[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.