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Belz: The Sun and the Lantern
by Yated Ne'eman Staff
HaRav Aharon of Belz zt"l
On erev Shabbos kodesh Parshas Chayei Sara, the twenty-second of Cheshvan 5687 (1926), the third Admor of the Belzer dynasty, R' Yissochor Ber, zatzal, passed away. His oldest son, the Admor R' Aharon of Belz, carried on his tradition and individual way. We present here a selection of stories depicting the continuity of this special Chassidic court, the esteem and relationship shared by father and son, the outlook of Belz and the personal path of its leaders.
This feature was originally published in 1991, that is 34 years ago.
Belz was a concept; it was a hallmark. When the English crown prince visited Poland, he expressed a strong desire to visit Belz. The fame of Belz — of all places — had reached as far as Great Britain.
What was the secret of Belz? What was so unique about it?
Belz strove for perfection. Inner perfection and self-fulfillment. Self-improvement epitomized. How symbolic was its famous beis knesses, a fortress of a building, massive and mighty, a magnificent edifice of strength. How characteristic were the yoshvim, the regular scholars (kollelniks) who made it their spiritual, if not real, home.
Behind those impregnable walls one forgot the outside world and plunged deep into the world of Torah. Belz was a kehilla complete with full spectrum of communal institutions and even its own newspaper, all geared to assure its self-sufficiency and strength.
Not that Belz was an isolationist group. On the contrary; it sought to bolster all of Jewry. "If a yoshev in Belz were to polish his shoes, a Jew in Paris would desecrate the Shabbos," said the Belzers, without having heard R' Yisrael Salanter's parallel statement.
An American delegation visited Belz and, bemoaning the frightful deterioration of Yiddishkeit there, sought emergency help, for example by sending a group of rabbonim to "stand in the breach."
HaRav Yissochor Dov of Belz zt"l
R' Yissochor Dov responded immediately, in his own way: "Certainly. Something must be done right away to help. I will also take action today. I will begin by saying an additional perek Tehillim each day."
That was the way of Belz: always on the alert, poised for action in self betterment and upward striving. A man must labor to save himself and thus also the community at large. This encompassing sense of responsibility and concern drew people in the tens of thousands; they, too, sought to elevate themselves and to grow. When R' Boruch of Gorlitz visited Belz, he jestingly put a spodik (traditional Chassidic fur hat) atop the smokestack of his train, saying, "It is not fitting to travel to Belz without a spodik on one's head."
They streamed in the ten thousands, spodiks on their heads and fire in their hearts. The Rebbe awaited them in Belz.
The grave of HaRav Aharon of Belz
Rebbe Vs. Rabbi
The Rebbe sat in Belz. A Rebbe who was also a Rav. Belz had a tradition that the leader of the chassidic court was also the official rabbi of the town. And not of the town alone. A rabbi of a big city once complained to a friend that his rabbinate was not a genuine thing.
"What do you mean by that?" asked the other, not comprehending. "You are the official mara de'asra here. Who denies it?"
"Let me show you what I mean," replied the rabbi, and called in a little boy off the street.
"Have you seen the rav?" he asked him.
"No, not yet," was the reply, "but my tatte promised to take me with him on his next visit to Belz."
The Rebbe was rav, too. In fact, the rabbonim of Belz were famed as erudite poskim and scholars. R' Yissochor Dov once said in his father's name, "It is important for a person to crush his material desires by using his intellect. But a person's chief goal must be to subdue his heart to Torah until the spark within it burns like a torch for Hashem."
The Torah path is straightforward and smooth. Diligence and toil in Torah study is "a person's tachlis in life". In eulogizing R' Yissochor Dov, one of the foremost Hungarian rabbis sought to highlight his personality by the following illustration:
"Thousands of chassidim had flocked to Belz on one particular Shabbos and lined up after Havdalah to receive the Rebbe's parting blessing. Dozens of prestigious rabbis were awaiting their turn along with the rest when the gabbai announced that the Rebbe would no longer receive any more people. He could not spare the time.
"I was consumed by curiosity and worked my way into the house, as close to the Rebbe's locked door as possible. And from within I could catch the strains of a gemara niggun. The Rebbe was learning. I stood there for hours on end, listening. Those hours stretched on until dawn..."
The multitudes outside waited patiently, but Belz demanded shleimus, and when the Rebbe decided that the time had come to return to his gemara, to his self-perfection, he simply locked the door...
The Belz shul built 1843
A Tradition Handed Down From One to Another, Back To...
The House of Belz stood for personal perfection. Its Admorim were strict in observing every detail and fine point, even of a custom. Yet each one blazed his independent path in avodas Hashem.
The first and foremost, R' Sar Shalom of Belz, whom we will mention only in passing, was held in awe by the greatest of his peers. He once sought to clarify a profound matter in Kabbala to R' Yissochor Dov, but the latter demurred. "Father," he pleaded, "I am still young and must first fill myself with Shas uposkim. I am too young to learn the secrets of the Torah."
His father insisted, explaining that the secrets of Torah must be transmitted verbally from master to disciple, and if he felt it necessary to teach him, the son must be willing to learn, for he would never be able to grasp it on his own. "From whom did you learn those secrets?" the son asked.
"I learned Kabbala from the Maggid of Skol."
"And the Maggid of Skol?"
"From the Rebbe R' Ber, the Maggid of Mezeritch."
"And from whom did he learn?"
"From the Baal Shem Tov himself."
"And the Baal Shem Tov?"
At this point, R' Sar Shalom looked at his son in amazement and asked, "You ask about the Baal Shem Tov?" as if to say, "He needed no teacher!"
R' Yissochor Dov smiled at his father and challenged him, "You see, a person can take the initiative and understand Kabbala himself. I shall strive for that level, too."
The father refused to concede. He insisted that his son listen to his explanation of that particular matter. But when he began, R' Yissochor Ber took over and demonstrated that he already understood it thoroughly.
Interesting as this story is in itself, it is indicative of the general approach of Belz. Individual toil in Torah. Striving upwards on one's own power until one reached the pinnacle, one's personal apex of achievement and perfection.
The Belz shul in Jerusalem
Father and Son
There are not many alive who still remember R' Yissochor Dov, though there are still many who had the privilege to be with his son, R' Aharon of Belz. They were able to compare and contrast the different approaches of father and son, how they marched forward themselves and how they led their huge flocks along the path marked "Belz", a straight path which, nevertheless, they were able to tread in their own individual manner.
R' Yissochor Dov held his son in great esteem. "I envy you," he would say to his chassidim, "for your future privilege of basking in his light."
He called upon them to learn from the way R' Aharon carefully guarded his eyes from seeing anything unsuitable and his tongue from speaking ill. "You will not be able to emulate him in all his ways, but you should, at least, concentrate upon these two areas."
He urged them to guard their eyes, as did R' Aharon, but only in spirit. He did not intend for them to isolate themselves in their homes or go forth in the city streets with eyes shut, leaning upon the arm of a guide. The father was critical of some of his son's ways.
He once asked that he accompany him to pay respects to a powerful district governor. It was important for the Jews to win the respect and sympathy of this influential man, whose area of jurisdiction encompassed thousands of Jews.
"We will visit him in his mansion and his wife will probably be present," the Rebbe coached R' Aharon. "I imagine that you will want to cover your eyes with your hand, but there really is no need for that. One can choose not to see even with one's eyes open. The Torah warns us, `Do not follow after your hearts and your eyes.' Both these organs are the ambassadors of sin but we would expect the Torah to have listed them in reverse order. First eyes see, then the heart desires. It comes to teach us, however, that when one's heart is pure and whole, the eyes will not see."
The son agreed and accompanied his father. They were shown into the governor's presence and while they were there, his wife suddenly entered the room. Instinctively, R' Aharon shielded his eyes with his hand...
Why did he do that? Hadn't his father expressly begged him not to do it?
"I have a tradition from my grandfather," he later explained, "to listen to what my soul tells me."
Few people can make such a statement. One needs a soul that is carefully guarded. And one must be capable of hearing what such a soul says...
The current Belz Rebbe
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"Mitzvas Kibbud Av"
R' Yissochor Ber kept his eye on his oldest son and guided him extensively. There was one area, however, which he left strictly alone — hasmodoh in learning. His son needed no prodding there. In fact, his guidance was in the opposite direction, that he not neglect his duties towards his host, that is, his body, and that he look after his personal health and physical needs.
When R' Yissochor Dov visited the spa at Marienbad, he took R' Aharon along. One day the gabbai came to the Rebbe complaining that R' Aharon was not eating anything. "Prepare a sumptuous meal today," ordered the Rebbe, "and tell him in my name that he must eat."
When the gabbai conveyed this to R' Aharon, he enthusiastically replied, "If my father has requested it, I will certainly eat, for I will thereby be fulfilling mitzvas kibbud av."
Later, at noontime, R' Aharon begged the gabbai to join him at the table. He sat down, his face glowing, and announced joyfully, "I am about to fulfill my father's command!"
He studied the portion placed before him and praised each item on the plate. Then he turned to the gabbai and said, "R' Shmuel, I am hereby appointing you in my stead to eat up the entire meal. Since a person's proxy is considered like himself, I will concentrate upon fulfilling my father's request while you eat the food."
The Rebbe most probably took pleasure in this. After all, he wanted his son to blaze his own path in avodas Hashem.
"This way is not new. It existed a century ago," he said. "A soul by the name of the Maggid of Kozhnitz served Hashem thus."
An Illuminating Dialogue
Each one and his unique way.
"But in previous generations, there were tzaddikim who served Hashem through eating in holiness," a young man once pointed out to the Rebbe.
"And so there were," admitted R' Aharon. "And in contrast were those who served Hashem through self-denial and mortification. Let me tell you the difference between them. Those who serve through eating, are able to rise to unparalleled heights — while they eat. Those who serve by abstinence, can purify themselves all the time."
A fascinating dialogue between father and son has been preserved for posterity:
R' Aharon once came to his father with a question:
The Torah tells us that Moshe Rabbenu spent forty days and nights in Heaven. During this entire period, he devoted himself solely to learning Torah in order to be able to transmit it to his people. He engaged in a debate against the angels and was victorious. His prize was the Torah. Of all his feats while in Heaven, the Torah singles out only one aspect: he ate no bread and drank no water. "How," asked R' Aharon, "must this be understood?"
His father smiled and said, "Your grandfather, R' Aharon of Chernobyl, was fond of telling stories teaching yiras shomayim and mussar. He once spoke to us for several hours on end while we sat, transfixed. We did not even feel the passage of time until one person in the group said, `Look how absorbed we are in the Rebbe's words. What, then, is so remarkable about Moshe Rabbenu's stay in Heaven of forty days and nights when he was learning Torah from the very source! He had no need for food and drink! He must have completely forgotten about it.'
"R' Aharon of Chernobyl replied, `Young man, you are mistaken. Moshe Rabbenu did not boast of the fact that he did not eat or drink during that period. On the contrary, he noted that in Heaven he was not lacking in enlightenment and understanding, however he did not have the opportunity to serve Hashem with his physical nature, including food and drink!"
R' Aharon listened to his father but forged his own path.
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