Rabbi Mordechai Harlig A"H

00:00 As we find ourselves in the twenty-ninth of Tammuz, this day is also the Yahrtzeit of Baba Hosid HaGoon, Rab Mordechai Halik, who's the father of Rab Meir Halik. Therefore, we'll discuss some stories relating to Rab Mordechai Halik. Rabba Hosid Rab Mordechai Halik was born on Chalamei Sukes in nineteen oh seven, and was a descendant of the Tsarkeva Rebes. His uncle, the Goen Rab Meir Shapiro of Lublin, did not have children and raised Rab Mordechai as his own. Rab Mordechai was very attached to Rab Meir and became his ardent student. In nineteen twenty-nine, he merited to serve the Tsarkeva Rebe for five years. Before World War Two, he visited many Hasidish Rebes, including the Imre Yemes, the Gera Rebe, who survived the war and came to Erts Israel. After the stalkers of his Rebe, Rab Meir Shapiro, Rabbi Halik served as a rav in different cities in Europe. He then moved to the United States and continued his service as a rav. Eventually, he settled in Crown Heights, and for many years was the rav of the Beis Dovid Shul on President Past Rogers Avenue. Rab Mordechai was one of the very few Rabbonim who adhered to the Rebe's call not to leave Nishona. Although the members of his shul moved out of the neighborhood, he remained there until the last day of his life. Rab Mordechai Halik was niftar in the year taf shin mem ches nineteen eighty-eight, as mentioned, on the twenty-ninth of Tammuz. Rabbi Halik had merited unique kiruvim from the Lubavitch Rabbeim.

02:00 He shared some of his experiences with family members. On one occasion, he related the following, "I merited seeing the previous Rebbe for the first time when he came to a sanitarium in Vienna. A group of Yungleit Tsarkever Hasidim were asked to provide a minyan and daven with him. I organized the group. I remember his son-in-law, later became the Rebbe, then referred to as the Ramash. The previous Rebbe told us many times that it would be worthwhile for us to become acquainted with the son-in-law, the Ramash. I recall how we felt a certain excitement seeing the exceptional bikl that the Ramash had for the previous Rebbe." Rab Mordechai visited with the previous Rebbe in Vienna and saw that the Rebbe was writing a letter to someone and referred to him as a God-fearing person. This person was not sh- a Shabbos observant. Rab Mordechai asked the Rebbe, "How much-- How such a person can be described as a God-fearing person?" The previous Rebbe responded, "I am like a chemist in the laboratory. He checks one's blood and finds the quantity of sugar in the blood, and also discovers the number of white blood cells and red blood cells that are found in the blood. I used this title in writing to this person in order to reveal his hidden qualities, which eventually will be obvious." Rab Mordechai concluded that after a short period of time, the recipient of this letter became a baal teshuva. Another story between our Rebbe and Rab Mordechai, it was in the

04:15 mid-sixties, the Rebbe referred a quarreling couple to Rabbi Halik and requested that he should attempt to reinstate Shalom Bayis in their home. They would visit Rabbi Halik a few times a week over a two-year period. One day, Rab Mordechai received a call from Rabbi Kadikof and was told that the Rebbe wanted to meet him. Rab Mordechai went into yechidas. The Rebbe asked him about the couple's status. Rab Mordechai briefed the Rebbe on the situation. The Rebbe asked what he suggested. Rab Mordechai answered that they needed to divorce. Hearing this, the Rebbe trembled and said the following: "Horav Halik, you were by their wedding. At the chuppah, did they not recite a blessing with Hashem's name and His Majesty?" Rab Mordechai answered, "Yes." The Rebbe continued, "If so, how can one break something that a blessing of Hashem's name and His Majesty was recited over?" Rab Mordechai began thinking and came up with different reasons for his opinion. The Rebbe continued, "Horav Halik, it is now three AM, and many people are waiting outside, and there's no time for pilpulim. If you want to delve into a pilpul, please come earlier in the evening. What pertains to us now is, how can one break something that a blessing with Hashem's name and His Majesty was recited over?" An additional story, it was in the early nineteen seventies, Rab Mordechai was told by his physician that he had a heart irregularity. The doctor scheduled him for an appointment with the cardiologist. This was on Thursday, and the

06:16 appointment was made for the upcoming Monday. Mordechai wrote to the Rebbe, and on Friday the Rebbe responded, "You are a Rov. We find ourselves in the midst of preparations for Purim. There's no time to visit doctors. After Purim, the thirty-day preparations for Pesach begin. As a Rov in your community, you, you are constantly consulted with shailas relating to Pesach, and then you will be occupied with the sale of chametz. Therefore, there is no time for visits to the doctor. After Pesach, we will see and decide further." Rab Mordechai contacted the physician and thanked him for setting up the appointment, but concluded that he would not keep the appointment. The physician was horrified and said that he did not take responsibility for his health. Five years passed, and Rab Mordechai felt fine. After five years, he did not feel well. The Rebbe advised that now he can visit a doctor. Short stories, relationship between the Rebbetzin and Rabbi Harlech. On his route to shul, Rabbi Harlech would walk past President Street, where the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin resided. On one occasion, the Rebbe commented to Rabbi Harlech, "My balabosta, the Rebbetzin, relayed to me that you do not walk as energetically as you have previously. Are you feeling all right?" Rabbi Harlech responded that everything was, Baruch Hashem, in order. A second story. In the late nineteen sixties, while Rabbi Harlech was on his way to shul, he was approached by a non-Jewish youth who tripped him with a stick, and he fell. A while later,

08:17 Rabbi Chadikov called Rabbi Harlech to ask how he was doing and was informed that everything was, Baruch Hashem, fine. Rebbetzin Harlech was concerned and suggested that perhaps her husband should use a different route to go to shul. The Rebbe relayed his advice that Rabbi Harlech should not make any changes and should continue using the same route that he used until now to go to shul and, and gave him a bracha. In conclusion, Rab Meir, the son of Rab Mordechai Harlech, points out that all of his seven children are on shlichos, no doubt in the merit of their grandfather's insistence, says Rab Mordechai, on listening to the Rebbe's words.