15 Cheshvan · Yahrzeit
Yahrzeit/Hillula of Rabbi Leib Baal HaYesurim
The resting place of Rabbi Leib Baal HaYesurim (the holy sufferer)
Burial place – Tzfat (old cemetery);
Yahrzeit – 15 Cheshvan;
Across the expanses of Ukrainian Podolia flows the mighty Dniester River, on whose banks (a hundred years before the birth of the holy Baal Shem Tov) the ruler of the Principality of Moldavia, Ieremia Movilă, founded a town that was later named Mohilev in his honor (today Mohyliv-Podilskyi).
For a long time Podolia was a "pashalik" (province) of the Ottoman Empire — which is why in the time of the Baal Shem Tov this town was called "Terkish Mohilev," meaning "Turkish Mohilev." It was there that a young genius named Leib lived, who, despite his deep knowledge of Torah, resisted the ways of Chassidus.
It is told that once the holy Baal Shem Tov came to Mohilev together with his disciple, the holy Rabbi Ze'ev Kitzes — and the Baal Shem Tov wanted to stay specifically in Rabbi Leib's small house. After the meal, the Baal Shem Tov sat on the porch with his famous "lulke" (smoking pipe) in hand, while Rabbi Ze'ev quietly told Rabbi Leib about his teacher's wonders. But to every story the young genius answered only one thing: "I don't believe it!" After yet another "I don't believe it," the Baal Shem Tov suddenly came into the room and said: "So, in order to believe, you must see with your own eyes?! Very well, you shall see..." — and they left.
Several days passed, and on one hot night Rabbi Leib could not fall asleep — so he went out to sleep in the yard, where there was a cow's pen with a haystack for it. It was on this haystack, in the cool night air, that Rabbi Leibl lay down. Toward morning, when the first rays of sun lit the horizon, he awoke to strange sounds — a large crowd of people was walking down the street. Rabbi Leibl looked closer — and his sleepiness vanished at once — for the people walking down the street were dressed in tachrichim (burial shrouds), many of whom Rabbi Leibl had known personally in their lifetimes. In fear he buried his head in the hay — but felt an icy hand on his shoulder, which with one motion turned his face toward a deceased rabbi with whom Rabbi Leib had once studied. The dead man said: "Well, now are you afraid to see with your own eyes?! You can take the Baal Shem Tov at his word..."
From that time on, Rabbi Leib began drawing closer to Chassidus, and soon traveled to the holy disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz (the Baal Shem Tov himself left this world shortly after his trip to Mohilev, in the year 5520) — but Rabbi Pinchas refused to teach Rabbi Leib, telling him that "the roots of their souls come from different sources" — but promised that he would soon find his teacher.
In the spring of 5537 (1777), several hundred Chassidim, led by three disciples of the Great Maggid (the holy Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, Rabbi Avraham HaKohen of Kalisk, and Rabbi Yisrael of Polotsk), set out for the Holy Land.
They were seen off by the thirty-year-old genius from Liozna — the holy Alter Rebbe. Upon reaching Mohilev, they boarded ships and sailed across the Black Sea to Istanbul, and from there to the Holy Land. Thus, after seeing off his elder colleagues, the Alter Rebbe remained living in Mohilev for a time (it is said that for a while he even served as the town's rabbi). It was most likely then that Rabbi Leib became acquainted with the Alter Rebbe and became his student, and later his Chassid.
When the Chassidim of Mohilev asked the Alter Rebbe to appoint Rabbi Leib as the town's Chassidic rabbi, the Alter Rebbe refused, saying that Rabbi Leibl had "completely separated himself from this world" — whereas a rabbi must be not merely a holy person, but also understand all the community's troubles as his own.
Instead, he advised the Jews of Mohilev to set aside time and funds for a weekly farbrengen in the synagogue, which young men should attend to hear from Rabbi Leib about proper Chassidic conduct. And so they did.
The Rebbe Rayatz once related (and in this account he calls Rabbi Leib "a rav, a tzadik, and a chossid" — which is highly unusual when describing a Chassid) that once, out of simple curiosity, a young man from the "Polish" branch of Chassidus came to one of these farbrengens — and was deeply struck by Rabbi Leib's explanations of a Chabad maamar. He began coming to every farbrengen, which brought about changes in his daily life as well — he began to pray at length and study the Alter Rebbe's maamarim. His friends from "Volhynian" Chassidic families began to mock him (or, more simply put, to envy him) for his now obvious devotion to the ways of Chabad (where one is required not merely to listen to the tzadik, but also to study and work on oneself), and once said to him: "Your Rebbe is certainly a great genius, but wonders can only be seen at our Rebbe's court."
For a long time these words gnawed at the young man's soul, and he could not bring himself to tell Rabbi Leib about it. After two or three weeks he decided not to spoil his teacher's mood — and to say nothing to him at all, even though this question about wonders was thoroughly ruining his life. That very day, a messenger of the Alter Rebbe arrived in Mohilev, collecting donations for the Chassidim living in the Holy Land. This messenger also brought Rabbi Leib a letter from the Alter Rebbe, in which he advised Rabbi Leib exactly how to speak with the young Chassidim and which topics to study with them. Among other things, the Alter Rebbe wrote: "...and that young man who has recently begun drawing close to you must be surrounded with care, and his inner suffering extinguished, which will become a wondrous sign for him and for others."
Not fully understanding the Rebbe's words, Rabbi Leib called that young man and, showing him the letter, asked him what "inner suffering" the Rebbe could be writing about. The young man burst into tears and told him everything that had happened. Rabbi Leibl thought for a moment and said: "Now I understand what wonder the Rebbe wrote about... For it is indeed a true wonder to make a mensch out of a block of wood!" (אז מיר זאל מאכן פון אפלאכע אמענטש).
Soon the Alter Rebbe sent the holy Chassid Rabbi Leib to the Holy Land, to the city of the Patriarchs — Hebron. He was the first of the Ashkenazim, and certainly the first Chassid, to arrive in Hebron and establish a community there.
Already at a very old age, he moved to live in Tzfat, where his pure soul departed this world on 15 Cheshvan 5597 (1836).
He was buried in the old cemetery, not far from the graves of the Arizal and the Ramak (at the foot of the "military cemetery"), and on his gravestone was inscribed: "Here rests Rabbi Leib of Hebron, Baal HaYesurim."
Rabbi Leib received this unusual title — Baal HaYesurim (one who suffered greatly) — because of the many sufferings and persecutions from the mitnagdim that fell to his lot in this world.
It is told that he himself promised to help anyone who would come to his grave asking for help to be freed from suffering — and so arose the custom of visiting his grave every Friday.
(Eliyahu HaKatan Getz 5768 [email protected])
...At the end of his days he traveled to the holy city of Tzfat, may it be rebuilt and reestablished speedily in our days, and there he passed away old and satisfied with days,
and before his death he instructed that anyone who should have a time of distress, G-d forbid, should prostrate himself upon his grave and he would help him, and so they do to this very day (Shaarei Yerushalayim, Gate 4)