Rav Moshe Pallier of Kobrin zt"l
הרב משה בן ישראל אליעזר פאליער זצ"ל
Nissan 29 , 5618
Rav Moshe Pallier of Kobrin zt"l
Rabbi Moshe Pallier of Kobrin [29 Nisan 1858] was a close follower of the Rebbe, R. Mordechai of Lechovitch and afterwards of his son, R. Noach. In 1833 he became the first Rebbe of the Kobrin dynasty, with thousands of chassidim, many of whom subsequently moved to Eretz Yisroel. His teachings are collected in Imros Taharos.
http://www.ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=rebbeBios
Stories of Rav Moshe Pallier of Kobrin zt"l
When Rav Moshe Kobriner first joined the Derech HaChassidus he yearned to travel to Rav Mordechai of Lechovitch, but his father-in-law was a strong Misnagged and staunchly forbade his son-in-law to go. This went on until Rav Moshe’s yearnings and pangs were so strong that he became sick, so sick that they brought in a physician to diagnose his illness. The doctor declared that he was lovesick – his passionate desire and yearning for something was so strong that it was making him physically ill.
His father-in-law realized that it was Rav Moshe’s yearnings for the Lechovitcher that was the root of this sickness and so he finally relented and agreed to allow him to travel. His father-in-law hired a coach, wagon and some horses, and they set out. As they neared their destination, slowly but surely Rav Moshe’s condition improved. Seeing that his son-in-law was getting well, the father-in-law decided to turn back around. When Rav Moshe saw them going back, his illness returned and he had a total relapse. Seeing that there was no other option, they turned back again to Lechovitch. When they arrived in Lechovitch, it was the Shabbos before Selichos and Rav Moshe quickly absorbed the Derech HaChassidus and became an ardent and devoted Chassid of the Rebbe he would one day succeed. (Yehi Ohr p. 229 #480)
In Kobrin the davening was so intense, with such mesirus nefesh and dveikus that there were specially appointed Chassidim whose job it was to revive all the other Chassidim who fainted during Nishmas.(Yehi Ohr p. 232 #489)
The Lechovitcher said regarding Rav Moshe Kobriner: Every day he reveals a new meaning and discovers a new derech in the concept of Bechol derochecha do’eihu – “Know Hashem in all your ways”. A different time he remarked how even the angels and seraphs did not recognize the Kobriner’s true stature.
Rav Yisrael Rizhiner said to Rav Moshe Kobriner, “When you travel and come to me I can smell your fragrance like the bouquet of Eretz Yisrael, even when you are still fifty meters off, and your emes can be felt at several miles distance!”
The Kobriner used to say regarding the wording of the first berocha of Shemone Esrei, koneh hakol – that Hashem acquires each and every gesture that a Jew does for Hashem’s sake and accepts them all as long as they are emes. (Toras Avos p. 293 #114, #129)
Before his petira he remarked, “The thing I am truly ashamed of is that the Bais HaMikdosh wasn’t rebuilt in my lifetime.” And before he left this world his body changed form so that his sinews and veins began to bulge on his head until they formed the shape of the letter shin [like on the Tefillin Shel Rosh] (Maamar Mordechai Slonim #29, #30, #36-37