YAHRZEIT OF THE SAR SHALOM OF BELZ ZT”L – MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 – כז’ אלול

The founder of the Belz dynasty was Rabbi Shalom Rokeach zt”l, known throughout the Chassidic world as the Sar Shalom and in Belz as Der Ershter Rav — the First Belzer Rebbe zt”l.

The Sar Shalom learned Torah for 1000 consecutive nights and on the last night, Eliyahu Hanavi zt”l joined the Sar Shalom and taught him the halachos concerning the building of a Beis Knesses – Shul.  

The Sar Shalom understood this as a hint from Heaven, tasking him to build a Shul. He set about building the holy Belz Shul. The Sar Shalom was involved in every aspect, ensuring only Jewish workers were involved, and oversaw the project with great enthusiasm. He even laid bricks and cement. When the workers witnessed the Rebbe working, it infused them with energy to work better. 

The grand חנוכת הבית – inauguration ceremony – was held in the year תר”ג – 1843.  The Sar Shalom did not complete the building of the Shul; he only left some work for his holy children and grandchildren to have an input in this sacred edifice.  All Belzer tzaddikim had an input in the building, which stood in splendor until its tragic destruction by the cursed Nazis y”s during WWII.

The holy Sar Shalom—the founding Rebbe of the Belz Chassidic dynasty—was known for his healing powers. He was known to place his fingers on the sick person, who would miraculously become healed. These ‘healing fingers’ were the ones he used to point out the place in his Sefer to keep up with where he was learning.

Once the Rov of Berzhan (Brzezany, Poland), Rabbi Shulem Mordechai HaKohen Ztz”l came to the Sar Shalom to be healed from a specific ailment.  The Sar Shalom placed his holy fingers on the afflicted place, but – to his astonishment – it did not help.  The Sar Shalom started learning certain halachos in the Shulchan Aruch, putting his holy fingers on specific words and then placing them again on the Berzhane Rov, and this time, he was healed.

The Berzhane Rov asked the Sar Shalom: “What connection does learning have with healing illnesses?”.  The Sar Shalom replied: “Every one of the 248 limbs in the human body has a connection to a specific mitzvah of the מצוות עשה – positive commandments that are listed in the Torah. Likewise, each one of the 365 מצוות לא תעשה – prohibitive commandments – is connected to one of the 365 arteries. Those who learn Torah Lishmoh – without ulterior motives- can feel and understand which mitzvah was transgressed based on the ailment. Since I did not recently learn the organ’s halachos that were bothering you, I sat down to learn that specific halacha, and with the holy power of my Torah learning, could affect healing to your body”.

Reb Shalom zt”l reigned in Belz for nearly forty years until he passed away on the 27th day of Elul in the year 5615 (1855) – just three days before Rosh Hashanah. During his eulogy, his successor, the holy Reb Yehoshua zt”l, proclaimed that his saintly father was taken from the world three days before Rosh Hashanah because he had been appointed as Ba’al Teffilah on Rosh Hashanah in Shamayim and was therefore taken three days before so he could prepare.

The Sar Shalom proclaimed: “בעלזא וועט זיין א ווינקל פאר תורה און יראת שמים ביז משיח וועט קומען!” – Belz will be a corner dedicated to Torah and Fear of Heaven until the day the Mashiach arrives – may we be worthy to greet the redeemer, speedily in our days. Amein.

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