(Saturday night-Sunday, 5 Menachem Av, is the yahrzeit of Zefat's most famous Kabbalist, the ARI)

An Unusual Reward

When the Maharshal* heard of the Kabbalah interpretations that the ARI [Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, 1534-1572] was teaching** and the wonders he was performing in Tsfat (Safed), he feared these miracles were black magic and seriously considered excommunicating the ARI and his disciples. The ARI became aware of this development and decided to send his two most important students to Lublin to present his teachings to the Maharshal (who also happened to be a relative of his -ed.) and prevent such a terrible mistake. The disciples were great righteous men in their own right, none other than Rabbi Chaim Vital (who was later to become the chief disseminator of the Ari's teachings in North Africa and the Mideast) and Rabbi Yisrael Srug (who would be the major exponent in Europe).

As "payment" for the trip, the ARI revealed to them a deep secret: the name and whereabouts of the Mashiach ["Messiah"] ben David of their generation. In every generation, the ARI explained, a Mashiach descended from David and a Mashiach descended from Yosef is born. If the generation is undeserving, they pass from the world without revealing themselves. "The current candidate to be Mashiach ben David is called Eliyakim ben Shmuel and lives in the village of Tisavitch which is not far from Lublin. After finishing your mission, as a reward for your efforts, you may visit the Mashiach of our time," said the ARI to his students as he blessed them on their departure.

Rabbi Chaim and Rabbi Yisrael set out, taking with them special delicacies of Tsfat, hot from the oven. Shortly thereafter they were picked up by a passing cloud that took them all the way to Lublin and deposited them--not surprisingly--at the entrance to the synagogue where the Maharshal prayed. They arrived exactly on time for the afternoon prayer.

The sudden appearance of these two Jews of holy countenance dressed in the impressive garments of 16th century Tsfat caused quite a stir. As a result of a certain incident which then took place in the shul (A long story in itself) the Maharshal understood that these were very special and holy visitors indeed.

The two men introduced themselves and their mission. They told the Maharshal that only that morning had they left Tsfat and, as proof, their Israeli food was still warm. The Maharshal asked them to reveal the teachings of their master, the ARI, so that he could judge for himself. "So secret and holy are the teachings," explained the visitors, "that we can reveal them only in an isolated location, away from over-sensitive ears."

They went down to the Maharshal's dark basement. As soon as the tzaddikim began to relate the teachings of their master, the room filled with light. Afterwards, the Maharshal declared that his attitude had changed. He promised them that not only had he given up any idea of declaring a ban, but from then on he would consider himself to be one of his young kinsman's great admirers.

* * *

The ARI's two disciples went on to Tisavitch to claim their reward. Upon arriving, however, they found Reb Eliyakim's whereabouts to be unknown. Indeed, his very existence was seriously doubted by even the most informed elders of the town. The Tsfat Kabbalists proceeded to the house of the local Rabbi and asked him about Eliyakim, the son of Shmuel, but to no avail. In desperation, they revealed to the Rabbi the true nature of their mission.

After much effort on the part of the rabbi and the different people he drafted to help, they finally succeeded in tracking down the elusive Reb Eliyakim. The two visitors wasted no time making their way to his home, along with the Rabbi of Tisavitch who insisted on accompanying them.

Once at the house of the potential Mashiach ben David of the generation, to their surprise they found only one small room, two broken down beds, and one table ready to fall apart and a chair. Reb Eliyakim himself lay in bed, and his wife was at the stove which stood in the middle of the house.

After being greeted by the hosts, who were surprised but excited to have visitors, especially the Rabbi and such holy looking travelers, the guests introduced themselves. "We are the students of the holy ARI, from the holy city of Tsfat, in the holy land of Israel, and we have been told that you are our generation's candidate for the task of Mashiach ben David."

"Oh! The ARI and his revelations! He has done me and himself great damage." Reb Elyakim exclaimed. "As a result of this secret becoming uncovered," he continued, "I must depart from the world. My last request is that you personally take charge of the funeral and all involved. On the gravestone please write: Here lies a truthful and honest man. 12 Elul 5332." (To be noted: the ARI passed away just 11 months later, 5 Av 5333.)

With these words, Eliyakim ben Shmuel passed away, leaving behind him a world still unworthy of Mashiach. (There are some who say that this revelation had such a tragic end because of the presence of the Rabbi of the town; had the ARI's pupils come by themselves, the result would have been different.)

* * *

After the funeral, Rabbi Chaim and Rabbi Yisrael went to visit the widow in her mourning. They questioned her about the deeds of her husband.

"I married very young" his wife replied. "All the years my deceased husband was very ill. I myself provided whatever living we had. Most of the time he lay in bed. However, right before Shabbat there would be a drastic change--the house would become wider and longer and a fully set table with the best of Shabbat dishes would appear. Then a group of very holy looking visitors would arrive, always bringing with them a Torah scroll. My husband would become stong and healthy and together with the guests, would spend the entire Shabbat in prayer, study and eating the three traditional meals.

"After the Saturday night prayer and havdalah, the house would shrink back to its weekday size, the guests would disappear and my husband would return to his bed. This was the schedule every week since our marriage."

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone about this wondrous miracle?," she was asked. Seeing how amazed everyone was by what she had so innocently told, she explained, "I know that a bride is like a queen and the groom is like a king. Therefore I assumed that this happens in every Jewish household, on every Shabbat after the wedding."

[The author notes that as of the time of his writing, a gravestone with the above inscription could still be found in the Jewish cemetery of Tisavitch! -ed.]

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Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Bechevski lived in the late 1800's in White Russia. He devoted himself to publishing important works of the great Chassidic Masters. This remarkable Tsfat story appeared in a recent volume of his collected works.The story was roughly translated by Yehuda Rubin of Elon Moreh and rewritten by Yerachmiel Tilles for Ascent Quarterly #24 (1991). You may distribute this e-mail as long as full attribution is given, including Ascent's e-mail and internet addresses. BUT PLEASE DO NOT PUBLISH THIS STORY IN PRINT OR ELECTRONIC FORM WITHOUT EXPLICIT PERMISSION.
Copyrighted © by Ascent-of-Safed, 2003

 

* The "Maharshal", Rabbi Shlomo Luria, was one of the leading Torah scholars of the sixteenth century. His writings are studied and venerated still today. His major work of Jewish Law, Yam Shel Shlomo, covers sixteen tractates of the Talmud. He served as Rabbi and head of the Rabbinical court in Lublin, one of the most important centers of Jewish life at that time. Most of the greatest European rabbis of the time were disciples of the Maharshal. He was a relative of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, apparently his great uncle.

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, "the Holy Ari"[of blessed memory: 5294 - 5 Av 5332 (1534 - July 1572 C.E.)], the leader of the Tzefat Kabbalists during the last years of his life, was the most influential Jewish mystic since Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai 1400 years earlier. Much of Chasidic thought is based on the Ari's teachings, as recorded by his main disciple, Rabbi Chaim Vital.

Rabbi Chaim Vital [of blessed memory: 5303 - 30 Nisan 5380 (1543 - April 1620, C. E.)] was a top student of Rabbis Moshe Alsheich and Moshe Cordevero, but best known as the main disciple of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria and the authoritative redactor of his doctrines, as recorded in Etz Chaim ("Tree of Life"). Pri Etz Chaim ("Fruit of the Tree of Life"), and Shmoneh Sha'arim ("Eight Gates"). Author of several books of his own as well.

Rabbi Yisrael Srug [? - early 1600's] was a close disciple of the Holy Ari in Egypt and Tzefat, Israel. He was the first to introduce the Ari's Kabbalah teachings into Europe, beginning in 1693 in Italy. He authored Limmudei HaAtzilut and other kabbalistic works, including commentary on the three prayers/songs composed by the Holy Ari himself, one for each Shabbat Meal.

 

** For example: see story #170 in this email series.

 

 

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Yerachmiel 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.