Rav Zev Wolf Landau of Strikov zt"l
הרב זאב וואלף בן אברהם לאנדאו זצ"ל
Elul 11 , 5651
Rav Zev Wolf Landau of Strikov zt"l
Rav Zev Wolf of Strikov was born in תקס"ז (1807) in Plotsk to Rav Avrohom of Tschechnov. He was the eldest of four brothers. The other three were Rav Berish of Biala, Rav Raphael, and Rav Yaakov of Yezov. Rav Avrohom used to praise each son according to their abilities: Rav Zev Wolf – a sage/chacham, Rav Berish a pious chassid, Rav Raphael a perfect Tam, and Rav Yaakov an ilui/prodigy.
When he reached marriageable age, Zev Wolf married the daughter of Rav Shmuel Zanvil Weiner, one of the wealthiest Jews of Strikov. Rav Shmuel Zanvil’s home was a typical wealthy chassidish home, full of guests and travelers looking for a place to rest and grab a bite before heading off to visit the various chassidishe rebbes in the area. Rav Shmuel Zanvil himself was a learned scholar and he would deliver a daily shiur in the beis midrash every evening after he concluded his business dealings for the day.
A group of Chassidim of Tomashov (which would later become famous as the chassidic court of Kotzk) gathered in Strikov and soon set their sights on the budding Torah scholar, son-in-law of their host. They sent their best and brightest to him and ultimately convinced Zev Wolf to visit the Kotzker rebbe. After doing so, he too became among one of the rebbe’s greatest disciples.
At first, his father-in-law, Rav Shmuel Zanvil, was upset that his illustrious son-in-law spent weeks or months away in Kotzk until his mechutan, Rav Avrohom of Tshechonuv, allayed his fears by declaring, “If he doesn’t turn out better than me, than the whole deal [taking him as son-in-law] was a mistake!”
When the Kotzker Rebbe passed away, Rav Zev Wolf followed Rav Yitzchok Meir of Warsaw, author of Chiddushei HaRim and founder of the Gerrer Dynasty. After his passing, he did not go on to Rav Henich of Alexander as did many others; instead, he and his friends and followers including Rav Elazar of Poltosk and Rav Yechiel Meir of Gustanyn urged Rav Zev Wolf’s father to don the mantle of leadership as rebbe and thus, Rav Avrohom of Tsechanov became rebbe.
Remembering The Egel
“And on the day, I make My account, I shall bring their sin to account against them” (Shemos 32:34).
After his Rebbe, the Chiddushei HaRim, passed away, Rav Wolf Strikover did not travel to Rav Heinich of Alexander and accept him as rebbe. He once met an Alexander chassid and asked him to repeat a Torah teaching he had heard from his rebbe. The chassid opened with the above pasuk, explaining it according to Rav Heinich’s insights. A typical reading of the pasuk is that while Hashem forgave Bnei Yisrael to the extent that He did not annihilate them, whenever Hashem took an account of their sins, He would count the sin of the egel hazahav (golden calf) among them as well.
Rav Heinich, however, explained: “Whenever Bnei Yisrael sin, Heaven forbid, if they seek forgiveness and do teshuvah, I will forgive them.” Why? “Because I will always count the chet ha’egel (the sin of the golden calf).” The logic for this is that any calamity that befalls the Jewish people will also carry with it the consequence of the chet ha’egel. Just as the sin of the egel hazahav was a terrible sin, yet Hashem forgave them, all the more so regarding other, lesser, sins – surely Hashem pardons them if they request His forgiveness.
When Rav Wolf Strikover heard this explanation, he was so moved and so disappointed that he had not gone to Rav Heinich himself that he tore at his hair in grief crying, “This is the great and holy Alexander Rebbe, and I was prevented from traveling to him!”
After his father’s passing at age 86 on 5th of Adar תרל'ה, the chassidim began to ask his son to serve as rebbe. They finally convinced Rav Zev Wolf, then aged seventy-three to serve as their rebbe, and he did so faithfully for sixteen years. He blessed his descendants that they should never serve as rebbes nor as rabbonim. He left behind a sefer called Zer Zahav Kesser Torah and many beautiful poems in lashon hakodesh.
He left behind sons: Moshe Chaim who was son-in-law of Rav Yechiel Meir of Gustanin and Rav Yechiel Eichel of Frashnitz, both of whom died in his lifetime; His other sons were: Rav Mordechai Mottel of Strikov, who printed his father’s seforim, and Rav Menachem Mendel of Gumbin.
He passed away on the 11th of Elul, תרנ"א 5651 (1891). His soul departed while saying the passage, “A man goes out each evening to conduct his business and affairs” from Sefer Tehillim.
Stories of Rav Zev Wolf Landau of Strikov zt"l
Year after year, Yankel took pride in sending the most beautiful mehudar esrog to his rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel of Kotzk. But that year business wasn’t doing well at all. “While things have taken a downturn,” thought Yankel, I have a chazakah – an annual obligation to fulfill” He did his best and managed to buy the rebbe a beautiful esrog—one that was nearly the quality of past years.
This year however, a competitor emerged when wealthy chassid moved in. He challenged Yankel’s longstanding tradition of providing the rebbe with a mehudar esrog, and having greater means, he sought to outdo him. And in fact, the esrog he bought for the Kotzker looked more mehudar than Yankel’s!
“Reb Feivel,” the Kotzker Rebbe summoned his devoted gabbai. The rebbe handed him the two esrogim, and instructed him to present them before his inner circle of chassidim. “Show these two esrogim to my dear disciples and to Rav Avrohom, my son-in-law as well. Let us hear their opinion on this matter!”
The gabbai returned with their decision. They all agreed; in their opinion, the newer esrog was far more mehudar. The Kotzker was not satisfied though. He turned back to Reb Feivish and asked, “Did you show the two esrogim to Rav Zev Wolf?”
“Zev Wolf? No, I did not.”
“Please show the esrog to him as well.” The Kotzker said.
When Zev Wolf examined the two esrogim he declared unequivocally that it was the former esrog that was more mehudar and that the rebbe should take that one. When his decision was relayed to the Kotzker, he agreed. The rebbe’s son-in-law, Rav Avrohom, author of the Avnei Nezer heard the decision, and disagreeing, hurried to his father-in-law’s room. “It seems clear that new esrog is more mehudar!”
“If you think so, here-- take it as a gift,” the Kotzker said handing his son-in-law the newcomer’s esrog.
On the first day of Yom Tov, the Avnei Nezer recited the brachah over the new esrog and shook it with the four species. On the second day, however, the esrog fell apart! Hurrying off to Rav Zev Wolf, the Avnei Nezer asked in amazement “How did you know? Was it the divine intuition – ruach hakodesh?”
“No, no” said Rav Zev Wolf, “it was not that!” he assured the Avnei Nezer. “I saw that the rebbe was asking us to decide between two esrogim-- one clearly more externally beautiful than the other. I just knew there must be something more to his request . . .”
As much as Rav Zev Wolf tried to hide his greatness and pretend that all his decisions and actions were based solely on deduction alone, there were incidents that betrayed his loftier perceptions. One example was when he stayed in Sovota at the home of the wealthy chassid, Yisroel Lassman. The devoted chassid showed Rav Zev Wolf honor and gave Rav Zev Wolf a large well-furnished room with a fine bed.
All that night strange sounds came from Rav Zev Wolf’s room; it was the sound of pillows and blankets being tossed and moved. In the morning, they found Rav Zev Wolf had arranged the pillows and blankets, not on the new bed, but instead, on the floor. The bed was not slept in.
The next day, Rav Zev Wolf asked that the bed be removed. Reb Yisroel agreed to do so and explained to the wonder of the chassidim that he should have known better than to buy a bed from a Polish nobleman who had used it for many years. But how could Rav Zev Wolf had known that? (Based on Siach Sarfei Kodesh 3 & 4, Beis Kotzk pp. 216-217)
There was once a wealthy chassid who was very stingy. When approached to give charity, he said that he felt he was exempt from contributing to such a cause since the pauper in question was unworthy of the charity.
When Rav Zev Wolf of Strikov heard this, he said: “A stingy person is one thing but a thief as well?”
“What theft? What are you talking about?” asked the astonished miser.
“It’s simple,” explained the Strikover, “it says in the pasuk, ‘do not steal from a pauper for he is poor.’ If you do not wish to give charity, so don’t give any, but to challenge the pauper’s standing and say he is unworthy of the charity? You are saying he is unworthy of the status of pauper. And so, you are actually stealing from him his right to accept charity!”
On another occasion, a wealthy miser asked the Strikover why the Torah did not guard the honor of the poor so that only anonymous donations be accepted. The rebbe replied: “If the wealthy were properly ashamed of all their ill-gotten gains, your question might have carried some weight. As it is though, most wealthy people take pride in wealth that is tainted; why should the poor not take pride in their status as poor? They can even be more identified and open about their station in life since their poverty is surely not tainted!” (Beis Kotzk p. 220)
There was once a Kotzker chassid who couldn’t bring himself to accept Rav Wolf Strikover as a rebbe after the Kotzker’s passing. When asked what fault he found with the tzaddik he answered, “I cannot believe that anyone else could be as truthful and sincere as the Kotzker; after his truth, there can be no other!”
This chassid’s words reached the Strikover. One day the chassid grew very ill and was confined to bed. He sent his son to ask the Strikover to daven for his recovery. The tzaddik read the kvittel and responded that the chassid must come himself, “and if he cannot make it here on his own, tell him that they should carry him here in his sickbed!” The chassid heard and agreed. When he arrived before the Strikover, Rav Wolf told him thus:
“Surely you know of the parshas Metzora in the Torah? Surely you also know that the metzora is afflicted because he spoke lashon hara – evil words of forbidden speech.
“Now this is a strange turn of events, since lashon hara refers to truthful statements and that means that this man is a metzora and he has been afflicted with tzaraas for the sin of walking around telling the truth all day long!
“Nonetheless, for this kind of truth he is punished with tzaraas, and you know what the tikkun is for such a person, right? He is brought before the kohen. Now, it is known that included in the job of the kohen is to not speak the truth! All day long the Kohen is busy making peace between Jews, between neighbors, friends, and between husbands and wives. To do so, he must slightly alter what each of them said, massaging the truth all for the sake of peace!
It is further known that if the truthful one subjugates himself before the one who bends the truth, he is healed. Now do you understand?”
The chassid expressed his sincere regret and accepted the rebbe’s authority and he was healed. (Otzar Yisroel)
Divrei Torah of Rav Zev Wolf Landau of Strikov zt"l
It says in the pasuk from Bereishis: “And Yisroel’s eyes grew heavy with age,” yet this is hard to understand literally. How could Yaakov Avinu, the third wheel of the Divine Chariot, be described as someone’s whose eyes are weary and heavy with age? The true explanation is understood from the Targum Onkelos who renders the words as “yakirin m’esavu-- precious and holy.” Yaakov Avinu’s aging made it so that his eyes were no longer able to see the falsities and vanities of this world!”
Rav Zev Wolf would use this unique interpretation as a rejoinder to Kotzker’s detractors who asked how his rebbe could closet himself away and seemingly hide from his followers and from the world.
Rav Zev Wolf used to say: “In order to learn a foreign language, a person must set aside a year or two of study; in order to learn the language of his own inner true self, takes much much longer, I doubt that event the average lifespan of seventy years suffices for that!”
There was once a chassid that used to daven for a long time in a manner that displeased Rav Zev Wolf of Strikov. He asked the chassid if he was accustomed to daven at such lengths even when he was entertaining guests or did he then shorten his prayers?
“No, I do not shorten them at all,” replied the chassid.
“Why not?” asked the Strikover, “I will explain. The reason why we are forbidden to eat before davening is derived from the pasuk: “Do not eat on the blood; do not eat before praying over your own blood.” Regarding the law that forbids blood, we learn that we must salt the meat for one hour. Yet, if we have guests, the law is that we can shorten that time to the time it takes to walk the distance of one mil. Now, if the sages were lenient to cut the time short for the sake of guests regarding blood, obviously, for the sake of guests, we should be lenient here too and shorten the time of our prayers!” (Beis Kotzk pp. 218-219)