Rav Tzvi Hirsch Horowitz of Chortkov zt"l
הרב צבי הירש בן מאיר הורוויץ זצ"ל
Cheshvan 15 , 5514
Rav Tzvi Hirsch Horowitz of Chortkov zt"l
In Sefer Shemen HaTov (Vol 2 #106) in the name of the Baal Shem Tov that there are three famed families whose impeccable pedigree and yichus can be traced generation after generation and they are the Margolios, Shapira and Horowitz families.
The Baal Shem had three beloved disciples each from these families: Rav Meir Margolios author of Meir Nesivim, Rav Pinchos Shapira of Koretz author Imrei Pinchos and Rav Tzvi Hirsch HaLevi Horowitz of Tshortshkov the father of the famed Rav Shmelka of Niksolsberg and Rav Pinchos of Frankfurt author Haflaah.
(There is another tradition that the Baal Shem supported the beloved Rappaport family of Kohanim, the Horowitz family of Leviim and the Shapira family of Yisroelim. Eden Tzion p. 259
A third tradition in Pischa Zeira of Tzva Rav by Michelzohn p.8 is cited in the name of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz that the three families are the family of the Chacham Tzvi, the family of Rav Meir HaLevi Horowitz of Tiktin, Rav Shmelka’s paternal grandfather and the Baal Shem’s own family.)
His Colleagues:
Rav Hirschele Tshortkover was a colleague of such giants as Rav Yechezkel Landau of Prague author Noda BeYehuda, Rav Chaim Sanzer of Brody and Rav Chaim haKohen Rappaport AvBeisDin Lwow.
His Bais Medrash
Rav Hirshele’s Kloizel was a unique bais medrash in Tshortkov with its own special customs that were fiercely guarded by Rav Hirschele. For example the nusach haTefillah was Ashkenaz and no one dared change it because of the dire consequences even after Rav Hirshele passed on. See Stories Below.
The custom was that only Rav Hirshele’s disciples were allowed to daven until Baruch SheAmar afterwards anyone could come and join, however after davening no one else was allowed to stay when the disciples sat down on the floor in a circle and Rav Hirshele stood in its center, surrounded by them as he taught them the mysteries and secrets of Torah.
Another custom he established was a special tefillah to recite responsively before Tekiyas Shofar.
The queerest custom was the strange rule that Rav Hirshele left behind that no changes whatsoever were allowed to be made to the bais medrash, even to fix or something or renovate was not allowed. Therefore the shul was never renovated or repaired at all and when necessary only support beams were added and support walls from outside were erected, to help hold up the old walls from collapsing as the structure itself sunk slowly into the ground up to the windows’ height. Until the Holocaust’s war years the shul remained standing and in use.
His marriage:
He married Malka the daughter of Rav Mordechai AvBeisDin Lutzk
Rebitzen Malka
She used to joke: we have two sons, one of them never bentshes Birkas haMazon and the other never recites Keriyas Shema Al HaMitta!
Because Rav Pinchos was always fasting and never ate full meals, and Rav Shmelka never went to bed, he would fall asleep from exhaustion while studying Torah (Ohel Yitzchok p77)
They once came to visit her out of respect and she sent a messenger for them to turn back saying she does not wish to receive any honor in this passing world, Rather she wants to reserve the honor of a mother in the coming world of truth, of eternal Shabbos, there she will receive her son and bask in their honor. (Ohel Yitzchok 75 Shemen haTov 108, 112)
His second wife was Rav Chaim haKohen Rappaport’s sister (Shemen HaTov II 108)
He passed away on 15 MarCheshvan תקי''ד laid to rest in Tshortkov
His Children:
His sons: Rav (Menachem?) Nachum haLevi AvBeisDin Praskuv, Rav Mordechai of Tshernoble sent the city’s Jews to daven by his kever to end a plague that struck and Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev saw his kever as a source of a great light in the bais haChaim. (Shemen HaTov II 96,119), His two famous sons where the Rebbe Reb Shmelka Horowitz of Nikolsberg and Rav Pinchos haLevi Horowitz of Frankfurt author Haflaah, Yehoshua Heschel who died at age fifteen on 7 Nissan תצ''א , Rav Avraham haLevi
His daughters: Eidel wife of Rav Moshe Yehoshua AvBeisDin Shterim, Leah wife of ? father of Rav Simcha of Ludmir, ? the wife of Rav Yechiel Michel Halperin of Sharigrod, Miriam wife of ? of Mogilev, Podolia grandmother of Rav Shmuel HaKohen Burstein, author of Minchas Shabbos and Minchas YomTov
His Torah is often cited by his son Rav Pinchos in Sefer HaFlaah and by his son Rav Shmelka in Divrei Shmuel as well.
Stories of Rav Tzvi Hirsch Horowitz of Chortkov zt"l
Rav Yisroel the son of Rav Duvid Moshe of Tshortkov once related how Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev once came to visit Tshortkov several years after Rav Hirshele Tshortkover had already passed away.
During the Kedushas Levi’s visit he davened in Rav Hirshele’s Kloizel, however, being a chassid, as was his custom he davened nusach Sefard, which was contrary to the established custom of the shul.
No sooner had Rav Levi Yitzchok, well known for his passionate fiery tefillos, begun to daven Sefard he was seized by a deep sleep in which he had a visionary visit by none other than the Rav of the Kloizel, Rav Hirshele Tshortkover himself! Rav Hirshele appeared to the Berditchever Rav and admonished him for switching from the nusach Ashkenaz rite to Sefard and challenged him thus:
“How dare you! What gives you the might and right to change from nusach Ashkenaz in this place? I worked very hard, and I struggled and exerted much effort until I succeeded in forging a pathway ascending heavenward through Nusach Ashkenaz!” so saying he concluded his visionary rebuke and the Berditchever awoke and switched promptly back to nusach Ashkenaz!
“Now see that?” concluded Rav Yisroel of Tshortkov, “We all know how passionate and moving the heilige Berditchever’s tefillos were, yet somehow Rav Hirshele was so great that he could even induce a sleeplike trance on the Kedushas Levi to get him to change back to the correct nusach haTefillah!”
On a different occasion years after Rav Hirshele’s passing, when someone tried to switch from saying Bameh Madlikin on Shabbos Friday night to Kegavna like the custom of nusach Sefard, that night a fire broke out and consumed the amud where the chazzan prayed as well as the floor he had stood upon up the aron hakodesh where it stopped and ceased. Needless to say that they reverted back to Bameh Madlikin, even many many years later when the worshippers did daven Sefard they still kept to saying Bameh Madlikin, so as to prevent another hadlaka! (Shemen haTov 101-105 Sefer Thsortkov pg 171)
Segulos of Rav Tzvi Hirsch Horowitz of Chortkov zt"l
AGAINST FIERY FLAMES
Rav Hirshele promised that if ever there was a fire they should hurry to daven at his kever and it would cease and not strike further than 3 buildings, and so it was that if ever a fire broke out in Tshortkov they davened at his kever and the fire would be extinguished and miraculously cease. (Shemen haTov 92, 115)
The Testimony about The PROMISE
Before his passing Rav Hirshele promised that any of his descendants who came to daven at his kever would be answered: some say the promise was made for five generations, other traditions said ten, still others promised for all future coming generations and it is well established that his kever is a tried and tested segulah for having tefillos answered.
Rav Shmuel Shmelka Horowitz of Sanik author Semichas Moshe testified about himself, how he was paralyzed in pain from his foot and no doctor could help, they had given up hope.
Rav Tzvi Hirsch of Rymanov advised him to send a shaliach specially to daven at Rav Hirshele Tshortkover’s kever, and no sooner than the emissary arrived and interceded, he began to heal and was completely recovered.
In the introduction to Minchas YomTov by Rav Shmuel of Shitava also a descendant, they had someone sick for nine months, they sent a special shaliach to daven by Rav Hirshele’s kever and the sick person was immediately miraculously healed and recovered at once.
Rav Pinchos HaLevi Horowitz of Magrov Tiveria related that he had a wound on his cheek, and that he traveled together with his mother to Rav Sholom of Belz and no sooner did she relate Rav Hirshele’s last will and testament promise he told her to travel immediately to Tshortkov and so they did and as soon as he returned home he was healed, (Intro to Semichas Moshe, Intro to Minchas YomTov, Shemen haTov II 95 and 116)