Zisha replied, "She may want it but now I am not interested." Reb Chaim comforted his daughter saying, "You will see that he will return." Reb Zisha continued back to Cherkass where he married his previous wife's sister, the widow of Reb Naftuli (the son of Rebbe Chezkel Shiniver). They were married for twelve years until her death. I am not aware of any children resulting from this marriage.

Indeed, Reb Zisha did return to Kossov and ended up marrying Henya but Rebbe Chaim did not witness the shidduch that he had originally hoped for as he passed away in the interim. Reb Zisha moved to Tolmitch where he was wildly popular with the townspeople and became known as Reb Zisha Tolmitcher.

After his death on the 2nd of Sivan, 5642 (1882), his shul, affectionately called "Reb Zishale's Kloiz", remained until the Holocaust.

In Emek HaChachma, Reb Motele writes the following: "My father, the crown of my head, the renowned chasid, was taken from me. [He was] a man that had every good attribute (lit. kol bo). Regarding him it is surely said, "Before evil, the tzadik was gathered in", for five days after my father passed away, I was pained from Hashem as a fire consumed my entire court and Beis Medrash and all that I had. Baruch Hashem, that we managed to save our lives. Many, many precious seforim were also burned...[Reb Motele then enumerates the seforim that were especially precious to him, some that he himself wrote but never published, some of his grandfather the Cherkasser, and even a manuscript of the Kedushas Levi, among countless others. He then continues:] On all this I say, "because before evil, the tzadik, the master, my father was gathered in". See the entire hesped after parshas Achrei Mos.

Reb Zisha arranged the writings and divrei Torah of the Chernobyler Maggid and in 5620 (1860) printed the famous sefer called Likutei Torah which many tzadikim said it was a segulah just to own a copy. The Shiniver went so far as to instruct his chassidim to always have a Likutei Torah in their tallis bags.

The Rebbe, shlit"a, makes kiddush on the becher of Reb Zisha Tolmitcher that he inherited from his father.

Below is a letter from Reb Zisha, printed in Nachlas Tzvi, Vol. 8.

Click to enlarge.

(2) Rebbe Chaim Elazar Shapira of Munkatch: Author of many seforim including Minchas Elazar and Nimukei Orach Chaim. Passed away in 5697 (1937). While there are countless wonderful stories that can be related, there are two that are connected to Hornosteipel.

The Minchas Elazar of Munkatch

The Minchas Elazar recounted how he once witnessed the Rebbe Reb Motele davening Mincha on a weekday afternoon. Reb Motele did not sway and did not even move a little the whole time he was davening. Afterward, the Minchas Elazar saw that Rebbe's "kapota" was wet from perspiration. He said, "It always troubled me why Chazal refer to davening as "work" of the heart. Now I understand. Davening at its most complete level is indeed hard work."

Once when Reb Motele was in Hungary, the Minchas Elazar, who was much younger than Reb Motele, traveled to see the famous sage and tzaddik from Hornosteipel. He prepared a deep and sharp pilpul in order to speak in learning with the Rebbe Reb Motele. Normally, the particular pilpul that the Munkatcher had prepared would have taken him four hours to say it over. Aware of the Rebbe Reb Motele's reputation as a genius, he whittled it down to the point where he would be able to say it over in fourty-five minutes. When he arrived, the Rebbe was already sitting in the wagon to return home. The Minchas Elazar was invited to join the Rebbe so that they could converse until the wagon made it out of the city. The Munkatcher began his d'var Torah and no sooner did the Rebbe say, "Nu?" (as if to say, "I understand. Keep going.")

The Munkatcher moved on to the next source and the next sevarah and the scene repeated itself. Each time he said something, the Rebbe immediately understood and prompted him to continue. After five minuter, the Minchas Elazar had already completed the entire drasha.

Here is an excerpt from the approbation Reb Motele wrote for the sefer Minchas Elazar: "It was sent to me booklets from the responsa Minchas Elazar that the Rav and Gaon, scion of holy ones, Reb Chaim Elazar is preparing for print...and although I only looked at them a little bit, for "my time is not in my own hands", I still was able to see that he goes in the path of pilpul and straight sevarah, and surely others will benefit from it...May Hashem help him to print all the compilations he intends to, and to strengthen Torah, and may Hashem bless him with children who toil in Torah, as the petitioner has requested. Mordechai Dov, son of the Rav Meshulam Zisha ztz"l"

To be continued in the next post...

Medrash: Nasso 5771

This week's shiur revolved around one's innate ability to be kovea, to establish, a time or space as a holy entity.

45 minutes, 10.4 MB PLAY DOWNLOAD