Today I want to talk to you about the wonderful figure of the Rebbe Rabbi Yisrael of Husiatyn, may his memory be blessed, who was descnded from Rebbi Yisrael of Ruzhin and the Maggid of Mezritch. In his final years, he went to the Land of Israel and lived for many years in Tel Aviv. This is one of the miraculous figures of Chasidism. He was truly the light of the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel in those years, and the greatest righteous individuals called him 'the righteous one of the generation'.
His leadership was one of silence. He wouldn't give words of Torah at the Tish, but sometimes the presence of the righteous person and their silence bring so much blessing. His anniversary of death falls on the fifth night of Chanukah. He is buried in the cemetery in Tveria, and many people visit his grave on this auspicious day.
The pain, oh the pain
The story before us is about a Belz Hasid who lost his entire family in the Holocaust and was completely heartbroken. He ascended to the Land of Israel and wanted to meet his teacher, the holy Rebbi Aharon of Belz, of blessed memory, who at that time lived on Ahad Ha-am Street in Tel Aviv.
The Hasid was filled with anticipation to meet the Rebbe after the difficult days he had experienced, and he hoped that in the Rebbe's shadow he could find solace for his soul, pouring out to the Rebbe what he had been through. But unfortunately, even after he reached the Rebbe and was in his presence, he tried several times to hear words of encouragement from him about what he had gone through in the Holocaust, but at this point, Rabbi Aharon would always respond with silence.
As is well known, the entire family of Rebbi Aharon of Belz perished in the Holocaust, and he arrived in the Land of Israel accompanied only by his brother – the father of the current Belzer Rebbe – and he fulfilled the verse "And Aharon was silent" in an extraordinary way. His close associates say that no sigh was heard from him during all the years he was in the Holy Land, and every time someone wanted to talk about the Holocaust, he would silence the speakers.
As an aside, it is worth noting that this is the level of a righteous person like him. For us, like all human beings, it is fitting to remember those who perished in the Holocaust, and of course, to listen to the elderly who share their grief. But at the same time, it's good to know about that righteous man who managed to uplift large parts of the Jewish people after the Holocaust precisely through his silence.
Peace of mind
Anyway, one morning, our Chasidic friend experienced a real emotional flood, and he said to himself: No matter what, I must hear clear words from the Rebbe about everything I've been through and am still going through... After everything I lost in the Holocaust, the only thing left to me is my own soul, and the soul has so many questions and doubts about faith, and without resolving these doubts – what's the point of my life, when even faith can be taken from me, God forbid...
The Hasid entered Rebbi Aharon of Belz and again wanted to pour out his heart to the Rebbi, but then the Rebbi said to him: Listen, all the questions you want to ask me, you should ask Rebbi Yisrael of Husiatyn. With him, you will find an answer and solace for your troubled soul.
The Chasid heard and immediately inquired where the Rebbe of Husiatyn was located. Indeed, he was directed to the Rebbe's home on Bialik Street in Tel Aviv. However, when he arrived there, he was told that Rabbi Yisrael was currently in Jerusalem, as was his custom every year to stay in the holy city from the days of Tamuz until after the High Holidays.
Well, the Chasid got on a bus and went to Jerusalem. You can imagine that in those days, travel wasn't easy or fast, but eventually, he reached Rabbi Yisrael's inn. It wasn't during visiting hours, and the gabbai, who was very strict about the Rebbe's schedule, wouldn't let him in. But the Chasid said to him: Listen, I'm coming straight from Tel Aviv right now, and I really need to ask the Rebbe a question urgently. He begged him to come in, and the gabbai – whose name was Rabbi Yisrael Schreiber – couldn't resist his pleas. He went into the Rebbe and told him about the guest who had arrived. The Rebbe heard and responded to the gabbai: If he truly came all the way from Tel Aviv, please let him in.
I was reborn
The Hasid entered the Rebbe's room and saw him sitting on his throne. He really felt weak in the knees. Terror and fear fell upon him, a kind of awe from above. As he got a little closer, the Rebbe extended his holy hand and asked him: Are you a Jew from Tel Aviv? And in the meantime, the Rebbe looked at him with a focused and prolonged gaze. The Chasid recoiled. He was unable to answer with his mouth, and only nodded his head in agreement.
The Rebbe continued and asked: Do you have anything to ask?
Later, we received the description of the Chasid from that meeting, and he recounted it in these words: Suddenly, as the Rebbe looked at me with his piercing gaze, I felt as if all the events and suffering I had endured, everything I had seen – incredibly difficult events – suddenly melted away before the light that shone upon me. It was a light that was impossible to explain, and so was its feeling. As a result of the light the righteous man shed on me with his few words and his gaze – he said – my tongue stuck to my palate. The Rebbe asked me if I had a question, but at that moment something miraculous happened to me: all the questions and doubts I had, everything disappeared. I just didn't have anything to ask, so I answered in my head with a no.
The Chasid continued and recounted: The Rebbe told me, 'Go in peace,' and bid me farewell while holding my hand in his palm, which was still outstretched. I left his room humbly, and I felt as if I had been reborn.
Understand, friends, the gabbai who watched everything that was happening didn't understand what was going on. A Jew from Tel Aviv in particular comes and urgently requests to see the Rebbe because he has a vital question. The gabbai asks the Rebbe to let him in, and the Rebbe agrees, but in practice, the guest didn't ask anything, which surprised the gabbai very much. But we learned from the Hasid what he went through in those moments. He described this experience as the Rebbe, with his loving eyes and illuminating gaze, connecting him to the ultimate source of faith and thereby dissolving all the questions he had...
Dear friends, li-chaim! May we, thru the merit of Rebbi Yisrael of Husiatyn, be able to gaze upon the candles and merit that we too will witness how all questions, doubts, and uncertainties melt away in their light. Of course, there are things worth sharing with our teachers and receiving answers, advice, and guidance on, but sometimes we are blessed with such a wonderful revelation of infinite light that all questions and doubts are resolved. li-chaim!
