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Weekly Chasidic Story #617(s5770-02 / 4 Tishrei 5770) An Inspired Substitution Rabbi Yechezkel Landau, "the Noda BiYehudah," was on friendly terms with the Baal Shem Tov, but did not believe in him as a holy man. Connection: Weekly Reading -- Haftorah verse (Word Count: 419 + 167)
An Inspired SubstitutionRabbi Yechezkel Landau, the erudite author of Noda BiYehudah, was on friendly terms with the Baal Shem Tov, but did not believe in him as a holy man and a miracle worker. Whenever the Baal Shem Tov was in his city in Poland, he would stay in his house, and the famous scholar would personally serve him tea, in fulfillment of the mitzvah of hospitality. When the Besht saw that he was disrupting the assiduous studies of his host, he ceased staying with him, and thereafter took up more modest lodgings in the communal House of Study. The wife of Rabbi Yechezkel, who did believe in the Baal Shem Tov as a tzadik, used to visit the House of Study with her sons in order to ask after his welfare. He, in turn, would interest himself in the well being of her husband. Rabbi Yechezkel was altogether opposed to the ways of the newborn Chasidic movement, though he did not combat it publicly. Prominent in one of his responsa, however, is a violent attack on the new practice of introducing certain prayers in the Chasidic editions of the prayer book by the words LeShem Yichud, which bear Kabalistic connotations. This he considered presumptuous, and bitterly decried "those whose hearts raise them aloft, each of them saying: 'I am he who sees, and for me have the gates of heaven opened, and for my sake the world exists.'…It is to this orphaned generation that I would apply a paraphrase of the words of the prophet Hosea (in the Haftorah for Shabbat Shuva, as well as for parshat Vayeytzei - ed.): 'For the ways of G-d are right; just man walk in them, but Chasidim stumble in them.' I have much to add on this subject, but our Sages have taught us that 'Just as it is a mitzvah to say that which will be hearkened to, so is it a mitzvah not to say that which will not be hearkened to.'" Many years later, when one of his grandchildren prepared a new edition of this work for the press, he wanted to remove this gibe, and replace the word 'Chasidim' with the word 'sinners' - in accordance with the actual words appearing in the Book of Hosea - in order to make his grandfather's attack less blatant. Ironically, it was a Chassidic rebbe who advised him otherwise: "Leave the sentence alone, and change nothing. Your grandfather made Chasidim out of sinners; would you want to make sinners out of Chasidim?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from the rendition in A Treasury of Chassidic Tales (Artscroll), as translated by our esteemed colleague Uri Kaploun from Sipurei Chasidim by Rabbi S. Y. Zevin.] Connection: Weekly Reading -- Haftorah verse Word Count: 419 + 167 Biographic notes: Yechezkel ben Yehuda Landau (18 Tishrei 1713- 17 Iyar 1793) was an influential authority in Jewish law. He is best known for the work Nodah bi-Yehudah, a Talmudic commentary, by which title he is also known. Landau was born in Poland, to a family that traced its lineage back to the famous commentator Rashi. In 1755, he was appointed Chief Rabbi of Prague.
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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.