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IN-DEPTH FEATURES
The Hundredth Yahrtzeit: 5 Shvat, 5765
Part II
The Sefas Emes became the Admor of Gur at the age of 23 in
5630 (1870). He led his chassidim for 35 years until he
passed away just over a hundred years ago. His heritage is
evident in the strong Gur communities that are found in Eretz
Yisroel and America.
*
He devoted the focus of his attention on avreichim
striving to elevate themselves in Torah and avodoh. "I
did not make a commitment to be a go-between among merchants
or to solve the problem of the dairyman whose cow refuses to
produce enough milk. I only committed to teach chassidim
about man's obligation in his world and to advise them on how
to be real Jews."
But of course the chassidim continued to consult him on every
matter. Once a chossid came to him asking him what to do
after hearing his son's kallah had health problems.
"If this were true, her father would have mentioned it to
me," he said. "Since he has not spoken about the matter with
me you can rest assured she is perfectly healthy."
One day the Admor of Slonim, the author of Dvar
Shmuel, met with him to discuss matters of the most
sublime nature. During the course of their conversation HaRav
Shmuel asked why he always spoke so tersely, keeping
exchanges to a bare minimum. "I simply cannot afford the
time," answered the Sefas Emes. "I have to learn."
The Slonimer Rebbe replied with a vort on the verse,
"Imru tzaddik ki tov ki pri ma'aleleihem yocheilu"
(Yeshayohu 3:10). "Why does the verse begin in the
singular and end in the plural? For the tzaddik is
told that all of his fine fruits—the deeds of the
people he drew nearer to Torah and avodoh—are
his to partake of together with them, for he, too, has a part
in their Torah and tefilloh and good deeds," he
explained.
The Sefas Emes repeated the vort in his name the next
Shabbos and from then on a change was apparent in the way he
received the chassidim who came to speak with him. (Based on
a letter in the holy handwriting of the Beis Avrohom of
Slonim, courtesy of Rav Aharon Surasky.)
A Heritage of Torah Learning
The Sefas Emes followed in the path set by his grandfather,
the Chidushei HaRim, and passed this approach onto his
chassidim. Even as a leader of thousands he never stopped
learning. "How can one answer a man if he does not remember
all four parts of the Shulchan Oruch by heart?" he
once asked. "Otherwise I would be liable to give an answer
inconsistent with the halochoh, chas vesholom!"
One year on Shavuos Night he said at his table, "`Hu
yiftach libeinu besoroso,' means through His Torah. The
key to opening the heart to Torah lies hidden in the Torah
itself." His words inspired thousands that night.
In the winter of 5702 (1942) a letter arrived at the Piotrkov
Ghetto from the Sefas Emes' son, R' Mendeleh, the rov of
Pavinezh. The letter called for the formation of Torah
shiurim for the public at large. In his letter R'
Mendeleh noted although he had not seen his holy father, the
Sefas Emes, in a dream for many years, now he had appeared to
him saying, "`Eis tzoroh hi leYaakov.' Dark days are
approaching for the Jews. There will be nothing to sustain
them except Torah study . . . "
*
When chassidim parted from him before their return trip home
he would say, "Learn gemora and everything will go
well." One chossid complained that he felt lonely because he
was the only chossid in his town. "He who is absorbed in his
daf of gemora is never alone no matter where he
may be in the world."
*
Two brothers came to him saying they had started a factory in
partnership. "A partnership in business is also a partnership
in ruchniyus," he told them. "Both of you must learn a
daf of gemora together every day. Then your
partnership will be sustainable."
*
He would often say he envied businessmen. "I am jealous of
the daf of gemora merchants learn on Shabbos.
Throughout the week the businessman is busy with his affairs
and cannot find time to learn. But on Shabbos Kodesh, when he
opens up the gemora, he invariably learns with great
enthusiasm."
*
Once he said, "The yetzer hora is unafraid of
Chovos Halevovos or Reishis Chochmoh; he is
familiar with them too. But the yetzer hora cannot
contend with the gemora. The gemora demands
close analysis; the gemora is cloaked and
concealed."
*
On another occasion he said Torah and kedushoh are
interconnected: the more one merits Torah the more he can
retain his kedushoh (see Sefas Emes al Hatorah,
p. 72, s.v. baposuk).
The Final Years
The Sefas Emes' final years were difficult. On 18 Elul 5661
(1901) his wife, Yocheved Rivkoh, passed away. He then
married Raizel, the daughter of HaRav Boruch of Gorlitz, the
son of HaRav Chaim of Tzanz, zechuso yogen oleinu. He
fathered a total of ten children. Four passed away in
childhood and the surviving children were: his eldest son the
author of the Imrei Emes, HaRav Moshe Betzalel of Gur,
HaRav Nechemia of Lodz, and HaRav Menachem Mendel of
Pavinezh. His two sons-in-law were HaRav Yaakov Meir
Biderman, who served as a dayan in Warsaw, and HaRav
Tzvi Chanoch HaKohen Levine, the rov of Bandin.
In 5662 (1902) the beis medrash and most of the houses
in Gur—including the Sefas Emes' home—were
destroyed in a fire. Later, his pure heart was anguished over
yet another tragedy: his sister and brother-in-law were
murdered by Jewish thieves. After the murderers were caught,
their family members had the chutzpah to come to Gur to hold
a sit-down strike outside his home to pressure him to secure
their release.
When the beis medrash was rebuilt the Sefas Emes' son-
in-law, HaRav Levine, ordered a sign reading, "Beis Medrash
LeTorah Uletefiloh Ulechassidus," but his father-in-law told
him to remove the word, "Ulechassidus," saying that if it
were left up people might permit themselves to chat away in
the beis medrash thinking they are engaged in
"Chassidus."
Toward the end of his lifetime the Russo-Japanese war broke
out. During this period there was fierce competition between
the two countries to gain control over parts of Northeast
Asia. The battlefront was in Manchuria, today a part of China
and once an independent kingdom that struck fear in all of
its neighbors. The Manchurian front was the dread of
thousands of Jews who had been drafted into the Russian army
against their will.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Gur Chassidim were drafted
and sent to the front. One scholarly avreich sent a
long pilpul to the Sefas Emes from the battlefield.
The Sefas Emes replied that the verse, "Ha'idosi bochem
hayom es haShomayim ve'es ho'oretz" (Devorim 4:26)
refers to people like him. The word "ha'idosi" comes
from the word "adi" or jewel, he explained.
HaKodosh Boruch Hu adorns Himself with such
avreichim—baShomayim uvo'oretz.
*
Once there was a chossid who ran a store near a military
training camp. When his son was sent to the front the father
went to the Sefas Emes to ask him to plead for Heavenly
mercy. "Go to Moscow," the Rebbe ordered. The chossid was
stunned. Where in Moscow? Where would he stay and what would
he do there?
The chossid set out on the journey, arriving in Moscow two
weeks later. He saw a large crowd waiting, including a group
of Jews. "Who is everyone waiting for?" he asked. "For
General Robovsky!" came the reply, as if he should know who
that was.
Later bugles sounded and General Robovsky himself arrived.
The General's eyes met those of the chossid. "Come in to
speak with me later," ordered the General.
When the chossid arrived, the General told him he had once
been an officer at a training camp. Near the camp was a
Jewish-owned store to which the General had an unpaid debt.
The chossid realized that the Jew he was referring to was
none other than himself. The General said he wanted to pay
off the debt and the chossid asked him to have his son
released from the army. The General honored his request. Then
the Jew understood why he had been sent to Moscow.
Sudden Passing
The Sefas Emes was heartbroken during this period. He felt
deep pain for his sons and his followers. When his wife
begged him to come and eat he asked, "How can I eat when many
chassidim write that their last request is to be given a
Jewish burial? I don't think I can bear it much longer."
When the war ended, anarchy and revolution broke out in
Russia. On 24 Teves 5665 (1905) the Rebbe suddenly contracted
a rare disease. His condition deteriorated from one day to
the next. Many chassidim streamed into Gur, where
tefillos were held around the clock. On 5 Shevat at
4:00 am, less than two weeks later, his body no longer had
the strength to contain his great neshomoh. Jews in
Poland, Russia and elsewhere were shocked by his sudden
passing.
According to the Avnei Nezer, the Sefas Emes had come down
with the rare disease because he had always prayed for all of
Am Yisroel's troubles. Thus it was decreed in Heaven
that he would suffer from this unknown disease so that he
would plead for Heavenly mercy for unheard-of suffering as
well.
Immediately after his passing, a special beis din was
assembled to discuss the arrangements for the funeral and
burial. There was uncertainty over whether to carry him in
his Shabbos tallis or his weekday tallis. It
was decided to use his weekday tallis because it had
seen the most use. The deceased's eldest son, the Imrei Emes,
claimed that according to his calculations he had actually
spent more time praying in his Shabbos tallis, but he said he
would not interfere with their decision. Upon returning from
the levaya it was discovered that his Shabbos
tallis had been used . . .
From the early morning hours thousands began to stream into
Gur. Twenty thousand people took part in the levaya,
which set out in the afternoon. The single eulogy was
delivered by the Avnei Nezer of Sochotchov, who simply read
the verse, "Hatzaddik ovad ve'ein ish som al leiv,
ve'anshei chessed ne'esofim be'ein meivin, ki mipnei horo'oh
ne'esaf hatzaddik" (Yeshayohu 57:1), and everyone
burst out in bitter tears.
When the Avnei Nezer returned from the levaya numerous
chassidim continued to stream towards Gur. Upon seeing, them
he said, "Leman demasni, leis leih shi'uro," a
reference to a famous passage in the gemora (Kesuvos
17a-b) that discusses how many people should stop their
learning to participate in the levaya of a Torah
scholar. The gemora concludes that in the case of a
Jew who taught Torah to others there is no limit.
*
"Hillel Hazoken had 80 talmidim . . . The greatest
among them was Yonoson Ben Uziel . . . Of Yonoson Ben Uziel
it was said, `When he sits engaged in Torah any bird that
alights on him is immediately burned'" (Succah
28a).
"If his talmid was on such a high level, what level
was Hillel Hazoken himself on?" the Sefas Emes would ask.
Then he would say, "The Rebbe was of such great stature that
he could bring the flame inside of himself, hiding it so well
that a bird alighting on him did not get burned!"
Throughout his lifetime the Sefas Emes concealed his inner
self, his Torah and his kedushoh. His greatness in
Torah was made known primarily through his books, which
reached every corner of the globe only after his
histalkus. A bird flying over Gur would not get
burned, but it would convey the message that a
tzaddik, one of the pillars on which the world rests,
resided there.
(Sources: Kasheleg Yalbinu, Encyclopedia LeChassidus,
HaRav Hadome Lemal'ach, Kovetz Chaveirim Makshivim, Meir
Einei Hagoloh, Rosh Golas Ariel, Rav Aharon Surasky, Or
Zoru'a Latzaddik, HaSefas Emes, Migedolei Hachassidus, Rav
Dovid Aharon Mandelbaum, Tiferes Shebatorah, Admorei
Gur)
When news of the Admor's petiroh spread, so many
people rushed to Gur yesterday morning that although the
railway dispatched extra trains there was hardly any space in
the cars and thousands of people were still left without
means to travel. Railway authorities used open-air summer
cars and the cold winter air blew hard.
One car with seating for 44 people held over 200, not even
leaving any standing room, and in another car some people
fainted as a result of the overcrowded conditions. In another
car, benches broke and some passengers suffered leg injuries.
Many people stood throughout the journey and some could not
even find room for their legs inside the car, exposing them
to great danger throughout the journey.
The telegraph in Gur was working constantly, sending messages
to every corner of Poland. Every train load added thousands
more people . . . Over 50 rabbonim walked behind the
mittoh . . . When the time for tefillas Minchah
arrived, all of the funeral goers, 20,000 in number,
stood in a field and davened Minchah together. Like
the rushing sound of a turbulent sea, long, whispered prayers
rose up from innumerable mouths under the open skies in the
middle of snow-covered fields. Following Minchah the
mourning procession continued forward toward the final
destination for the living . . .
The brief words spoken by the Rav of Sochotchov made a
powerful impression. He merely recited the verse,
""Hatzaddik ovad ve'ein ish som al leiv, ve'anshei chessed
ne'esofim be'ein meivin, ki mipnei horo'oh ne'esaf
hatzaddik," adding not a single word. The many
participants burst out weeping upon hearing these words.
No picture of the Sefas Emes is extant. The book Tiferes
Shebesiferes contains a portrait sketched by R' Sholom
Ze'ev Reshelbach of Lodz. At the bottom of the portrait he
wrote, "Sefas Emes, the Rebbe of Gur zt"l." The author
of the book notes, "If this is indeed the Sefas Emes'
portrait this is an extraordinary find, for no such picture
exists." The author says that the Beis Yisroel told him that
this was a picture of the Imrei Emes.
The book Ohr Zorua Latzaddik recounts that as a child
the Admor the Baal Lev Simchoh, once thought that he saw the
Sefas Emes in his yard, after his histalkus. The boy
ran into the house and told his father, the Imrei Emes,
"Zeide came back and he's here with us!"
The Imrei Emes went outside and smiled. There was HaRav Shaul
Moshe, the rov of Wiershov. Apparently they were very similar
in appearance. The grandson of the Rov of Wiershov even said
that his grandfather had told him the Sefas Emes had once
told him they were the same age.
One of the central tenets in Gur is the Kotsker Kvitl sent by
an elderly chossid known as R' Yaakov Yitzchok of
Wolotchlabek. R' Yaakov Yitzchok was a chossid of Kotsk, of
the Chidushei HaRim, of R' Henoch of Alexander, of the Sfas
Emes, and of the Imrei Emes. In the year 5665 (1905), after
the Sefas Emes passed away, the elderly chossid went in to
see the new rebbe, the Imrei Emes, handing him a long
kvitl packed with memories of the time he spent in the
presence of various rebbes. R' Yaakov Yitzchok was a bright
man, and he had ardent chassidishe pen.
The following excerpt about the Sefas Emes was taken from the
famous kvitl: "I was meshamesh bakodesh to
these three kedoshim. All the shirim are
kodesh but the Shir Hashirim Kodesh Kodoshim
was his father Maran hakodosh z"l navga"m zy"a ve'al kol
Yisroel omein, he who with the light of his Torah and
kedushoh shone onto the entire world, from one end of
the land to the other.
" . . . What can I possible say? I went to Gur over 100 times
over the course of 35 years. I heard much Torah from him.
Most of what I understood I understood with ease and what I
did not understand, not only did I not fully comprehend what
he meant but I did not even begin to comprehend what he
meant, for all who had eyes to see and a heart to understand
realized the Shechinoh was speaking through the throat
of this tzaddik. His words were very deep; innermost
secrets hidden away and anyone who claims to be able to grasp
his holy words—with the exception of a few select
individuals— is mistaken.
" . . . Everything I was able to grasp on my first journey to
visit his father, Maran Hakodesh z"l—on my
second journey I realized on the first journey I had grasped
nothing, and the same on the third journey, etc., etc. When I
would arrive home every year I became aware, over the course
of the year, that my previous visit was nothing . . . "
Excerpted from the prodigious archives of HaRav Dovid
Avrohom Mandelbaum
The booklet Iggeres HaRab published in 5743 (1983) by
HaRav Binyomin Mendelson of Kommemiyus, reads, "I heard from
my teacher and rebbe, the Rav of Bodenzav zt"l Hy"d,
that on the Yom Kippur before his petiroh the Sefas
Emes asked what the halochoh is regarding a Kohen
Godol who dies in the middle of his avodoh. Does
the Kohen Godol appointed to replace him have to
repeat the avodoh from the start or can he continue
from the point where the first [Kohen Godol] left off?
Hearing the question the chossid stepped out and burst
into tears, until those on hand calmed him. And later, on the
5th of Shevat, it became apparent that the question was
referring to himself."
The grandson of HaRav Shlomo Yuskovitz zt"l recalled
how on Motzei Yom Kippur Rabbenu sat at his holy table in a
state of great tension. At the end of the meal, when a fruit
compote was served, he placed his plate before his son the
Imrei Emes who was sitting at his side, and said. "Here, you
hand it out . . . " (as recounted by Rav Chaim Yitzchok
Schwartz).
*
As soon as the Jewish world learned of his illness his
thousands of chassidim gathered in botei
knesses to pray and plead for his recovery. It is
interesting to note the introduction to Vol. IV of the
Imrei Emes written by HaRav Eliezer Auerbach, the
av beis din of Kontshitz, which was printed as an
addendum to a book by his grandfather HaRav Meir Auerbach and
including chiddushim by his father, HaRav Shlomo
Auerbach: "When the year 5665 (1905) arrived [HaRav Shlomo
Auerbach] had every intention of fulfilling his pledge to
travel to the holy city of Jerusalem and settle there. This
was at the end of Teves. He prepared to undertake the long
journey when summer came, but in the meantime unfortunate
news arrived: the Admor, the gaon and tzaddik
and author of Sefas Emes, zechuso yogen oleinu,
had fallen ill. Then my revered father, my teacher and rebbe,
zechuso yogen oleinu, ordered the local shamash
to have all of the people of the town gather in the beis
knesses, though it was then very cold and, after a few
hours of prayers and supplications there, he went home and
immediately became weak. And on the 5th of Shevat he left
This World on the same day that the Sefas Emes zt"l
passed away."
*
According to what is told over, the next Admor, the Imrei
Emes, told his brother HaRav Moshe Betzalel during the
levaya [for their father]: "Our father zt"l had
arichas yomim." Arichus yomim, he explained,
means that his days were long and full, i.e. he used his time
and his days to the fullest.
Similarly, his grandson the Admor, the baal Lev
Simchoh zt"l wrote the following (Parshas
Korach 5744): "In Bircas Hachodesh we ask, `. . .
shetechadesh oleinu es hachodesh hazeh . . . vesitein lonu
chayim arukim . . . ' According to the simple meaning,
what does this request have to do with Bircas Hachodesh which
applies to the current month? My revered father, my teacher
and rebbe, told my uncle, HaRav Moshe Betzalel, after the
levaya for the Sefas Emes, that [our] Father
z"l had arichus yomim—long days and great
days. And `arichus yomim' means that the days were
long and full, that he used the time and the days to the
fullest extent. Likewise we ask, `vesitein lonu chayim
arukim,' i.e. that our lives may be long and full, that
time be used to the fullest."
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