Rav Aryeh Leib Ginzburg of Mitz zt"l
הרב אריה לייב בן אשר גינצבורג זצ"ל
Tammuz 25 , 5545
Rav Aryeh Leib Ginzburg of Mitz zt"l
Rav Aryeh Leib was born in 5455/1695 in Lithuania. His father was Rav Osher, Rav in Pinsk and one of the leading Rabbonim of his time. Rav Aryeh Leib was renowned for his hasmoda.
It is related that once, when in Frankfurt, he lodged at the home of Rav Pinchos Horowitz, mechaber of the Haflo’a and Ponim Yofos. The “simple” guest asked for three Gemaros for the night — Yevomos, Kesubos and Kiddushin. The Haflo’a was surprised, but willingly fulfilled his guest’s request. Some hours later, the Haflo’a peeked into the room of his guest and saw him laboring over the Gemara, learning daf by daf. By morning he had finished all three masechtos, no small feat by anyone’s standards. The Haflo’a began to ask him questions on his learning. Within minutes, he realized that this guest was none other than Rav Aryeh Leib, the Sha’agas Aryeh.
His first position was as Rosh Yeshiva in Volozhin, where one of his prized talmidim was Rav Chaim Volozhiner.
Interestingly, even after his sefer Sha’agas Aryeh was published, he found it hard to achieve a suitable position and was constantly forced to move on. But in 5526/1766 he was appointed Rav of Metz, where he served until his petira.
When he became Rav of Metz, the Sha’agas Aryeh was nearly seventy years old. The leaders of the community were concerned over the appointment because he was already an elderly man. He asked them how long they expected a Rav to serve. “For about twenty years,” they responded. He was niftar twenty years later, at ninety.
A few months before his petira, Rav Aryeh Leib invited the community to a Siyum HaShas. He was in especially high spirits at this Siyum. When he was asked the reason for his simcha, he explained that this was his thousandth Siyum on the Shas.
Rav Aryeh Leib was niftar on the 25th of Tammuz 5545/1785. (Some give the day of his petira as the 15th of Tammuz; other sources give it as the 25th of Sivan.)
He wrote Sha’agas Aryeh; Gevuras Ari on Maseches Yoma; and Turei Even on Maseches Rosh HaShana.
Zecher tzaddik livrachah.
www.hamodia.com/features/day-history-25-tammuzjuly-23/
Stories of Rav Aryeh Leib Ginzburg of Mitz zt"l
The Shaagas Arye was a great Gaon, yet he had his detractors. When he set up his Yeshiva in Minsk not all the citizens and residents were counted among his supporters. So many were those who could not stand his sharp wit and criticisms that one Erev Shabbos his opponents simply took the Shaagas Arye and his wife, loaded them and their meager possessions onto a cart and had them run out of town, so far out that they would have been stranded with no means to even make Shabbos!
Among the masses though, there was one poor, simple woman who appreciated the Shaagas Arye’s greatness. She did not let the machlokes or the Shaagas Arye’s detractors dissuade her. Blumka was her name, and selling candles and challa was her occupation. As the Shaagas Arye was being led away in disgrace, she pushed her way through the throngs until she reached the cart. There she handed the Shaagas Arye and his wife candles and three challos for Shabbos so that at least they would not lack these meager necessities. The Shaagas Arye was greatly moved and he gave her his berocha: “May Hashem repay your kindness and reward you with wealth and honor!” Blumka eventually became a wealthy businesswoman and built a shul called Blumka’s Kloiz. (Hillula Kadisha p. 516–517)
Rav Neta Freund related that the reason that the sefer Shaagas Arye deals so much with Mesechta Berochos was simply that the Shaagas Arye was so poor that he could not afford to purchase a Shas, let alone own many volumes of Talmud either.
There was a wealthy merchant woman who recognized the value of Torah study and she owned a large, beautiful Shas. She used to lend out one volume at a time to various Rabbonim and Talmidei Chachomim as they needed. To the Shaagas Arye she lent out the volume for Mesechta Berochos. A week later, the Gaon, the Shaagas Arye, tried to return it and exchange it for another Mesechta and she answered back, “Oh no, you cannot fool or cheat me so quickly! No one can complete learning one Mesechta so fast – no way!” And so the Shaagas Arye was forced to hold on to the Mesechta Berochos for so long and much of his sefer was therefore written on topics therein. (Maasei Tzaddikim p. 12)
When the Shaagas Arye left Minsk he traveled to Volozhin and settled there for some time. He served as the Rav of Volozhin but did not remain there for long because the salary was very poor.
Among the ba’alei batim, there was one wealthy Jew, Rav Yitzchok (later famous as the father of Rav Chaim the Rosh Yeshiva, mechaber of Nefesh HaChaim and his brother Rav Zalmale of Volozhin), who had an extensive library of seforim and the Shaagas Arye was a frequent guest in their home studying Torah.
It so happened that once during his studies, Rav Yitzchok’s wife, who was expecting a baby, was seized with strong labor pains. Knowing that the Shaagas Arye was sitting and studying Torah in the next room, and not wanting to cause him any bitul Torah, she amazingly she held back from crying out in pain. Silently she bore the labor pains so as not to disturb the Shaagas Arye’s learning. Eventually, the Shaagas Arye learned of this and was so moved by her mesirus nefesh that he gave her a berocha. “Ribbono Shel Olom, this woman held back from calling out for the sake and honor of Torah! In this zechus, bless her that the son born to her grow to be such a great Torah scholar that the entire world will know of his genius!” The child was named Rav Shlomo Zalman and grew to become the great Rav Zalmale Volozhiner. (Hillula Kadisha p. 519)
The Gaon of Vilna met the Shaagas Arye and testified that the Shaagas Arye was able to recall the entire order of the Shas in his memory within just one hour’s time span of thinking. (Hillula Kadisha p. 522)
The Shaagas Arye was once traveling by covered wagon when thieves set upon them and attempted to rob the driver of his money.
The Shaagas Arye sat robed in tallis and crowned in tefillin studying. When he heard the commotion and understood what was happening, he put his head out of the covered wagon to see what was going on. The thieves saw his face and fled, terror-struck, running for their lives at the sight of the holy Tzaddik. The wagon driver was simply amazed. “Rebbe, why did those robbers turn tail and run away like that all of a sudden?”
The Shaagas Arye answered him, “It says in the Torah, ‘And all the nations of the world shall see that the name of G-d is called upon you and they shall fear you’. Chazal teach that this pasuk refers to tefillin. When they saw the tefillin on my head, they ran for their lives!” (Hillula Kadisha p. 528)
When the Shaagas Arye was appointed Rav of Metz there was one wealthy merchant who refused to sign the document appointing the Shaagas Arye as Rav. His name was Yehuda Charif and he based his rejection on the fact that the Shaagas Arye had only served as Rav of Volozhin, a small town, and Rosh Yeshiva of Minsk, and how could those positions compare to the great city of Metz?!
One day, Yehuda Charif’s daughter lost her sanity. She eventually became so ill that the doctors knew no cure and the family suffered greatly. With modern medicine having given up on her, Yehuda Charif turned to any source of possible treatment. Eventually he heard of a miracle worker, a Ba’al Shem who was supposed to be able to cure any one. When this impostor came to Metz, the Shaagas Arye, who was well acquainted with this joker and his ilk, sent the fake Ba’al Shem packing and chased him out of town. Yehuda Charif was incensed. He was so angry that his daughter’s possible cure was chased away by none other than the Rav, the Shaagas Arye, whom he already disliked and held a grudge against that he decided that enough was enough.
He sent his poor, sick, mentally ill daughter to the Shaagas Arye. She was disturbed and she would sing, dance and make a disturbance at all times of day. Her nuisance so greatly disturbed the Shaagas Arye that he could not learn Torah and so he turned to her gently and said softly and kindly, “My daughter, why are you acting so crazy? For how long will you be this way? Please go home gezunterheit,” (which literally means “go home healthy”) and so she did; she went home healed and healthy, sound in body and mind!
“Please, Daddy,” she greeted her amazed father, “please change my tattered and ripped dress.” Yehuda Charif fell before the Shaagas Arye pleading and begging the Rav’s forgiveness and asked to be allowed to add his name to the certificate of appointment. From then on his great affection for the Shaagas Arye knew no bounds and they became great friends. He followed the Rav’s pesakim and lent his hand to help the new Rav of Metz. (Toldos Rabbeinu HaShaagas Arye, page 97b)