Rav Sholom Eliezer Halberstam of Ratzpert zt"l
הרב שלום אליעזר בןחיים האלבערשטאם זצ"ל
Sivan 16 , 5704
Rav Sholom Eliezer Halberstam of Ratzpert zt"l
Rebbe Sholom Eliezer Halberstam (1862-1944) was one of the younger sons of the Divrei Chaim, Rebbe of Sanz, a leading righteous man and wonder-worker in the pre-Holocaust generation. Already as a youngster, prominent rebbes spoke of his holiness and lofty soul. For instance, during his stay in Sanz, the Tiferes Shlomo, Rebbe of Radomsk, reputedly pointed to R. Sholom Eliezer and said that at the coming of the Moshiach he will be among the Jewish leaders. At the time of his father's death, he was only 14 years old, and was raised by his elder brother, the Rebbe of Shinova. He married his niece, daughter of his sister and brother-in-law Rebbe Mordechai Dov Twersky, Rabbi of Hornostaipil. In 1886, R. Sholom Eliezer settled in the city of Tarnów (Galicia), and cloistered himself in the kloiz of the Sanz Chassidim studying Torah day and night. In 1899, he established his court in Ratzfert (Ujfeherto, Hungary), remaining there for over 40 years. His reputation as a wonder-worker drew Jews from all over Hungary to his court in Ratzfert, who were subsequently helped by his blessings (see Rabbeinu HaKadosh MiRatzfert, Bnei Brak 2007, for numerous testimonies and accounts of miracles and salvations he effected). During the Holocaust he refused to abandon his community, and perished with them in Auschwitz in Sivan 1944.
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Stories of Rav Sholom Eliezer Halberstam of Ratzpert zt"l
As is well known, the Divrei Chaim of Sanz was married three times during his life, and from his third wife he had three sons, Rav Aryeh Leibish, Rav Sholom Eliezer of Ratzfert and Rav Yitzchok Yeshaya of Teshechayuv. Rav Sholom Eliezer was a ben zekunim, and the other tzaddikim and rebbes held him in very high esteem. The Klausenberger used to say that the Divrei Chaim himself said that he had seven sons who shined like the seven stars in the heavens, other times he said that they were like seven mirrors.
Rav Elazar Mendel Biderman of Lelov used to tell his son Reb Dovid’l to pay attention and keep an eye on the Divrei Chaim’s two younger sons (Rav Aryeh Leibish passed away at a young age in the Divrei Chaim’s lifetime) because it was well known that they were the rebbe’s youngest sons and were born with extra kedusha and sanctity and that they shined even greater than their older brothers.
When Rav Yissacher Dov of Belz once visited Ratzfert during Chanuka, Rav Sholom Eliezer inquired when the Belzer Rav was lighting candles for he wished to come and see and be present during the mitzvah. When the Belzer Rav entered and saw that the Ratzferter Rav had not yet arrived he waited for him, even when the Ratzferter failed to arrive after waiting a while still the Belzer Rav waited for him. When he noticed that the Chassidim were growing impatient and felt that it was a slight to the Belzer Rav’s honor to wait on another Rebbe, he ignored this and continued waiting. After more time passed the Belzer Rav’s gabbai came and urged the Rebbe to light already and that it would be okay to light the Chanukah candles even without the Ratzferter Rav’s presence. Hearing this the Belzer Rav answered: “What should I do that he had a father who selected his son’s neshamah?”
A similar statement was made by the Unsdorfer Rav, Rav Shmuel Rosenberg author of Be’er Shmuel. He once sent a letter to the Ratzferter asking him for a beracha through a talmid, Reb Yitzchok Frankel. Reb Frankel asked his Rebbe why he was asking him for a beracha, “I know the Ratzferter and he is a holy man who many seeks his berachos, but you rebbe are much elder why do you seek the berachos of a yungerman?” The Unsdorfer Rav’s face flushed with excitement and changed, he stood up and showed him overflowing bookcase to his talmid and asked him rhetorically: “You see this bookcase? Obviously, you know that I recognize and know each sefer in it and each sefer’s place so well that I can take it with my eyes closed? You must know that the Divrei Chaim of Sanz was as much an expert in the realm of souls, the olam of holy neshamos when his sons were born, no less an expert than I am in my seforim shank, and if he himself selected these souls he knew that they were appropriate and fitting for this generation and now you ask me why I ask for the Ratzferter’s beracha?!” (Rabbeinu HaKadosh MeRatzfert, pages 17-20)
When the Ratzferter once came to Nasoyd, a chassid from a village near Nasoyd once came to the Ratzferter for a beracha along with the throngs and multitudes seeking his beracha and advice from Nasoyd and all the environs. He waited patiently on line and by the time he came in and received a beracha, the hour was too late to go back home and so he spent the night in town.
His wife was expecting in her ninth month and was seized by intense labor pains. Seeing the late hour and that her husband did not come home she felt that she was in trouble. She could not get out of bed and was alone and had no one to summon the midwife. In her pain, anguish and distress she cried herself to sleep. She dreamt and saw a vision of an elderly tzaddik who soothed her, comforted her and told her not to worry, “Your husband gave my son a nice sum of money today and asked him for his blessings. As a reward to your husband, I promise you that you will give birth without any danger nor difficulty and I will see to it that your child is born healthy and he will lie beside you safe and sound when you awake.” And so it was, she awoke having miraculously delivered the child who was safe and sound asleep peacefully by her side. When her husband came in the morning and found her and his baby safe she told him the whole story and he understood how the Divrei Chaim of Sanz had himself come to help deliver his baby safely and healing his wife as thanks for having supported his son, the Ratzferter Rav. (Derech Tzaddikim)