Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk – the Kotzker Rebbe

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Morgenstern of Kotzk – the Kotzker Rebbe. Yahrzeit - 22 Shevat Resting place - Kotzk, Poland Once, after reading Elie Wiesel's book "Souls on Fire", which describes the Chassidic Rebbes in such a remarkable way, I discovered for myself the greatness of the Kotzker Rebbe, who stood apart from all others through his extraordinary concern for the Jewish people and his sharp, incisive sayings. Menachem Mendel received his Torah education from his father, Leibush Morgenstern, a fierce opponent of Chassidism. By the age of 13 he had mastered the entire Talmud. After his marriage at age 14, his father introduced him to the world of Chassidism, and he soon became an ardent follower of the Chozeh of Lublin and of Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa, whom he would eventually succeed. When he became the Rebbe of Kotzk, thousands of chassidim flocked to the town, and many outstanding young Torah scholars were drawn to his holy personality and vast Torah knowledge. Among his most distinguished disciples were the Chidushei HaRim of Ger and Rabbi Chanoch of Alexander. Rabbi Menachem Mendel opened up a new kind of Chassidus. If the Baal Shem Tov embodied "chesed" (kindness), Reb Mendel represented "din" (strict justice). While the Baal Shem Tov sought to embrace every person, Reb Mendel knew that what he was after could be attained only by an elite few. The Baal Shem uplifted people; Reb Mendel rebuked them for their shortcomings and always demanded more. Reb Mendel attracted brilliant, driven young men. He demanded searing self-examination and scorned mitzvot performed with any trace of self-interest. He recognized the centrality of the ego but refused to accept it. An uncompromising champion of truth, he condemned falsehood and hypocrisy. Through piercing aphorisms that have become classics, he forces a Jew to face the truth, to strip away all pretense and self-deception, and thereby draw closer to G-d. He once exclaimed: "Give me ten chassidim who will follow me into the wilderness, eat manna, and abandon this decadent world." Continuing along the path of Rav Simcha Bunim, he sought to breathe new spiritual power into the movement, making Kotzk a stronghold of Chassidism whose influence is still felt today. A man of profound mystery, the Kotzker Rebbe secluded himself for 20 years, refusing contact with anyone. His thoughts and comments were collected and published in "Ohel Torah" and "Emet Ve'Emunah." He was an awe-inspiring figure who left an indelible mark on Chassidic thought. The wisdom of the Kotzker Rebbe was also recorded in the book "Amud HaEmet." Instructive stories from the life of the Kotzker Rebbe are also related by Martin Buber in his "Tales of the Hasidim," which reveal all the wisdom, depth, and individuality of the Kotzker Rebbe. Here are a few of them. I Am the Sabbath Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk once said to one of his chassidim: "Do you know who I am? There was Rabbi Ber, and there was Rabbi Shmelke, and there was Rabbi Elimelech, and there was the Rabbi of Lublin, and there was the holy Yehudi, and there was Rabbi Bunim. I am the seventh. I am the quintessence of them all. I am the Sabbath." Soul Once, speaking of his soul, Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk said to his son-in-law: "My soul comes from the times before the destruction of the Temple. I am no equal to the petty people of today. And I came into this world in order to draw a distinction between the holy and the profane." Heavens A tzadik who opposed the Rabbi of Kotzk sent him a message: "I am so great that I have reached the seventh heaven." To this the Rabbi of Kotzk replied: "And I am so small that all seven heavens rest upon me." The Fur Coat The Rabbi of Kotzk once said of a certain well-known rabbi: "This is a tzadik in a fur coat." His students asked him to explain what he meant. "In winter," the Rabbi explained, "one man buys himself a fur coat, and another buys firewood. What is the difference between them? The first wants only to warm himself, while the second wants to warm others as well." Where G-d Dwells "Where does G-d dwell?" Rabbi Mendel loved to surprise learned visitors who came to see him with this question. They would begin to laugh: "What a question! Is not the whole world filled with His glory?" And then Rabbi Mendel would give his own answer: "G-d dwells wherever man lets Him in." The Setting Rabbi Mendel used to say: "The larger and more beautiful the precious stone, the larger its setting. The greater and more magnificent the soul, the greater its 'shell.'" A False World Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk and Rabbi Yitzchak of Vorki studied together under the wise Rabbi Bunim, were friends, and their brotherly bond was never broken. Yet their chassidim held different views on the teachings and did not always agree. One day both tzadikim happened to be in the same town. After exchanging greetings, Rabbi Yitzchak said: "I have good news. Our students have finally made peace." But this angered Rabbi Mendel, and his eyes flashing, he exclaimed: "So the forces of deceit are prevailing, and Satan will soon banish truth from this world!" "What are you saying?" Rabbi Yitzchak asked in confusion. Rabbi Mendel continued: "Do you remember what the midrash says about how G-d was preparing to create man, and how the angels were divided in their opinions? Love said: 'Let him be created, for he will be created for the sake of love.' Truth said: 'Let him not be created, for he will become a source of deceit.' Justice said: 'Let him be created, for that will be just.' Peace said: 'Let him not be created, for he will become a source of strife and quarrels.' What did G-d do? He seized Truth and cast it down to the earth. Have you ever pondered this story? It sounds strange, doesn't it? Truth is cast down and no longer stands in the way of man's creation. But what did G-d do about Peace — what answer did He give to Peace?" The Rabbi of Vorki remained silent. "Well, think about it," said Rabbi Mendel. "Our sages teach us that disputes and quarrels for the sake of Heaven are rooted in Truth from the outset. After Truth was cast down, Peace realized that peace without truth is a false peace." What cannot be counterfeited? The Rabbi of Kotzk said: "Everything in the world can be counterfeited — except truth. Because a counterfeit truth ceases to be truth." High Prices Once, when prices in Kotzk and the surrounding area rose sharply, the chassidim who had come to the Rebbe for Shabbat wanted to head home the very next day, but the Rebbe kept delaying their departure. His wife was busy at the stove when he came into the kitchen, puffing on his pipe. "Mendel," she said, "why are you keeping the chassidim here? Prices at the inn are so high, and they have to pay so much for food!" "Why has food become so expensive?" said Mendel. "Because people are constantly eating. If they were constantly learning instead, then learning would become expensive, and food would be cheap." Miracles Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk was told about a man who possessed the miraculous secret of how to create a golem. "That is not much," the Rebbe replied. "But does he know the secret art of making chassidim?" Like a Cooper One day Rabbi Mendel of Vorki, son of Rabbi Yitzchak of Vorki, came out of Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk's room drenched in sweat. He sat down on a bench by the entrance of the house to collect himself, and said to the chassidim gathered around him: "Well, I'll tell you, our holy Rebbe took me apart bone by bone, testing me the way a cooper tests a barrel." Different Customs A chassid of the Rebbe of Kotzk and a chassid of the Rebbe of Chernobyl were discussing their respective customs. The disciple of the Rebbe of Chernobyl said: "We stay awake all night from Thursday to Friday, on Friday we give charity according to our means, and on Shabbat we recite the entire Book of Psalms." "And we," said the chassid from Kotzk, "stay awake every night for as long as we have strength, we give charity whenever we meet someone in need, provided we have money at the time, and we recite whichever psalms are fitting to the occasion rather than reciting them all in order — after all, it took David seventy years of hard labor to write the entire Book of Psalms." Do Not Steal Rabbi Yechiel Meir of Gostynin spent Shavuot as a guest of his teacher in Kotzk. When he returned home, his father-in-law asked him: "Well, do the people there understand Torah differently than elsewhere?" "Of course," his son-in-law replied. "How so?" his father-in-law asked. "Well, take this example," said Rabbi Yechiel. "How do we understand the commandment 'Do not steal' here?" "It means one must not steal from one's fellow," his father-in-law answered. "To my mind that's perfectly clear." "Then there would be no need to even mention it. But in Kotzk this commandment is understood to mean: do not steal from yourself!" The Difference When the dispute between the chassidim of Kotzk and the chassidim of Radoshitz was at its height, Rabbi Yissachar Ber of Radoshitz said to a chassid of Kotzk: "Your teacher believes that if a man cannot climb over an obstacle, he should crawl under it. But I believe that if he cannot climb over an obstacle, he must nevertheless keep trying." Rabbi Yitzchak Meir of Ger, a disciple and friend of the Rebbe of Kotzk, described the difference in another way (when a chassid of the Rebbe of Radoshitz visited him after his teacher's passing): "The whole world thinks that there is a rift bordering on hatred between Kotzk and Radoshitz. But that is simply not so. In reality we differ on only one point: in Kotzk they strive to bring Jewish hearts closer to their Father in Heaven, while in Radoshitz they strive to bring the Father in Heaven closer to Jewish hearts." Between Kotzk and Izbica Some time after Rabbi Mordechai Yosef of Izbica finally broke off relations with Kotzk and founded his own community, a certain chassid who had followed him to Izbica passed through Kotzk and stopped in to visit the Rebbe. Rabbi Mendel looked at him closely and asked, "Who is this?" as though he were seeing this chassid for the first time in his life. And when the chassid asked, with the deepest anguish of soul, "Does the Rebbe not recognize me?" the Rebbe answered: "It cannot be that this is you! For our sages say: 'Let the fear of your teacher be like the fear of Heaven.' And can there be two heavens?" Tell the children of Israel: "When a disciple of the Rebbe of Leszno came to visit the Rebbe of Kotzk, the Rebbe said to him: 'Give my regards to your teacher. I love him dearly. But why does he cry out to G-d to send the Mashiach? Why does he not instead cry out to the children of Israel, that they should turn their hearts to G-d? For is it not written: "Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel."'" Three Pillars Rabbi Mendel used to say: "This world stands on three pillars: Torah, service of G-d, and good deeds; and as the world moves toward its end, the first two pillars have begun to crack, and only good deeds remain unshaken. And then it will come true, as it is written: 'Zion shall be redeemed through justice.'" The Precious Moment The Rebbe of Kotzk used to say: "Generation after generation has labored to hasten the coming of Mashiach, each generation doing everything within its power, yet without success. It turns out that no one has the power to hasten Mashiach's coming. But a day will come when all Jews will be laboring for their daily bread, and their souls will be filled with turmoil — and then he will come." Those Who Cannot Pray On the eve of Yom Kippur, Rabbi Mendel said to one of his chassidim: "Hersh, you shall pray for those Jews who cannot pray for themselves — for those who are out in the fields and the forests, for those who are here and those who are not, and not only for the living but for the dead as well. Because believe me, our house of prayer is filled with souls!" A Sanctuary of Love Rabbi Mendel was once asked: "In former times all chassidim loved one another. Why has it become different now?" He answered: "In Heaven there is a sanctuary of love. It was founded by the Rabbi of Berditchev for all of humanity, and that is why the chassidim were filled with love for one another. But the wicked also found their way there, seizing our love for the sake of their own petty loves. And so the tzadik had to close that sanctuary." The Corner It is written: "He sets a boundary for darkness." Whenever he read these words, Rabbi Mendel would say: "Just one small corner — G-d left one small corner in the darkness, so that man would have somewhere to hide." Why Should I Write a Book? Rabbi Mendel's chassidim once asked him why he never wrote a book. Finally he gave them this answer: "Suppose I wrote such a book. Who would buy it? Our chassidim. But when would they have time to read it, when all week long they are busy earning a living? Suppose they could read it on Shabbat. But when would they find the time on Shabbat? First they go to the mikveh, then they must study and pray, and then comes the time for the Shabbat meal. But at last the meal is over, and there is time to read. So one of those who bought the book lies down on the couch and opens it. But after a hearty meal he feels drowsy. His eyes close, and the book slips from his hands to the floor. So tell me, why should I write this book?"   How Selichot Can Remove a Grave Illness https://silatehilim.com/как-через-слихот-убрать-злую-болезнь/   May the merit of the Tzadik protect Am Yisrael! (https://dailyzohar.com/tzadikim/165-Rabbi-Menachem-Mendel-of-Kotzk)