Chapter 62: The History of Yaakov Eizik and His Father Shimshon Eliyahu

00:01 We continue with the story of Baruch in the town—or city—of Yanovitch. Here Baruch encounters Yaakov Isaac again, the wealthy man of Yanovitch, also known as the “prince of Yanovitch.” It was an unpleasant encounter. Yaakov Isaac and several other Jews were verbally abusing a simple Jew. It was very unpleasant to see, and Baruch now goes over Yaakov Isaac’s life story. Reb Yaakov Isaac was the most respected Jew in Yanovitch. He was also the one whose opinion carried weight in the town. Everyone feared him, knowing his power and influence. Yaakov Isaac was born in Yanovitch. His father, Reb Shimshon Eliyahu, was the one who had established the community there. He was the son of the gaon Rabbi Yaakov of Vitebsk, an accomplished and astute man who spoke Russian and Polish and had a knowledge of mathematics. Because of these abilities, Count Lipsky, one of the largest and wealthiest estate owners in the Vitebsk region, appointed him manager of his estates near Yanovitch. Reb Shimshon Eliyahu settled in Yanovitch for this purpose, and thanks to him, many Jews gained new means of earning a living. The town began to flourish not only materially but spiritually as well. All its Torah and charitable institutions grew stronger and expanded. Over a period of twenty years, the Jewish community of Yanovitch developed in both size and quality. Many Torah scholars joined it as householders took learned men as sons-in-law. Learned teachers were brought to town for the children, and young men and married scholars sat in the batei midrash studying Torah. The center of activity in Yanovitch was, of course, the home of the wealthy benefactor Reb Shimshon Eliyahu. It was a gathering place for scholars in the fullest sense of the word. Anyone who wanted to absorb Torah or wisdom came there. Reb Shimshon Eliyahu’s home was open to guests, especially Torah scholars. A great many people became wealthy through his help. Reb Shimshon Eliyahu was always generous in giving tzedakah, and he was always ready

02:32 to help a fellow Jew, especially when it came to finding him a livelihood. For this reason, everyone held Reb Shimshon Eliyahu in high regard and considered him the town’s true leader. He was called the “prince of Yanovitch,” and indeed, people gave more weight to his opinion than to that of Count Lipsky himself. Near Yanovitch lived a minor gentile landowner who was very jealous of Reb Shimshon Eliyahu. He could not bear his stature, nor could he bear the trust Count Lipsky had placed in him. This landowner concocted a false accusation against Reb Shimshon Eliyahu, charging him with embezzlement. The accuser produced false witnesses who testified that Reb Shimshon Eliyahu had cheated Count Lipsky and falsified the accounts of his estates. When word of the accusation against Reb Shimshon Eliyahu reached Yanovitch, fear gripped the entire community. A meeting was called, and it was decided to fast on Monday, Thursday, and the following Monday, to recite Selichos, and to read Vayechal as on a public fast day. It was also decided that every member of the community would declare a willingness to swear that Reb Shimshon Eliyahu was innocent. The villages and estates that Reb Shimshon Eliyahu supervised were also in an uproar. Everyone was deeply distressed by the accusation, which they knew was false. It was further decided to send people to Count Lipsky, who was then at one of his estates near Vilna, to intercede for Reb Shimshon Eliyahu. There was one Jew who remained calm: Reb Shimshon Eliyahu himself. Despite the distress of everyone in Yanovitch, especially his family, he continued, as always, to place his complete trust in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. He said that now, especially, it was his duty to take stock of himself, examine his deeds, and correct wrongs he must have caused—for otherwise, the accusation would not have befallen him. Reb Shimshon Eliyahu was a remarkable person in this respect, too. He knew that everything comes from Hakadosh Boruch Hu and everything happens through Divine Providence. He never took pride in his high standing, and for that

05:02 reason he did not feel helpless at the possibility of losing it. He believed he had to accept equally everything given to him by Hashem, whether good or bad. It was precisely this outlook that had moved him to use his standing and wealth to help others, and it now led him to conclude that he must draw ever closer to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Reb Shimshon Eliyahu had acquired this view of life in early childhood through the influence of his father, and even more through the influence of an older uncle named Reb Yechiel Moshe. Reb Yechiel Moshe had exceptional character traits and fear of Heaven. Reb Shimshon Eliyahu’s father was not only a gaon but also a very wealthy man. His household was run on a generous scale. Reb Shimshon Eliyahu had been frail since childhood, so he was not given such a heavy burden of Torah study. Instead, particular care was taken to cultivate his good character. Shimshon Eliyahu’s mother came from Prague, as did Reb Yechiel Moshe, her uncle. He considered himself a student of the Maharal of Prague and therefore studied the Maharal’s books constantly. He also always conducted himself according to them. It was this Yechiel Moshe who raised Shimshon Eliyahu from early childhood in the way of the Maharal of Prague. That is why the firm belief that everything is guided by Divine Providence had been rooted in him since childhood. When Reb Shimshon Eliyahu learned that the meeting in Yanovitch had decided on a Monday-Thursday-Monday fast, it pained him greatly. He did not want an entire community of Jews to fast because of him. But, true to his way of thinking, he took it as a sign that Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted the Jews of Yanovitch to do teshuvah. So he too joined the Jews of Yanovitch who gathered in the shuls on the fast days. Their weeping then pierced the heavens. Shimshon Eliyahu wept more than anyone,

07:25 grieving over the fate of the entire community. But he opposed the meeting’s second decision, that the members of the community should swear to his innocence. He insisted that this decision not be carried out and expressed his wish to place himself in the hands of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Several weeks later, a three-man delegation sent by Count Lipsky arrived in Yanovitch. For a full week they examined the accounts and the inventories of grain and other property on the estates managed by Reb Shimshon Eliyahu. They found that everything was in perfect order. The accusation against Shimshon Eliyahu was proven false, and he was publicly cleared. More than that, Count Lipsky decided to demonstrate publicly his trust in his Jewish manager and sent him a six-branched silver menorah as a gift. The menorah was one and a quarter cubits tall—that is, seventy-five centimeters. Shimshon Eliyahu brought it to Vitebsk and gave it to a silversmith, who added two branches. When the work was finished, Shimshon Eliyahu donated the menorah to the main shul in Vitebsk for the lighting of the Chanukah candles. Yaakov Isaac was Shimshon Eliyahu’s only son. Naturally, as an only child, he was the apple of his family’s eye. The best teachers were brought in to teach him. When Yaakov Isaac became bar mitzvah, Shimshon Eliyahu decided, on the advice of Reb Simcha Zelig, the well-known scholar from Vitebsk whom we have already spoken about, to take Reb Naftali Zev, a noted Torah scholar, as the boy’s teacher. Naftali Zev was nicknamed “the Talmudist” because he was constantly studying the Talmud. He was also well versed in works of philosophical inquiry, such as Moreh Nevuchim and the Kuzari. Naftali Zev was also deeply G-d-fearing, but by nature he was easygoing and emphasized the plain meaning of things. For that reason, he disliked studying tangential interpretations, and all the more so allusions or mystical meanings. He even tried to explain the Talmud’s aggadic passages in a straightforward way, and when he could not, he skipped them. He maintained that the matter

10:00 If something could not be explained according to its plain meaning, there was no place to explain it at all. More generally, Naftali Zev believed that one should rely primarily on intellect, not emotion. Even in observing the mitzvos, he sought intellect alone, not feeling. In his view, the mind had to rule a person completely, while the heart and emotions should have a secondary place, if any place at all. Reb Naftali Zev was very careful to uphold the honor of Torah and Torah scholars. On the other hand, he looked down on ordinary G-d-fearing Jews and people of good deeds. If they had not studied enough Torah to become outstanding scholars, he regarded them with condescension; he was especially cold, almost resentful, toward ordinary people. His student Yaakov Yitzchak was very attached to him and entirely under his influence. He acquired a great deal of Torah knowledge from him. But to his great sorrow, Shimshon Eliyahu noticed that his son, though indeed an outstanding Torah scholar, was indifferent to human suffering and unmoved by the distress of others. Even when he gave tzedakah, he did so without feeling or heart. This deeply pained Shimshon Eliyahu, whose own way was entirely different. He spoke about it with Naftali Zev, hoping for his help in correcting his son’s shortcomings. But to Shimshon Eliyahu’s astonishment, Naftali Zev himself was indifferent to tzedakah and to everything concerning the lives of others. As far as he was concerned, what mattered was Torah study, or at most observing the mitzvos strictly according to the letter of the law. The conversation left Shimshon Eliyahu dejected. He now understood clearly that his son’s outlook on life came from Naftali Zev’s influence. They spoke at length, and Naftali Zev made it clear that, apart from Torah study, nothing was important to him. Even compassion had a place only when directed by the cool intellect. Thus, he said, the mitzvah of tzedakah, too, in Naftali Zev’s view, had to be

12:42 measured and carefully weighed. He would say that one must not give more than a fifth of one’s possessions to tzedakah, nor less than a shekel a year. Here, then, were precise limits: a minimum and a maximum. Naftali Zev also wanted to explain the mitzvah of “Love your fellow as yourself” according to his own view. First, Rabbi Akiva says in the Jerusalem Talmud, Tractate Nedarim, chapter 9, that the mitzvah of “Love your fellow as yourself” is “a great principle of the Torah.” In Naftali Zev’s opinion, this proved that love really meant the absence of hatred. There was also Hillel the Elder’s explanation: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.” So the point, Naftali Zev said, was not to hate—not to feel actual love. And add to this the teaching of Rabbah bar Avuha in Tractate Kesubos, page 37, concerning a person who, G-d forbid, is liable to the death penalty: the Gemara says, “Choose a dignified death for him.” There, he said, was a whole approach to love. As for ordinary, unlearned people, Naftali Zev said that Tractate Kesubos, page 8, states: “Calamities come into the world only on account of the unlearned.” Shimshon Eliyahu, who was imbued with the good character traits he had learned from his great-uncle Yechiel Moshe, could not stomach this. Although he valued Naftali Zev for his great scholarship and for instilling a love of Torah in the heart of his only son, he felt that Naftali Zev had, in some measure, harmed him. Only now did Shimshon Eliyahu come to appreciate the precious spiritual inheritance his great-uncle had left him. In fact, he knew very little about his great-uncle’s life, because his great-uncle had seldom spoken about his past. What Shimshon Eliyahu knew of him came from his mother’s stories. This is what she told him: Yechiel Moshe had a wealthy father who arranged a match for him with the only daughter of another wealthy man, called Reb

15:05 Zevulun the Silent. At first, Reb Yechiel Moshe led a happy, comfortable life. Both his father and his father-in-law had their own study halls, where, at their expense, they supported ten men who sat and studied Torah day and night. They themselves also sat and studied. His father had considerable property in Prague, but left only part of it to his son and relatives. The rest he distributed to tzedakah. Yechiel Moshe lived with his wife for thirty-five years, and sadly, they had no children. When she passed away, he gave part of his property to tzedakah and moved into the home of Shimshon Eliyahu’s parents—first in Krakow and later in Vitebsk. Since he still had substantial means, he sought out people who needed help. He sent people through cities and towns to find orphaned boys and girls and provide for them at his expense. He gave generously to yeshivos and Torah scholars, and supported householders who had fallen on hard times. He divided his time among various classes and studies. Each day he studied a page of Gemara in depth on his own. In addition, he set aside several hours a day for a shared study session with a Jew named Baruch the Soldier. During the rest of the day, he studied Midrash and recited Tehillim with others. In particular, he taught people good character traits according to the teachings of the Maharal of Prague. One tradition from the Maharal was to recite the Song of Haazinu every day before davening; the Maharal regarded it as a means of purifying the mind and heart. In the Maharal’s view, merchants and craftsmen, too, should recite Parshas Haazinu several times a day, as this was a means of attaining success. Everyone was therefore expected to know Parshas Haazinu by heart. The Maharal also regarded reciting Haazinu several times a day as a means of attaining long life. Rabbi Shimshon Eliyahu never forgot a conversation he had as a child with his great-uncle about Pinchas the servant. Pinchas was already seventy years old, a tall, broad-built Jew with a white beard. All his life he had worked

17:36 hard to earn his bread. In his old age, he was employed as a servant in the home of Shimshon Eliyahu’s father. It was a winter day, toward evening. Shimshon Eliyahu was sitting in his uncle Yechiel Moshe’s room. Pinchas the servant entered with a bundle of wood on his shoulder to heat the stove. When Rabbi Yechiel Moshe saw him, though he was an elderly man himself, he rose to his full height and did not sit down again until Pinchas had finished his work. Shimshon Eliyahu was not sure whether his great-uncle had really meant to stand in honor of the simple servant, so he asked him. “Certainly,” said Yechiel Moshe. “It is an explicit verse: ‘Rise before the aged and honor the face of an elder.’” Yechiel Moshe did not stop there. He added thoughtfully, “How I envy this simple Jew, who earns his living by the labor of his hands! I, by contrast, live on nahama d’kisufa—bread of shame—the inheritance my parents left me.” Rabbi Shimshon Eliyahu also remembered well the debate he had with his great-uncle about this. He quoted the teaching of our Sages in Kiddushin, page 32: “An elder is only one who has acquired wisdom.” But Yechiel Moshe answered with another teaching, from Shabbos, page 31: “Stand before a man who fears sin”—a G-d-fearing person. “And Pinchas the servant,” Yechiel Moshe said, “is a G-d-fearing man who always recites chapters of Tehillim with feeling.” Before his passing, Yechiel Moshe left a small part of his estate to relatives and gave the rest to tzedakah. Later, when his accounts were examined and it became clear how large the sums he had distributed to tzedakah were, it was evident that he had fulfilled the mitzvah of giving discreetly in the truest sense. Shimshon Eliyahu’s trusted confidant was a Jew named Moishe Shvianovitz, who was known as “the Faithful One.” Like Shimshon Eliyahu himself, Moishe came from Vitebsk. They had known each other since childhood. Shimshon Eliyahu felt a strong

20:25 personal bond with Reb Moishe, because his way was similar to that of his great-uncle, Yechiel Moshe. When Reb Shimshon Eliyahu was appointed manager of Count Lipsky’s estates, he took Reb Moishe with him as his personal assistant. Reb Moishe kept his ledgers and was his right-hand man. Reb Shimshon Eliyahu confided all his secrets to him and made him his personal adviser.