Reb Shayele of Kerestir | Rabbi Yisroel Besser

ג’ אייר the third day of Iyar, the Yohrzeit of the Tzaddik of Kerestir, R’ Shaya ben R’ Moshe. Everybody hears stories of other people who have been helped in such an extraordinary fashion by davening at Kerestir, by doing something in the zechus of R’ Shayele. How could we tap into that Ko’ach? How do we tap into that energy that comes through Kerestir? People in Hungary knew, of 100 years ago, that if they had any sort of stomach ailments and any sort of pain, they can go to Kerestir. And even people who couldn't tolerate foods normally, can go to Kerestir for Shabbos, and they could eat over there and they would feel fine. They would have no ill effects on them. And there was a certain Yid who came from Budapest, he had terrible stomach pains. He hadn't been able to eat Cholent on Shabbos in 20 years. Anything hot or spicy or oily just didn't work for him. And he came to the Rebbe. R’ Shayele said: Here you could eat. This Yid came for Shabbos and he ate the Cholent and had no ill effects. It was delicious. It was nourishing and he felt very good. And he went home and he told his wife. He says: You have to find out what the recipe is that the Rebbetzin uses, because that was delicious, and it didn't hurt me at all. So his wife traveled to Kerestir as well, and she went to the Rebbetzin, Rebbetzin Sara, the wife of Reb Shayele and she said: How did you make your Cholent? My husband can't tolerate mine or anybody else's and yours had no ill effects on him. What did you do? So the Rebbetzin told her her recipe. She said: I put in a little potato, a little salt, a little oil. She said: Abisl Harts. And she told her how she does it. She came back the next week. She said: That was terrible. I did exactly what you said. I followed your instructions, and my husband was in agony for my Cholent. His stomach was really hurting him very badly. But I did exactly what you said. The Rebbetzin said: What did you do? She said: I did what you said. Oil, salt, potatoes. I went to the market and I bought the heart of a chicken. So the Rebbetzin said: Nisht a harts fun a hindl. When I said ‘abisl harts’, I didn't mean the heart of a chicken. I meant ‘abisl harts’, a little bit of my own heart. What she was saying was the secret of Kerestir. Reb Shayele gave himself away to people. He didn't exist. He gave away his heart totally to the Chesed, to the well-being of the Yidden around them. And the Rebbetzin understood this and she gave her heart. She invested her heart and soul, her essence into the food that she was preparing for other people, the Ma’achalei Shabbos that she was preparing for other Yidden, so that they should have that same experience. The Bracha comes from giving abisl harts. That was the secret at Kerestir. How do we give abisl harts? What does that even mean? If you put a nickel in a Pushke? It's important. How do you give harts to the Ribono shel Olam? By taking something which is so precious to you, which is so part of you, which is part of your essence, and going against your most base, instinctive desires, and saying: Ribono shel Olam, this is for you. When we walk in the street, It's hard not to look. We're being pulled this way, we're being pulled that way. It's alluring, it's appealing. We say: No, we're not doing that. We're giving abisl harts, and we’re tapping into the Bracha of Kerestir. ובדבר ישועה ורחמים we ask the Ribono shel Olam in יעלה ויבוא, חוס וחננו, have compassion, have mercy on us. Why? כי אליך עינינו because we look to You, Ribono shel Olam. Tzaddikim explain, כי אליך עינינו could also mean because we have given You our eyes. You know why You should have mercy on us? You know why You should have compassion on us? because we've given you that which is most difficult to give away, our eyes. In the zechus of R’ Shayele ben R’ Moshe, at least for one day or one hour or even one minute, let's give away our eyes to the Ribono shel Olam, כי אליך עינינו. And then earn the Brachos that come through Kerestir, זכותו יגן עלינו.