Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Chozeh of Lublin ZT'L Yaharzeit ח Av

Zchuos Avos article on the Chozeh of Lublin

ח Av is the yahazeit of the Chozeh of Lublin

Reb Yaakov Yitzchok ben Avrohom Eliezer HaLevi Horowitz, known as the Chozeh of Lublin or the Rebbe of Lublin, who passed away in 1815. He was a talmid of the Magid of Mezritch, Magid of Zlotchov, Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev and the Rebbe Reb Shmelke of Nikolsburg. His main Rebbe, of course, was the Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizensk, the author of Noam Elimelech. He was one of the four top talmidim of the Noam Elimelech. (The other three were Reb Yisroel of Koznitz, Reb Avrohom Yehoshua Heschel of Apta and Reb Menachem Mendel of Rimanov. There were, of course, many other great talmidim, but these four were singled out by the Noam Elimelech and he gave them each different spiritual gifts before his passing.)

His talmidim included Reb Dovid of Lelov, Reb Yissocher Dov of Radoshitz,

Meor VeShemesh, Reb Naftali of Ropshitz, Yid HaKodosh, Bnei Yisaschor, Yismach Moshe, Reb Meir of Apta, the Zhidichover and Komarna Rebbes, Sar Sholom of Belz and numerous other great tzadikim. He also wrote approbations for Sefer Likutei Mohoran and Siddur Tefila Yeshara (Berdichiver Siddur). His seforim include Divrei Emes, Zichron Zos, and Zos Zichron.


You Will Cry On the Day I Die

On Simchas Torah the Chozeh fell from a window and hurt himself very bad. Certain opponents of the Chozeh were openly happy about this. When the Chozeh heard about this, he said: "On the day I die they will be crying". This statement was understood when the Chozeh passed away on the saddest day of the year, Tisha B'Av.

May the merit of this Holy Tzaddik keep Klal Yisroel safe and help bring Moshiach immediately AMEN!!!



"You're a chill Jew"



I had a recent conversation with a friend of my wife and I. This friend who had recently become religious referred to my wife and I as "chill Jews". Now such a statement has a forked road the size of Kentucky in the middle of it. Either we are chill Jews because we are welcoming and can make any Jew of any walk of life feel comfortable ooooooooooor.... we are chill because we are lenient in Halacha and are influenced by the modern excitement of Los Angeles and the world over. I didn't give off the impression of being insulted because I didn't want to argue with someone who I haven't seen in at least 2 years and at that point they were most likely eating a cheeseburger on Shabbos. The question was part of a larger conversation based around them interested in a shidduch with someone who was a baal teshuvah as well and completely swore against going to the movies. This friend of ours still couldn't shake the habit and this was really a pressing issue. I always laugh at such statements like hearing someone at Aish saying they don't go to movies anymore after being "religious" for a summer. I just don't understand how the baal teshuvah mind works sometimes. It could be because I lived in a frum house for 4 years with religious parents before I myself became religious, but I hold learning of Hilchos Shabbos higher than staying away from the movie theater. Well this potential shidduch had been religious for 3 years and was very shtark and isn't in touch with the reality of the modern world "like my wife and i". Whaaaaaa? 3 years and their mea sharim mindset is in full effect? Sounds like one holy person to me. My Rav once told me "We are more modern than someone in Borough Park, but we are not Modern Orthodox". Its a powerful statement for me because although I work in the Ad Graphic Modern World, I do not indulge in it. I don't own a TV and I have been to 1 movie in 2 years and I really wish I picked a better movie. (Do not see Indiana Jones it was bad.) Chumrahs and Minhagim aren't going to bring Moshiach and I have yet to find in any seforim advice to focus on them more than Halacha. My writings are not a platform to brag about how religious I am but to comment on an important misconception in the Baal Teshuvah world and that is that going to the Movies will send you to gehenom but performing a malacha on Shabbos eh...B'Shogeg. Maybe when we invite this friend for Shabbos they will realize their err in judgement. It just goes to show you that you shouldn't judge a Jew by their cover. Its the one criticism I have for the baal teshuvah yeshivas is that they don't keep Baal Teshuvah Syndrome in check and make sure these Jews don't think they are poskim for the masses or that going to the movies or not should be #2 on their shidduch qualification list.

G-d willing we will all including myself realize that we need to serve Hashem for his sake and inspire others to do so and with that bring Moshiach who will rebuild the Beis Hamikdash before tomorrow and we will dance in Yerushalayim AMEN!!!