Episode 106: Aharon Yaakov, Head of the Yeshivah, Tells Baruch of Vyazin a Fascinating Story

00:01 Rabbi Baruch of Vayzin continued running his yeshiva and accepted Aaron Yaakov, a brilliant young scholar, into it, although the young man would say nothing about himself beyond his name. Rabbi Baruch arranged to study with him, hoping to learn more about him. For three weeks, they studied the writings of the Rambam together. Rabbi Baruch grew very close to the young rosh yeshiva, but all he managed to learn was that he was well versed in works of Jewish philosophy and mussar. His knowledge was orderly, and he was thoroughly familiar with the approaches of the Rambam, the Ramban, Rabbeinu Bachya, and the Ralbag. Rabbi Baruch found that the young man had a great deal to say about these approaches and the differences between them. Their conversation turned to the common view that the Ramban and Rabbeinu Bachya studied Kabbalah, while the Rambam did not. On this point, the young rosh yeshiva was able to demonstrate that the Rambam was indeed familiar with Kabbalah. This left Rabbi Baruch of Vayzin thoroughly puzzled. He could not determine which approach the mysterious rosh yeshiva favored. At the same time, it was clear to him that the young man was no stranger to Kabbalah and even leaned toward it. Rabbi Baruch was pleased by this discovery, for it meant that the young man could not be an emissary of the opponents. Still, he had not resolved whether the young man was imbued with the teachings and spirit of Kabbalah, particularly as taught by the hidden tzaddikim and kabbalists of that generation, the disciples of Rabbi Adam Baal Shem of Ropshitz. Much time passed, but Rabbi Baruch learned nothing more about Aaron Yaakov, the rosh yeshiva. It was clear that he had extensive knowledge of Kabbalah, but what interested Rabbi Baruch was how he felt about it and where he stood. So one day Rabbi Baruch decided to ask Aaron Yaakov

02:46 directly what he thought of Kabbalah. Aaron Yaakov gave a clear and wide-ranging answer. He spoke at length about Kabbalah and its importance, discussing various kabbalistic works, including Avodas Hakodesh, Derech Emunah, Tolaas Yaakov, and Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Pardes Rimonim. He also spoke extensively about the writings of the holy Arizal, explaining how they differed from the other works he had mentioned. He noted that the contents of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s books could, to some extent, be explained, but the writings of the holy Arizal, which deal with lofty and profound matters, had to be studied without explanations. That, he said, made it easier to go wrong in studying the Arizal’s writings than in studying other works of Kabbalah. Aaron Yaakov also noted that the origins of many of the writings were not always clear, since they were generally copies. His conclusion was that Kabbalah must be studied carefully, with suitable explanation, to avoid making any mistake. Even a slight error, he said, could cause great harm. In this connection, the rosh yeshiva quoted Rabbi Yishmael’s words to Rabbi Meir in Sotah, page 20a. Rabbi Meir had told Rabbi Yishmael that he worked as a scribe, writing Torah scrolls, tefillin, and mezuzos. Rabbi Yishmael told him: “My son, be careful, for your work is the work of Heaven. If you leave out one letter or add one letter, you may destroy the entire world.” By quoting this teaching, Aaron Yaakov meant to stress how serious and damaging a mistake could be if Kabbalah was not studied with the proper approach. “For all these reasons,” he said, “I am afraid to approach the Arizal’s method, for fear that I might, G-d forbid, make a mistake.” Rabbi Baruch of Vayzin concluded that the mysterious young rosh yeshiva, Aaron Yaakov, his study partner, was not opposed to Kabbalah. Although his knowledge

05:32 of the Arizal’s approach to Kabbalah, on which the future path of Chassidus would be based, was limited, the reason was as he himself had explained: a thorough understanding of the holy Arizal’s approach required proper preparation, and Aaron Yaakov did not consider himself worthy of it. On the other hand, Aaron Yaakov had extensive knowledge of the approaches of the kabbalists who preceded the Arizal, especially those whose works had commentaries and were entirely clear. Rabbi Baruch was greatly pleased, for it was now certain that Aaron Yaakov did not oppose Kabbalah. Rabbi Baruch decided to have a detailed conversation with his guest about the hidden tzaddikim and their disciples, about Rabbi Yoel Baal Shem of Zamosc and his successor, Rabbi Adam Baal Shem of Ropshitz. He hoped to find out whether his guest supported the hidden tzaddikim or opposed them. Rabbi Baruch also thought that, if their conversation showed it was necessary, he would explain to Aaron Yaakov who the hidden tzaddikim were, why they were important, and what role they played. He also intended to persuade Aaron Yaakov to visit Rabbi Adam Baal Shem, their leader, to make sure that his own judgment was sound. Rabbi Baruch of Vayzin spoke with Rabbi Menashe Yisroel, the yeshiva’s administrator. As it turned out, Rabbi Menashe Yisroel already had a favorable opinion of the young rosh yeshiva. He was convinced that, besides being a great scholar, Aaron Yaakov had outstanding character traits. In Rabbi Menashe Yisroel’s view, he had attained a high degree of personal perfection. So Rabbi Baruch of Vayzin did not hesitate to ask the young rosh yeshiva what he thought of the hidden tzaddikim and their approach—a subject that divided the Jewish people at the time. Aaron Yaakov answered without much thought: “You should know that I spent three years in exile, wandering from place to place.” In answer to the question, Aaron Yaakov said, “For three

08:15 years I lived in exile and wandered from place to place. During that time, I came to see that the hidden tzaddikim do great work that brings considerable benefit to the Jewish people as a whole.” Well, Rabbi Baruch of Vayzin was delighted. All his suspicions had proved unfounded. As they spoke, Rabbi Baruch heard details about Aaron Yaakov himself for the first time. Aaron Yaakov told him that four years earlier, he had decided to leave his wife and children for five years. His plan was to spend three years wandering in exile, then settle somewhere for another two years and devote himself diligently to study. His three years of exile ended when he arrived at Rabbi Baruch’s estate. After meeting the rosh yeshiva and the students there, he saw that this was the right place to spend his two years immersed in Torah study, and so he agreed to stay as rosh yeshiva. Aaron Yaakov also told Rabbi Baruch about his experiences during his exile. In the first town he reached, he met five other wanderers who had also undertaken exile, and they joined together on their travels. Two proved to be scholars, and he discussed Torah with them. The other three revealed nothing about themselves. They presented themselves as simple Jews and, wherever they went, associated only with ordinary people. As his travels continued, he met others who had undertaken exile, among them great scholars and tzaddikim. Some had taken on various forms of self-denial. Among the wanderers were also simple people and unlearned Jews. Aaron Yaakov heard many stories about the hidden tzaddikim, but for some reason never saw them himself—unless, of course, they had managed to remain hidden even from him. Some time passed this way. Aaron Yaakov went on to say that as he wandered through cities and towns, he always preferred to stay in the cemetery workers’ shul. He did so deliberately. These shuls stood at the edge of town, near the cemetery. It was difficult to gather a minyan there.

10:46 For prayer. It was an ideal place to stay, out of sight, and study Torah without interruption, without worrying about being caught in the act. Reb Baruch asked Aharon Yaakov why he did not stay in the guesthouses and charitable inns established specifically for travelers in every Jewish town and village. Aharon Yaakov said that in those places, learned guests were given special treatment. He was afraid people would notice that he was learned and treat him differently. He went on to tell the following story about his first encounter with the work of the hidden tzaddikim. Once, he arrived at an estate near the town of Shvintzian, not far from Vilna. The estate was leased by a respected, wealthy Jew from Shvintzian named Reb Tzadok Yechiel, who also made his home there. Tzadok Yechiel built a beis midrash on the estate and brought in Torah scholars who devoted themselves to Torah study and the service of Hashem. He provided for all their needs. Tzadok Yechiel was also exceedingly charitable and hospitable, and his good name was known throughout the region. Yet much as he loved guests, Torah scholars, and poor travelers, he hated the traveling preachers and moralizers who went from town to town pouring fire and brimstone on their Jewish listeners. Whenever such a preacher appeared on his estate and asked to take the platform and deliver a sermon, Reb Tzadok Yechiel would hasten to give him a generous donation and send him on his way. Many Jews lived on Tzadok Yechiel’s estate, and Jews from the nearby villages often came there as well. They all longed to hear a preacher’s sermon. From time to time, they approached Reb Tzadok Yechiel and asked him not to send the preachers away. “Why shouldn’t simple people like us hear some words of Torah or a fine parable from a preacher?” they wondered. Tzadok Yechiel grew angry. “What do you need those foolish sermons for? If it’s words of Torah

13:19 you’re thirsty for, and you can’t study a book on your own, go to any of the Torah scholars in the beis midrash and ask him to teach you as much as your heart desires.” And indeed, Tzadok Yechiel made sure in advance that the Torah scholars would respond to every request from a simple Jew and teach any Torah class they wanted, at his expense. He also asked them to teach the children and young people, for which he would pay them. And he asked the scholars that if they found a talented boy with the potential to succeed in his studies, they should send him to a yeshiva at Tzadok Yechiel’s expense. Aharon Yaakov related: “When I arrived at Tzadok Yechiel’s estate and saw the owner’s strange, inexplicable hatred of preachers, I was very surprised. At first, they even suspected that I myself might be a preacher, and I was offered a grant to leave the place. But I declared that I was not a preacher, and then they left me alone. Still, I was curious: how could a charitable man of such fine character as Tzadok Yechiel harbor such intense hatred of preachers and moralizers? I looked into it and discovered a very interesting story. Tzadok Yechiel had originally been profoundly ignorant. He had managed to acquire great wealth, but his spiritual knowledge was meager. He could not even read properly: he could not tell, for example, a beis from a chof or a daled from a reish. So his prayers came out broken and garbled, until those standing near him could not help laughing. He was not particularly careful about mitzvos either, simply because he did not know better. His lack of knowledge also stemmed from the fact that he had always done business with noblemen and learned much from their ways. All his great wealth came from trading with them. But despite his ignorance and frivolity, Tzadok Yechiel was kindhearted and generous, and gave a great deal to charity.

15:37 “Once, a preacher of a kind well known and common in those days came to Shvintzian, and Tzadok Yechiel was among those listening to his sermon of rebuke. The preacher spoke in the manner of preachers of that time: he chastised the people and painted a grim picture of the Gehenna awaiting sinners, with all its severe punishments. He had a special warning for the ignorant, particularly those who, in his opinion, failed to show Torah scholars the respect they deserved. Such ignorant people, he said, faced an especially harsh punishment in the World of Truth. This sermon deeply wounded Tzadok Yechiel. Kindhearted though he was, he was a simple man. ‘If that’s how things stand,’ Tzadok Yechiel thought, ‘then all the good I do is of no use. The fate of a person like me in the World to Come has already been sealed. Because of my ignorance, I can’t save myself.’ Tzadok Yechiel reached a simple conclusion: if his World to Come was lost, he might as well enjoy this world. From the day he heard that sermon of rebuke, Tzadok Yechiel changed completely. He began to cast off observance. He abandoned the way of Torah and mitzvos and began to lead a life of revelry. Since his business brought him into constant contact with noblemen and other wealthy non-Jews, he had plenty of opportunities to spend his time living as they did. His household changed completely too. His home became a place of drinking to excess and playing cards, in the style of the non-Jews. From then on, Tzadok Yechiel associated only with empty-headed, reckless people who became his drinking companions. In one respect, though, he did not change. He remained as kindhearted as ever and continued to give generously to charity. At the same time, his wealth grew day by day. Perhaps he would have gone on living this way for the rest of his life, but a deep sorrow weighed on his heart and his wife’s. They had no

18:02 children. They longed intensely to be blessed with children. ‘What use is all our property?’ his wife would lament. ‘We don’t even have anyone to leave it to.’ Then a visitor arrived in Shvintzian. There was nothing about his appearance to attract attention, and he did everything he could to keep people from taking any particular notice of him. Yet anyone who happened to speak with him could see that he was no ordinary person. Tzadok Yechiel began to take an interest in the visitor. It is unclear whether this was the result of deliberate efforts on the visitor’s part or not. The visitor greatly impressed Tzadok Yechiel, both in his conduct and in his words. Their friendship grew closer. The visitor did not speak to Tzadok Yechiel as though he were a reckless reveler, or as though he were one of those ignorant people whom the preacher had once said had no share in the World to Come. He spoke to him as someone of lofty standing, if only because of his charitable giving. ‘Charity is a great thing,’ the visitor explained to Tzadok Yechiel. ‘And in Judaism, good deeds hold a more important place than Torah study alone. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Study is not the main thing, but action.”’ The visitor explained the meaning of this teaching clearly to Tzadok Yechiel, as well as the importance of pure faith, in whose merit, he explained, our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt. These words, so utterly different from what he had once heard from the preacher, penetrated deep into Tzadok Yechiel’s heart. He came to hold the visitor in great esteem and provided him with a place to live nearby so that he could be close to him. Indeed, from then on Tzadok Yechiel was almost inseparable from the visitor and drank in his words with joy.