Rabbi Nachum Sofer of Tachov

Rabbi Nachum ben Yosef Sofer – grandson of the Chatam Sofer, of Tachov (1815)

Yahrzeit - 30 Nissan

Resting place - Tachov, Czech Republic Rabbi Nachum was the grandson of the Chatam Sofer - the son of his son Yosef.

A few years ago, Rabbi Yoel Tzvi Moshkovitz unexpectedly discovered an ancient volume of Mishnayot in an old library, and at the beginning of this volume of Mishnayot he found the following:

"Rabbi Nachum ben Rabbi Yosef, the sofer of the city of Tachov, who passed away on 1 Iyar 1771, promised:

"Whoever studies Mishnayot for the elevation of his soul on the day of his hillula, he will intercede for him in Heaven."

Rabbi Moshkovitz began searching for the Gaon's resting place and discovered that before World War II, his grave had been a place of pilgrimage for Jews from the entire region.

Rabbi Moshkovitz traveled to Tachov, where after searching he arrived at the old cemetery, but could not find the tzadik's grave.

While there, he contacted the director of the local museum, who told him that he remembered the location of the grave in an area where a Gypsy house stood, abandoned for many years. The structure standing there had been built of wood with no foundation at all, so the burial site had not been damaged.

Rabbi Moshkovitz contacted Rabbi Asher Margaliot of Vienna, who directed him to Rabbi Yisrael Meir Gabbai, who was delighted to hear about the search for the great Gaon's resting place, and after all the necessary verifications, set up a headstone on the grave of Rabbi Nachum Sofer.

40 km from Tachov is a town called Powisowice, formerly called Regensburg, where the mikveh of the Baal Shem Tov is located, in which he immersed during his travels through this region.

Interestingly, Rabbi Moshe ben Chisdai, who is considered one of the authors of the Avinu Malkeinu prayer, is believed to have been born in Tachov in the 13th century. More than 200 years have passed since the passing of Gaon Nachum Sofer, who is often called the Miracle Rabbi. For many years, people from all over the world have come to his grave in Tachov, since wishes made at his headstone came true. "Even during his lifetime, people attributed miraculous powers to him. But he became truly famous only after his death. Before the start of World War II, many pilgrims made their way to his grave," says Vaclav Chvatal of the Museum of the Bohemian Forest in Tachov. Not only Jews came to ask for Rabbi Nachum Sofer's help, but also people of other faiths, even from abroad.   Sipurei Tzadikim According to tradition, Rabbi Mendel Hirsch fell seriously ill in the month of Tevet in 1841, and members of the Chevra gathered at his bedside. In despair, his wife ran to the cemetery, to the grave of Rabbi Nachum Sofer. Then it occurred to her, and she ran back to the synagogue, opened the Ark and prayed that her husband's life be extended by 10 years. With renewed strength and hope, she returned home. Her husband Hirsch recovered, was healed, and lived for another 10 years. He died on 15.10.1851. According to legend, beneath the copper plate on the headstone of Gaon Nachum Sofer there is a hollow space in which a prophecy is kept. At a certain time, this tablet will open by itself, and this prophecy, written on parchment taken from a Torah scroll, will come to light. It is claimed that tools have repeatedly been found at the burial site, evidence of attempts to force open the copper plate. And each time these tools were found on the grave, some person would disappear from sight and never be seen again. World War I brought destruction, and the population of Galicia was forced to leave their homes and farms. In the month of Iyar 1915, a refugee sat for hours praying at the grave of Nachum Sofer when he noticed an object protruding over the edge of the headstone's copper plate, becoming more and more noticeable. He observed this phenomenon for some time; he could not recall whether he had noticed this object when he had approached the grave, and he was quite surprised by its appearance, especially since the object was clearly growing out of a crack. Finally he summoned the courage, reached out, and took in his hand a strip of parchment with writing on it. Astonished, he looked for a while at the fragment of parchment in his hand and mechanically read the original text: "And the king of Sodom, the king of Amorah, the king of Admah, the king of Tzevoyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Tzoar) went out and arrayed themselves against them for battle in the Valley of Siddim." (Bereishit 14:8) Suddenly a shudder ran through his body; he looked more closely at the fragment and discovered that it was written on both sides with the characters of the beloved Sacred Scripture that he knew so well. There were other refugees from Galicia at the cemetery (at that time people were constantly coming and going there), and they noticed the man and his behavior, as he muttered something to himself in excitement. He was watched for a while as he stared intently at the fragment of parchment, and some were about to approach him; then the man collected himself and left the cemetery, running rather than walking. Immediately after this, a rumor spread that a certain man had found the prophecy of Nachum Sofer, the details of which are set out here. The prophecy is written on a fragment of a Torah scroll and contains, on one side, the text of verses 1–10 of chapter 14 of the book of Bereishit, and on the other side, a literal prophecy about a world war that would break out in the year indicated on the tablet and would last five years, after which redemption and the elevation of Israel would come. This rumor spread, everyone believed it, and even the press took notice of it. The man who was supposed to have found the prophecy was sought, but in vain; he could not be found; he was and remained missing, as was the fragment of parchment containing the prophecy. Another legend says: A couple who had been married a long time had waited for years for the blessing of children, which never came. Then they heard about the grave of the miracle-working rabbi in Tachov, and having come from afar, they crossed seas and lands. Arriving in Tachov, they fasted the whole day, and in the evening went to the grave of Rabbi Nachum. This man - he was a scholar of the Talmud - recited many different prayers there. Sometimes he sat on the ground, sometimes he stood facing the headstone, sometimes facing east; then he crawled several times on his hands and knees, sometimes lay down dragging his body, sometimes crouched, holding onto the ground with his hands and moving around the grave. Another legend says: A couple who had been married a long time had waited for years for the blessing of children, which never came. Then they heard about the grave of the miracle-working rabbi in Tachov and came to him from afar. Arriving in Tachov, they fasted the whole day, and in the evening went to the grave of Rabbi Nachum. The husband was a scholar of the Talmud - he recited many different prayers at the grave. Sometimes he sat on the ground, sometimes he stood facing the headstone, sometimes facing east; then he crawled several times on his hands and knees, sometimes lay down, sometimes crouched, holding onto the ground with his hands and moving around the grave. He spent almost an hour at the grave this way. When he left, his wife remained there a while longer, weeping and reciting prayers. When she returned, she told her husband that a man had appeared to her and said only that she must bathe in the river, after which he disappeared. She was so frightened that she could not utter a word and ran away. They returned to the cemetery, but no one appeared. By that time it had already grown dark, so they went down to the river, bathed, and left that same night. A few years later the man returned, spent several hours in prayer at the grave of Rabbi Nachum, and before leaving said that Rabbi Nachum had appeared to his wife and commanded her to bathe in the river. His wife had already been the happy mother of a boy for a year, and now he was making this pilgrimage to give thanks at his grave, secretly hoping that Rabbi Nachum would appear to him as well. As already mentioned, for many years this grave was a place of pilgrimage where troubled souls, even those of other faiths, could find relief for their heavy hearts. Various petitioners gathered there. The rise of Nazism overturned this tradition. The great rabbi's headstone disappeared. But after the headstone was restored, the flow of pilgrims increased once again. The new headstone was created based on a photograph of the old one. The same inscription was restored on it. May the merit of the tzadik Gaon Nachum Sofer protect Am Yisrael!