The Rebbe of Rimanov, Rav Tzvi Hirsch HaKohen zt”l, was not born into an illustrious lineage, nor was he a child prodigy. He was born into a simple family and was orphaned at a very young age. He was taken in by a local tailor, who tried to teach him a trade, but Rav Tzvi Hirsch had a lofty soul and was handpicked by Rav Menachem Mendel Rimanover zt”l to succeed him as the Rebbe of Rimanov. Many people flocked to Rav Tzvi Hirsch for his wise and sage advice.
Rav Tzvi Hirsch used to say, “I never had much success as a tailor. I did, however, learn two very important things from my teacher. When he used to give me a garment that was old and torn, he would say, ‘Be careful to sew up the tear so that it is as good as the original.’ On the other hand, when he gave me a new piece of cloth, he would say, ‘Be careful not to ruin the good material that I have given you.’ These two things I have never forgotten,” Rav Tzvi Hirsch would say. “I have always tried to repair the tears in my soul so that I may return it to my Maker as close as possible to its original condition. On the other hand, I watch every good quality that I have acquired so as not to ruin it.”
A chasid from a neighboring town once came to Rav Tzvi Hirsch with quite an unusual dilemma. He implored the Rebbe to somehow intercede so that his father-in-law would die. “What? What do you mean?” exclaimed Rav Tzvi Hirsch.
“Well, my father-in-law is very old, already more than 100 years of age,” explained the chasid. “He can’t really do much for himself, and he is miserable most of the time. He doesn’t learn and doesn’t daven anymore. He sits from dawn till dusk and does nothing. It would seem that he has had enough of life already, but he just keeps hanging on day after day, week after week, year after year. Please, ease his pain and ask Hashem to take his neshamah back to its rightful place in heaven!”
Rav Tzvi Hirsch didn’t really know what to say, but he reasoned that a Yid who lived to such a ripe old age must have some kind of merit. He told the chasid to bring the old man to Rimanov so he may talk to him.
So, they picked up the old man and brought him to Rimanov. They carried him in on a stretcher and placed him in front of Rav Tzvi Hirsch. The Rebbe began to ask the old man questions about his life. He soon learned that the old man had been a simple baal agalah – a wagon driver – all of his life. He davened every morning, but his real interest was to get to breakfast. He went to shul on Shabbos, but the cholent was his ultimate goal. Rav Tzvi Hirsch peppered him with more questions to find out if the old Jew could remember any reason that might account for his many years. Maybe there was some special mitzvah that he did once, or possibly he had been to a tzadik on some special occasion and received a brachah.
The old Jew thought about this for a moment and then he recalled that he had once been in the town of Lizhensk, and when he came to the shul one day, he heard the loudest singing and witnessed the wildest dancing he had ever seen. He peeked inside and saw dozens of empty bottles on the table. Hoping to join in the revelry, he went inside and saw a circle of men dancing feverishly around one man in the middle. The man was tall, with a face red like fire, and he was dancing with his eyes closed. The rest of the men were all singing loudly and dancing with great inspiration around him.
At this point, Rav Tzvi Hirsch stopped the old man, exclaiming that now he understood everything. The tall one in the middle was none other than the holy Rebbe, Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk zt”l. He explained that it is a well-known kabbalah that whoever even just glimpsed the face of the great Noam Elimelech would not be able to leave this world until he had done t’shuvah. Apparently, this old Jew had seen Rav Elimelech but never once thought about t’shuvah.
Rav Tzvi Hirsch leaned over towards the old man and started to explain how Hashem created the world, and how everything in it was placed there just for our benefit. He began to describe how we welcome the Shabbos and how Hashem comes, so to speak, to sit at our table, sharing our food and company. Suddenly, a spark glinted in the old man’s eyes. He turned his head and let out a deep sigh. Rav Tzvi Hirsch ordered all of the kohanim to immediately leave the room. The old Jew heaved one more sigh of remorseful repentance and left this world – fully repentant – for the World-to-Come.
Rabbi Dovid Hoffman is the author of the popular “Torah Tavlin” book series, filled with stories, wit and hundreds of divrei Torah, including the brand new “Torah Tavlin Yamim Noraim” in stores everywhere. You’ll love this popular series. Also look for his book, “Heroes of Spirit,” containing one hundred fascinating stories on the Holocaust. They are fantastic gifts, available in all Judaica bookstores and online at http://israelbookshoppublications.com. To receive Rabbi Hoffman’s weekly “Torah Tavlin” sheet on the parsha, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
