Tisha B’Av - Live From the Kever of the Chozeh of Lublin on His Yahrtzeit

Tisha B'Av, aside from being the most tragic day of the year, is also the yard site of one of the great masters of Hasidus, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz, the Chozeh of Lublin. We've had the privilege to be at his kever and at the end of this clip, we're going to show you first-hand footage Makom Minucha of the Chozeh of Lublin in the city of Lublin. Reb Moshe Wolfson brings a tradition from the Chozeh of Lublin regarding the Krias HaTorah of Tisha B'Av. Tomorrow we're going to read from Parshas Va'etchanan, this week's parsha, Ki Soilech Bonim U'Vnei Bonim Vinashantem Ba'aretz. Question is, why is this the Krias HaTorah for Tisha B'Av? Perhaps we should read the Tochacha. There are other tragic portions of the Torah that you could make the case would be more appropriate for Tisha B'Av. Why do we specifically read from Parshas Va'etchanan? The Chozeh of of Lublin said as follows. He said, "When you read from the Torah at a certain time of the year, the Torah absorbs the flavor and the ta'am of that zman of the year. So, when you get to that part of the Torah in the course of the Krias HaTorah, you're going to have and give off and disseminate that flavor of the zman of the occasion that you read it another time. For instance, Parshas Bo and Beshalach that we read on Pesach, these parshas have a Pesachdikker flavor. So, when we get to Parshas Bo and Beshalach, the Chozeh of Lublin said, "It gives off a ta'am of Pesach." The same thing when it comes to Tisha B'Av. If we were going to read the Tochacha on Tisha B'Av, then when we got up to the Tochacha B'Chukosai time or Ki Savo time, it would have a Tisha Tisha B'Avdikker flavor. It would give off a flavor of Tisha B'Av. And therefore, we don't want to have an influence of Tisha B'Av more than we already have it. There's Therefore, Hazal specifically instituted that on Tisha B'Av, read the parashah of that week. This way, we're basically cutting our losses. We're limiting the influence of Tisha B'Av to this week. Anyway, it's the parashah of the week. Anyway, Rosh Hashanah already has the flavor of Tisha B'Av, and you're not adding Tisha B'Av flavor to more times of the year. So, now you have the opportunity to see firsthand footage of the kever of the Chozeh of Lublin in the city of Lublin. Today is his yahrzeit, Tisha B'Av. Zechuso yagein aleinu. Amen. Okay, we're standing here at the matzevah, at the kever of the Chozeh of Lublin, the Seer of Lublin, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz. He was born in 1745, according to some, 1747, and was actually nifter on Tisha B'Av 1815. And we'll explain how that happened. After the death of the Maggid of Mezritch, so the leadership of Polish Hasidus passed through Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, and then to his primary disciple, the Chozeh, Rabbi Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz. Now, the Chozeh was what is called a corrective counter-revolution within Hasidus. You see, Hasidus was a revolution, so it had the freshness, it had the feeling of newness and and revolution. However, as soon as it becomes institutionalized, then it sort of uh it runs against itself, then it sort of defeats its own purpose. So, throughout the history of Hasidus, there were always counter-revolutions to sort of mitigate whatever institutionalization there was within the Hasidus. And that's what the Chozeh did. Actually, the Chozeh did something very interesting, and that is, even during the lifetime of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, the Chozeh already set up his own court, which which was somewhat revolutionary, and he was criticized for that. But, that's the derech of Polish Hasidus to sort of expand and always look for new meaning. What is Hasidus? As soon as Hasidus is a certain hierarchy and institution, so then it's not what it is anymore. Well, the Chozeh, upon the death of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, Lizhensk, became the leader of Polish Hasidus in the 18th century. He was the leader of what we said was the corrective measure, and as the most brilliant uh most brilliant student, his namesake, so now he has a talmid. So, Rebbe Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz has a talmid, his name is Rebbe Yaakov Yitzchak of Shikha, the Yid Hakadosh. So, really, basically, what happened is what what Rebbe Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz, the Chozeh, did to Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, the Yid Hakadosh did to the Chozeh. Cuz now the Yid Hakadosh also sets up his own court in the lifetime of the Chozeh of Lublin, and he still was loyal to the Chozeh, but nevertheless, this this is the derech. The derech is Hasidus has to be new and fresh. So, the Chozeh was was born in Shaybreshin, near Lublin, and he was a descendant of the Shla Hakadosh. He was a student of the Maggid, he was a student of Shmelke of Nikolsburg, he was a student of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, and he also learned from Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. In fact, looking at Parshas Shleima and Parshas Ki Savo, that for the 16 years that Rebbe Levi Yitzchak was the teacher of Rebbe Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz, every day the Chozeh of Lublin would wake up and thank Hashem for an hour that he sent Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev down to the world. Yeah? In the Haskama of the Sefer Tiferes which was given by the Chozeh of Lublin to the Seder Zera'im The Chasam Sofer said that his whole life he wanted to write a commentary on Kodashim because he felt that learning Kodashim was a very important mitzvah in in Torah. After all, one who learns the laws of sacrificial parts of Kodashim is killed if they brought Kodashim. However, says the Chasam Sofer, I'm greatly immersed in the responsibility of tzorchei tzibbur. Yidden come to me who need advice. They they need my tfilos and I can't push them away because God has given me ability to help out Yidden. So, I always wanted to write a sefer like this on my own. I couldn't. So, at the very least I could recommend a sefer like this. In Sha'alos u'Tshuvos Avnei Nezer, Choshen Mishpat, siman kuf tes vav, he talks about the esrog of Corfu, the Corfu esrog. And the Jews in Poland used the Corfu esrog based on what there was a shash, maybe it's a murkav, maybe it's a grafted esrog, but they relied on the fact that the Chasam Sofer praised the Corfu esrog. Says the Avnei Nezer, we were just by the Avnei Nezer's kever, that if the Chasam Sofer used it, that means he saw b'ruach hakodesh that it's a good esrog and this is something that you could rely on the Chachamim. However, there may have been another reason and a reason which would make it not so uh sturdy to rely on why the Chasam Sofer praised the Corfu esrog. And that is, interestingly, the Chasam Sofer was an anikal of the Bach. B'ezras Hashem, tomorrow we're going to be by the kever of the Bach. The Bach held, we'll see in a moment, that Polish Jews were not makpid on chadash. Why were they not makpid on chadash? Because the Bach held that chadash in chutz Aretz is is mutar. Therefore, in Poland they relied on the Bach. But it could be that's why the Chasam Sofer was not makpid on the Corfu esrog. Not that the Hazal held the core for Ezra wasn't a mark of but because the Bach holds we don't have to worry about mark of. The Bach shita is that a mark of is kosher. So that's why the Hazal relied on his descent on his on his predecessor. However, we argue on the Bach and therefore that would sort of uh make the reliance on the core for Ezra somewhat questionable. Okay, the Hazal Malbim would say as follows, anyone who never learned six consecutive hours never tasted true fear of God. Let's just end with one sharp of art that the Hazal Malbim said. Hazal tell us sometimes it says Moshe before Aaron and sometimes it says Aaron before Moshe lalami to teach us cool and him that they're equal. So the Hazal would ask, how could any two people be equal? You can never say that two people are exactly equal. There's a rule k'shem she'ein partzufim shavim, the same way no two people have the same face. Kacha in dayo't she'ein shavim, no two people have the same attitudes and mindset. You can't say that two people are equal. You know, there's a rule e af shalom sam, say how could two people be exactly the same? But the truth is Hazal say that while Avraham Avinu was a great humble man, he said v'anochi afar va'efer. And David was very humble, he said v'anochi tola'at v'eish. Moshe v'Aaron were the most humble because they said v'nachnu mah, what are we? When you're dealing with davar she'eish b'mamesh, when you're dealing with something, some things can never be equal. But when you're dealing with nothing, nothing could be equal. Moshe and Aaron were on such a level of anivut they said v'nachnu mah, what are we? Because they were mad, because they held themselves as nothing, therefore that's what Hazal mean that they were equal, that they were on the epitome of humility. This was the understanding of the Hazal Malbim. Hazal Malbim's home was open to everyone, and he endeavored to personally serve his guests. So, he not only would serve food to the people, he would clear off the spoons and clear off the plates. So, they asked, "You have to clear off also?" He said, "Yes, clearing off is also a mitzvah." Did the Kayan Gadol in the Kodesh Hakodashim say, "I brought the spoon in, I don't need to clear off?" The avodah was clearing off. So, too, when I serve people, not just serving them, but clearing off is also a great mitzvah. On Tisha B'Av, after saying Krias Shema with tremendous hislavos, he returned his neshama to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. You know, our Rishonim tell us that when you say Shema, you're you're supposed to be mechaven that at that moment, you would make the ultimate sacrifice to give up your life al Kiddush Hashem. Well, he was at the moment of Shema on Tisha B'Av, he was gave up his neshama Kiddush Hashem at 68 years old, gematria Chaim. Chaim is 68. Tzadikim b'misasan korim Chaim. May he be a mailitz yosher for all of us.