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Rav Aharon Rabinowitz - A Mesirus Nefesh Yid
by Rabbi Rafael Berlzon
A calendar made by Rav Rabinowitz by hand while in Russia
Part 1
For Part II of this series click here.
This article is a translation of an article that appeared in the Israeli Yated 19 years ago.
The tzaddik, Rav Aharon Rabinowitz, zt'l, showed incredible self-sacrifice for Torah under the Communist Regime. When he moved to Eretz Yisroel his dedication to his fellow Jews behind the Iron Curtain remained equally strong. He was a talmid chochom who was also versed in Kabboloh. His prayers emanated from the depths of his pure heart. He was the rabbi of Egged, the Israeli bus network, and he developed unique methods to bring many people back to Judaism. The fourth of Kislev (November 24th) will be the thirty-ninth th yahrtzeit of the mesirus nefesh Yid. He arrived in Israel 69 years ago on the 27th of Cheshvan (November 18).
The Mir Beis Medrash in Jerusalem
The sounds of learning still resonate in the beis medrash at the end of Morning Seder. Mincha will begin in just a few minutes. A bang on one of the shtenders demands silence. An elderly Jew with piercing eyes appears out of nowhere. He requests donations in a loud voice!
It is generally forbidden to request donations in the batei medrash, especially in the Mir where each minute of interrupted Torah learning has added significance due to the large number of people learning.
How was this person able to request donations in the Mir beis medrash?
* * *
The period under the Beis Yisroel's leadership of Gur is considered magnificent even until today. Who hadn't heard how the Rebbe's fiery eyes pierced the crowd just before it suddenly parted? A path would be cleared along the center of the beis medrash down which the Rebbe would gaze. In those days, the fifth of Shevat was an important date in Gur.
Ever since the Sefas Emes passed away on the fifth of Shevat, 5665 (January 11, 1905), thousands of chassidim have gathered annually for his yahrtzeit. Another four yahrtzeits have been added to the Gur calendar in the last twenty years, but the fifth of Shevat was always considered the most important. And on that important day when thousands of chassidim gathered around their rebbe, a noise was suddenly heard and then — silence. An elderly Jew with fiery eyes appeared out of nowhere. He then proceeded to requested donations in a loud voice!
How could anyone even think to turn the fifth of Shevat into a charity campaign? Can just anyone request contributions in the middle of a tisch? How could such a phenomenon be permitted in Gur, which is steeped in Kotzker shorfkeit? How could such a thing be allowed?
An acquaintance of the campaign's director explained that the Beis Yisroel was fond of the elderly man. If the Beis Yisroel who was famous for his regal leadership was fond of the man, who couldn't like him? When the Rebbe himself gave Rav Aharon a donation, thousands of chassidim immediately followed suit and made sizable donations to help Rav Aharon's activities for Russian Jews.
Rav Aharon's son, Rav Binyomin, recounted how he visited the Pnei Menachem MiGur a few days before the Rebbe's death. While speaking with him about a community matter, the Rebbe inquired to which Rabinowitz family he belonged. When Rav Binyomin replied that his father was Rav Aharon Rabinowitz, the Rebbe inquired, "Der Rusissher?" ("The Russian?")
To Rav Benyomin's affirmation, the Rebbe replied, "You should know that your father was a tzaddik!" The Rebbe repeated this twice. Rav Binyomin remarked that he "doesn't know if anyone else in the world would be permitted to make a collection in Gur in the Rebbe's presence."
How was Rav Aharon able to request donations in the Mir?
Rav Yitzchok Ezrachi, one of the roshei yeshiva explains, "When the mal'ochim wanted to sing shiroh (songs of praise) at Kriyas Yam Suf, the Parting of the Sea, Hashem responded, `My creations are drowning and you'd like to offer praise?' The question is asked, `So how did the Jews sing shiroh?' The answer is that the Jews didn't say shiroh, Es hot zich geshirt, it burst forth on its own. The feelings of happiness that they had upon their rescue caused the shiroh to burst forth on its own! The mal'ochim, on the other hand, weren't saved at the Sea; they only wanted to offer praise. And at the time that My creations are drowning in the Sea, you don't say shiroh!"
Rav Aharon completely epitomized the Er hot zich geshirt, the spontaneous outburst of song. It is impossible to prevent such shiroh! When he would speak about the need to help our brothers imprisoned behind the Iron Curtain it was clear that the request came directly from his heart! His need was so great that it was like he was still in the Soviet Union! That's the explanation behind his request for donations in the beis medrash.
Binyomin, the son of Rav Rabinowitz
* * *
The tzaddik Rav Aharon Rabinowitz, zt'l, was born in Pinsk in Elul 5675 (August, 1915) to the gaon Rav Shlomo Avigdor, Hy"d who was the rabbi of Sofrasla (near Bialystok). He came from a prestigious family; his forefathers had been rabbis for several consecutive generations.
As a young man, Rav Aharon learned in Grodno with Rav Shmuel Rozovski and Rav Elyah Mishkovski, as well as others who later became known as giants of the generation. He maintained warm connections with these gedolim in future years.
Rav Aharon was chased and tormented by the Communist Regime in the years to follow. He was imprisoned in work camps for twelve years and stories of his heroic battle became famous while he was still alive. The following is the story of his self-sacrifice for matzo:
Prior to Pesach, Rav Aharon informed his fellow Jewish prisoners with whom he was friends that he "had made the irreversible decision not to eat chometz on Pesach, come what may."
The other prisoners raised their eyebrows in utter surprise. "How will you manage for eight days without eating bread, when even the bread that we receive doesn't satisfy our hunger?"
Rav Aharon was resolute, however. "I will not eat chometz on Pesach!" He began asking advice and formulating plans as to how he would be able to fulfill the mitzvoh of eating matzo, even if he could acquire a kezayis only.
Even before Rav Aharon managed to acquire a small amount of flour, he arranged for a non-Jewish prisoner to prepare two rolling pins with which he would be able to roll out the dough. Rav Aharon was no longer worried about from where he would get the flour. He knew that he would acquire it somehow; he just didn't know exactly how.
Rav Aharon somehow managed to acquire one cup of flour. He now had rolling pins and flour, but where would he bake the matzos? Rav Aharon continued to ponder the question. Finally, he had a plan. Yagata umatzato, ta'amin, when there's a will, there's a way!
New buildings had recently been built next to the shack where Rav Aharon lived. They were equipped with ovens for drying clothes. After the construction was completed, the ovens were lit in order to dry them and evaluate their performance. These ovens were completely new and kosher!
When the appropriate day arrived, Rav Aharon prepared small, thin matzos in his shack. Then, as soon as he finished, Rav Aharon requested permission to leave to go to the bathroom.
The Matzos Were Thrown Away
Rav Aharon's heart began to pound while waiting for the supervisor's answer. He knew that a refusal would make all of his efforts for naught. To his great pleasure, however, the supervisor consented and a happy Rav Aharon headed in the direction of the ovens. While looking carefully in every direction to make sure that no one was following him, Rav Aharon walked towards his "bakery" and placed his tiny matzos in the oven. Then, memories of his parents' house overtook him.
"I stood there and guarded my matzos, real bread of affliction in every sense of the word, and watched how they were baking. While I was standing there, I remembered what Pesach was like at my father's table. He was a rabbi and a scholar, one of the Chofetz Chaim's disciples. It was an extremely scholarly and festive Seder. And here I was in prison. Suddenly, while I was standing there next to the oven, a group of high-ranking officials came in!
"My hopes were crushed. After so much effort and physical risk, everything could be lost, G-d forbid. My fears were soon realized. The officials approached the oven. I pretended that I had just happened to wander into the building for no reason. One of the officials, who was supposed to become the director of the camp, approached the oven and threw the small, thin matzos outside with a wave of his hand. My hopes were crushed."
Rav Aharon's health declined during that Pesach. He felt his strength disappearing.
When his friends noticed his decline they approached him and said, "Reb Aharon, your chumros regarding kashrus and your self-deprivation are ruining your health. The Torah says `You should live by them'."
But Rav Aharon paid them no heed. "As long as I have the strength to bear it, I'll bear it, no matter what," he said to them. Despite his difficult situation, his emunah wasn't shaken, even momentarily. "Suffering for Torah is worth it, and it's proven that the Torah will protect me just like I observe it," he said.
In the meantime, all of the prisoners heard that Rav Aharon was fasting. Everyone shared his pain. He went to work as usual and then dragged himself back to his cabin. Suddenly his friends were coming to meet him, their eyes aglow with happiness. "You received a food package," they informed him.
Everyone regarded this as a miracle, even those that had lost their faith. "One who trusts in Hashem, will be surrounded by chessed." The verse "Throw your burden to Hashem and He will sustain you" applied to Rav Aharon. The package arrived at just the right time to nourish his frail body. While the food package that arrived in the middle of Pesach didn't contain any matzo, the fruit and other items inside were able to strengthen Rav Aharon's body throughout the holiday.
This was the first package that Rav Aharon received since he had been imprisoned. It was sent to him by Rav Mordechai Dubin, zt'l.
HaRav Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky, founder of the Vaad Hayeshivos in Europe
* * *
For years, Rav Aharon tried unsuccessfully to leave the Soviet Union. It was sizty-nine years ago, on the 27th of Cheshvan, 5717 (November 1, 1956) that he was permitted to emigrate and come to Eretz Yisroel. "They told me, `lech lecho', to leave on Parshas Lech Lecho," he recounted.
On a picture that Rav Aharon sent to his uncle in America, he wrote, "After many years of suffering and torture in prisons and work camps under the Soviets, yimach shemam, for our beliefs and homeland, after twelve years of cruel punishment, I merited to make aliya together with my dear wife Kaila who saved me from death and with my virtuous daughter, Sara'le, in 5717 (1956). On the 27th of Cheshvan we first arrived in the Holy Land, from the Prisoner of Zion, Aharon Rabinowitz."
When Rav Aharon came to Eretz Yisroel, he settled initially in Givat Mordechai where he was appointed the rabbi of the neighborhood. He later moved to "Shikun HaRabbonim", the neighborhood in Jerusalem offering housing for refugee rabbis. After the war, in 1967, he worked hard to move to the Old City to be close to the Kosel. His efforts were successful.
Rav Aharon had a "brother" whose name was Rav Moshe Dovid Tannenbaum, zt'l. His brother wasn't a Rabinowitz because he wasn't a blood relation; rather, the two were brothers solely under Soviet law.
Rav Asher Tannenbaum, the director of the Vaad Hayeshivos, explains, "When they wanted to free Rav Aharon from the Iron Curtain it was necessary to submit an application requesting that he be reunited with his family. Rav Elchonon Sorotzkin, who had been imprisoned with Rav Aharon for a time in the Soviet Union, requested that my father submit the application as a "brother" of Rav Aharon's.
"I remember the first Shabbos that Rav Aharon was in Eretz Yisroel. He stayed with us. My father was known as a person who was able to get people to open up, but he was unsuccessful with Rav Aharon. When Father asked him to speak about the Soviet Union, he noticed that Rav Aharon was checking carefully to make sure that no one was listening. That's how deeply ingrained the fear was inside of him after his years of suffering in the Soviet Union.
"I remember the picture clearly: how my father would assure him periodically, saying, `Don't be scared, Rav Aharon, no one is listening.' With time he opened up and told amazing stories about his experiences in the Soviet Union."
Rav Avraham Ravitz related that he used to learn regularly in Batei Horenstein in Jerusalem in the kloiz of the Boyaner Chassidim. "Suddenly, I witnessed something unusual. A Jew entered the shul, approached the aron kodesh and there — directly in front of the aron — burst into very emotional prayer which included crying and sobbing every few minutes. I hadn't seen such excitement in prayer in years. It turned out that that was the very day that Rav Aharon arrived in Jerusalem from the Soviet Union. That was the first time he davened in Jerusalem, the Holy City."
It wasn't only Rav Aharon's first tefilloh that was so special. Rav Aharon's neighbor, Rav Binyomin Adler, says, "His tefillos were special; each one seemed like he had just been released from prison at that very moment. That's the way they appeared. His davening was so full of excitement and joy that it's difficult to find prayers as unique as those!"
Rav Aharon davened loudly from the amud, daily. He put all of his physical and emotional strength into these prayers. When asked about his custom of leading services, Rav Aharon replied that for twelve years, while he was imprisoned in the Soviet Union, it was impossible to daven with a minyan. He viewed davening from the amud as a way to make up for what he had missed.
Rav Aharon was one of the outstanding personalities of the Zichron Yaakov synagogue. There was a famous trio in Zichron Yaakov that included Rav Shlomo Bloch who was a disciple of the Chofetz Chaim. The other member of the group was Rav Yosele, a Gerrer Chassid who would distribute five shilling coins to children who said Bircos Hashachar out loud in his presence, thus enabling him to respond "Amen". Rav Aharon was the third member of this group. The three of them also learned Kabboloh together but did not speak about it to others whatsoever.
End of Part 1
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