Rav Yissochor Dov Rokeach zt"l
הרב יששכר דוב בן יהושע רוקח זצ"ל
Cheshvan 22 , 5687
Rav Yissochor Dov Rokeach zt"l
Rebbe Yissochor-Dov (Rokeach) of Belz [22 Cheshvan 5687] was the third Rebbe of the Belz chasidic dynasty, from 1894 until 1926. He was renowned as a miracle worker, and attracted thousands of devoted followers. A prominent leader of Galician Jewry, he strongly opposed the fledgling Zionist movement, which he saw as a threat to Jewish continuity.
http://www.ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=rebbeBios
Stories of Rav Yissochor Dov Rokeach zt"l
For example, one of the gabba’im in Belz was named Rav Mordechai Shamash. Everyone called him Reb Mottele the Gehinnom shamash! The reason for this strange name was because of his keychain. Reb Mottele had a keychain with lots of keys. He held the keys to the cupboards where all the candles were kept. In the Belzer shul everyone studied by candlelight and so it was Reb Mottele who supplied the lomdim who studied Torah with candles. He made sure the supply was always adequate and guaranteed that no one ever used up too many candles.
But the cupboards and the keys were not only for candles. Reb Mottele claimed that the keys unlocked the doors to more than just the candle cupboards; he claimed that they opened and unlocked the gates of Gehinnom! Yes, he would tell the Rebbe and the astonished Chassidim how he unlocked the gates of Gehinnom before each Shabbos and Yom Tov to let souls out for rest and respite – and how on Motza’ei Shabbos and Yom Tov he would lock them back in! What was even more surprising to the astonished Chassidim was that Rav Yissachar Dov of Belz seemed to take Reb Mottele seriously! He often conversed with the shamash, asking him which souls he freed permanently and who was still stuck in Gehinnom and entreat and beg him to release them! Rav Aharon of Belz said that surely his father knew what was truly going on...
Once Rav Yissachar Dov visited Marienbad, the famed resort, to relax and regain his strength. Rav Aharon of Belz recalled how astonished everyone was when Rav Yissachar Dov asked the proprietor for the best, fattest goose-liver paté for lunch! The news spread by word of mouth and all of the Chassidim were discussing the holy Tzaddik's strange request.
Finally lunchtime came and an entire plate of the finest goose-liver paté awaited the Rebbe of Belz. On his way to lunch the Rebbe tapped on the shoulder of one of his Chassidim whom he knew loved goose-liver paté and told him he wanted him to join him for lunch as his guest of honor! The Chassid joined the Rebbe and all watched as the Rebbe carefully examined the plate, extolling its virtues: how pleasant, fat and rich the liver was and so on. Then the Rebbe lifted up the plate and declared, “The truth is I have a great desire to eat this plate of goose liver; there are many holy, G-d-fearing Jews who do so, and I wish to count myself among them! Alas – what shall I do? For my family custom that I have inherited from my holy forefathers is that we do not eat from geshtupte ganz – fattened geese – and so our family custom forbids me to partake of this dish. How then shall I count myself among all those holy precious Jews? You –” he pointed to the Chassid, “you shall be my shaliach – you shall be my emissary; through you I will enter into their fold, for Chazal say shlucho shel adam kemoso – a man's emissary is like himself – and this will include me among them all!” So saying, he presented his Chassid with the liver.
Rav Yissachar Dov of Belz once called the famed baal menagen (musician) Reb Yisrael Poleg of Peshimshal, whom he had appointed to the job of chazzan in Levov, and told him on Motza’ei YomTov before he left Belz:
“My Chassidim are very strict not to go to those shuls that hire the modern chazzanim. However, there are many good, pious, holy Jews who do hear them. I too wish to be included among those Jews! Since I cannot go there and listen to those chazzanim, I wish that here and now you shall perform for me a piece of chazzanus (cantorial music) and this will fulfill my duty so that I can be counted among them.”
Rav Yissochor Dov of Belz was once sitting in his Sukka during Yom Tov and they brought him the soup. Since, to get to the Rebbe’s Sukka with food, one had to carry the food through the streets from the kitchen to the Sukka, by the time it arrived the soup was cold. The Rebbe asked, “Why is the soup so cold?” They explained to the Rebbe how the soup needed to be brought through the streets to the Sukka and had cooled off. Said the Belzer Rebbe, “If soup, which has no feelings, passes through the streets and gets cooled off, then just think. . .imagine what can happen to a flesh-and-blood person with feelings and emotions in his heart?! What happens to him if he passes through the streets and cools off?!”
Afterward, the Belzer Rav said in his humility, “Chuster Rav, you are a masmid; you sit and study Torah day and night, whereas I am the son of holy forebears. I am just a Rebbe – all I do is tell stories about Tzaddikim. Does that bother you?”
“Not at all,” answered the Arugas HaBosem, “for that too is considered learning and Torah study, as it says in the pasuk: “Achas diber Elokim, shtayim zu shamati – Hashem spoke once, I heard it twice”. Achas – refers to achdus – unity. Telling stories of Tzaddikim brings achdus, whereas shtayim – two – refers to disparity, strife and lack of unity, where there are two arguing opinions. This occurs when people say, “Zu shamati – I heard this one already,” when they forego listening to tales of Tzaddikim with the excuse, “I heard that one already.” That is machlokes.”
(Siach Z’keinim VI p. 91)
Rav Nachum Aharon, the son of the Magrover Rav, had a crooked finger. From time to time the Magrover Rav would ask the Tzaddik, Rav Yissochor Dov of Belz, to pray for his son’s recovery.
Once before Kiddush, Rav Yissochor Dov honored Rav Nachum with lifting up the Kiddush cup and placing it in the Rebbe’s hands. However, because his finger was crooked, Rav Nachum could not hold the cup straight. Seeing this, the Belzer Rav ordered him, “Hold your finger straight!” and so he did, and from then on, his finger was crooked no more! It straightened itself out and was healed. The Belzer explained that the Magrover’s descendants would one day greet Melech HaMoshiach, and “how would it look if they were blemished? They don’t allow ba’alei mum.”
(Kuntres Bechatzros Kodshecha Belz page 23)
Once when Rav Yissochor Dov was in the Marienbad resort, he was hosted by Rav Binyomin Leitner. In honor of his important guest Rav Binyomin purchased new cutlery and fine dishes. Unaccustomed to the ways of the Belzer Rav and other Tzaddikim, he was therefore dismayed to see the Belzer Rav eating with his hands. Mistakenly thinking that this custom was in fact a stricture, and that perhaps the Belzer Rav was worried about the kashrus of the utensils, he assured the Tzaddik that he himself had seen to it that the new cutlery was immersed in the mikve. “Why, I toiveled the keilim myself just yesterday!” he explained.
“Fine, fine; however, my hand was toiveled in the mikve just this very morning!” (Seudosa DeMalka Belz Chap. 1)
Once during the Belzer Rav’s Seder, Rav Yissochor Dov sent out one of the children to open the door for Eliyohu HaNovi during Shefoch Chamos’cha. When the child returned, the Belzer Rav asked the boy, “Nu, did you see Eliyohu HaNovi?”
When the child replied in the negative, Rav Yissochor Dov’s son-in-law turned to him and asked his father-in-law, “Is it truly possible to see Eliyohu?”
The Belzer Rav answered him, “You can see him, you can see…but he who sees not – his emuna is on a much higher level!” (Siach Zekenim II p186)
Once during the nine days before Tisha B’Av, Rav Yissochor Dov of Belz was in Marienbad with Rav Sholom of Apt. There, as is the custom in many Chassidic circles, they intentionally finished a Masechta of Talmud, and made a Siyum Maseches seuda. The festive meal was replete with fish, meat and wine. After bensching, the Belzer Rav rested and dictated a letter to his brother, Rav Aharon in Krenitz, which his son, Rav Sholom, wrote down.
A few sentences stood out. “We made a Siyum Maseches, and we ate meat and drank wine to display the honor and love of the Torah. A pity though that he was such a Litvak and such a cold Misnagged (an opponent of Chassidus), for he made the false claim that all year long we Chassidim don’t study Torah, and only now during the nine days, suddenly we finish a Masechta and make a festive meal for a Siyum Maseches, and he did not even wish to attend.”
Rav Sholom was puzzled – what he had written down made no sense. Who was his father referring to? What Misnagged? What Litvak? He turned to one of the Chassidim who sat closer to his father, the Belzer Rav, and asked him if he had perhaps misheard, misconstrued or missed some point of dictation.
The latter shrugged him off, saying he had heard correctly. “I will explain this matter to you. You see, it was I whom the Belzer Rav sent to buy the fish for the seuda. When I got to the fish store the owner went to catch a large, live fish from the tank for the meal. However, this fish gave him no end of trouble. It kept leaping out of his hands and jumping back into the water again and again, over and over! After this happened three times we realized that this fish had the gilgul (reincarnated soul) of a Misnagged in him, and that was why he was resisting; he simply did not want to be rectified and be part of the seuda! That is who your father meant in the dictation of the letter!”
(Yud Gimel Oros II p. 307)
Once during the mitzva tantz at a wedding where the Belzer Rav was dancing, a Jewish soldier dressed in uniform joined the dance. Some of those dancing tried to remove the soldier but the Belzer Rav prevented them. After stopping them he explained his reasons for allowing the soldier (many soldiers no longer kept Shabbos or any of the mitzvos or any semblance of Yiddishkeit after their forced conscription) to join the circle of dancers:
It says in the pasuk: Vayisa Yaakov raglov – “Yaakov raised his feet” – this refers to dancing. Vayeilech artza Bnei Kedem – “He went to the land of the Children of the East” – this refers to the belief that our ancestors come down from Heaven and join us during the mitzva tantz.” The holy Tzaddik concluded, “Nu, let them come down from Shomayim and see what has been done to their children! [Let them see how Jews have been forced into the army and forced to abandon Yiddishkeit perhaps they will beg for divine Mercy for their children!]”
(Siach Zekeinim III p. 208)
Divrei Torah of Rav Yissochor Dov Rokeach zt"l
the four sons of krias shema
Rav Yissochor Dov of Belz was reciting the Haggadah Shel Pesach when he reached the four sons of the seder. He interrupted his recitation with the following tale:
“One Pesach night after concluding his own seder, Rav Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, author of Bnei Yissoschar, was taking a stroll with some of his chassidim to hear how other Jews conducted their seder and recited the Haggadah. They happened to pass by the window of one house when they heard the landlord reciting the Haggadah with an odd variation. The simple Yid had just reached the part where we name the four sons of the seder, yet instead of simply reciting the four sons, he was drawing out the word “Echad” preceding each son, as if he were reciting the word “Echad” in Kriyas Shema where it is meant to be drawn out! Echaaaaad chacham, Echaaaaaad rasha, Echaaaaaaaad tam, Echaaaaaaaaaad sheayno yodea lishol.
The reading sounded quite comical and some of the chassidim smirked. The Bnei Yissoschar commented, ‘Why look at that! This Jew has transformed the four sons into a Kriyas Shema! One way to explain this is seeing it as being hinted at in the previous segment of the Haggadah.
There the sages were sitting in Bnei Brak reciting the Haggadah all night until their students told them, “The time for recitation of Kriyas Shema of Shacharis has arrived!” The word Shacharis is spelled shin, ches, reish, yud, sav and can stand for the acronym of the four sons: ches for chacham, the wise son; reish for rashsa, the wicked son; sav for tam, the simple son; shin and yud for sheayno yidel lishol, the youngest child who hasn’t yet learned to ask.”
“When I told this tale and the Bnei Yissoschar’s reaction and explanation to my father, the Rebbe Rav Yehoshua,” concluded Rav Yissoschar Dov of Belz, “I saw his face change colors, and I realized that these were deep matters indeed!” (Haggada Kol Yehuda Makava)
Segulos of Rav Yissochor Dov Rokeach zt"l
Rav Yissachar Dov of Belz would tell all the young chassanim, the newly engaged young men, to study the comments of the Ohr HaChaim on VaYikra (18:3) Kemaasay Eretz Mitzroyim."Az di vest das lernen yeden tog, vesti haben a hadracha vi azoy tzu firen nuch der chasuna — if you study this," he explained to them, "than you will know how to conduct yourselves once you are married."
It is a tradition among the tzaddikim that studying the Ohr HaChaim is a segulah for yiras shomayim. (Rav Yosef Greenwald of Pupa).
The commentary of the Ohr HaChaim on parshas Achrei Mos especially VaYikra (8:13) Kemaasay Eretz Mitzroyim, is a source and fountain for drawing good character traits and yiras shomayaim.
(Rav Eliezer Zisha of Skulen) - (Ner Maarvi, page 213).