Rabbi Shlomke of Zvhil - Baal HaMofet

Rabbi Shlomke bar Mordechai Goldman of Zvhil (Baal HaMofet) and his special segula for Erev Shabbat Yahrzeit - 26 Iyar Resting place - Jerusalem, Israel   Rabbi Shlomke bar Mordechai Goldman, known as Rabbi Shlomke of Zvhil (1870-1945), was a famous miracle-worker, father of the no less famous Rav Gedalya Moshe of Zvhil. He was a great chassid and a Baal HaMofet (miracle-worker), a direct descendant of Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov, the closest disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. His gabbai told that when he went to the mikveh, the gabbai would stand outside the door and announce the name of the person who had come to the Rebbe with a problem. The Rebbe of Zvhil would immerse in the waters of the mikveh, and afterward he would tell everything about that person - the cause of his troubles and how to fix them. Even the greatest tzadikim and mekubalim of that generation sent people to him with their unsolvable problems, and he helped them all.

Fame and Publicity

Once Rebbe Shlomke met a man who was excessively chasing honor.

Rebbe Shlomke said to him:

"When a soul descends into this world, it is allotted a certain amount of joy. This joy is distributed among all his needs. He will receive a certain amount of nachat from children, from good livelihood, health, honor, and so on. If you take so much pleasure in being shown so much honor, you leave yourself no room to rejoice in other areas."

Rebbe Shlomke of Zvhil used to say in the name of the Maggid of Mezeritch, of blessed memory:

The word "pirsum" (fame, publicity) is made up of two words: "pri" (fruit) - "samech-mem" (Satan).

In other words, fame is Satan's portion.

I know that fame harms me, but I accept it in order to inspire other Jews and strengthen their faith.

A certain prince took great pleasure in horseback riding. The Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, said: "He is destined to become the ruler of a great country, and he is trading that for the pleasure of horseback riding."

The Mikveh

Since people constantly came to Rebbe Shlomke to share their problems and worries, he often went to the mikveh. If a sick person came to him, it would become clear to him in the mikveh whether the person would live or not. Every time, Rebbe Shlomke predicted correctly. Reb Elya Ros, of blessed memory, the Rebbe's gabbai, once asked:

"How can the Rebbe predict the future, who will recover and who will not? Does the Rebbe have the Urim VeTumim (the breastplate of the High Priest, on which letters would light up so that the people would know what the Almighty was saying)?"

Rebbe Shlomke answered:

"We live in a generation of 'hester panim,' when Divine providence, 'hashgacha pratit,' is hidden. This causes people to begin to doubt and weaken in their faith. Therefore, in every generation the Almighty appoints a tzadik to whom 'hester panim' does not apply. Through this tzadik, knowledge of the Almighty is revealed in this world."

The Benefit of Suffering

The granddaughter of Rebbe Shlomke of Zvhil (the wife of Rebbe Mordechai of Zvhil) wore torn shoes. Rebbe Shlomke's wife hinted about this to Rebbe Shlomke, hoping he would give money so the granddaughter could buy new shoes. But Rebbe Shlomke said to his granddaughter:

"This suffering will save you from the pains of childbirth."

At the time, she was pregnant. Later she admitted that she had never had such an easy labor. Someone told Rebbe Shlomke that he had just lost a great deal of money. The Rebbe replied:

"Instead of giving you a blessing to find the lost money, I give you a blessing that a child be born to you. This man had no children for many years. In the merit of this blessing, and thanks to the suffering, a child was born to him."

Averting Severe Suffering

The granddaughter of Rebbe Shlomke (the wife of Reb Elazar Adler, of blessed memory) fell ill with a terrible disease shortly after her wedding. The doctors said there was nothing they could do, and that she had only a few weeks left to live.

Rebbe Shlomke told her to accept three things upon herself, and then she would merit a refuah shleimah, a complete recovery.

1. For two years she may not wear jewelry.
2. She may not kiss her children.
3. She may not attend her children's weddings.

She accepted these deprivations upon herself and recovered immediately. As we have explained, when a person restricts pleasures in this world, he can turn away severe suffering from himself.

Bizyonot (Humiliations)

Rebbe Shlomke of Zvhil, of blessed memory, often spoke of how much a person can achieve by remaining silent when someone else shames him.

He said that shame can save a person from much suffering and punishment, and sometimes even from death itself. Once Rebbe Shlomke of Zvhil, of blessed memory, was sitting among the poor at the Kotel.

Someone came and gave each of them a coin.

This person did not know that Rebbe Shlomke was sitting among the poor, so he gave him a coin too. When the man left, Rebbe Shlomke gave his coin to the person sitting next to him.

That person asked: "Why didn't the Rebbe tell that man that he doesn't need charity?"

The Rebbe answered: "I did not want to miss the opportunity to feel a bit of shame."

Once the granddaughter of Rebbe Shlomke told him that her family was in great poverty and had no money to buy bread. Rebbe Shlomke advised her to go to the Kotel and pray there. At that time the plaza at the Kotel was quite small, and her loud prayers disturbed a woman sitting nearby.

The woman shouted: "Quiet! Quiet!"

But Rebbe Shlomke's granddaughter paid no attention to her and continued to cry and pray loudly. When she finished and turned to go home, the woman said:

"Do you think this whole place belongs only to you? Couldn't you pray quietly?"

She said a few more humiliating words. Rebbe Shlomke's granddaughter accepted the shame in silence.

On her way home, she found a gold Napoleon coin.

With this money the family could live for half a year.

She told Rebbe Shlomke what had happened: "Praised be the Almighty, He heard my prayers and gave me money. But why did I have to endure so much shame?" Rebbe Shlomke answered:

"The shame was only the beginning of the redemption, because it pushes away all troubles and difficulties.

After you were humiliated, you merited to find that coin."

  The Segula of Rabbi Shlomke of Zvhil Rebbe Shlomke of Zvhil gave a special segula for when a person has already tried every remedy and has not achieved the desired result: if there is no help from above, then the best time to make the Almighty his "shutaf" - partner - is that time is Erev Shabbat - the time of Kiddush. The Gemara teaches: Do not read "Vayechulu HaShamayim VeHaAretz" - (and the Heavens and the Earth were completed), but read: "Vayachlu" - (and they completed) - already referring to partnership. It is precisely at this moment that the person himself and the Almighty act together, as partners; at this moment they become co-participants and complete the building of the world, making it perfect. The segula is this: after "Shalom Aleichem" and "Eshet Chayil", during Kiddush, at the moment the words "Vayechulu..." (completion) are said, one should mentally say "Vayachlu" with the kavana that we are partners of the Almighty and together create worlds from the beginning - Bereshit - and ask the Almighty to help solve one's problems and be saved from troubles. Although there is a rule that one does not make requests on Shabbat (Shabbat is 1/60 of Olam Haba - the World to Come, which we strive for and in which there are no problems or troubles), the halacha states that if a person is in great distress, is tormented and troubled, has sorrow in his heart and needs help from Heaven, then this is the most fitting time to turn to the Almighty with his request. And this itself is the Oneg (delight) of Shabbat - that after praying, relief comes upon his soul.   Sipurei Tzadikim - The Shabbat Cholent While the Rebbe of Zvhil lived in Zvhil, he managed to conceal his greatness. Although everyone knew he was a scholar, they did not realize how high a level Reb Shlomke was on, until the following story took place. One of the town drunkards of Zvhil was a man we will call Andrei. He was mostly harmless, content with a bottle or two of vodka. Although Andrei was not Jewish, he liked to spend time in the Jewish part of town, because there he would not be beaten as he was in other parts of town, and he knew that Jews were compassionate people who would give him food when he asked. One Shabbat morning, after a big drinking bout the night before, Andrei felt especially hungry. He knocked on several doors but got no answer, since it was Shabbat and the residents were at synagogue. At the next house he went to, there was also no answer, but he noticed that the door was not properly locked. The homeowners, in a hurry to get to synagogue, had left the door unlocked. Andrei opened the door and was greeted by a set table with beautiful golden challahs, a decanter of red wine, and other delicacies. A heavenly aroma came from the stove; the smell of the cholent and kugel was mouthwatering. Andrei did not know where to start. The wine attracted him most, but he thought it better to eat first on an empty stomach. He opened the pot of cholent and scooped himself a huge portion, which he stuffed into his mouth like a man who had never seen food before. The cholent was followed by a huge piece of kugel. At that moment he heard people outside walking home from synagogue, and thought he had better leave the house immediately before he was caught red-handed. He was still chewing his food as he headed for the door, but he was stopped by the golden challah on the table; it looked so beautiful, and he was still so hungry. He tore off a huge piece of challah, took a big bite of it, and reached for the door handle. He had so much food in his mouth that he could not chew properly. The piece of challah went down the wrong pipe, and he could not breathe. Andrei began to choke, his face turned red, and within moments he fell dead in front of the door. A few minutes later, the couple who lived in the house returned home. They tried to open the door, but something was blocking it. The husband pushed with all his strength and opened the door. They went in and looked to see what was blocking it. They were shocked to see Andrei, the town drunkard, lying on the floor of their house. The husband began shaking him and demanding that he leave, but soon realized that Andrei was completely lifeless. He saw a large piece of challah next to Andrei and guessed what had happened. The husband and wife began to panic. Just recently there had been pogroms in the area. If people found out that Andrei had been found dead in a Jewish home, they would accuse the Jews of murdering him. Although they did not care about Andrei at all, they would use any pretext to attack the Jews. The wife told her husband to run to Rebbe Shlomke and ask his advice. The homeowner rushed to the Rebbe's house and told him what had happened. The Rebbe agreed with him that the townspeople could use this as a pretext for a new pogrom. Reb Shlomke took a spoonful of his own cholent and told the man to put it in the dead drunkard's mouth. Thoughts began racing through the man's mind - how could he feed a dead man - but he asked no questions, since he was a simple Jew who had complete emunah in everything the Rebbe told him. He quickly went home, trying not to drop the cholent. He tried to push the cholent into Andrei's mouth, but his lips would not open. Then the man said in a panic, "Reb Shlomke said I must feed you cholent." At the mention of the Rebbe's name, the lifeless drunkard opened his mouth, and the man quickly put in as much of the Rebbe's cholent as he could. He nearly fainted at what happened next. Andrei got up from the floor and, staring straight ahead, walked out the door. The man followed Andrei, curious as to what would happen. Andrei walked through the town like a zombie, staring straight ahead. A few minutes later, Andrei reached his own home. As soon as he entered his house, he collapsed on the floor, lifeless as before. The man ran home to tell his wife what had happened. They had just witnessed an open miracle. They had seen a dead man get up and walk through the town to his home. Now they understood that Reb Shlomke was far greater than he appeared to be. The story spread quickly, and now everyone knew that their Rebbe was a very holy man who had been trying to conceal his greatness. It is said that this very story is what led Reb Shlomke to consider moving to a place where people would not know him. Eventually he moved to Jerusalem, where he managed to conceal his identity, until one day someone from Zvhil ran into him in the synagogue and revealed who he was. After that, crowds of people flocked to him for advice and help, until he passed away on the 26th of Iyar, 1945, the 41st day of the Omer, Yesod she-b'Yesod. One of the tzadikim at the funeral smelled all sorts of fragrant spices coming from Reb Shlomke's body. Later he asked Reb Shlomke's son, Reb Gedalia, what the source of this custom was. Reb Gedalia answered that they had no such custom. They realized that this wonderful fragrance had in fact come from the great tzadik himself.   Bizyonot - A Rescue from Death Rabbi Yehuda Leib Slonim told an interesting story that he witnessed himself. During the war in 1948, when Jerusalem was under bombardment and shelling, the residents of the city hid in shelters. One of these was located in the Beit Yisrael neighborhood, on the street known today as "Rabbi of Zvhil," not far from the Mir Yeshiva. Residents of the neighborhood hid in the shelter, among them Rabbi Gedalya Moshe of Zvhil. Despite the explosions outside, the darkness, and the crowded conditions, he studied without raising his head. In that same shelter was a mentally ill woman. She constantly caused scenes, cursed, shouted, and provoked one person or another. The atmosphere became simply unbearable. Several people took the initiative and decided to put her out the door. The next day, when the woman came again, they were already prepared to carry out their plan, but, remembering that the Rebbe was among them, they went to ask his opinion. "Who am I to tell you what to do?" was the Rebbe's reply. "But if you are asking what I think, listen to a story. In the town of Zvhil I had a sister. Once she fell seriously ill, and was at death's door. Then my father, Rabbi Shloimke of Zvhil, made an unusual decision. He went out to seek 'bizyonot' - humiliation and disgrace. 'This will save her,' he said. Among my father's various communal duties was overseeing the rental of premises belonging to the local cheder. Rabbi Shloimke went to a woman who owed several months' rent for a shop. Until then he had not reminded her of the debt, but now he decided to remind her. The woman began to shout and curse loudly. 'Look at him, calling himself a Rebbe - isn't he ashamed to ask me for money!' she shouted. A large crowd gathered, and quite a scene ensued. My father stood and listened in silence. He came home very pleased. And indeed, my sister recovered. Years passed. My sister again became seriously ill and was in critical condition. And my father again went out to seek 'bizyonot' for himself. But this time he did not succeed. However hard he tried, nothing worked. Some time later my sister passed away. My father used to say: 'Mit bizyonos ken men opklemen dem toit' - 'With the help of disgrace, one can drive away death.'" The Rebbe looked around at the hushed people and finished his story: "Right now there is a war, there is death in the streets, it is impossible to go outside to seek 'bizyonot' for oneself. So Heaven has taken pity on us and sent them right here, into our shelter. And you want to drive them away." P.S. The Rebbe of Zvhil, may his merit shield us, taught that when a person takes bizyonot upon himself (voluntarily accepts humiliation and does not respond to those who insult him), this is for him an Et Ratzon - a time of Heaven's favor - and at that moment this person may ask Hashem for something deeply desired; one may ask for a bracha for him and it will be fulfilled immediately.   Bizyonot (Humiliation) is Stronger than the Mikveh Rebbe Shlomke of Zvhil, of blessed memory, brought about yeshuot for people when he immersed in the mikveh. Once a wealthy man entered the mikveh while Rebbe Shlomke was in the water. The wealthy man did not know Rebbe Shlomke, but when he saw Rebbe Shlomke's clothes next to his own, he became angry (Rebbe Shlomke's clothes were old and far from presentable). The rich man threw his clothes aside and spoke unpleasant words. Rebbe Shlomke had to pick his clothes up off the floor. Afterward, Rebbe Shlomke said to his gabbai: "Today I merited more yeshuot through the humiliation I suffered than through immersing in the mikveh." Even a small measure of shame atones for many sins and pushes away many troubles from a person.     (The Power of Tehillim after visiting the grave of the Rebbe of Zvhil; based on a lesson by Rav Yaakov Doktor)     May the merit of the tzadik protect Am Yisrael! (Rav Rafael Avitan, translated by Lena Solomonova; "The Well of Torah" by Rabbi Elimelech Biderman)