Rav Osher Yeshaya Rubin of Ropshitz zt"l
הרב אשר ישעיה בן אליעזר ליפמן רובין זצ"ל
Nissan 14 , 5605
Stories of Rav Osher Yeshaya Rubin of Ropshitz zt"l
In Warsaw sat a bochur named Asher Yeshaya in the Bais Medrash engrossed in his learning. The Ropshitzer, mechaber of Zera Kodesh, was visiting. He entered the Bais Medrash and found the bochur sitting and learning, and began exchanging Divrei Torah with him. The bochur found great favor in his eyes. He asked the bochur about his father, and when he found out that he was a tailor, he inquired as to where he worked, for the Ropshitzer Rav’s bekeshe was torn and he needed someone to mend it.
As he stood watching the tailor mend his torn clothes, the Ropshitzer entered into a discussion with the tailor and offered to make a shidduch between his own daughter and the precious young budding Torah scholar, Asher Yeshaya, whom he had met in the Bais Medrash. The tailor, seeing the Ropshitzer’s ripped clothes, imagined him to be someone with no means and he laughed, shrugging off the suggestion with a backhanded gesture.
“I have already been offered some good suggestions from my own townsfolk and I turned them all down, even though they offered me thousands of rubles in dowry and upkeep. Until now I have not agreed to any suggestion at all.”
“Go and tell the Rav of the town, the Chemdas Shlomo, that the Ropshitzer Rav is suggesting you make a shidduch with him.”
Hearing that he was a Rav, the tailor took the matter more seriously and ran off to the Chemdas Shlomo, who told him to seize such a good opportunity.
According to the She’eiris Boruch, by Rav Boruch Rubin, who heard these traditions and stories from his father Rav Meir of Gloguv, who heard them in turn from Rav Yosef Dombrover, his father-in-law, the minhag was that the Chassidim and talmidim of the Chozeh (among whom Rav Naftoli Ropshitzer was counted) came to Lublin with shidduch suggestions and wrote the names of the suggested match, chosson and kalla, on a kvittel and presented it to the Chozeh; he would then declare if it was a good match.
The Ropshitzer had two choices for his only daughter Ratzchi: Rav Asher Yeshaya and another possibility. He came to Lublin to ask the Chozeh which shidduch he should choose to complete. The Chozeh actually thought the other chosson was a good match, but the Ropshitzer, in his wisdom, realized that Rav Asher Yeshaya would be a better match, and so he immediately traveled to Warsaw and completed the shidduch with Asher Yeshaya. He then returned to Lublin to ask the Rebbe, the Chozeh, to wish him Mazel Tov as was customary on finishing a shidduch. When the Chozeh read the kvittel with the chosson’s name and saw it was not the one he had suggested as a match, the holy Chozeh remarked, “Nu? Chochom adif minovi – A sage is better than a prophet!” alluding to the superiority of the Ropshitzer’s choice, for he was well known as a sage and the Chozeh was so far-seeing with Ruach HaKodesh that he was like a prophet. The Chozeh then concluded,“A sheina Korban Pesach’el! – What a nice Pesach offering!” No one understood this remark at the time, but many years later, when Rav Asher Yeshaya Rubin was niftar on Erev Pesach, the Chozeh’s remark was understood. His soul was accepted on high as the Korban Pesach that year.
Other traditions tell us that the Ropshitzer made the shidduch first and then went to Lublin after the tenno’im, and the Chozeh was not happy with his choice. Afterward, when the young chosson was orphaned of both parents, the Ropshitzer took the chosson to Lublin to meet the Chozeh. When the Chozeh actually met him, he was pleased and remarked, “Chochom adif minovi.” After the chasuna and during Shabbos Sheva Berochos, the Chozeh honored the young chosson with leading Birkas HaMozon. When this scenario occurred again during the daytime Shabbos meal, the Ropshitzer told the Chozeh that he was afraid of ayin hora and the Chozeh remarked about Rav Asher Yeshaya, “A Kosher Korban Pesach’el!”
(Based on She’eiris Boruch Vol. II p. 9 #40 and Ohr Rabbeinu Asher p. 7–8)
Divrei Torah of Rav Osher Yeshaya Rubin of Ropshitz zt"l
or yesha - in honor of his yahrtzeit erev pesach - maakas bechoros
“But against all the Children of Israel, no dog shall whet its tongue” – lo yecheratz kelev leshono (Shemos 11:7).
In the name of the Tzaddik, Rav Asher Yeshaya Ropshitzer, this pasuk can be read as lechol Bnei Yisrael lo yecheratz – do not act like like the goyim – with charitzus, using a smooth, slick tongue to speak falsehood and lies in a foxy and wily manner – rather, kelev leshono – read as ke’lev: like the heart so shall be the tongue. Your tongue and your heart should coordinate and correspond to each other; what you believe in your heart, speak with your tongue. Ke’lev leshono – your speech shall be equal with your heart, as one. (Ohr Yesha Bo, in the name of Toldos Yaakov Beshallach)