Rav Yissocher Dov Ber of Radoshitz zt"l
הרב יששכר דוב בער בן יצחק מראדושיץ זצ"ל
Sivan 18 , 5603
Rav Yissocher Dov Ber of Radoshitz zt"l
Rabbi Yissocher Dov [18 Sivan 1843], the "Sabba Kadisha" (holy grandfather) of Radoshitz, was a disciple of the Seer of Lublin and of the Holy Yid of Peshischa. Famed as a miracle maker, he lived in poverty as a simple tutor.
http://www.ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=rebbeBios
Stories of Rav Yissocher Dov Ber of Radoshitz zt"l
It takes a notable celebration indeed to override the prohibition against eating meat and drinking wine during the Nine Days (that begin the Jewish month of Av), for this period, at the end of the annual Three Weeks of Mourning which begin with the fast of the seventeenth of Tammuz, culminates in the fast of the Ninth of Av, the anniversary of the destruction of both Botei Mikdosh. A notable celebration of this order under certain circumstances might be the festive meal that follows a circumcision or marks the conclusion of the study of an entire Talmudic tractate.
It was the custom of Rav Yissochor Ber of Radoshitz to complete the study of a Masechta in the Gemora and to celebrate the occasion with a seudas mitzva, complete with meat and wine every year on the 5th of Av, for this date is the anniversary of the passing of that giant among Mekubolim, Rav Yitzchok Luria, the Arizal. And every year, in the midst of the gloom of the Nine Days, the Saba Kadisha (“Holy Grandfather”) of Radoshitz would recount the same story to all the Chassidim and talmidim who had gathered for this festive meal. Here is the story:
In a faraway town there lived a man who used to sleep so much that he was nicknamed “the Sleeper”. The month of Elul arrived in all its awe. Seeing the Days of Judgment within reach, every Jew alive trembled, and roused himself in repentance. But this fellow slept. It was already Rosh HaShana; his wife rose early to join the congregation in tefilla – but he slept on. When the morning service was underway she went home to nurse her baby. While there she tried to wake up her husband, but he neither budged nor stirred.
Several times throughout the morning she interrupted her tefillos and stole away from the shul. Nothing helped. But when the congregation began the reading of the Torah, and time was running out before the high point of the day’s service, she ran home crying, and shouted at the top of her voice, “They’re about to blow the shofar!”
He jumped out of bed in a flurry, grabbed some tattered garments strewn with feathers and threw it over his shoulders, bolted all the way to shul, and burst inside, puffing and panting, with slumber on his eyelids. The staid worshippers gaped at the comic spectacle. Some – and not only the children – even snickered. The poor fellow felt so disgraced and humiliated that his burning shame flew up and appeared before the Heavenly Court. The verdict was pronounced forthwith: having been seared and cleansed by his shame, this humble Jew was now to have all his sins forgiven.
“So too with us,” concluded the Saba Kadisha. “Here we are, in the depths of this period of mourning over the destruction of the Bais HaMikdosh, sitting down to a festive meal. Why, this is such a shameful thing that on its account the Merciful One should forgive the sins of the entire House of Yisrael!”
And with this plea from the heart, the Tzaddik wept so profusely that his tears fell into the wine goblet over which, in preparation for the Grace after Meals, he was about to recite the Psalm which laments the Exile: “By the rivers of Bovel we sat, yea, we wept, when we remembered Tzion…”
Source: Rav Yerachmiel Tilles from A Treasury of Chassidic Tales (Artscroll)
The Saba Kadisha of Radoshitz, in his sefer, Niflaos (volume 1, pages 21–22), recorded an amazing story about the formulation of the Noam Elimelech’s “Prayer Before Praying”. The story goes like this:
When he was a child, the Saba Kadisha was once visiting Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk. He was talking with Chassidim from the Rebbe’s inner circle in front of the Rebbe’s home when several extremely tall men came and hurried into the house. When they reached the doorway, they had to stoop down to enter since they were so unusually tall. The holy Rebbe closed the door behind them before the Chassidim could catch a glimpse of their faces. They waited outside until the visitors left to see if they could recognize them. Again, the Chassidim were astonished when the men left. They did so in such a hurry that they could not make out the men’s features and just saw their backs; they left so fast they almost vanished. The Chassidim realized that something unusual had just taken place, and they decided to investigate and find out what had occurred.
The elder Chassidim among them approached the Rebbe and asked him to explain the strange incident. This is what the Rebbe told them:
“When I realized that most people cannot concentrate properly on their tefillos anymore due to the awesome burdens of earning a livelihood, and they lack the time and the understanding to concentrate fully, I decided to rewrite the standard formula for the tefillos. I would write a new, short and concise version that would be equally understood and grasped by everyone.
“The holy Members of the Great Assembly, the Anshei Knesses HaGedola (the original authors of the standard tefillos from the time of the Talmud), realized what I intended. They came here to ask me not to change even one tefilla from their established formula. I took their counsel and discussed the matter with them. They advised me to establish a tefilla to daven before the formal tefilla service. This would help anyone who lacks the concentration and proper devotions that are necessary for all formal tefillos.” This “tefilla before tefillos” is the Yehi Rotzon tefilla printed in many siddurim in the name of Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk.
(MiPeninei Noam Elimelech, p. 315).
Segulos of Rav Yissocher Dov Ber of Radoshitz zt"l
The 18th of Sivan is the Yahrzeit of the Saba Kadisha of Radoshitz, Rav Yissochor Dov Ber ben Rav Yitzchok. The following is a segula niflo’a baduk umenusa from him. If someone is in an eis tzora, he should give no less than nineteen perutas to tzedoka and light a candle for his neshoma, saying the pasuk: כי גוי אבד עצות המה ואין בהם תבונה (Devorim 32: 28) and he will be saved from all tzar. This can be done anytime, not just on the Yahrzeit.
Zechuso Yogen Aleinu!