Rabbi Yisrael Salanter (Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin of Salant)

Rabbi Yisrael ben Zev Wolf Lipkin - "Yisrael Salanter" - was born on November 3, 1809 in the city of Zhagare (Lithuania). Yahrzeit - 25 Shevat Burial place - Kaliningrad, Russia His father – Rabbi Zev Wolf Lipkin was a well-known Talmudist. As a boy, he studied under Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Broide of Salant. Rabbi Akiva Eiger Already at age 14 he compiled a collection of Chiddushei Torah – a book of studies clarifying difficult passages in the Talmud – and, on the advice of Rav Tzvi Broide, sent it to Rabbi Akiva Eiger in Posen. However, the eminent rabbi did not respond. Some time later, one of the Jews of Salant happened to pass through Posen and, at the request of Rav Tzvi Broide, visited Rabbi Akiva Eiger to pay respects on behalf of the Salant community. Taking the opportunity, Rabbi Akiva Eiger told the visitor that he had received an unusually talented manuscript from a brilliant young man from Salant, but had not replied, since he wondered why such a work had been sent so far away when there was a sage like Rav Tzvi Broide right there in the city. He was concerned that the author of the manuscript might be in conflict with the community rabbi and wished to use the response of another authority to diminish the rabbi's stature.   The Match When Rav Yisrael turned 14, he was betrothed to the daughter of Rav Yaakov Levi Eisenstein of Salant – a descendant of the author of the work Shnei Luchot HaBrit, the Shelah HaKadosh. Rav Yaakov undertook to give his daughter a dowry of 300 rubles, but unfortunately his affairs fell into decline and he could not fulfill his promise. Word of this reached one of the wealthiest men in the country, who offered Rav Yaakov 10,000 rubles to break off his daughter's engagement to Rav Yisrael in favor of his own daughter. Rav Yaakov traveled to Zhagare to see Rav Zev Wolf and told him of the situation. He said he was willing to cancel the marriage agreement if that sum – 10,000 rubles – would instead become Rav Yisrael's dowry. These words did not sway Rav Zev Wolf, and he called his wife to seal the betrothal by setting a wedding date. Rav Yisrael spent about 18 years in the city of Salant. His wife kept a small shop, enabling her husband to devote himself entirely to the study of Torah. One of the wealthy men of Salant - Rav Eliyahu, son of Rav Nechemia - gave him and other Torah scholars of the city the upper floor of his house, where they immersed themselves in study. Rav Yisrael rose to the heights of greatness and knowledge, becoming, from an early age, a renowned sage of the generation. It was written of him: "Rav Yisrael Salanter shed new light on the ways of study and understanding." Founder of the Mussar Movement In the House of Study in the city of Salant, where Rav Yisrael devoted all his time to learning, he took notice of the devotion of Rabbi Zundel and began to observe him and his conduct. Rav Yisrael would follow Rabbi Zundel, studying and absorbing the ways of his holy service, his character refinement, and closely watching his every step. When Rabbi Zundel would go outside the town to study and review the wisdom of fear of Heaven and Mussar, Rav Yisrael would follow him unnoticed, observing his deeds and listening to his words. One day Rav Zundel noticed him and said: "Yisrael! Study Mussar and you will attain fear of Heaven!" This incident left a deep impression on Rav Yisrael's sensitive soul and led to great changes in his service of G-d. Rav Salanter himself said: "When I heard my teacher's call to study Mussar, my heart immediately burned with the desire to follow him." From then on, Rav Yisrael grew close to Rav Zundel and followed him, "holding onto his hand." And although Rav Yisrael was already a genius and a prominent Torah sage, he considered Rabbi Yosef Zundel his teacher and rabbi, and learned from him the ways of fear of Heaven and Mussar in the holy service of the Creator, "pouring water on his hands" for many years, until his teacher went up to the holy city of Jerusalem. The Epidemic in Vilna In 1848, events occurred that revealed to the entire Jewish community of Vilna the greatness of Rav Yisrael, when he showed extraordinary concern for his fellow man and readiness to sacrifice himself for his people. That year a cholera epidemic broke out in Vilna, claiming many lives. Caring for the sick was not among the official duties of the city's rabbis, but Rav Yisrael Salanter did not see it that way. He viewed saving lives and showing mercy to one's fellow man as the duty of every Jew, and first and foremost of Torah scholars. He was convinced that rabbis must be concerned with people's property and physical health just as much as with their spiritual welfare, and he took upon himself the leadership of this effort. Rav Salanter established a committee to organize relief efforts against the epidemic. He set up a hospital with 1,500 beds, despite the fact that this required considerable expense, and he himself had no source of income at the time. A well-known wealthy Vilna merchant named Apatov offered to provide meat and candles for all those in need throughout the epidemic, but Rav Salanter agreed to this only as an exception and after lengthy persuasion. It seems he felt that his own efforts had already fulfilled the necessary measure of human endeavor, and that for the rest one should rely fully on the Almighty. His son, Rav Yitzchak, related an interesting story in this connection: "Once, on the eve of Shabbat, the grandson of Rav Yosef Halfan, one of the God-fearing Jews of the city, fell ill. When the volunteers from the emergency committee arrived, one of them, Rav Yaakov Dimitzriner, said: 'We will not disobey our teacher, and we will not allow a non-Jew to perform the necessary work on Shabbat under any circumstances!' But what was to be done about the honored Rav Yosef Halfan? They led him to the House of Study, and meanwhile they themselves chopped wood, heated water, boiled the Shabbat kettle, and prepared everything necessary. After a while, once they were certain the danger had passed, the volunteers returned to the committee. A few days later Rav Yosef Halfan came to them and thanked them for saving his grandson from death. Rav Salanter replied: 'There is nothing to thank us for. He recovered by the will of the Creator.' At this Rav Yosef said cautiously: 'Forgive me, for who am I to instruct you, but the young men, the pride of our city, transgress the laws of Shabbat all too easily...' Then the teacher, evidently fearing that such words might weaken the volunteers' selfless dedication to doing everything necessary to save lives on Shabbat, answered in anger (note that Rav Salanter never addressed anyone informally, never grew angry, and never praised himself, but in this case it concerned saving thousands of lives among the people of Israel): 'You are an ignoramus! Are you the one to teach me what is permitted and what is not? I called upon seventy young men to devote all their time to helping the sick. I promised their fathers and mothers that, with G-d's help, all of them would return alive and well. And so it is – all of them are healthy, not one of them has fallen ill! Are you capable of such a thing?' Immediately after this, Rav Yosef Halfan removed his shoes, sat down on the ground, and asked forgiveness.'" Segulot and the Teachings of Rav Yisrael Salanter "Rachmana Liba Ba'i" Rav Yisrael Salanter (may his merit protect us) taught the following segula: In order to focus properly in prayer, a person should find a verse from the Torah that expresses and conveys precisely his own feelings in communicating with the Creator, and concentrate on it. One needs a verse that "speaks to you." For example, there are words from the Torah that stir you, move you, and touch your feelings, while there are other, equally great words that leave you unmoved. There is a saying in the Zohar HaKadosh, in Aramaic — "Rachmana Liba Ba'i": "Rachmana" ("G-d" in Aramaic), "liba" (heart), "ba'i" (wants) – (G-d wants the heart). He does not expect from us pages of superficial prayers. G-d wants us to turn to Him with all our heart, with all our feelings. G-d wants our heart. https://silatehilim.com/сгула-как-правильно-молиться-или-в-чем/ Stealing Sleep "Gezel Sheina" — the theft of sleep. This expression is used when a person wakes his fellow without good reason. The Chofetz Chaim said that stealing someone's sleep is a more severe offense than "ordinary" theft, because a person who has stolen an object can repent and return it to its owner, whereas stolen sleep can never be returned. In the book "Meorot HaGedolim" (Rabbi Yisrael, 90), a statement of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter is cited, that stealing sleep is forbidden by the Torah. The prohibition against waking one's fellow without good reason is based on the Torah's prohibition, "do not wrong one another" (Vayikra 25:17), from which the prohibition against causing suffering to one's fellow is derived. In addition, one who wakes his fellow without good reason transgresses the Torah's command, "love your fellow as yourself" (Vayikra 19:18). https://silatehilim.com/почему-нельзя-будить-спящего-человек/ Tehillim 109:31 - when the Almighty is driven away — "Ki ya'amod limin evyon, l'hoshia mishoftei nafsho" — (for He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who condemn his soul). There are people who will be asked in the World of Truth: "Why did you drive the Almighty out of your house?" And when they, astonished, ask: "When did that happen?" — they will be told: "When a poor man came to your house, and the Almighty was with him — as it is written, 'For He stands at the right hand of the needy' — you drove away the poor man together with the Almighty." "Open, surely open your hand to your brother" (Devarim 15:7-8) — "open" (the first mention) refers to the poor man who is too embarrassed to ask himself; "open your hand" (the second) — even to the poor man who demands brazenly. (Rabbi Yisrael of Salant) May the merit of this great tzadik protect our people! (http://istok.ru/library/5-svet-izrailya-musar-mudretsov-litvy-2-biografiya-r-israelya-salantera-ch-1.html)