Stories Of Greatness

On the night of Shavuos, many people have the custom to recite Tikkun Leil Shavuos. Tikkun Leil Shavuos is said to have been officially established by the holy Arizal, Rabbeinu Yitzchak Luria zt”l. The chag of Shavuos celebrates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish People, but, according to the Midrash, B’nei Yisrael overslept on the morning they were due to receive the Torah, and they had to be awakened by a shofar blast from Hashem.

The following story is told by Rabbi Pinchas Woolstone of Sydney, Australia.

While I was in New York, I was approached by a prestigious chasidic rabbi who told me about a family that was searching for their long-lost daughter. She had been born and raised in Boro Park and had married there. Unfortunately, the marriage ended badly, but her husband – for whatever reason – refused to give her a get (divorce). After this went on for a period of time, the wife suddenly disappeared. Her family had since learned that she had gone to Australia, but they had no idea where in Australia. Since I was from Australia, the rabbi who approached me thought that maybe I could help them bring their daughter back to her people.

One of the greatest disciples of the holy Baal Shem Tov zt”l was the tzadik, Reb Leib Sarah’s [ben Sarah] zt”l (1730-1791), who was known to travel far and wide, sustaining and supporting hidden tzadikim and uncovering sparks of holiness in far-flung places. It is told that on one Motza’ei Shabbos, Reb Leib Sarah’s suddenly felt a Divine presence tugging at his conscience, urging him to travel to a far-off land, where an unusually bright spark of greatness was hidden and needed to be uncovered. Reb Leib, the great mystic in faraway Ukraine, perceived that in Hungary there existed an exalted soul that was waiting to be redeemed. Early the next morning, he set out on his holy calling, to locate and cultivate the hidden spark of k’dushah.

The great Rebbe of Berditchev, R’ Levi Yitzchok (Roskov) zt”l, was renowned for his tremendous erudition in Torah, his love for every single Jew, and his advocacy before the Heavenly court on behalf of the Jewish people. R’ Levi Yitzchok was known as the “defense attorney” for the Jewish people, because it was believed that he could intercede on their behalf before Hashem. He was, therefore, one of the most beloved leaders of Eastern European Jewry, and he made the name of the little village of Berditchev everlastingly famous.

“If two (people) are traveling on a journey (far from civilization) and one has a pitcher of water, if both drink, they will (both) die; but if only one drinks, he can reach civilization. The son of Peturah taught, ‘It is better that both should drink and die, rather than one should behold his companion’s death.’ Until Rabbi Akiva came and taught: ‘That your brother may live with you’ – “chayecha kodmin” – your life takes precedence over the life of your neighbor.”

It is well known that when people went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l to receive a brachah or ask a sh’eilah, in many cases he will tell them to either cut their hair short or grow their beard. He also tells people to keep their pei’os out, not behind their ears. He was once asked by his son-in-law, Rav Mordechai Tzivyon shlita, why he told a person with facial issues to grow his beard and that Rav Chaim responded, “A beard is a person’s hadras panim (glory of the face). If one grows his beard, he has a real hadras panim. His issues that affect his hadras panim will be healed when he grows a beard.”