#304 (s5763-50/ 15 Menachem-Av)

Song For All Seasons!


The visible joy of Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sossov spread to the band of klezmer musicians whom he had engaged.


 

[Ascent has woven around the annual Zefat Klezmer music festival a unique and exciting seminar that features sessions on "Kabbalah and Music" and our own "Midnight Music Madness." This is the only Chassidic story highlighting Klezmer music that I know. ]

 

Song For All Seasons!

Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sossov was so dedicated to securing the relief of the unfortunate in dire straits, he was sometimes referred to as the "Father of widows and orphans." Once, he spent many weeks going from house to house and town to town to raise the money to enable him to marry off a young couple, neither of whom had parents or means. When he finally amassed the required sum, he happily busied himself making all the arrangements for the wedding and the furnishing of a home for the young couple. When the blessed day arrived, he ran up and down the streets, inviting everyone he saw to take part in the great mitzvah of rejoicing an orphan bride and groom.

At the ceremony R. Moshe Leib took the place of the parents of both sides. As the kallah was led in to the chupah-canopy his visible joy spread to the band of klezmer musicians whom the Rebbe had persuaded to donate their services. They engaged their clarinet, violin, accordion, trumpet, bass guitar and drums, and probably some other instruments as well, and struck up an especially lively captivating tune to welcome the bride. The tsaddik smiled broadly, and said to those standing beside him: "At this moment I am feeling the essence of pure happiness. If only when my time comes I could be brought to my resting place to the strains of this very melody!"

Years passed, and the comment was forgotten.

In due course his time came - on the fourth of Shvat in the year 5567 (1807). On that same day a band of musicians set out with their instruments to play at a wedding in Brody. Once on the road, the horses suddenly began to gallop up hill and down dale, and could not be restrained! The band was helplessly transported until the fence of the cemetery of Sossov, where the horses finally came to a stop. Seeing thousands of mourners there, the musicians realized that this must be the funeral of some distinguished personage. They were told who it was who had passed away, and the mention of his name brought to mind the words that they themselves had heard from the mouth of Reb Moshe Leib long ago. Even the melody stole its way back into their memories, for it was they who had gladdened the hearts of that fatherless bride and groom.

The musicians dismounted and ran over to the rabbi of Sossov. They told him of the miraculous nature of their unexpected arrival, and with a mixture of excitement and trepidation recited to him the words of R. Moshe Leib at the wedding many years before. The rabbi in turn consulted with two other sages as to whether it would be proper to allow the musicians to play their melody at such a time and place. After some discussion, they decided it would be proper to respect the wish of the departed, so the thousands of mourners stood in silence as the musicians honored the memory of the tzaddik by playing a merry wedding dance on their klezmer instruments at his funeral.

 

Source: Adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from Sichat HaShavua #575 and from A Treaury of Chassidic Tales (Artscroll)

Biographical note:
Rabbi Moshe-Leib of Sossov (1745-4 Shvat 1807) was the leading disciple of Reb Shmelke of Nicholsburg. He also received from the Maggid of Mezritch and from Elimelech of Lyzhinsk. Subsequently a Rebbe in his own right with many followers, he was famous primarily for his love of his fellow Jews and his creative musical talent. His teachings are contained in the books, Likutei RaMal, Toras ReMaL Hashalem, and Chidushei RaMal.


Translator's note: All the details recounted above are faithful to the original, except I added the narrator at the beginning so as to tell the story from a first-person perspective. I no longer remember why I decided to do so, but it seems to have worked nicely.

 

Yrachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and editor of Ascent Quarterly and the AscentOfSafed.com and KabbalaOnline.org websites. He has hundreds of published stories to his credit.

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