A Soul Chosen by His Father

As is well known, the Divrei Chaim of Sanz was married three times. From his third wife he had three sons: Rav Aryeh Leibish, Rav Sholom Eliezer of Ratzfert and Rav Yitzchok Yeshaya of Teshechayuv. Rav Sholom Eliezer was a ben zekunim (a son born in his father’s old age), and the other tzaddikim and Rebbes held him in very high esteem. The Klausenberger used to say that the Divrei Chaim himself said that he had seven sons who shone like the seven stars in the heavens. At other times he said they were like seven mirrors.

Rav Elazar Mendel Biderman of Lelov used to tell his son, Reb Dovid’l, to pay attention and keep an eye on the Divrei Chaim’s two younger sons. (Rav Aryeh Leibish passed away young, in the Divrei Chaim’s lifetime.) It was well known that they were the Rebbe’s youngest sons, born with extra kedushah, and that they shone even greater than their older brothers.

Once, when Rav Yissachar Dov of Belz visited Ratzfert during Chanukah, Rav Sholom Eliezer asked when the Belzer Rav would light candles, for he wished to come and be present for the mitzvah. When the Belzer Rav entered and saw that the Ratzferter Rav had not yet arrived, he waited for him. After a while the Ratzferter still had not come, and the Belzer Rav still waited. He noticed that the chassidim were growing impatient and felt that it was a slight to the Belzer Rav’s honor to wait on another Rebbe, but he ignored this and continued waiting. After more time passed, the Belzer Rav’s gabbai came and urged the Rebbe to light, saying it would be fine to light the Chanukah candles even without the Ratzferter Rav. Hearing this, the Belzer Rav answered, “What should I do, that he had a father who selected his son’s neshamah?”

A similar statement was made by the Unsdorfer Rav, Rav Shmuel Rosenberg, author of Be’er Shmuel. He once sent a letter to the Ratzferter, through his talmid Reb Yitzchok Frankel, asking for a berachah. Reb Frankel asked his Rebbe why he was seeking a berachah. “I know the Ratzferter, and he is a holy man whose berachos many seek,” he said, “but you, Rebbe, are much older. Why do you seek the berachos of a young man?”

The Unsdorfer Rav’s face flushed with excitement and changed. He stood up and showed his talmid his overflowing bookcase. “You see this bookcase?” he asked. “Surely you know that I recognize each sefer in it, and each sefer’s place, so well that I can take it with my eyes closed? You must know that the Divrei Chaim of Sanz was as much an expert in the world of holy neshamos when his sons were born as I am in my seforim shrank (bookcase). If he himself selected these souls, he knew that they were appropriate and fitting for this generation. And now you ask me why I seek the Ratzferter’s berachah?”