Rav Yitzchok Isaac Taub zt"l
הרב יצחק אייזיק בן משה יחזקאל טויב זצ"ל
Adar II 7 , 5581
Rav Yitzchok Isaac Taub zt"l
Son of Rav Moshe Yechezkel and Raizel, Rav Yitzchak Isaac was born in Serentsh, Hungary in 5511 (1751).
In his youth he was taught by Rav Isaac of Pshevorsk, who was then a melamed in Galicia who had been invited to teach in Serentsh. According to tradition, it was Rav Leib Sarah’s who drew him close to chassidus and brought him to Rav Shmelke of Nikolsberg. Rav Leib Sarah’s told Rav Yitzchak Isaac widowed mother that he had a high lofty soul from the supernal world of Song.
He studied under the Rebbe Reb Shmelke and the Rebbe Reb Meilech of Lizhensk until 5541, when he returned to Kaliv. He married the daughter of his uncle Rav Uziel Katz of Tertzal. Rav Yitzchak Isaac lived in Kaliv for forty years teaching Torah and chassidus across Hungary. He was famed as the first rebbe in Hungary and someone who drew back thousands to do teshuvah.
Among his chassidim and disciples were Rav Chaim Yosef Gottlieb of Stropkov, Rav Mendel and Rav Wolf, of whom Rav Isaac of Zidatchov testified that they knew all the writings of the Arizal by heart; Rav Yosef and Rav Michoel of Nanash, Rav Mordechai of Tertzal, and Rav Aharon of Potik, his stepson.
His songs, especially those in Hungarian, became famous for their heartfelt messages, especially Szól a kakas már.
He passed away on Shabbos Kodesh, 7 Adar 5581 (1821).
His sons were Rav Moshe Chaim of Rozdal (son in law of Rav Tzvi Hirsch of Zidatchov), Rav Meir, and Rav Yaakov.
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Kaliv is a Hasidic dynasty founded by Yitzchak Isaac Taub (1744–1821) of Nagykálló Hungary He was famous for composing the traditional Hungarian Hasidic tune "Szól a kakas már".
He composed many popular Hasidic Nigunim (melodies). Often he adapted Hungarian folk songs, adding Jewish words, by that transforming it to sacred songs. He taught that the tunes he heard were really from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and were lost among the nations over the years, and he found them and returned them to the Jewish people. He said that the proof that it was true was that the gentile who would teach him the song would forget it as soon as the rebbe learned it. He was famous for composing the traditional Hungarian Hasidic tune Szól a kakas már.
Szól a kakas már, majd megvirrad már.
Zöld erdőben, sík mezőben sétál egy madár.
De micsoda madár, de micsoda madár!
Sárga lába, gyöngy a szárnya, engem oda vár.
Várj madár, várj! [Te csak mindig várj!]
Ha az Isten néked rendel, a tiéd leszek már!
De mikor lesz az már, de mikor lesz az már?
„Jibone háMikdos, ir Cijajn tömálé,” akkor lesz az már.
[De miért nincs az már, de miért nincs az már?
„Mipné chátoénu golinu méárcénu,” azért nincs az már.]
The rooster is calling already, it will be dawn soon.
In a green forest, in a flat field a bird is walking.
But what a bird, but what a bird!
Its leg is yellow, its wing is pearl[-like], it waits me [to go] there.
Wait bird, wait! [You shall always wait!]
If God destines [me] for you, then I will be yours!
But when it will be, but when it will be?
“Yiboneh haMiqdosh, ir Tziyayn temaleih,” it will be then.
[But why isn't it already, but why isn't it already?
“Mipnei chatoeinu golinu meiartzeinu,” that is why not already.]
Words in square brackets are sometimes omitted. See Hungarian phonology about proper
pronunciation.
When Leib Sarah's found him, he sang in Hungarian a song he knew from the shepherds, Erdő, erdő,
which he adapted to Judaism by changing the words. In Yitzack Isaac's version, the love in the song is
for the Shechina (Divine Presence) that is in exile until the Messiah:
Forest, O forest, how vast are you!
Rose, O rose, how distant you are!
Were the forest not so vast,
My rose wouldn't be so far.
Who will guide me out of the forest,
And unite me with my rose?
Then he sang it as Rabbi Leib Sarah's heard it.
Exile, O exile, how vast are you!
Shechinah, Shechinah, how distant you are!
Were the exile not so vast,
The Shechinah wouldn't be so far.
Who will guide me out of the exile,
And unite me with the Shechinah?
Another famous song by the Kaliver Rebbe is Sírnak, rínak a bárányok – also in Hungarian.
Stories of Rav Yitzchok Isaac Taub zt"l
On the day preceding each Biblical festival, Rabbi Yitzchak-Isaac Taub of Kaliv would disappear for many hours; no one knew where he went. One year on erev Sukkot, the lay leader of the Kaliv Jewish community, Mr. Yaakov Fisch, was determined to discover the tzadik's secret. While the Rebbe was occupied, Fisch hid himself in the wagon, where he remained undiscovered until the Rebbe was well on his journey.
When Reb Yankel revealed himself, the Rebbe became visibly distressed. He exclaimed, "What can I do with you now?" He made the stowaway promise not to ask any questions, not of himself nor of anyone else.
Soon they arrived at a city which Yankel did not recognize. The Rebbe abruptly stopped the wagon, and began to walk down a narrow path that led to a mikveh. He instructed his passenger to wait while he immersed himself there.
Yankel waited in the wagon until he was overcome with curiosity and impatience. Forgetting the tzadik's warning, he hopped off the wagon and sought to question the people nearby. "Excuse me," he asked in Yiddish the first man he stopped, "but where am I?"
"Don't you know where you are?" the astonished fellow replied, thinking that he was dealing with a madman. "Where do you think you are?"
"Well, I was just in Kaliv, Hungary, a few hours ago," Yankel began.
"Now I know you're mad," said the man, "How could you possibly get from Kaliv to Tzfat in a few hours?"
"Tzfat?!" cried Yankel. "You're the one who is mad! How could I be in Tzfat, in Eretz Yisrael, if I was just in Kaliv?"
The argument intensified, and in the heat of the debate Yankel forgot to get back to the wagon before the Rebbe reappeared. To his dismay, he arrived back at the mikveh just in time to see the wagon pulling away. Yankel was beside himself. Here he was, stranded in a town of "meshuga'im" (insane people) who thought they were living in Tzfat!
However, he had no choice but to ask one of them to take him in to his home for the Sukkot holiday. Already during the first hours of the festival, seeing the different customs and hearing people speaking in the Holy Tongue and in Arabic as well as Yiddish, Yankel realized that indeed he was in Tzfat, Astonished, it dawned on him as an epiphany that the Kaliver used a Divine Holy Name for kefitzat haderech (a miraculous contraction of a journey) to come to Tsfat every erev Yom Tov in order to immerse himself in the mikveh of the holy Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria.
His amazement was quickly joined by shock as he realized that he was compelled to remain in Tzfat until the Rebbe would return the following Yom Tov. How else could he possibly get all the way back to Europe?
Meanwhile, back in Kaliv, the Fisch family was frantic about Yankel's sudden disappearance. They ran to the Rebbe for advice. The Kaliver smiled as he assured them that there was no need for concern, promising that Mr. Fisch would return just in time for the Passover Seder!
And so it was. Six months later, Yankel Fisch was delighted to see the tzadik's wagon arriving at the Arizal's mikveh on Erev Pesach. This time he made sure not to miss the ride back home.
The Rebbe extracted a promise from Yankel not to reveal this incident in his lifetime; it became known only after the Rebbe passed away in 1821.
Rav Yitzchok Isaac of Kaliv was once in Lizhensk during Parshas Beshalach. The Rebbe Elimelech asked the Kaliver to be absent when he recited Torah at the tisch for some secret reason that the Rebbe would not divulge, but the Kaliver did not wish to miss the opportunity to hear the Rebbe’s Chassidic discourse and so he remained.
As soon as the Noam Elimelech began to say Torah, the Kaliver jumped up away from the table and began to run to and fro in the entire house, singing Hallel at the top of his voice! Everyone present was very surprised by such aberrant behavior. Afterward, the Kaliver explained himself: “When the Rebbe said Torah about the weekly Parsha, I was infused by such excitement and it set me aflame with such hislahavus that I imagined myself to be in the midst of offering the Korban Pesach – and so I sang Hallel!” (Ohel Elimelech #274)