Rav Shlomo Goldman zt"l
הרב שלמה בן מרדכי גולדמן זצ"ל
Iyar 26 , 5705
Rav Shlomo Goldman zt"l
Rav Shlomo (“Shlomke”) Goldman, the Zhviller Rebbe (1870-1945). The younger of the two sons of Rav Mordechai of Zhvil, and a descendant of Rav Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov. When a pogrom in Zvhil targeted the his brother’s compound and killed the Rebbetzin along with many of the Jews of the area, his brother, Rav Yaakov Yisrael, moved to Boston, and Rav Shlomo moved to Yerushalayim in 1926. He was succeeded by his son, Rav Gedaliah Moshe.
Stories of Rav Shlomo Goldman zt"l
The Rebbe’s kevod habriyos – his compassion and caring for his fellow Jews – was on such a level that it astonished others. Here is a well-known anecdote:
It was Erev Yom Kippur in Zhvill. The Rebbe had four gabbo’im sitting outside, simultaneously writings kvittlach and refereeing the throngs queued outside the Rebbe’s door, the multitude of Chassidim and non-Chassidim, all the Jews of Zhvill, waiting patiently for the opportunity to receive the Rebbe’s berocha Erev Yom HaKodosh! Just then, the door to the Rebbe’s inner sanctum opened and he quickly departed for his short visit to the old Bais HaChaim, where his forebears, Rav Moshele and Rav Michele, were buried, to daven in their zechus for a kappora for Am Yisrael. When the Rebbe returned, the audiences and berochos continued well into the seuda itself.
At some point, when there was a lull in the tides of people and the tense rush quieted down and finally the house was empty, the Rebbe and his son went back toward the Rebbe’s room – but the holy aura of the approaching Yom Kippur was broken by the sounds of someone searching around in the Rebbe’s desk drawers in his room! A ganav – a thief! On Erev Yom Kippur, in the Rebbe’s room, obviously tempted by the large sums from the pidyonos of the Chassidim!
The Rebbe’s son felt an arm on his shoulder restraining him. The Rebbe shrank back against the wall and allowed the thief who, panic-stricken at his discovery, fled. The entire time, rather than to confront the brazen thief, the Rebbe did his best to ease the ganav’s discomfort and shame. He pretended not to notice and avoided him, averting his gaze. Such was the Rebbe’s compassion toward the ganav stealing from him on Erev Yom Kippur. (Tzaddik Yesod Olom p. 193–194