Grave

Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev

Yahrzeit (Hillula)

25 Tishrei — Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev

The Resting Place of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev - the Sanegor shel Yisrael Burial place - Berditchev, Zhytomyr region; Yahrzeit - 25 Tishrei; Rabbi Levi Yitzchak ben Sarah Sosha of Berditchev The greatest of the chassidim – the "Sanegor shel Yisrael" (defender of the Jewish people), Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev constantly pleaded with G-d in his prayers not to be overly angry with the Jewish people, and to see only the good side in everything. During prayer, he often addressed the Creator in Yiddish, calling Him "der Barmherziker" – (the Merciful One). According to tradition, this form of address became the surname of the descendants of Levi Yitzchak ben Meir (Derbaremdiker). His prayer known as "Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's Kaddish" has been preserved, in which he calls the Creator Himself to judgment for His harsh treatment of the Jewish people. During the days of Elul, it is customary to study "Kedushat Levi" – the tzadik's principal work. The Kaddish of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev "Gutn morgn, good morning, L-rd Almighty. I, Levi Yitzchak, son of Sarah Sosha of Berditchev, have come to You, L-rd, to demand an answer: What do You want from Israel? Why have You laid Yourself upon the children of Israel? All Your words are addressed to the children of Israel, and all that You commanded, You commanded to the children of Israel! Do You not have other nations? Romans, Persians, Babylonians? What do the Germans say? The Germans say: our law is above all other laws. The Romans – what do they say? Our kingdom is above all kingdoms. But I, Levi Yitzchak, son of Sarah Sosha of Berditchev, declare before You: May Your Name be exalted and sanctified! And I will not move from where I stand, and I will keep standing. The darkness of our exile will come to an end – and at the end of our exile May Your Name be exalted and sanctified! (translated from Yiddish by Mikhail Gendelev) On his last Rosh Hashanah, three weeks before his death, before the sounding of the shofar, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak said sternly: "Master of the Universe! Your chosen people, the children of Israel, today, on the Day of Judgment, bring their case before You. For all the troubles and misfortunes, persecutions and pogroms fall upon us only because we are Your servants and serve You — as King David said in the psalm: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.' (Tehillim 44:23) And since we perish because of You and for Your sake, You are obligated to save us as quickly as possible, granting us the final redemption!" And then, turning to those praying, he said: "I promise you that after my death, when I arrive in the World to Come, I will summon the entire Heavenly Host to the Supreme Court and demand that they deliver our people from exile." (Sarei HaMeah 4:9) 3 Segulot of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev: 1. End every reading of Tehillim with the words: "Rabbi Levi Yitzchak ben Sarah Sosha of Berditchev." Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was the Sanegor shel Yisrael (defender of the people of Israel). That is why the chassidim developed a beautiful segula connected with the name of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev as a defender. The Alter Rebbe (zt"l) taught: "If a Jew, while reciting Tehillim, mentions the name of the 'defender,' his words will reach the 'palace of mercy' in Heaven, opening the 'Gates of Salvation' and annulling harsh decrees." 2. The Prayer of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev at the End of Shabbat This prayer of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was found among his manuscripts with the following note, in which he instructed: "Let men, women, and children recite this request at the end of every Holy Shabbat before Havdalah, three times. And I am certain that good fortune will surely await them, with G-d's help!" The Prayer "Elokei Avraham, Elokei Yitzchak veElokei Yaakov, shemor veatzel et amecha Yisrael oahavecha mikol ra, vitehilatecha kaasher Shabbat Kodesh haahuv over hashavua, hachodesh vehashanah, yavo lanu leemunah shelemah, leemunat chachamim, leahavat chaverim, lidvekut haBoreh baruch Hu, leha'amin bishlosh esreh ikarim shelach. Uvigeulah kerovah bimeherah veyameinu, uvitchiyat hameitim, uvinevuat Moshe Rabbeinu alav hashalom. Ribono shel olam, Atah hu hanoten laya'ef koach, ten gam livnei hayehudim oahavecha koach lehodot lecha verak lecha la'avod, velo le'acher chalilah, asher hashavua hachodesh vehashanah, yavo lanu livriut ulmazal tov velivrachah ulhatzlachah, ulchesed, ulvanei chayei arichei umzonei revichei vesiyata dishmaya lanu ulchol Yisrael, venomar amen." Translation (G-d of Avraham, G-d of Yitzchak, and G-d of Yaakov, protect Your people, Israel, whom You love, from all evil — for the sake of Your glorified Name. Behold, our beloved holy Shabbat is coming to an end, and may there come to us a week of perfect faith, faith in the sages, love of one's fellow, and closeness to the Creator, blessed is He. That we may believe in the thirteen principles You have given, in the imminent redemption — speedily, in our days, in the resurrection of the dead, and in the prophecy of our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him. Master of the Universe, You give strength to the weary. So too grant strength to Your children, the Jewish people, upon whom Your mercy rests, to praise Your Name and to serve You alone. May the coming week bring us health, good fortune and success, blessing and favor, offspring, long life and ample sustenance, and heavenly assistance for us and for all Israel, and let us say: Amen). The Prayer of the Wife of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev This prayer has come down to us from Perl, the wife of the Berditchever Rebbe. When she kneaded dough and baked bread for Shabbat, she would pray as follows: "Master of the world, I beg You: help me, so that when my husband, Levi Yitzchak, recites the blessing over these loaves on Shabbat, he will think of the very same thing that I was thinking of when I kneaded and baked them." May the merit of this great tzadik protect Am Yisrael! (based on materials from Toldot.ru, from the lessons of Rav Yaakov Doctor)