Tzvi Hirsh Friedman of Liska (teacher of Rabbi Shayele of Kerestir)

Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh of Liska - Hershele - lost his father at age 8 and was raised by his widowed mother, Sara de-Berekin (Sara the baker). His mother did everything she could to get her boy into the study halls of tzadikim. Eventually the boy was sent to study in the yeshiva of Rav Avraham of Dembitz. During this period he met the tzadikim of the generation - Rav Meir of Apta and Rav Naftali of Ropshitz - who, during their visits to the town, noticed the child from Ihel and predicted a brilliant future for him.

In Ihel he became the closest disciple of the "Yismach Moshe."

Hershele then studied in the yeshiva in Bonyhád under the guidance of Rav Tzvi Hirsh Heller-Harif, author of "Tiv Gittin."

"It's a shame you have the same name as me," the Rosh Yeshiva once remarked to his beloved student, meaning that he wanted to take Hershele as a son-in-law - were it not for the ruling of Rabbi Yehuda HeChasid forbidding a father-in-law and son-in-law from sharing the same name.

After his marriage, the Lisker Rav went to study in Ungvár under the famous Maharam Ash. Eventually he returned to Liska, studying under Rav Menachem Ash, son of his Rebbe, and earned the respect of the townspeople.

The townspeople asked Hershele to become their Av Beit Din.

Later, fate led him to the Chassidic courts of the great Rebbes - Rabbi Tzvi Hershele of Rimanov and Rav Meir of Peremyshlan.

When Rav Hershele first came to meet the Rebbe of Peremyshlan, Rav Meir went out to greet his guest, declaring that he had been waiting for this visit for several years.

"Shalom aleichem, Lisker Rav," said Reb Meir, "I heard it announced in Heaven that you are a Rebbe with Yirat Shamayim."

Later the Rebbe of Peremyshlan gave semicha to Reb Hershele, and when another young tzadik visited Rav Meir and asked for semicha, Rabbi Meir apologized: "I cannot give it to you, because we have already given the 'shlissel' - the key to Hungary - to Reb Hershele Lisker."

The Rebbe of Liska dreamed of meeting Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin, but he did not have the means to make the trip. When his contemporary, the Yitav Lev of Sighet, set out for Ruzhin, Reb Hershele included himself in the general kvitel (note with names).

The Yitav Lev handed the paper to the holy Ruzhiner, who looked over the list, then paused thoughtfully at one name. "Who is this?" the Rav asked.

"Tzvi ben Sara - Hershele, son of Sara the baker."

The Ruzhiner had foreseen his wish to come, and he prayed for mercy so that Reb Hershele would merit making the journey. The Rebbe's prayer worked. Reb Hershele managed to gather the money for the trip to the Ruzhiner's royal court. When he arrived, he presented a kvitel that contained a request for parnasa.

"Wait a little," said the Ruzhiner. The Rav of Liska understood that in time his situation would improve. Later Rav Hershele also traveled to other tzadikim, including the Sar Shalom of Belz, Rav Asher Yeshaya of Ropshitz, Rav Menachem Mendel of Vizhnitz, Rav Eizikel of Zhydachiv, and others.

Before his passing, he said:

"How wonderful it is to be able to say: I was with this tzadik, and also with that tzadik."

The Lisker Rav often traveled to Sanz.

Once, when he arrived in the town, the "Divrei Chaim" sent Chassidim to bring the visitor's kvitel.

Rav Hershele refused to have his kvitel read in a town where such a great tzadik served as rabbi.

In his will, Reb Hershele asked his children to make it a rule to travel to tzadikim for at least one Shabbat or Yom Tov every year.

When the "Yismach Moshe" - the Rav of Ihel - passed from this world, the people asked Rav Hershele to lead them, but he refused, feeling unworthy.

The pressure grew, and the Rabbi of Liska sought the advice of three tzadikim (the Rebbes of Peremyshlan, Ruzhin, and Rimanov), who convinced him to accept the position as Chassidic Rebbe.

Rav Hershele chose feeding Jews as the main work of his life, while he himself lived an ascetic lifestyle.

"The local Beit Midrash is such a simple structure - really just a collection of wood and stones gathered by local peasants, yet the Jews grant it honor. Simple as I am, I am like these stones, without any inherent value, filled only with what the Jews invest in me through their pure faith," he once said.

In 1870, Rav Hershele had the opportunity to meet the "Ketav Sofer" - the son of the Chatam Sofer.

After their conversation, the Ketav Sofer was very impressed, and when he returned to his yeshiva in Pressburg, he joked: "When Chazal instruct us to be 'swift as a tzvi (deer)' - they mean to be like Reb Tzvi Hershele Lisker."

Candles

Once a wealthy Chassid from Liska arrived carrying boxes of candles, each one a gift for the Rebbe. He entered the Rebbe's room, and Reb Hershele gratefully accepted the gift. "Baruch Hashem, we will have candles for Shabbat!" he exclaimed. The Chassid looked with surprise at the neatly stacked piles of money on the table. The Rebbe noticed the Chassid's confusion: "You are surely wondering how it is that I had no candles for Shabbat when there is so much money on the table. It is because the Al-mighty made me a gabbai for tzedakah, and I must account for every kopeck received - this one is for pidyon shvuyim, this one for bikur cholim. There is a specific merchant who needs a new horse, and a farmer whose dairy cow died. Every kopeck has its purpose... so I remained without candles until you came."

Shayele

When Shayele appeared in Reb Hershele's yeshiva, he immediately stood out from the other students.

The Rebbe recognized the noble character of the young Shayele and entrusted him with various tasks. He understood that with Shayele he need not worry that money would be taken from the poor and used for the court's expenses.

The steady stream of visitors to Liska quickly noticed that Shayele had earned the Rebbe's unconditional trust, and they would ask the softhearted bachur to speak on their behalf before the Rebbe.

Often the Rebbe would consult with his young assistant: "Shayele, what do you think about this matter?"

Once, on a Shabbat, an unusually large crowd gathered in Liska. When the time came for Seudah Shlishit, Reb Shayele walked through the whole beit midrash with a huge sack, handing out rolls to the guests.

Rebbe Hershele, instead of immediately washing for Seudah Shlishit, stood by his place, watching his Shayele intently. The gabbai hinted to the Rebbe about the time, but he did not move. "I am watching how well Shayele is handing out the rolls." "But Shayele hands out rolls every Shabbat!" the gabbai remarked. "Yes," the Rebbe replied, "but today he is handing out rolls from an empty sack!"

The Chassidim overheard the Rebbe's words and hurried to check them by looking into the sack. It was indeed empty, just as the Rebbe had said. However, as soon as they noticed this, Shayele stopped handing out the rolls.

The remarkable nature of the relationship between the Rebbe and his attendant became clear many years later, when Reb Shayele traveled to Sanz for the yahrzeit of the Divrei Chaim.

He met Rav Avraham Shalom of Stropkov, and the two tzadikim began discussing Eliyahu HaNavi.

The Rebbe of Stropkov asked Reb Shayele whether he had ever seen Eliyahu HaNavi. Reb Shayele recalled that one night, as a bachur, he was attending to his Rebbe and was overcome with a desire to observe his Rebbe's midnight prayer. He set up his bed in Reb Hershele's room and pretended to be asleep. Deep in the night, the Rebbe of Liska approached Reb Shayele with a candle in hand and made sure he was truly asleep before welcoming a guest into the room.

"I saw a Jew come in," Reb Shayele recalled, "and it was Eliyahu HaNavi."

After the visitor left, Reb Hershele came over and checked whether Shayele was asleep.

"Who could sleep at a time like this?" Shayele answered with a question, letting the Rebbe know what he had seen.

May the merit of the tzadik protect Am Yisrael!