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Сила Теилим

15 Tammuz · Yahrzeit

Rabbi Aryeh Leib Ginzburg – the “Baal Shaagat Aryeh”

Rabbi Aryeh Leib ben Asher Ginzburg – the “Baal Shaagat Aryeh” – lived up to his name (Aryeh means “lion”). Yahrzeit – 15 Tamuz Resting place – Metz, France He had a large head like a lion's, eyes as bright as glowing coals, and long, flowing hair. His appearance inspired both fear and respect. Rabbi Aryeh Leib was born around 1695 in the Minsk region. He first served as Rav and Rosh Yeshiva of Minsk. Although he was respected for his scholarship, his sharp criticism of other rabbis and their views was received poorly by the community. His debates with Yechiel Halperin, the rabbi of Minsk and head of the yeshiva, over the role of pilpul (dialectical reasoning) in teaching Talmud led to his forced departure from Minsk in 1742. Some time later, he was appointed Rav of Volozhin. There he headed a yeshiva and had many students. Rav Aryeh served as rabbi of Volozhin between 1750 and 1755, though his relationship with the community's leaders was not an easy one. It was there that he put the finishing touches on his collection of responsa titled “Shaagat Aryeh” (“The Roar of the Lion,” 1755). This work brought him lasting recognition and has since been reprinted at least 40 times; it is still considered a very important work of responsa. The Shaagat Aryeh rejected the use of pilpul and insisted on a direct approach to the text of the Talmud, giving little weight to the contributions of sixteenth- to eighteenth-century authors. He wanted to continue the work of the Rishonim (the rabbinic scholars of earlier generations). He lived in poverty – his entire salary amounted to a very small sum, and his wife had to work in a bakery, kneading dough, to earn a loaf of bread as pay. Rav Aryeh owned only one suit of clothes, which he wore both on Shabbat and on weekdays. After 1755, Rav Aryeh spent some time in Frankfurt and Berlin, but eventually returned to Volozhin, where Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin became his student during this period. Rav Ginzburg remained there until 1764, after which he moved from town to town, including Vilna, where he met the Gaon, and then returned to Germany. This was a period of self-imposed exile; wandering from town to town like a poor beggar, he carried on his shoulder a sack containing his tallit, tefillin, and a copy of the Rambam's works. In 1766, he was invited to serve in Metz, one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities in Europe, known for its outstanding rabbis. The King of France sanctioned his appointment as rabbi, and his contract with the community guaranteed him a term of 12 years of service. A villager took pity on him and gave him lodging in an attic for a few weeks. One evening, after a meager dinner, Rabbi Aryeh Leib was studying Torah by the light of a tiny oil lamp while his wife sat by the warm stove knitting socks. Suddenly he began to weep bitterly. – “Leib, why are you crying?” his wife asked. – “Look how comfortable we are,” he said, “here in this warm house, with me studying Torah by lamplight and you sitting by the warm stove knitting socks. Who knows whether we are now using up our share in the World to Come by enjoying such comfort in this world” – and he continued to weep. This was typically how he behaved: wherever he traveled, he would stay at the poor people's “inn” and spend the night there. Once, during his many wanderings, he arrived in the city of Breslau in Germany, whose rabbi was Rabbi Yechaya Berlin. He went straight to the Rav's house, entered the kitchen, and gave the Rebbetzin a pot and some barley to cook for him. Rabbi Aryeh Leib was very strict about the prohibition on new grain, so he ate very little. The Rebbetzin was not used to such a guest and immediately told her husband about this strange visitor. Rabbi Yechaya came out to greet him, and one glance was enough to see that this was no ordinary person. He began discussing Torah with him, and from what he said, Rabbi Yechaya Berlin realized he was speaking with an extraordinary man. Before leaving the city, Rav Aryeh Leib turned to him and said: “I am amazed to see a Rav who lives in wealth and honor, and yet still knows how to learn. This is one of the wonders I have had the privilege of witnessing in my lifetime.” Meanwhile, he published his book “Shaagat Aryeh,” which brought him great renown and revealed him as a man whose insight and intellect had no equal in his generation. On one occasion, the Shaagat Aryeh arrived in Königsberg, where the rabbi was Aryeh Leib Epstein (author of “Ha-Pardes”). Without revealing his identity, he went to the Rav's house and began discussing Torah with him. He dominated the discussion, so the author of “Ha-Pardes” went to his library and took out the book “Shaagat Aryeh” to prove one of his points. Rabbi Aryeh Leib smiled and said: “The Rav knows my book, but does not know its author.” Rav Epstein looked at his guest and shuddered. Before him stood a man with the head of a lion and eyes like glowing coals, and he realized he was speaking with the Shaagat Aryeh himself. He asked forgiveness for not having received him properly and prepared a special room for him in his home. Rav Epstein cherished every day he spent discussing Torah with him. Around this time, the residents of Metz offered Rav Epstein a contract to become their rabbi. Rav Epstein took the contract and passed it on to the Shaagat Aryeh – and that is how he became the Rav of Metz at the age of 70. The people of Metz were overjoyed to have such a great Rav, but their joy was not complete, because he was already 70 years old at the time. Sensing that their joy was mixed with sorrow, the Shaagat Aryeh addressed them, saying: “The days of my life have been unhappy. I was persecuted and lived a life of wandering, and so I aged before my time. But I promise you that, G-d willing, I will remain with you as your rav for at least another 20 years.” His promise was fulfilled, and he remained the Rav of the noble city of Metz for 20 years. There, the great lion found rest. He studied Torah day and night in holiness and purity. He did not sleep in a bed and did not eat any animal products except on Shabbat and festivals. He lost his eyesight when he became very old, and so he studied Torah from memory, knowing it by heart. H is student, Rabbi Gedaliah Rothenburg, wrote his own commentaries and published them in a book called “Turei Even.” In the same way, he published the book “Gevurat Ari.” When the book “Shaagat Aryeh” was first published, it was full of abbreviations, because the author was poor at the time and did not have enough money to buy more paper. So he wrote as much as he could using abbreviations. Later, publishers reprinted it and spelled out all the shorthand notations to make it easier to read. From his work it is evident that he based his halachic rulings on his own conclusions drawn from the Gemara and the commentators, without taking into account the opinions of other poskim. Moreover, according to the Vilna Gaon, he was able to scan the entire Talmud in just one hour to find the proof he was looking for. Rabbi Aryeh Leib passed away at an advanced age on 15 Tamuz 5545 (1785), at the age of 90. The Bookshelf Once, he remained alone in the beit midrash where he studied. At some point he wanted to consult a book and went to the bookcase to take it from the shelf. But the shelf, together with all the books on it, collapsed on top of him. When he was finally lifted out, he said with a smile: “All the books whose authors I argued with and came down on with criticism have now come down on me. And while I lay buried under these books, I made peace with them. However, only Rabbi Mordechai Jaffe, author of the ‘Levushim,’ refused to forgive me, and it is because of him that I am now leaving this world.” At that moment, his soul departed. It is told that one of the students of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, Rabbi Naftali of Amsterdam, said to his teacher: “If I had a mind like the Shaagat Aryeh's, a heart like that of Rav Alexander Ziskind of Grodno (author of ‘Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah’), and the moral qualities of my esteemed teacher, I could serve the Al-mighty.” To this, Rabbi Salanter replied: with your own mind, your own heart, and your own qualities of soul, you can serve G-d. About the famous genius of the Shaagat Aryeh (“The Roar of the Lion”), it is told that he once said: “The brains of earlier generations were made of silk, and their stomachs of leather, but the brains of our generations are made of leather, and their stomachs of silk” (at the same time, he emphasized that he too was one of those whose stomach was made of leather, not wishing to say of himself that his brain was made of silk). Anyone who read these words carefully understood at once that the author of “The Roar of the Lion” did not mean literal silk and leather, but rather that the people of earlier generations had delicate minds that took pleasure in the deep study of Torah – minds capable of grasping profound meanings and the subtlest of hints. Their stomachs, by contrast, were made of “leather” – that is, strong and healthy, not softened by rich food or accustomed to delicacies. Sipurei Tzadikim The Days of His Life It is written: “Pharaoh said to Yaakov, How many are the days of the years of your life?” Yaakov answered Pharaoh: “The days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years; few and hard have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.” (Bereishit 47:8-9) When the Gaon Rav Aryeh Leib Ginzburg, author of “Shaagat Aryeh,” was appointed rabbi of Metz, some members of the community expressed concern about his advanced age (he was about 70 at the time). The Shaagat Aryeh raised this issue during his next public sermon. He began with Yaakov's answer to Pharaoh, “The days of my life have been few and hard,” and pointed out that neither Pharaoh's question to his guest nor the guest's answer made sense on their own. This is because when meeting someone for the first time, one does not usually ask a guest his age, and a guest does not usually complain about his troubles. In fact, Yaakov's answer had nothing to do with Pharaoh's question. Rabbi Aryeh Leib explained that Pharaoh knew that Egypt had experienced abundance thanks to Yaakov's merit. In truth, Yaakov appeared to Pharaoh so old that he did not think he would live much longer. This worried him, and so he asked about his age. Yaakov, well aware of this, told Pharaoh that he was in fact not as old as he looked, for he had not yet reached the age of his fathers. Indeed, his hair had turned gray only because of the many misfortunes that had befallen him. “This is my case as well,” the Shaagat Aryeh continued. “The days of my life have been few and hard. I was persecuted and exiled, and old age has overtaken me. Nevertheless, I promise to remain with you for a long time.” The Baker Woman's Blessing Before this, several people in Minsk literally persecuted the Shaagat Aryeh while he served as Rosh Yeshiva, and he was forced to leave Minsk. At that time, a tzadeket named Blumke Vilenkin lived in Minsk. She supported the Shaagat Aryeh, helped him financially, and fed him. She even built him a beit midrash, which from that time until World War II was known as the “Blumke Kloyz.” Later, thanks to her support, Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin and his students founded a yeshiva in this beit midrash, where the greatest rabbis of the generations served as Rosh Yeshiva. It is said that the Shaagat Aryeh blessed this generous woman to build a synagogue in Minsk and another one in the Holy Land. Many years later, when Blumke turned 80, she became eager to fulfill the tzadik's promise and move to Eretz Yisrael. She went to Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin and asked him whether she should go. Rabbi Chaim told her: “Since you already hold the Shaagat Aryeh's blessing in your hands, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Who knows how long you will live after that? In any case, he promised that you would build a synagogue in Eretz Yisrael, so it is better to wait and see how things unfold.” So Blumke listened to Rabbi Chaim and remained in Minsk. Only many years later, when she had reached a very advanced age, did she move to the Holy Land and build a synagogue, just as the Shaagat Aryeh had promised her. As soon as it was built, the tzadeket departed from this world. The Blessing of the Shaagat Aryeh In the generation of the Vilna Gaon there were many great sages, but the Shaagat Aryeh was among the very greatest sages of the Jewish people. Two outstanding students of the Vilna Gaon – Reb Chaim of Volozhin and his brother Shlomo Zalman – came into this world thanks to the blessing of the Shaagat Aryeh. He was a truly extraordinary personality. Torah burned within him like fire, and his passion for the truth of Torah was powerful. He feared no one and never showed favoritism. He was very firm and unyielding, at times bordering on harshness. When he arrived in Volozhin, he presented himself as an ordinary traveler. He was sent to the home of Reb Yitzchak, one of the community's respected members. Reb Aryeh Leib came to him, and Reb Yitzchak immediately recognized that this man was a great sage. He was glad to host him in his home and to put his books at his disposal. Once, the time came for Reb Yitzchak's wife to give birth, and her labor pains began. She wanted to scream from the pain, but she remembered that a great man of the generation was staying with them and studying there, so she did not cry out. Afterward, the father went to Reb Aryeh Leib and said: “A son has been born to us.” The Gaon realized that the woman had not cried out only so as not to disturb his studying. Amazed by her righteousness, he went to bless her: “I bless you that, in the merit of your having remained silent during childbirth, you will have children – sons whose voice in Torah will be heard from one end of the world to the other.” Through this blessing, the woman merited to bring into the world two great sages – Reb Shlomo Zalman, who died at a fairly young age, and Reb Chaim, who founded the yeshiva in Volozhin. He even had the privilege of being the rabbi of the young Reb Chaim for a time. A few years later, Reb Chaim went to study Torah under Reb Eliyahu of Vilna. The Curse of Minsk During the ten years he lived in Minsk, his ongoing disputes with the city's chief rabbi, the kabbalist and Torah scholar known as “the Minsk Gaon,” Rav Yechiel Halperin, grew so heated that the latter's supporters decided to drive the rebel out of the community. And they did so in the most hurtful and humiliating way possible: they would not even let him take Shabbat candles with him! Crossing the Plebanski Bridge, Aryeh Leib stopped for a moment, turned his face to the river, and uttered a foreboding curse. The boys running after the wagon froze and covered their faces in terror. Almost immediately, from the east, from the direction of the Zolotogorsky Church, the wind drove a heavy cloud toward the city, shaped like a tall, thin man with the flaps of a black cloak spread wide. By evening, one of the most terrible floods in the history of Minsk had begun. On the outskirts of the city, a woman quietly approached the wagon carrying the Talmudic scholar into exile. History has preserved her name – Blumka the baker woman. In her hands she held two fresh challahs and a package of Shabbat candles. Blumka handed her modest gifts to Aryeh Leib's wife. Legend has it that the disgraced sage, taken by surprise, shed tears and blessed the giver, promising that she would grow rich from her challahs. And so it happened: Blumka not only built the first large bakery in Minsk, but also made Minsk bread famous as far away as Vilna! Aryeh Leib ben Asher was undoubtedly a man of tremendous spiritual power – for two centuries his curse hung over the city like the sword of Damocles. The residents of Minsk finally managed to get rid of the floods only in the mid-1950s, when the Minsk Sea (reservoir) was created. The ground for the foundation of the hydraulic structure had to be cleared with an explosion, since that was the only way to remove the giant floating peat bog from many meters of silt deposits. It is said that when the blast went off and particles of silt shot up several kilometers into the air (20 tons of TNT), many people thought they saw a gigantic shadow rise from the earth to the sky, resembling the figure of a man in a long black cloak. The demolition workers said it was so eerie that even non-believers began crossing themselves! Tefillin Once, right after morning prayers, Rav Aryeh Leib Ginzburg hired a carriage and set out on a long journey. He did not remove his tallit or tefillin, and, still wearing them, he immersed himself in Torah study. The driver, too, sat wearing tallit and tefillin, praying along the way. Suddenly, armed bandits ran out of the forest and stopped the carriage. They demanded that the horses be unhitched and that all the money and valuables be handed over. The driver was clearly not happy about the idea of parting with his belongings. — “We're in trouble, Rabbi,” he said, grasping at his last straw. Hearing some commotion, Rav Aryeh Leib leaned out of the carriage to see what was happening. The moment they saw him, the heavily armed bandits, for some reason, turned and fled in a panic, forgetting all about their demands. Once the driver recovered from the shock, he asked the rabbi why the bandits had run away. — “They were afraid of me,” Rav Aryeh Leib answered. — “But I'm younger and stronger, and yet they weren't afraid of me,” the driver went on. — “The reason is that I was wearing tefillin, and the Talmud (tractate Berachot, page 6) explains that in our verse — ‘and all the peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of the Al-mighty is called upon you, and they shall fear you’ — the reference is specifically to the head-tefillin.” — “But I was wearing tefillin too,” the driver insisted. Tefillin must not only be on one's head. What is on the head is only the tip of the iceberg. Awareness of this mitzvah must become firmly rooted in the mind. Only then can it be said that the Name of the Al-mighty is called upon you. And only then will the nations fear you. (https://hevratpinto.org/tzadikim_eng/099_rabbi_aryeh_leib_ginsburg.html; https://chassidus.ru/posts/2022/09/21/blagoslovenie-shaagat-are.htm, https://vk.com/@schulmann-ekaterina-shulman-gde-moi-17-let )
Pilgrimage site: Grave: Shaagas Aryeh