The Rebbe of Klausenberg,
Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam,
Was a spiritual giant
Of a man.
He lived 1905-1994,
A survivor
Of the Second World War,
Never sat shiv’ah
For the 11 children he lost,
Occupied with saving others
During the Holocaust.
He settled in America
For a time beforehand,
Eventually reaching the Holy Land,
In Natanya established
The Laniado Hospital,
Turned to blessing, his surviving
The unspeakable.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, of Efrat,
In Williamsburg, witnessed something that,
Though a child, always stayed in his mind:
In the Klausenberger Shul
The Rebbe’s outlook was defined;
There, “The Rebuke” was being read,
The reader lowered his voice
As is custom.
But instead,
The Rebbe shouted, “Hecher, hecher!” (“Louder!”)
Let the Almighty hear
That the curses are fulfilled;
May only blessings now appear!
The birth pangs of Mashiach –
Cataclysmic, severe –
Have all materialized;
But at the end,
Hashem makes clear:
“I will remember My covenant
With Yaakov,
And also My covenant with Yitzchak,
And also My covenant with Avraham,
Will I remember;
And I will remember the Land.”
All negativity and darkness
Conceal sparks of good,
For them to reach us, as they should;
They descend to earth hidden
Under the guise of a curse;
For example, the following verse:
“Each man will stumble
Over his brother
Fleeing, as if from the sword.”
Guarantors for each other
In punishment and reward,
All Jews specific parts
Of one collective soul,
Mixed and pleasant
Parts of the whole,
May this recognition help heal
Our spiritual exile
To make all we’ve been through
Though harsh, seem worthwhile.
As the innocent souls
File through Heaven’s gate,
Enemies of Israel
Celebrate.
HaKadosh Baruch Hu,
We know all
Is from you, still
Please give us courage
To bear Your will.
May this curse atone,
May Your mercy be shown
To those lost and injured
In Meron.
By Sharon Marcus
