Weekly Chasidic Story #1349 (5784-06) 1 Cheshvan 5784 (Oct.16, 2023)

"Between Two Brothers"

Two brothers told the holy Ruzhiner Rebbe that they were very frightened, for they had just learned that brothers [married to two sisters] should not live in the same city.

Connection: Connection: the 3rd of the Jewish month of Mar-Cheshvan (Tuesday night-Wednesday) is the yahrzeit of the Rhuziner Rebbe. [And with next week's Torah reading, Lech Lecha, see Gen. 13:5-9 on the matter of two 'brothers' having a problem because of living in the same area.]

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BETWEEN TWO BROTHERS

Rabbi Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhin, founder of the widespread Ruzhin chasidic dynasty, was born in Porebishtsh (Pohrebyshche), Ukraine on 3 Tishrei 5557 (1796) to Rebbe Shalom Shachne, the son of Rebbe Avraham HaMalach, who was the son of the Maggid of Mezritch. The tzaddikim of Rebbe Yisrael's generation admired him and many of them made him their rebbe. As reflected by many stories about him, "the holy Ruzhiner" was an "all-inclusive soul"-all the souls of Israel were a part of him. He once said that when something happens to a Jew at the other end of the world, he immediately feels it in his heart.

Rebbe Yisrael, following the custom of his father, conducted himself as a king, reflecting the greatness of Israel as sons of kings. The wealth and honor that he merited were so great that they aroused the jealousy of the Russian czar, Nicholas I, who had the Rebbe imprisoned. He was able to miraculously escape Russia, settling in
Portrait commonly accepted to be of Rabbi Yisrael of Rhuzin

nearby Sadigura (Sadhora), Austria, where he re-established his major chasidic court. Rabbi Yisrael passed away on 3 Cheshvan 5611 (1850).

[Above from Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, 5784]
[Below from Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, 5783]

The Rebbe of Bohush (one of the Chasidic branches that came out of Ruzhin) related that two brothers once came to his great-grandfather, the first Rebbe of the Bobush dynasty, grandson of the Ruzhiner. [1]

The brothers lived in Shargorod (Sharhorod, Ukraine), and they brought the Rebbe a parchment scroll that they had once received from the Ruzhiner, who was his grandfather.

The brothers told the Rebbe that they lived in the same building. Once they became very frightened, for in the will of Rabbi Yehuda HaChasid it says that two brothers should not live in the same city.[2]

They went to the holy Ruzhiner to ask his advice.

"I will give you an amulet," the Ruzhiner said, "and then you will not need to fear anymore."

They left the room for a short time. When they re-entered, the Ruzhiner gave them a parchment scroll and told them to hang it between their two apartments for seven years.

Seven years passed and they were supposed to return the scroll, but the Ruzhiner Rebbe was no longer in this world. So, the brothers decided to go to the Alter Rebbe of Bohush and bring him the scroll.

The Rebbe opened it and saw that on it was written (Psalms 133:1) "How good and pleasant brothers dwelling together". The Rebbe said, "The general custom is the write holy Names in amulets. But the holy Ruzhiner wrote this verse in holiness and purity and it has the same power and spiritual charm as if G-d's Name was written in it."

Rav Ginsburgh adds:
Something that comes into the world in a state of holiness and purity has the same power and influence as G-d's Name.

The way of the Ba'al Shem Tov, after whom Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin was named, was characterized by a complex approach towards amulets. On the one hand, our teacher, the Ba'al Shem Tov, negated the employment of practical Kabbalah in our times and saw it as an aberration from pure service of G-d. On the other hand, he himself used amulets and was known as a Ba'al Shem, a title given in those days to someone who employed practical Kabbalah.

The resolution to these two conflicting attitudes became known when one of the Ba'al Shem Tov's amulets was opened. All that was written inside was his name: "Yisrael the son of Eliezer." The tzadik puts himself into the amulet and in the merit of his cleaving to G-d and in merit of his faith, nature changes.

Rav Ginsburgh explains:
Likewise, when G-d gave the Torah to Israel. He concealed His Name inside it, and even Himself. The first word of the Ten Commandments is "I am" which the sages tell us (Shabbat 105a) is an acronym for "I wrote Myself and gave it", meaning that the Torah itself is G-d's Name.

The Holy Ruzhiner, as Rebbe Yisrael was and is commonly known, in the same manner inserts the power of G-d's Names into the above verse from Psalms. In the same verse, he also alludes to his own name. The last letter of the words of this verse (in Hebrew) equal the numerical value of 'Yisrael'. The value of its initial letters equal the numerical value of "Mashiach son of David", the Ruzhiner's livelong aspiration and the essence of his being.

There is another concealed connection between the verse that the holy Ruzhiner wrote and the complete redemption. The value of the two words "brothers dwelling" is the same as "Teshuva is great" which are the first two words of the sages' statement " Teshuva is great for it brings the redemption closer."

The Mashiach is the king of Israel, a title that was given to the Ruzhiner in his day.[3] The mission of Mashiach is to rally the entire Jewish people under a single flag. When brothers - i.e., the entire Jewish people-will dwell together, they will see how good and pleasant it is to walk in the path of Torah and mitzvot.

That is the way in which the Mashiach will fulfill his destiny of bringing the Jewish people and the entire world to serve G-d.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Excerpted, compiled and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles from the writings of Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, in "Wonders" #41 [Bereshis 5783 (the story text) and "Wonders" #78 [Bereshis 5784 (the bio profile above).]

Biographical note:
Rabbi Yisrael Friedmann of Ruzhin [3 Tishrei 5557 - 3 Cheshvan 5611 (Sept. 1796 - Oct. 1850)] was a great-grandson of the Maggid of Mezritch. At a young age he was already a charismatic leader with a large following of chasidim. Greatly respected by the other rebbes and Jewish leaders of his generation, he was--and still is--referred to as "The Holy Rhyzhiner." Six of his sons established Chassidic dynasties, several of which -Sadigora, Boyaner, etc- are still thriving today.

Connection: the 3rd of the Jewish month of Mar-Cheshvan (Tuesday night-Wednesday) is the yahrzeit of the Rhuziner Rebbe. [And with next week's Torah reading, Lech Lecha, see Gen. 13:5-9 on the matter of two 'brothers' having a problem because of living in the same area.]

Footnotes:
[1]Rabbi Yitzhak Friedman, son of the Sadigura Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom-Yosef Friedman, the son of Rabbi Yisrael of Rhuzin
[2]This is commonly understood to refer to two brothers that marry two sisters (and is the reason that the father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe moved from Nikolaiev to Yekertrinoslav after his marriage, as he and his brother were married to two sisters.
[3]Of all the pious leaders of his generation, it is known that 'the Holy Ruzhiner' is the only one about whom the Alter Rebbe of Chabad said is worthy of becoming the Mashiach.

Yerachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.

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