Issue (# 25) A Tzaddik, or righteous person makes everyone else appear righteous before Hashem by advocating for them and finding their merits. (Kedushas Levi, Parshas Noach; Sefer Bereishis 7:1) Parshas Shemini Kedushas Ha'Levi'im INVEST IN THE FUTURE: KEEP KOSHER! Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon, saying to them, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, “This is the animal...” (Vayikra 11:1–2) he holy Berditchever tells us that we should pay careful attention to what the words in our verse “saying to them” are telling us. The Kedushas Levi explains these words based on T what Rashi wrote in his commentary on the verse “Should I go and call you a nursemaid from among the Hebrew women?” (Shemos 2:7): “She took him to many Egyptian women to nurse, but he would not nurse from them because he was destined to speak to the Shechinah and he did not wish to nurse from an impure source, since he was destined to prophesy to the nation of Israel directly from the Shechinah.” Similarly the holy Ramban wrote (on Vayikra 11:13) that the reason the Torah forbade us to eat impure animals is because they generate a cruel nature in man, and the holy nation of Israel needs the attribute of chesed and loving-kindness, for in the future Hashem will speak directly to each individual in the nation, as it says, “And your sons and daughters...shall prophesy” (Yoel 3:1). Since Hashem is destined to speak to each Jew, how can the mouth that consumed impure food speak to the Shechinah? This is what our verse hints to us: “He [Hashem] spoke...saying to them.” This alludes to the fact that in the future I will “say to them,” to each individual, and therefore they should not consume anything impure. The Last Act Rav Mordechai of Slonim once told the following story: There was a wicked man who lived not far from Berditchev. He was so wicked that there was not a sin or a transgression that he had not committed. Once, he heard that in nearby Berditchev there was a Page 1 of 14 Yiddish theater where a comedy was playing called The Rebbe, a shameful skit in which the maskilim (so- called enlightened Jews whose rationalistic and often atheistic worldview caused them to disparage and often persecute the Orthodox) mocked the holy chassidic Rebbes of the day. He said to himself, Why should I go to the theater when I can have a real laugh firsthand? I’ll just go to the Berditchever Rebbe’s shul and see his silly antics for myself! He traveled to Berditchev to have a good laugh at the Rebbe’s expense. He arrived on Shabbos and set himself up in a local non-kosher hotel. Then he went to Rav Levi Yitzchak’s shul for Kabbalas Shabbos. When he entered the shul, he heard the Berditchever declare: “On every blade of grass sits an angel, and on that angel another angel! And they all sing shirah (praise) to the Ribbono shel olam — the Master of the world! And I, Levi Yitzchak ben Sarah Sasha, sing as well: ‘Lechu neranenah laHashem — Come! Let us sing to Hashem!’ ” These holy words, uttered with such passionate devotion, pierced the man’s soul and melted his heart. They led him to repent and do complete teshuvah. After the prayer service, he went over to the shamash, the Rebbe’s gabbai (sexton), and said to him, “Please help me. I am a guest here and I’ve made a mistake. I am staying at such-and-such hotel and I realized that it probably does not serve kosher food. Perhaps I can stay here and eat here with you?” The gabbai knew of this hotel, and he knew that there was no way to make such a mistake. He realized that this man wished to repent and make amends, and he happily set him up to eat with the Berditchever at the Rebbe’s table. The next morning the visitor could not remove his eyes from the Rebbe; he watched him during the entire prayer service. On motza’ei Shabbos he entered the Rebbe’s room and threw himself on the ground, crying bitterly. “If I were to write a kvittel (note) and list all of my sins and transgressions, there would not be room to list them all. I have committed every crime there is. Please help me find a way to repent and do teshuvah!” The Rebbe told him to go home and sell all his belongings. He should give the proceeds to charity and then return to Berditchev. The man could not stop crying. He was afraid to go home. What if his evil inclination should overcome him and his awakening to teshuvah would not withstand the temptation? What if he returned to his former ways? The Rebbe said he should go back nonetheless, but instead he should divide the proceeds, giving half to charity, and bring the rest back with him. This is what he did. When he returned, he sat and learned in the beis midrash. In the beginning, he would perform the most menial tasks, taking out the trash and emptying the chamber pots. Eventually, he rose in rank, until he sat among the most important and distinguished of the chassidim. Refuah Sheleima זיסל בת אידל סומא | Zisel Bas Aidel Sima Rivka Bas Malka Gittel Bas Devora Besoch She'ar Cholei Yisrael ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ Page 2 of 14 In Loving Memory of Our Dear Father and Teacher ,of Micula ז״ל ,HaRav HaChassid Avraham Chaim ben Sholom and Frumit Goldenberg Satmar זצ״ל ,A beloved talmid of HaRav Yechezkel Shraga Schonfeld זי״ע ,”and of the Holy Satmar Rav, Ba’al “Divrei Yoel לעילוי נשמת הרה''ח ר' אברהם חיים ב''ר שלום ז''ל ▪ נפטר מוצש''ק כ''א שבט תשס''ו ▪ ת. נ. צ. ב. ה. To subscribe and/or add to the Refuah Sheleima list Please email: [email protected] 21 Adar ~ Starts the evening of March 22nd Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk, author of Noam Elimelech, (1717-1787). Learned under the Maggid of Mezritch. Among his students were Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apta, The Chozeh of Lublin, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, and Rav Menachem Mendel of Rimanov. Rav Yitzchak Elchonon Spector, rav of Kovno (1817-1896), lived in Kovno 1866-1896. The 3rd son of Rav Yisrael Isser ben Elchonon, the rav of the Lithuanian town of Roush, located in the Grodno district. After he married (to Sara Raizel), he moved to Volkovisk where his father-in-law comfortably supported him. The rav in Volkovisk at that time was Rav Binyamin Diskin. A great luminary in and of himself, he was also famous for his illustrious son, Rav Yoshua Leib Diskin, the rav of Brisk, who later moved to Eretz Yisrael. Rav Binyamin Diskin was so impressed with Yitzchak Elchonon that he set up a special chavrusa to study with him Choshen Mishpot two hours a day. In 1837, when he was 20 years old, he accepted the offer to become rav of the small village of Zebelen, and then became rav in Baraze in 1839. He became rav of Novardok in 1851 and rav of Kovno in 1864. He held the position in Kovno for 32 years. He authored Be’er Yitzchak and Eyn Yitzchak (both teshuvos) and Nachal Yitzchak on Choshen Mishpat. Rav Itzele Ponevezher, Rosh Yeshiva in Slabodka and Ponevezh (1919). Rav Moshe Shmuel Glasner, a great-grandson of the Chasam Sofer, was born in Pressburg and later moved with his family to Klausenberg, where his father served as Rav. Rav Moshe succeeded his father in that post in 1878. His best known work is Dor Revi'i on Tractate Chullin, in which he explains those places where Rambam's understanding differs from that of other Rishonim. (1924). Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin, editor of the Talmudical Encyclopedia (1976). Rav Yitzchak Horowitz of Stetchin (1862-1940). His father was a direct descendent of Rav Naftali Tzvi of Ropshitz, and his uncle was the Imrei Noam of Dzikov. Rav Yitzchak was succeeded by his son Rav Yehuda, who moved to New York before passing away in 1982. Page 3 of 14 Tchaber Rav of London (1989). Reb Avraham Dov Kohn, Principal of Gateshead Seminary. Rav Doniel Schur (2006). A strong presence in Cleveland’s Jewish community as a Rav, mohel, and educator. He was appointed Rav of Beth Midrash Hagadol-Heights Jewish Center. 22 Adar ~ Starts the evening of March 23rd Rav Yaakov of Novominsk (1902). Father of Rav Yehuda Aryeh Perlow of Vlodova (1878-1961) and Rav Alter Yisrael Shimon Perlow of Novominsk. Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein (1829-1908). Born in Bobroysk, author of the Aruch Hashulchan, Rav of Novardok for 34 years, father of Rav Baruch HaLevy Epstein (author of Torah Temima) and grandfather of Rav Meir Bar-Ilan, with whom he learned in Novardok. Rav Eliezer Dovid of Radoshitz (1927). Rav Avraham Dov Ber Kahana-Shapiro, Chief Rav of Kovno before and during World War II (1870-1943). Born in Kobrin on Yom Kippur, his father, Rav Shlomo Zalman was a descendant of Rav Chaim Volozhiner. Rav Avraham attended the Volozhin Yeshiva. He was president of the Agudas Ha’Rabbanim of Lithuania and came to the United States in March 1924 with Rav Kook and Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein, to collect funds for Torah institutions in Eretz Yisrael and Europe. He was niftar in the Slobodka ghetto on. His piskei halacha can be found in the sefer Dvar Avraham.