World of Belz

Rabbi Aharon of Belz

איש על העדה…אשר יוציאם ואשר יביאם לפניהם…(פינחס כז: טז-יז)

Appoint a man over the assembly, who shall go out before them and come in before them…

The Komemiyus Rav, Reb Binyamin Mendelsohn zt’’l, led his Yishuv’s Kehilla (settlement members) of Shomrie Torah U’mitzvahs farmers who were diligent about keeping the mitzvah of Shemita on their farms. The Komemiyus Rav frequently visited Maran Rebbe Aharon of Belz zt’’l to receive brachas – blessings on behalf of his kehilla – they should merit success in their farming endeavors.

Before one of his visits, a congregant honored the Komemiyus Rav to serve as Sandak at his son’s bris. However, the Komemiyus Rav didn’t want to accept the honor since he was already Sandak by one of the father’s children, and according to the Re’ma, one doesn’t accept the honor of being Sandak twice from the same father. However, the father insisted, so the Komemiyus Rav decided to present the question to the Chazon Ish zt’’l following his visit to the Belzer Rav in Tel Aviv.

When the Komemiyus Rav arrived at Maran Rebbe Aharon’s home, before he handed over his kvittal and the kvittlach of his kehilla, Maran said: “I will only read your kvittal, since you are the Rav of the yishuv, all your kehilla members are included in your bracha!”

And Maran added, “Everyone knows the Re’ma’s opinion about not accepting the honor of Sandek twice since a Sandak is worthy of wealth, so why not grant the blessing on another Yid. However, the Rav of a city is allowed to be honored many times since the fountain of blessings for his kehilla members comes through a vessel of a Rav who leads his kehilla. Therefore, they all get blessed with plenty to support their Rav, and I will bless you, and through you, your kehilla will receive plenty of bracha and hatzlacha…”

The Komemiyus Rav was astounded by Maran’s brachas and for addressing his quandary even before presenting his question.

פדה תפדה את בכור האדם (חקת יח: טו)

You shall surely redeem the firstborn of man…

Harav Hachassid R’ Moshe HaKohen Gross z’l of Geneva, Switzerland, made his first trip to Eretz Yisroel for the occasion of the Belzer Rebbe shlita’s bris. However, his plane was delayed, and he arrived to Eretz Yisroel the day after the Bris.

When R’ Moshe arrived, Maran, Reb Aharon of Belz zt’’l, told his brother, the Bilgorai Rav zt’’l, to honor R’ Moshe to be the Kohen at the Pidyan Haben. The Bilgorai Rav replied, “We already have a Koehn, Harav Hachassid R’ Chaim Nuta Katz z’l, planning to come for the Pidyan Haben.”

Maran said, “First honor R’ Moshe, and when R’ Chaim Nuta arrives, we will see then.”

After the Pidyan Haben, R’ Moshe went to Maran Reb Aharon to present a kvittel – since he heard it was an honor to present a kvittel to the Rebbe and present him with a coin from the ‘pidyan’ along with it.

R’ Moshe was so awed by the idea that he offered two coins to Maran.

After a few days, Maran summoned R’ Moshe and told him: “For several reasons, I can’t take the pidyan coins you gave me. Please go to that cupboard and take them back.” When R’ Moshe repeated the episode to the Bilgorai Rav, he told him: “When my brother, Reb Aharon says ‘for several reasons,’ I don’t comprehend them at all, but there’s one reason I can think of. Since my brother and I receive our income from one source, Maran is afraid that I used the pidyan coin from that source, and now it is being returned to him, and it is prohibited from being used by the father of the redeemed.” (Since we both receive our income from the same source.)

וישב אהרן אל משה אל פתח אהל מועד והמגפה נעצרה (קרח יז:טו)

Ahron returned to Moshe at the entrance of the Ohel Moed, and the plague had been checked.

Short stories of Segulahs that helped cease plagues and heal illnesses:

Harav Hachassid R’ Itcha Ausberg z’’l related that a few ‘heimishe Yidden’ passed away in Krakow during a short time. The Chassidim were scared and traveled to Belz to Maran Reb Yissochor Dov zt’’l and asked for a blessing for protection.  Maran told them to learn Minshnayos in the shtiebel (Beis Hamedrash) every night between Mincha and Maariv – and the plague stopped.

Harav Hachassid R’ Naftuli Gottesman z’’l retold an episode in the name of Harav Hachassid R’ Haenich of Radim z’’l.  

A rare disease was circulating in the city of Belz.  Maran, the Sar Shalom of Belz zt’’l, told Harav Hachassid R’ Shraga Feivish of Hivniv z’’l to check the kashrus of the tzitzis from all the city’s inhabitants.

A gentile shepherd once came to Maran Reb Aharon of Belz zt’l, bemoaning his fate.  He said there was a terrible plague amongst his animals, and they were dying out.  

Maran asked him where his animals graze. Was there a water well nearby?  The shepherd answered in the affirmative, and Maran told him to find a different field where his animals should graze and that they won’t die anymore. 

The shepherd was amazed by Maran’s answer, saying he was an ‘angel’ that sees everything.  However, Maran didn’t want the gentile shepherd to talk about it, so Maran simply told him, “The well caused the earth to be moist, which causes the animals to catch colds and that’s why they died.”

ומדוע תתנשאו על קהל ה’ (קרח טז:ג)

Why do you exalt yourself over the congregation of Hashem…

It was the last Motzei Yom Kippur in Belz during WWII when a young chassid received a telegram from home commanding him to return immediately. The young man was perplexed about what to do.

(Belzer Chassidim knew it wasn’t a good omen to shake hands and take farewell from the Rebbe before the famed “Hamavdil Tish” conducted Motzei Yom Kippur.)

Since the Frierdige Rav zt’’l was very stringent about this custom, his son, Maran, Reb Aharon zt’’l, was very rigid about it.

The yungerman approached Reb Moshe zt’’l, the son of Maran, Reb Aharon, to consult what he should do – since he needed to leave and wanted to bid farewell to Maran.

Reb Moshe suggested that he stand by the entrance, and when Maran passes, he should ask Maran what to do.

When Maran passed, the Yunderman told Maran that he received a telegram to return home immediately. Maran told him: “Oy, but my father was makpid – stringent not to give a hand before ‘hamavdil’…” And Maran added, “אבער א איד טאר נישט אויספירן, אבער דער טאטע ז’’ל האט דאך נישט געגעבן די האנט פאר המבדיל. אבער פונדעסטוועגן, א איד טאר נישט אויספירן – A Yid isn’t allowed to always have his way, but my father didn’t give a hand before hamavdil. Even so, a Yid isn’t allowed always to have his way.”

And so, Maran wrapped his hand in a towel and bid farewell, “Go home – לחיים ולשלום!”

ועשו להם ציצית על כנפי בגדיהם (שלח טו:לח)

They shall make themselves tzitzis on the corners of their garments…

The two Gelis brothers, R’ Aharon a’’h and R’ Ezriel a’’h spent a lot of time with Maran Reb Aharon of Belz zt’’l and his brother The Bilgorai Rav zt’’l when they were in hiding in Budapest, Hungary during WWII.

The brothers were affiliated with the Hungarian police and were instrumental in the Rebbe’s escape to Eretz Yisroel, working alongside the authorities to scheme an escape plan.  Maran Reb Aharon once told R’ Aharon Gelis, “My hatzalah – escape is like Yetzias Mitzrayim, not one minute earlier and not one minute later…”

The Gelis brothers related that when the two holy brothers prepared to leave, they came to ensure that everything was in order.  They noticed tzitzis sticking out of the Rebbes’ garments which would identify them as Jewish at the border checkpoints. But Maran, Reb Aharon wasn’t going to remove his tzitzis.

Since the Gelis brothers were dressed like non-Jews as they worked with the authorities, they made themselves ‘טליתים קטנים’ – special garment tzitzis designed according to the halacha of wearing a four-cornered garment.  Because of the war, the Hungarian Rabbanim permitted such tzitzis to be worn.

The Gelis brothers removed their tzitzis and handed one to Maran, Reb Aharon, and the other to the Bilgorai Rav.  In exchange, they received the two holy tzitzis from the holy brothers.  Maran was happy with the arrangement and thanked and blessed them profusely. 

The Gelis brothers wore the tzitzis for the war’s duration and attributed their survival to this merit. 

טובה הארץ מאד מאד (שלח יד:ז)

The land is very, very good.

Maran, Reb Aharon of Belz zt’’l used to eat his daily meal late at night, which also included a fruit compote composed of fruits from Eretz Yisroel.  From time to time, Maran asked his meshamash (personal assistant) Reb Yitzchok Landau if he was sure the fruits were from Eretz Yisroel. (For those days, obtaining fruits grown in Eretz Yisroel was hard). And he answered that the fruit was from Eretz Yisroel.  

Once, in the middle of eating the compote, Maran spoke as to himself, within earshot of the  meshamesh R’ Yitzchak, saying, “What significance is it to me if I don’t know if I’m eating fruits from Eretz Yisroel, though you can’t compare, but the Ari Hakadosh zt’’l was stringent to eat fruits from Eretz Yisroel every day.”

One day, R’ Yitzchak obtained an apple he knew was grown in Eretz Yisroel.  He was excited to cook the apple compote and served it to Maran. When Maran asked if it was a fruit from Eretz Yisroel, R’ Yitzchak confidently answered, “Yes! Without a doubt!” 

Maran asked him, “How are you sure it’s from Eretz Yisroel?” R’ Yitzchak replied, “Because you can tell on the apples that they’re small and green.” (In those days, growth was stunted in Eretz Yisroel, and you couldn’t get such nice fruits as today.) 

Maran Reb Aharon zt”l was startled and agitated by his response.  Maran couldn’t bear hearing unfavorable words about Eretz Yisroel’s fruits, and he reproached R’ Yitzchak, saying, “How do you dare speak badly on fruits from Eretz Yisroel?” Maran told R’ Yitzchak to repeat together with him three times, “It’s big, it’s nice, it’s red, and it’s sweet.” And only after that Maran was able to calm down. 

כה תברכו את בני ישראל אמור להם (נשא ו:כג)

So, shall you bless the Yidden and tell them…

A kohen who lived in the city of Bilgoray married a divorcee, which is forbidden by the Torah.  The Bilgoray Rav zt’’l admonished him relentlessly to divorce his wife, but he simply ignored it. On Yom Tov, when it was time to dichen (recite the Birchas Kohanim), this kohen ascended the podium with the other kohanim to bless the congregants, creating a tumult in Shul.

People yelled that a kohen who transgresses the Torah isn’t worthy to bless us. The kohen ignored the commotion and ascended the podium.  When the Bilgoray Rav saw this, he announced that the Kohanim would not dichen this year.

The Bilgoray Rav surmised that the Kohan would realize that the remaining Kohanim weren’t dichening because of him, and he would for sure descend from the podium.  But alas, the kohen didn’t seem bothered, and the congregation concluded the Yom Tov Mussaf prayers without Birchas Kohanim. 

A few Yomim Tovim passed with a repeat of the same scene until one Yom Tov the kohen realized that because of his grave actions, the congregation wasn’t receiving their due blessings of Birchas Kohanim.  

He divorced his wife and repented for his actions.  When the next Yom Tov approached, the Bilogray Rav announced that the Kohanim won’t ascent the podium to dichen – and only this kohan will dichen alone this year. 

When Maran Reb Aharon of Belz zt’’l was told this story, he was awed by his brother’s brilliant action that caused the Kohan to repent and, in addition, give him the notable honor to dichen alone as an atonement. 

אם בחקותי תלכו ואת מצותי תשמורו, ונתתי גשמיכם בעתם… (בחוקתי כו:ג)

If you follow in My decrees, observe My commandments, and perform them, I will provide your rains in their times.

In Kfar Gideon, a Moshav (settlement) in Emek Yizraiel, lived many Heimishe Yidden, new ‘olim’ (immigrants) who settled there to earn a livelihood through farming.  

It was one winter season when they had finished planting their wheat fields, and they were waiting for rain for the wheat to sprout.  But alas, the rain wasn’t falling for a while, and all their labor was in vain, especially since the experts from the Department of Agriculture told them that if the rain didn’t fall within five days, their crops would be a ruin.

Seven moshav farmers hired a taxi to take them to Tel Aviv to seek a blessing from Maran Reb Aharon of Belz zt’’l. They shared their plight with Reb Aharon and the dire warnings they received from the Department of Agriculture. Reb Aharon asked them if there was a Talmud Torah in their Moshav. And they answered that they didn’t have one yet.  They meanwhile send their children to learn in nearby schools.

Maran Reb Aharon gave them his warm blessings for success, and they bid farewell. On their way home by taxi to Kfar Gideon, on the outskirts of Afula (approximately 2.5 miles from their destination), it started pouring torrents of rain – גשמי ברכה – the floods made it hard for the taxi to navigate its way into the Moshav.

Since they witnessed the נפלאות הבורא – the divine wonder that saved their fields, they traveled back to Tel Aviv and rented a large apartment near the Belzer Talmud Torah for the children of Kfar Gideon to dorm and enable them to learn in the Belzer Talmud Torah.

This story was heard from R’ Yuda Mermelstein shlita, founder of the Aleh Organization in Isreal, one of the Kfar Gideon students who learned in the Belzer Talmud Torah.

כי תבאו אל הארץ אשר אני נותן לכם ושבתה הארץ שבת לד’ (בהר כה:א-ב)

When you come into the land I give you, the land shall observe a Shabbos rest for Hashem.

When Maran Rebbe Aharon of Belz zt’’l came to live in his Tel Aviv home, there was a nice courtyard with several trees and flowers. At the beginning of the summer season, Reb Aharon requested his shamash to purchase gardening tools and a water hose to water and cultivate the garden daily.  Reb Aharon constantly inquired by the shamash over the garden’s well-being and its trees’ growth – admiring the greenery and details of each flower’s blooming patterns.

Chassidim wondered over the holy Rebbe’s interest in the garden, where he was so personally invested. When it came to Erev Rosh Hashanah of his first Shmittah year in Eretz Yisroel, Reb Aharon summoned his shamash and said: “As you cared for my garden to flourish, and obeyed my request, now I ask you that since the upcoming year is a Shmittah year, please collect all the gardening tools and store and lock them in a storage room, and don’t open it until the year is over!”

The Chassidim now understood their Rebbe’s holy intentions of the previous years in preparation for keeping Shmittah.

Chassidim Know What To Do

A Chassid told Maran Reb Aharon of Belz zt’’l that R’ Yaakov Arush Katz a’’h showed him that he possessed a י’’ב חלה from The Sar Shalom of Belz zt’’l.  Reb Aharon asked him what he does with the challah over Pesach. The Chassid replied that he sold it to a non-Jew with the rest of his chometz.

Reb Aharon chuckled and said: “Chassidim always knew what to do!”