Kedushas Levi: October 2010

Monday, October 18, 2010

Yahrzeit of Rachel Emainu

Kedushas Levi on

Moshe spoke to the children of Israel according to everything Hashem had commanded him about them...

(Devarim 1:3)

[The Zohar explains that] the holy Torah contains great depth and hidden secrets. If we find stories in the Torah — tales such as those of our forefathers Avraham and Yitzchak, of Yaakov and Lavan, of the matriarchs, and of Bilam and his donkey — we must realize that in truth all of these tales contain hidden secrets and depth. On the surface, we can learn a lesson from the tale itself, such as how to develop good character traits. For example, from the story of Avraham we learn the trait of chesed, loving-kindness; from the story of Yaakov we learn about his righteousness.

From the matriarchs we learn of their righteousness, and how the merit of Rachel still stands by us today, as our Rabbis taught (Eichah Rabbasi, Pesichtah 24; Tanna D'Vei Eliyahu Rabbah, ch. 30), "Regarding this it says, 'A voice in the heights is heard, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel is crying over her children, she refuses to be consoled' (Yirmeyahu 31:14)."

The Midrash in Tanna D'vei Eliyahu says that when Hashem sent Bnei Yisroel into exile for their sins He was not going to return them until Rachel Imeinu stood in prayer and said "Master of the World just as I who am only flesh and blood was not angered and did not protest regarding my time of distress when my husband Yaakov who worked seven years for me was given my sister Leah as a bride and I did not speak with him at all so that he would not know the difference between my voice and hers so You who are a merciful King should not be angered by their worship of idols who are actually nothing real," immediately G-d's mercy was awakened and He swore to Rachel that He would return her children back from the exile. Regarding this it says 'A voice in the heights is heard, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel is crying over her children, she refuses to be consoled' .

In the Eicha Midrash it says simply "In the merit of that weeping I shall return you from exile, regarding this it says 'A voice in the heights is heard, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel is crying over her children, she refuses to be consoled' ."

Kol Tuv,
R' Tal Moshe Zwecker
Director Machon Be'er Mayim Chaim
Chassidic Classics in the English Language
www.chassidusonline.com
chassidusonline@gmail.com
Phone: 972-2-992-1218 / Cell: 972-54-842-4725
VoIP: 516-320-6022 / eFax: 1-832-213-3135
join the mailing list here: http://groups.google.com/group/beermayimchaim
Noam Elimelech, Kedushas Levi, Pirkei Avos more!
Discuss Chassidus http://groups.google.com/group/torahchassidusdiscussion
Author Page https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003VH9D48
LinkedIn: http://il.linkedin.com/in/rabbitalmoshe

Yahrzeit of Rachel Imeinu

http://groups.google.com/group/beermayimchaim/browse_thread/thread/f4cf0f8379f5c041?pli=1

http://kedushaslevi.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-rachel-aids-her-children.html

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Yahrzeit of R Levi Yitchak of Berditchev Kedushas Levi

Another version of this tale is found in the Slonimer Collection Kisvay Rav
Yoshe of Brisk:

The Berditchever once gave a permit to two agunas to remarry. When Rav
Raphael Hamburger heard he disagreed with this ruling, he did not like the
Talmudic logic behind the ruling so he understood that this ruling was only
a supportive measure and the Berditchever must have permitted them to
remarry based on his having seen that their husbands passed away through
ruach hakodesh. Therefore in order to permit them to remarry he could not
rule on a halachic matter using ruach hakodesh, so he worked up a halachic
basis as a support for his ruling.

One time both rabbis met at one of the local trade fairs as was customary at
those times. Rav Raphael challenged Rav Levi Yitzchak how he could have
permitted the agunas to remarry? "If you wish." answered the Berditchever, I
will show you the deceased." The souls of the deceased husbands appeared
before them. Immediately one of the souls began to argue using complex
Talmudic logic that the correct ruling in halacha is that their wives are
forbidden from remarrying. The second soul just stood there in silence.

The Berditchever asked the soul, "how do you know how to learn so well that
you can support yourself with such complex logic and halachic arguments?"
The soul answered him "Whoever was threatened with death or conversion and
chose to die rather than convert and was killed he sanctifies the Divine
Name and is called holy. Now whoever dies like that al kiddush Hashem his
soul is depsoited with the angel known as the Sar HaTorah - the prince of
Torah and this is how I now know how to learn. "

"And why is it that your friend is silent?" Asked Rav Raphael. "I was killed
first," answered the soul, "and when my friend witnessed my martyrdom the
thought came to his mind that when he too will be martyred and killed in
sanctification of G-d's name this will be favor to his orphaned children
since they will be known as the children of a holy martyr. This impure
ulterior motive he allowed to be implanted by the evil inclination in his
head and so when he died they decreed upon him one year of silence to atone
for this thought."

When the Rav further questioned him as to why this soul was so adamant to
prevent them from remarrying he said that it would be a favor to the
deceased that they not wed and remarry again.

(Based on Kisvei Rav Yoshe #30 p129-130)

Which sage did the Berditchever argue with?

Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (1740-1810) author of Kedushas Levi

Rabbi Ephraim Zalman Margolis (1762 - 1828), author of Beis Ephraim and Yad
Ephraim

Rav Rafael Hamburger (1724-1804) author of Toras Yekusiel and VeShav Kohen

Yahrzeit of R Levi Yitchak of Berditchev Kedushas Levi

Today, the 25th of Tishrei (Sunday October 3, 2010) is 201th yahrzeit or
yorzeit of Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (1740-1810)

Two Stories, One Tradition?

There were two widows that were chained as agunahs during the time of Rav
Levi Yitzchok of Barditchov. There was no conclusiive evidence of their
husband's passing and so they could not remarry. When the Berditchever Rav
found a way to permit them to remarry he received a rebuke from the eminent
sage Rav Ephraim Zalman Margolias of Broydie who said "Although you may see
using ruach hakodesh that these women can remarry you certainly cannot use
it to rule on a halachic matter!"

"But I did not use ruach hakodesh, I used a logical argument!" protested Rav
Levi Yitzchak, he then presented the complex halachic argument which he had
used to arrive at his ruling. As the two prominent rabbonim and Torah
scholars jousted and dueled using arrays of complex Talmudic logic building
and destroying eachother's edifices of arguments finally Rav Margolias
acceded to the Berditchever's use of logic although he still argued at his
arrived decision.

When they had concluded Rav Levi Yitzchak brought both of the deceased
husband's souls back to reveal themselves before Rav Margolias. One of the
souls was silent, however the other cried out saying "How can you let our
wives remarry?!" So saying he began to build his own halachic argument
against the permit, citings numerous sources to back up his claims. Rav
Margolias had known the deceased, and during his lifetime he was not a Torah
scholar, "If during your lifetime you were not a Torah scholar," he asked
the soul, "how did you become so learned now after your passing?"

"When I died, it was al kiddush Hashem, in sanctification of G-d's Divine
Name. Now the gates of Kiddush Hashem and the Heichal HaTorah - adjoin
eachother and when they brought my soul up through there I gained all this
knowledge," the soul explained.

"Why is the other one silent?" Rav Margolios asked. "When we were both
killed, I had in mind that I was giving my life to sanctify G-d's name, my
friend however although he too had that in mind, also had an ulterior motive
thinking that perhaps now that he would be famous as someone who died al
kiddush Hashem, perhaps his orphans would have an easier time with
shidduchim for marriage. Therefore he was punished with one years silence."

(Based on Gut Voch p 173-174)

Kol Tuv,
R' Tal Moshe Zwecker
Director Machon Be'er Mayim Chaim
Chassidic Classics in the English Language
www.chassidusonline.com
chassidusonline@gmail.com
Phone: 972-2-992-1218 / Cell: 972-54-842-4725
VoIP: 516-320-6022 / eFax: 1-832-213-3135
join the mailing list here: http://groups.google.com/group/beermayimchaim
Author Page https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003VH9D48
LinkedIn: http://il.linkedin.com/in/rabbitalmoshe

Kedushas Levi

Monday, October 18, 2010

Yahrzeit of Rachel Emainu

Yahrzeit of Rachel Imeinu

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Yahrzeit of R Levi Yitchak of Berditchev Kedushas Levi

Yahrzeit of R Levi Yitchak of Berditchev Kedushas Levi

Links

Blog Archive