Want a Favor from Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov? Light a Candle Today in His Memory

1. Rabbi Menachem Mendel (son of Yosef) Turim of Rimanov was a famous Rebbe, one of the first four disseminators of the Chassidic movement in Poland.

2. The righteous of his generation said of him that he was a spark from the soul of the Rif, and indeed, R' Mendel dedicated much effort to the study of the Rif's laws.

3. It is told that in his youth he struggled to achieve perfection in the service of Hashem and during his studies, he fell asleep and dreamed that the Rif instructed him to travel to Leżajsk to Rabbi Elimelech, where he would attain the required perfection.

3. On Lag B'Omer 5515, the day before his passing, he said that he felt he was about to depart from the world, and that he would repay those who would light a candle in his memory. The next day, on the 19th of Iyar, he passed away and was buried in the Jewish cemetery in the town of Rimanov. His grave remains a focal point for many worshippers to this day.

4. Once a month, he would send people to check the measures and weights in the shops in his city to prevent any suspicion of theft.

5. Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov prohibited the women of the city from adorning themselves with expensive and colorful garments, and he gave all his money to the poor.

6. On one Passover eve, he spoke about the splitting of the sea and said that they should bring him a cup of water and he would show them the miracle of the splitting of the sea. He placed his hand on the water and it split into twelve paths.

7. Before he became famous, the righteous Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Riminov was under the protective shadow of the tzadik Rabbi Elimelech of Leżajsk. Once, at the Shabbat meal with all the attendees, R' Elimelech took the soup bowl in front of him and turned it over, spilling all the soup. Instantly, R' M"M cried out in fear and panic: "Ahh, Rabbi! They will imprison us all." The attendees almost laughed, but out of fear of their teacher, they restrained themselves. However, they were even more amazed to hear Rabbi Elimelech's response: "Calm down, my son, peace is with us, and do not be afraid, for we are all here today."

Afterward, R' Elimelech explained: "One of the government ministers was planning schemes to harm all the Jews in the country, and several times he tried to record his accusations in a document to present to the king for signature, but he never succeeded. Each time something happened that stopped him from bringing the accusation to the king's table. However, today the minister finished writing the accusation and intended to present it to the king.

And as the minister reached out to take the sand container to spread on the document so the ink would dry, I turned the soup bowl over, and at that moment, the minister mistakenly took the ink container and spilled it over the document, smearing all the writing with ink. This young man (R' M"M of Riminov) saw all that happened and was so detached from physicality that he forgot that I was here, and it seemed to him that I physically turned the ink container on the document, and so he shouted out of fear that they would imprison us."

Then all the Chassidim saw that this young man could perceive in the spirit of holiness, places that ordinary human eyes could not see. ('Chassidic Tales' 286)

* Special thanks to Rabbi Shlomi Malka for assisting in preparing the article.

A special segula for protection against the evil eye from Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, click here.