The Warmth of the 'Holy Fire': The Life of the Rebbe of Piaseczno

The Jewish people have been blessed that even in the darkest periods of our history, Hashem, in His great kindness, sent us great leaders who warmed the hearts and provided strength and solace when darkness prevailed.

Such was the Rebbe of Piaseczno.

At a time when the world was chilled by the influence of the Enlightenment, many Jews began losing their faith, and many study halls were closed, while concurrently the German oppressor rose to annihilate the house of Israel; during this era, when the simple Jew was engulfed in confusion and stagnation, the Rebbe arrived with a warm, loving heart and tremendous courage, illuminating faith, hope, and trust in the hearts of his Jewish brothers.

The Rebbe was almost a direct descendant of all the great Hasidic masters, and all their virtuous traits were blended into his unique personality. As R' Aharon Suraski once expressed: "Within him, he carried a heritage of holy generations:

• The noble sanctity of his ancestors, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, author of the 'Noam Elimelech', and his son Rabbi Elazar.
• The tremendous genius and burning enthusiasm of his ancestor, the holy Maggid of Kozhnitz, the fiery one of Mogielnica, Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman, author of 'Maor VaShemesh', and his son, Rabbi Yosele known as 'The Good Jew' of Neustadt.
• His crystal-clear vision and holy spirit from the 'Seer of Lublin'.
• His magnificent attribute of courage from his maternal grandfather, the holy Rabbi Chaim Shmuel of Chanchin;
• And he completed them with the traits of kindness and mercy he inherited from his father, Rabbi Elimelech of Grodzisk,
• and the heartfelt Hasidism from Karlin, passed to him by his father-in-law, Rabbi Yerachmiel Moshe of Koznitz.

All these were harmonized into the splendid personality of the Rebbe of Piaseczno, whose lineage is traced back to our holy predecessors, the Shach, the Bach, and the 'Megale Amukot', up to King David, peace be upon him.

The Healer of Souls

Contrary to the outside atmosphere of abandoning yeshivot, he established a large yeshiva for boys in Warsaw, where hundreds of students gathered under his shadow with love and great admiration. He founded educational institutions for 'laymen', led the 'Shabbat Committee' of Warsaw rabbis, and became one of the city's prominent leaders. Thousands stood at his door daily to seek advice and guidance, and with immense wisdom and a holy spirit, he warmly listened and sincerely helped many.

He also possessed vast knowledge in medicine, and pharmacies in Warsaw received prescriptions he wrote for those who came to him. His special book for youth, 'Chovat Hatalmidim', captivated the yeshiva world upon its first release. His understanding of youth psyche and the vivid manner in which he wrote touched hearts.

With the outbreak of World War II, he became a pillar for the broken-hearted. Despite being offered a pass out of the ghetto by the doctors' union, recognizing his greatness, he chose to stay with his flock. During the war, he lost his entire family, including his only son, yet he continued to organize joyful festivals and Shabbat gatherings, with deep Hasidic joy and pure faith in Hashem, that the light of Israel would never be extinguished. He delivered sermons amidst the inferno, which were compiled into his famous book 'Aish Kodesh'. He hid it with his other writings during the war, leaving instructions that whoever finds them should return them to him if he was alive, or otherwise deliver them to his brother, R' Yeshaya Shapira (the Rebbe HaChalutz) residing in Tel Aviv, in the Land of Israel. Miraculously, the writings were found, printed, and spread in Israel.

Thinking of the Rabbi in Paris

An old Jewish man once told me that he visited a Hasidic rebbe who was a businessman and asked for a blessing for his business trip to Paris. When the rebbe heard he was going to Paris, he asked, "Please bring me a new pipe from there if you can." The Hasid happily agreed but forgot to buy a pipe amidst his business dealings in Paris. Once back in Warsaw, he remembered his promise and immediately bought a pipe in a local store for the rebbe. He presented the pipe to the rebbe, who looked at it and said, "This is not what I asked for; it is not from Paris. If you think I needed the pipe, you are mistaken. All I wanted was for you, my dear Hasid, even when on a long trip immersed in your business in Paris, to continue thinking about your rebbe!"

On the 4th of Cheshvan, in one of the camps near Lublin, the Rebbe was murdered along with nearly all his followers and ascended to heaven in a fiery chariot. At the beginning of his books, he wrote: "Please strive to distribute them among Jacob and spread them in Israel. Please print in each booklet that I implore every Jew to study my books, and surely my holy ancestors' merit will stand for him and his entire household in this world and the next...".

May his merit protect us, and may we soon witness the avenging of the spilled blood of His servants.

The articlecourtesy of 'Tal Chaim' website

The author is the head of 'Tahar' Midrasha, under the auspices of Rabbi Shmuel Tal, Yad Binyamin. He is a filmmaker, lecturer, and founder of 'Mitoch Ahavato' for spreading Torah. He specializes in making documentaries about the great leaders of Israel.