Rav Uri Klughaft of Strelisk zt"l
הרב אורי בן פנחס קלוגהויפט זצ"ל
Elul 23 , 5586
Rav Uri Klughaft of Strelisk zt"l
Rav Uri was born in 5517/1757 in a small village near Yanov. His father, Rav Pinchas, was given a berocha by the Mezritcher Maggid to merit a son who “will light up the Jewish world”.
After his marriage, Rav Uri settled in Lvov (Lemberg), where he devoted himself to learning Torah with hasmoda.
Rav Uri traveled to the courts of numerous leading Rebbes — the Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk; Rav Pinchas of Koritz; Rav Yaakov Yosef of Ostroha; Rav Zusha of Anipoli and others — until he met Rav Shlomo of Karlin and became one of his foremost talmidim.
In 5552/1792, after the tragic murder of his Rebbe, Rav Shlomo, Hy”d, Rav Uri returned to Lvov and opened his own court. He later moved from Lvov to Strelisk, by the name of which town he became known.
Rav Uri was famous for his style of tefilla, full of fervor. The thousands of Chassidim who flocked to his court felt his hislahavus, which awakened them to teshuva.
Every day before going to daven, Rav Uri would bid farewell to his household, in case his neshoma would leave his body while he davened in his usual fiery manner. He would also tell them that the manuscripts in the drawer were not his own, but belonged to his Rebbe, Rav Shlomo of Karlin.
Rav Uri taught his Chassidim to work on their middos and uproot from within them any lust for money. It is said that there was not even one wealthy Jew among the Strelisker Chassidim, and Rav Uri himself lived in extreme poverty.
Rav Uri’s foremost talmid was Rav Yehuda Tzvi of Stretyn. The bond between them was extraordinary. Rav Yehuda Tzvi became a Rebbe in Stretyn after Rav Uri’s petira.
One of the talmidim of Rav Uri was the Sar Sholom of Belz. One time, as he sat at Rav Uri’s tisch, he cried out, “Oy, Tatte!”
The Strelisker gave a roar, as was his custom, and shouted, “And maybe He is not your Father?”
Rav Sholom understood that Rav Uri still had lessons to teach him to assist him in his growth in ruchniyus. And so he remained in Strelisk for an entire year.
Rav Uri once said: “Whoever said that one must pray with a whole heart? Perhaps it is preferable to pray with a broken heart.”
Rav Uri said: “There are four separate courts in Heaven: a Sanhedrin of seventy-one; a smaller Sanhedrin of twenty-three, a Heavenly Bais Din and an earthly one. Rav Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov served in one of these Botei Din, but since he was so punctilious and strict, he was promoted to the greater Sanhedrin. He left a vacant place in the Bais Din, which awaits a Tzaddik to occupy it.”
Those who heard his words did not dream that he was foretelling his own imminent petira. But a mere two days later, on the 23rd of Elul, 5586/1826, Rav Uri returned his neshoma to its Creator.
Some of the divrei Torah of Rav Uri were compiled by his talmid, Rav Binyomin Zev Sheinblum of Lvov, and published under the name ImreiKodosh.
Zechuso yogen oleinu.
www.hamodia.com/features/this-day-in-history-23-elulaugust-29/