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Okay, good afternoon everyone. We're
headed to Nikolsburg.
To the Kever.
Of Reb Shmuel Shmelke of Nikolsburg and
Reb Mordechai Banet. I would like to
share with you
perhaps the most stirring story that
you'll hear on the whole trip. And this
will give you an understanding of where
Reb Mordechai Banet is buried. And it's
an amazing controversy, a very stirring
controversy.
And something very mysterious. Reb
Mordechai Banet lived from 1753 to 1829.
He was the
acclaimed Godol Hador. However, when he
died
he could not be buried in Nikolsburg. He
had to be buried
in Lichtenstadt.
And here's how it all happened.
When Reb Mordechai Banet was 60 years
old
Reb Mordechai suffered from severe
ailments. They grew steadily worse.
And then finally in the year 1829 Reb
Mordechai Banet passed away at 75 years
old.
Reb Mordechai in his final year was
sitting secluded in a chamber
a Cheder within a Cheder learning the
Kabbalah, learning the secrets of the
Torah.
And
his illness begins to overcome him and
the doctors say, "Reb Mordechai, you
need to go to Carlsbad." You know what
Carlsbad is? Carlsbad is the the mineral
baths. So
they warn him, "If you don't go to
Carlsbad, you're forfeiting your life."
Domacha Berisha'a. So Reb Mordechai
Banet goes to Carlsbad. It's the middle
of Tammuz to drink the Mayim Chaim of
Carlsbad. However the accursed waters of
the mineral baths enter his body. They
cause him to suffer a terrible cramps in
the abdomen abdomen. They weaken his
arteries, his ligaments, and he suffers
for 17 days. The doctors try to cure
him. But on Wednesday the 13th of Av
he was Nifter on the Yahrtzeit of
Megaleh Amukos.
He dies in Carlsbad. What are they going
to do with him?
So the city of Nikolsburg sends word,
"He's our Rov. He needs to be buried in
Nikolsburg." But the law of the land was
if you're going to move him to a far
distance, he has to be embalmed. They
don't know what to do. Should they bury
him in Carlsbad? It's not even a Jewish
city. So they they decide they're going
to bury him in Lichtenstadt, which was
only a two-hour away journey. And that's
what they do. They bury him in
Lichtenstadt. Meanwhile, the city of
Nikolsburg is up in arms. Lichtenstadt,
that's not his city.
Lichtenstadt says there's a Halacha,
"Wherever you bury a Meis, he is the
earth is kind to him. The city is kind
to him. He is now ours. Reb Mordechai
Banet belongs to us." Nikolsburg said,
"What do you mean? He was our Rov. He
even left in his Tzava'a that at the
very least that he would like to be
buried in Nikolsburg, and if not
Nikolsburg, at least the city of
Prague." And this Shayla of what to do
with the holy Guf of Reb Mordechai Banet
was brought
to none other than the Chasam Sofer.
And you could look in the Tshuvas Chasam
Sofer Chelek Vav Siman Mem Zayin. By the
way, now we know it was also brought to
two other Gedolim. It was brought to
Rebbi Akiva Eiger. It was also brought
to Reb Shmuel Landau, the son of the
Netziv Yehuda.
And very unusually, the Chasam Sofer
writes
that he's inclined to say that you can
move him, but he stops short of
definitively saying that he could be
moved.
So when the city of Nikolsburg hears
that the Chasam Sofer sort of was not
definitive so they back off and they let
it be.
Seven months and according to some, six
months pass.
And all of a sudden the Chasam Sofer
revisits the case. And now finally he
writes definitively to Nikolsburg that
he has decided that they should move his
body.
And he this is his decision
definitively. And they bring him to
Kevurah on the 12th of Adar in the year
Taf Kuf Tzadi, 1830, in the city of
Nikolsburg. And it was always a mystery.
The Chasam Sofer never hemmed, never
hawed. The Chasam Sofer always gave a
definitive Psak. In fact, the Chasam
Sofer would say
that he didn't need to bring Rayos to
his Psak. Whatever his Psak was that is
what they agreed to in the Shamayim. He
doesn't need Rayos. Whatever he says in
fact, the Chasam Sofer says only two
times he ever retracted a Psak. And both
times that he retracted his Psak, he was
wrong. He got it right the first time.
So why was the the Chasam Sofer
unsure, so to speak, of the Psak over
here?
So there's a Sefer Mar'eh Hamarom.
And he brings the testimony of Reb
Shimon Sofer, the son of the Chasam
Sofer.
That the Chasam Sofer was in the middle
of writing the Tshuva to allow
to Pasken that they should move Reb
Mordechai Banet to Nikolsburg.
However, as he's completing writing the
Tshuva, suddenly the Chasam Sofer is
overtaken with sleep.
And he has a dream. And none other than
Reb Mordechai Banet reveals himself in a
dream to the Chasam Sofer.
And Reb Mordechai Banet says, "Let me
explain to you why I'm buried here in
Nikolsburg in Lichtenstadt.
You see, many years ago I issued a Psak
to allow
an engagement to be broken.
And because I caused Tza'ar to this lady
to allow her engagement to be broken
I am punished min Hashamayim to be
buried
next to this girl who I allowed her
engagement to be broken. And the proof
is, says Reb Mordechai Banet, go take a
look. In Lichtenstadt, I am buried next
to the girl whose engagement I Paskened
could be broken. However, there's
another version of the story.
That Reb Mordechai Banet revealed
himself to the Chasam Sofer and says
"I was engaged to this lady, the
Rebbetzin of Lichtenstadt. We were
engaged for seven months.
And then I broke the engagement. And as
a punishment for breaking the engagement
min Hashamayim, I needed to be buried
next to her for seven months. Go and
check and verify who I'm buried next to.
But now the seven months
Now the seven months are over. Now you
can move me." And the Chasam Sofer in
fact Paskened that he could be moved. By
the way when they went, when the
residents of Nikolsburg went to move
uh the Reb Mordechai Banet the residents
of Lichtenstadt did not let these
emissaries come in. They hired
hooligans. They hired a mob. It became a
very great controversy. Finally they had
to get military protection to move the
holy body of Reb Mordechai Banet, who
was finally moved on the 12th day
and buried on the 12th day of Adar
seven months later in the year 1830. So
this is the story of how Reb Mordechai
Banet was final finally moved from the
city of Lichtenstadt to Nikolsburg. So
Reb Mordechai Banet he passes in
Carlsbad. He's first buried in
Lichtenstadt. And finally he's buried in
this city that we're headed to, in
Nikolsburg. U'tehi Menuchaso Kavod.
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