Rav Menachem Mendel Gad Glick zt"l
הרב מנחם מנדל גד בן גדליהו גליק זצ"ל
Elul 4 , 5665
Rav Menachem Mendel Gad Glick zt"l
Av Beis Din of Kemetshe
Rav Menachem Mendel Gad Glick was born in תקעט 5579. His father was Rav Gedalyahu of Bakani (author of Chayei Olam), and his paternal grandfather was Rav Chanoch Henich Gad Glick of Prague. His sons were Rav Avrohom Meir, Rav Henich (the son-in-law of Rav Avrohom Gottleib of Vishiva), and Rav Moshe Yitzchok, who died young. Some of Rav Menachem Mendel’s Torah is printed in his father’s sefer.
Rav Menachem Mendel was a renowned gaon and tzaddik who served Hashem in sanctity and purity. He fasted frequently, never slept more than four hours a night, and was known to daven for extended periods in rapture and deveikus. Each night, he awakened at midnight to recite Tikkun Chatzos, and afterwards would study Kabbalah and the secrets of Torah. He performed the mitzvos with joy and simcha, trembling with a holy fire. Even in his later years, he sacrificed his health and served Hashem with mesirus nefesh. He learned under his father until the age of 16, when he was sent to study in Yeshivas Pressburg under the Chasam Sofer. Later, he studied under Rav Meir Eisenstadt of Ungvar, author of the Maharam Asch. He married Esther, the daughter of the naggid and communal leader Rav Moshe Leib Eideles of Vecka. He was given a letter of ordination from his rebbe, the Maharam Asch, on Sunday, 19 Adar Sheni,תקצד/5594, after which he reluctantly parted from him.
After his marriage, Rav Menachem Mendel settled by his father’s side and studied Torah day and night. His peaceful days of learning did not last very long, however, as his young wife passed away before the end of their first year of marriage. His second wife, Frumit Rochel, was the daughter of the naggid Rav Abba Guttman of Vecka. With her support, he grew steadily in Torah and Yiddishkeit and began to travel to meet the tzaddikim of his generation.
Rav Menachem Mendel related that, on one visit to Rav Meir Premishlaner, when he handed the tzaddik a kvittel (note requesting the Rebbe’s blessings and prayers) and a pidyon (customary monetary gift), Rav Meir told him three things: “First, tell your father to push the sukkah four amos distance away from the wall. Second, you seem to be a G-d-fearing Torah Jew – so how can it be that you live all together in one room? It is improper and immodest to live in such close quarters!” Third and last was a message that Rav Menachem Mendel kept secret all his life. All he would say, many years later, was that he wished he had listened to this third piece of advice, and he regretted all his life that he had not heeded the tzaddik’s words.
Once, when visiting Rav Yitzchok Isaac of Ziditchov, he mentioned that certain wicked people sought to ruin his father’s livelihood, and that this threatened his own parnassa, as well, since he relied on his father’s income. “Tell your father not to worry,” Rav Yitzchok Isaac replied. “He shall have sufficient parnassa all the days of his life.” The Rebbe then turned to Rav Menachem Mendel and said, “You can go back home and accept upon yourself the yoke of the rabbinate.”
When Rav Menachem Mendel returned to his father’s house, his father came out to greet him with the good news that he had been appointed Av Beis Din of Kemetshe. When Rav Menachem Mendel related the Ziditchover Rebbe’s words to his father, they were astounded at the Rebbe’s ruach hakodesh and miraculous knowledge. (Gedulas Mordechai)
While serving as the Rav in Kemetshe, Rav Menachem Mendel sometimes travelled to visit Rav Tzvi Hirsch Freidlander of Liska (author of Ach Pri Tevuah), Rav Meshulem Fayish Loewe Segal (founder of the Tosch dynasty), and Rav Chanina Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum of Sighet (author of Kedushas Yom Tov). He found favor in the eyes of these gedolim, and they honored him for his righteousness and his greatness in Torah.
Rav Menachem Mendel’s position of Av Beis Din of Kemetshe included the nearby towns of Hollis, Ibran, Pasov, Bertzel, Bogadni, Keck and Demetsher. They all contributed to his weekly salary of two gulden, which in those days was considered a fine sum. In addition to this income, he also received a salary as the official head registrar of births, and was given money as well from the sum collected by fathers of chassanim for the rabbonim, chazzanim and shamashim.
With all these sources of income, he was able to make a very decent living indeed. His primary job was to take care of communal affairs, and with his careful attention and loving care, the community grew and flourished. He judged wisely and ruled with strength and endurance. In Kemetshe, he was blessed with sons and daughters, and eventually his financial situation was no longer sufficient for his large family.
On 4 Elul תרסה/5665, before he passed away, he asked that they bring him a copy of the sefer Kav HaYashar. He turned to where he had previously marked the page to a tefillah to be recited at the end of one’s life, and asked his son-in-law Rav Mordechai Lenerovitsh (author of Parshas Mordechai), to whom he passed on his rabbinic post in his final two years, to read it to him. Rav Menachem Mendel tearfully recited the tefillah after him, word for word. Afterwards, he blessed all of his children, and asked them to light candles and open the windows. He straightened his limbs and his posture, closed his eyes, and recited Shema, and his holy soul departed with the final declaration echad. He was 86 years old.
A large gathering of congregants, rabbonim and Rebbes attended the funeral procession and escorted him to his final rest. Rav Naftali Schreiber of Kleinverdayan (author of Mateh Naftali) gave one of the hespedim, in which he testified in the name of Rav Avrohom Yitzchok Weinberger (Av Beis Din of Kleinverdayan and author of Pnei Yitzchok), that 30 years ago they had described him as a perfect olah temima! (Gedulas Mordechai).
Stories of Rav Menachem Mendel Gad Glick zt"l
In those days, Rav Mordechai of Nadvorna arrived in Kemetshe, and spent two weeks and two Shabbosim there. Before he departed, he called the shamash to assemble all the congregants. “Call together all the people – men, women and children. Let none be absent!” insisted the tzaddik.
Everyone obeyed Rav Mordechai’s request, and all the townspeople gathered before him.
Rav Mordechai began: “I have called you all together to this assembly to take my leave of you and to give you all a bracha before I leave your town. However, first I must tell you that your rabbi is an erlicher Yid, and the proof of my words is that I myself stoked his oven for him (shimush talmid chacham). Turning to his faithful gabbai Reb Leibish, he asked again rhetorically: “Isn’t that true, Leibish, that Mordchaleh heated the Rav’s stove himself?”
“Yes, yes” agreed the gabbai, “It’s true. I myself saw the Rebbe burn all the kvittlach in the oven.”
Rav Mordechai turned back to the assembly. “Since you all have a Rav who is an erlicher Yid, you need to take care of his financial situation and provide for his material needs. He has sons and daughters of marriageable age, and his salary of two gulden a week is insufficient. You need to make sure he earns six gulden a week. I have here a shtar hischayvus – an agreement that we will all sign together – that we take upon ourselves the obligation to provide the Rav with a salary of six gulden a week from now on.”
Everyone heeded the tzaddik’s words. They dutifully lined up, and Rav Mordechai handed each one the shtar personally to make sure they all signed. Afterwards, he sent the shtar to Rav Menachem Mendel to relate to him all that had been done. (Gedulas Mordechai)
A harried husband once came before the Rav, begging, “Please help my poor wife. She has been in labor for two days now, suffering terrible pain, and the doctors do not know what to do. They say only a miracle from the Rav can help her!” Rav Menachem Mendel opened one of the seforim hakedoshim and pointed to three holy Divine Names. “Whisper that in her ear,” he advised. The husband did as he was told, and his wife easily gave birth with no other complications.
Rav Menachem Mendel was once attending a seudas mitzvah along with some of his congregants, and the conversation turned towards the upcoming yahrzeit of Rav Yitzchok Issac of Kalov. One of the attendees asked how many years had passed since the Kalover Rebbe’s petira, and the chassid Reb Issac Shpitz answered: “I know for sure, since I was the first to be named after him, and I am 78 years old today.” When the Rav heard this, he warned Reb Isaac, “Don’t you know that older people keep their ages secret to protect them from the evil eye?”
Unfortunately, his warning fell on deaf ears, and a few days later, Reb Isaac was attacked and murdered by bandits. (Gedulas Mordechai)
During one of his visits to the Kedushas Yom Tov, Rav Menachem Mendel asked him to give him a bracha. The Kedushas Yom Tov answered him, “Shouldn’t it be the other way around? You are older than I, and the word zaken stands for Zeh Kana Chochma (“you have acquired more wisdom”). You are also a talmid of the Chasam Sofer. Therefore, it would surely be more proper for me to receive your blessing!” Rav Menachem Mendel disagreed: “But you are descended from the holy Yismach Moshe of Uhjel, whom I once merited to meet face-to-face, and I heard drashos from his holy mouth that blazed like a flaming fire – so it would be more proper for you to bless me!” In the end, each tzaddik spread his hands over the head of the other, and in this manner they blessed each other! (Gedulas Mordechai)