Weekly Story: The Heilike Ruzhiner

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

This past Monday, the 3rd of Cheshvan was the yahrzeit of the Heilike Ruzhiner, Reb Yisroel Friedman. In this weeks’ post we  will note one famous story of his interactions with the Alter Rebbe.

As always, your feedback and comments are most welcomed and appreciated.

 As is known the Alter Rebbe travel around Russia and Ukraine extensively. and doing one of those trips he came to the city where the Ruzhiner was living (Prohbist). At that time, Reb Yisroel was a young child of five or seven years old. 

Many people of the city came out to greet the Alter Rebbe and the young Israel was amongst them. Seeing the Alter Rebbe he went over and had a short conversation with him, (some say he climbed into his wagon). Sometime later, the Alter Rebbe said to his Chassidim, a young boy asked me a question that none of the chassidim have asked me. He then clarified what the question was. 

The child asked me, after a Jew says the Possuk of Shema Yisroel, how is it possible that he feels that he is an entity separate from Hashem and therefore is commanded to love Hashem. When a Jew says Shema Yisroel, he is declaring that Hashem is the only true entity in this world and everything in it, is only an extension of Hashem. So if I am an extension of Hashem I’m not a separate entity, who loves a greater entity. [The Torah is not instructing us to love ourself!]

Hearing this question the chassidin wanted to know what was the answer that  the Alter Rebbe gave him. So either they asked the Alter Rebbe himself or they went to the young boy and asked him what did the Maggid of Liozna, as the Alter Rebbe was then known, tell  you. 

The reply was, you are correct in your question; the first possuk of Shema states that there is nothing else besides Hashem. However, before we say the Possek of Vi’ahavta, our sages instructed us to add and say the Possuk of Boruch Shem.. and that possuk informs us that Hashem desires that initially we should feel independent of him and therefore when we serve Him we will be doing so out of our own desire and not that we feel overwhelmed by His greatness. 

So after you say the possuk of Boruch Shem, you are supposed to feel as if your body is somewhat separate from Hashem and then you have the Commandment of Vi’ahavta, coming to love Hashem to such an extent that you no longer feel that you are independent of Him, but you want to be connected  with Him at the highest level, and even if that will cause you to give up your life.

A taste of Chassidus of Chassidus

Ani Hinei Bi’risi E’tuch  5744 

The possuk states that Hashem promised Avrohom, now that you have had a circumcision, I am making a covenant with you; You will rule over the Nations.

The question is why was this reward given to Avrohom only after having his circumcision and not before that? 

Our sages tell us that Avrohom was the epitome of kindness, to the extent that the sphere of kindness said to Hashem ever since Avrohom was in the world, I have nothing to do. Avrohom extended kindness to all. In other words he extended kindness even before he was commanded to have a bris. And in his generation when he and his family were the only Jews, it is evident that his acts of kindness were to the nations of the Earth.

Being that the angel on high complained that he has no work to occupy himself with, that means that not only did Avrohom do physical acts of kindness as serving food to people who were traveling and in need, but also kindness in a spiritual sense.

The Midrash tells us that a spiritual kindness of his was, that before Avraham had a circumcision elevated Souls (souls of tzaddikim) were given even to the other nations. One of the examples given is Mi’ooshelach: not only was he the longest living person recorded but because of his greatness the flood was delayed not only until he passed away, but even for the 7 days after his passing. However, once Avraham had a Bris milah, then no longer were these elevated Souls of righteous people given into other nations. 

A second explanation of what the covenant was is, that once Avrohom had a Bris he is considered the father of every convert. Therefore, a man that converts is called the son of Abraham and a woman that converts is the daughter of Sarah. This explains why we find the aspect of converts after Avrohoms bris, and not before then. Being that before his circumcision exalted Souls were also given to the nations of the Earth, therefore, they did not feel any need to become close to Hashem through conversion, as some of them already had an exalted soul, that connected them to a certain degree to Hashem. 

However, after having his bris, which caused that the other Nations no longer received these exalted Souls, therefore some of them would feel a urge and desire to become closer to Hashem and the only way they were able to accomplish that, was by becoming a convert, and that was the covenant that Hashem made, a convert is his child. 

We can Now understand something perplexing. One of the basic tenants of Chassidus and emphasis is that every descent is in order that it gives an opportunity for that thing to become elevated to a higher level. So now that the nations of the Earth were no longer able to receive these exalted Souls the question becomes what elevation was a consequence of that descent? 

But as noted, now there are many converts and before then there were no converts. So this descent of theirs is impetus of desiring to become completely connected to Hashem by converting.

This also explains another interesting aspect. We find that the vast majority of converts are from the descendants of Esau, which in general encompasses Europe ( Western Civilization), while we do not have that many converts from the descendants of Ishmael, even though originally we were exiled to their lands.

But based on the above it is understood. Being that Yishmael was born before his father Avrohom had a bris, when he was born there was a possibility for him to receive an exalted righteous soul, so in his DNA, there isn’t the feeling of a need to come closer to Hashem, hence there are no or a very limited amount of converts among his descendants. Whereas, Esau was born after Avrohom and Yitzchok had a bris, so in his children’s DNA, there is the gene, that tells them that the way to become connected to Hashem is by becoming a convert. 

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com Posted in honor of the wedding of Shmuel and Esti Rosenblatt.

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1. The Ruzhiner’s father, Reb Sholom Shachna was a son of Reb Avrhom Hamalach, the son of the Maggid. His mother was a granddaughter of Reb Menachem Nochum of Chernobyl.

2. Being that the Ruzhiner was born on the third of Tishrei 5557 (1796), this occurred either in 5562 or 5564. Reb Yisroel’s father Reb Sholom Shachna was nistalek in the year of 5563.

3. The deeper meanings and the difference between the possuk of Shema Yisroel and Borch Shem, is explained by the Alter Rebbe in Sgaar HaYichud Ve’Haemunah (the second section of the Tanya).
There he explains that in the possuk of Shema, we are declaring that Hashem is not only the source of everything, but IS evrthing, as there is nothing besides Him.
In the second possuk, we explain, that while the first possuk is absolutely true, however, in order that the world should serve Hashem on their own and as a robot or an overwhelming awareness of His presence, because He is revealed to all, therefore Hashem conceals His greatness, and we can and will come to that recognition, through our effort and toil to become closer to Him.