Rav Menachem Mendel Turim of Rymanow

Baruch Hashem, I Am Cold and Hungry

It is told that Rav Mendel was a young man when he began his journeys to Lizhensk, to Rebbe Reb Melech. He was poor and did not have a coin to his name. His clothes were simple and old, and the harsh winter brought the kind of bitter cold that creeps into the bones.

With no alternative, Rav Mendel hired himself out as a watchman. He traveled with the coaches and their passengers. While the coachmen and travelers spent the night at the inn, Rav Mendel stayed outside in the cold, guarding the coach and the horses against thieves.

On one trip the snow fell relentlessly and travel was hard. At last night fell and the coach reached its destination. As the coachman and his passengers entered the warm inn, Rav Mendel braved the bitter elements outside, shivering under his threadbare coat, shaking in his hole-filled shoes, and waiting for dawn as he stood guard.

It was so cold that he ran back and forth, clapping and rubbing his hands for warmth. Soon he began to hop from one foot to the other, and the hopping became a dance. He hopped and clapped and sang with simchah, "Baruch Hashem I am cold. Baruch Hashem I am freezing. Baruch Hashem I am starving."

Another coach arrived at the inn, and as the travelers stepped down they were astonished to see an obviously poor man dancing and singing in the freezing night. "What are you singing?" they asked. "I am praising Hashem for making me so healthy that I can properly feel my hunger," answered Rav Mendel. "And why don't you eat?" they asked. "I have no money," he said.

The travelers decided to take care of him. They brought him into the warm inn, placed someone else on watch, and fed him until he was satisfied. When his wits returned, he said, "Had I not sung and danced, praising Hashem, I would still be cold and hungry."

True Chassidim

It is told that Rav Yaakov Yitzchok, the Chozeh of Lublin, once asked Rav Menachem Mendel of Rymanow whether he had followers and chassidim. "Yes, we do," answered Rav Menachem Mendel.

"And in what way are they chassidim?" the Chozeh asked. "Our chassidim, my followers," answered Rav Menachem Mendel, "study halachah and Tosfos in depth." "If so," replied the Chozeh, "then they are indeed true chassidim."

Ahavah Rabbah

An elder Linsker chassid once told that he heard Rav Menachem Mendel of Rymanow ask, "What did Bnei Yisroel do from Rosh Chodesh Sivan until Kabbolas HaTorah? They had not yet received the Torah, so they were not yet studying it."

Then the Rebbe gave his answer. "In the meantime they were all reciting the berachah Ahavah Rabbah, how great is the love."

Guided by the Rif

It is told that in his youth Rav Menachem Mendel studied in the bais medrash of Rav Doniel Yaffe in Berlin. He studied the works of the Rif diligently, and his soul thirsted for self-perfection. Once he learned so much in one sitting that his tongue stuck to his palate.

He began to daven deep in his heart and cried to Hashem to enlighten him and brighten his darkness. He davened and davened until he fell into a deep sleep and dreamed. In the dream he saw the Rif himself, who showed him an image of Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk and told him to travel to the Rebbe, for there he would reach the goal he sought.

The Rebbe's Soup

Rav Mendele Rymanover was one of the four main talmidim of Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk. It is told that before he was revealed as a tzaddik and Rebbe with ruach hakodesh (divine intuition), he sat at Rebbe Reb Elimelech's table like any other devoted chassid.

One Shabbos, the Rymanover was sitting with the other chassidim when the shamash brought in the Rebbe's soup and set it in front of the Rebbe. The Rebbe took the bowl in his hands, overturned it, and spilled its contents onto the table. Suddenly gripped by fear, the Rymanover cried out, "Oy, Rebbe, surely they will put us all in jail. You must stop immediately."

The other guests almost burst out laughing at such strange words from Rav Mendele, but they restrained themselves in the presence of their holy Rebbe. Rebbe Reb Elimelech said to him, "Relax, my son, we are all safe. We are all here right now." The others were astonished until the Rebbe explained what had happened.

A high-ranking government official had decided to pass a harsh decree against the Jews. He had tried many times before, without success, to write out the charges and have the king stamp and seal them with his ring. That day he wrote out the charges once again, determined that nothing would stop him this time. He was about to use sand to blot the ink and dry it when the Rebbe overturned his soup bowl. The official became confused, picked up the inkwell instead, and spilled ink all over the accusation he had just written.

"This young man," the Rebbe concluded, indicating Rav Mendele, "was able to witness what I did, but only by divesting himself fully from the physical world. He forgot that we were in this room. He imagined that I had actually used my hand and overturned the inkwell, and in his fear he called out, for he thought we would be arrested for my actions." Now everyone understood how lofty a level of ruach hakodesh this young man could perceive.

Once Rav Mendel told his teacher that he had actually seen the malach who removes the light before the darkness and the darkness before the light, as described in the first berachah of Maariv. Rebbe Reb Elimelech answered, "But I already saw this malach in my youth."

Do It for His Sake

"Rav Elozor Ish Bartosa says: Give Him what is His, because you and yours are His" (Avos 3:8). Rav Ovadia Yosef used to illustrate this Mishnah with a story about the Rymanover.

It is told that Rav Menachem Mendel was once sitting and learning with his talmidim when a pauper entered the bais medrash. Some people naturally awaken sympathy, and this man was an especially bedraggled and sad sight who tugged at the Tzaddik's heartstrings. The Rebbe sent his gabbai to fetch a gold dinar from the wallet in the next room and handed the surprised and grateful pauper one gold coin. It was a large donation, and the man thanked the Rymanover warmly and went on his way.

Afterward the Rebbe had second thoughts. He was troubled that he had given tzedakah out of mercy and sympathy rather than to fulfill the mitzvah for the sake of Hashem, as Rashi comments on Teruma, "Take teruma and give it lishmi, for the sake of My Name." He decided to send his attendant after the pauper.

The pauper was happily on his way, smiling at his good fortune, when he heard the attendant calling after him and running to catch his breath. He froze, and his eyes darkened. "Oh no, surely the Rebbe made a mistake in giving me a gold dinar and has sent his gabbai to exchange it for a silver one." With no choice, he turned back sadly and followed the gabbai to the Rebbe's court.

When they returned, the Rebbe had the gabbai bring the wallet, and to the pauper's total astonishment he did not take the dinar away. Instead he handed him a second gold coin. Taking courage from the Tzaddik's kindness, the pauper asked boldly, "Rebbe, I do not understand. If you wished to give me two gold coins, why not give them at once, rather than call me back? The gabbai gave me quite a fright, and I was very downcast until now."

The Tzaddik smiled and explained. "In Parshas Re'eh the verse says noson titein, 'you shall surely give.' Why the double expression? It teaches that if you give out of sympathy, give once more for the sake of the mitzvah. This is what I did. The verse also says, 'Your heart shall not be evil when you give to him.' I understand this to mean that the first time you give tzedakah you do so because of the feeling in your heart, that you feel bad for the poor man. Therefore give again, for the sake of the mitzvah of tzedakah."

In the King's Service

It happened once that the Apter, the Rymanover and the Chozeh of Lublin were staying in Lanzut, the Chozeh's residence before he moved to Lublin. Evil people denounced them to the government, and the three Rebbes were arrested and imprisoned. They decided that Rav Menachem Mendel, who had a good command of the German language, would be their spokesman at the hearing.

The judge asked, "What is your occupation?" "I am in the service of the king," the Rymanover replied. "What king?" "The King of kings."

"And what brings you two strangers [the Apter and the Rymanover] to Lanzut?" "We came to learn from this man [the Chozeh] how to serve the King more zealously." "And why are you wearing white garments?" "That is the color of our professional attire."

The judge pronounced his verdict. "We will have nothing to do with such people. Case dismissed."

Hashem Spoke Once, and I Heard Twice

His talmid Rav Naftali of Ropshitz repeated in his derushim to Shavuos what he heard from Rav Menachem Mendel on the verse in Tehillim (62:12), "Hashem spoke once, and I heard twice." Perhaps, said the Rymanover, all that Bnei Yisroel heard from the mouth of the Holy One was a single letter, the alef of the word Anochi, and from that one letter they understood the rest of the Aseres HaDibros. The Ropshitzer added that perhaps they heard only the alef with the vowel komatz, the first vowel taught to a child in cheder.

Derushim of the Ropshitzer to Shavuos, citing Rav Menachem Mendel on Tehillim 62:12

Lack of Simchah Gives Power to the Enemy

Rav Mendel taught that lack of joy gives power to the enemy nations, allowing them to rule over us. He read the verse in Devarim (28:47), "Because you did not serve Hashem your G-d in joy, with a glad heart, and you served your enemies," as one statement: because you did not serve Hashem with simchah, you will serve your enemies. If a person lacks joy and delight in fulfilling the mitzvos, this is what gives the enemy nations the upper hand and the rule over him.

Menachem Tzion, Yeshaya 58:13 (on Devarim 28:47, Parshas Re'eh)

Shabbos as a Delight

Rav Mendel taught that true joy awakens on Shabbos when we sing Hashem's praises and rejoice in the honor of His glory and exalted name. That joy uplifts and refines any improper or foreign thoughts a person had during the week, and any bad traits and habits he formed. He read the verse in Yeshaya (58:13), "If you restrain your feet because of Shabbos," with raglecha, usually "your feet," as meaning "your habit." The novi is saying that if you call Shabbos a delight and rejoice, your bad habits are reformed and uplifted because of Shabbos.

Menachem Tzion, Yeshaya 58:13 (Haftarah of Yom Kippur)

Every Journey Is Written in a Sefer

Rav Yosef Levenstein of Seratzk told that Rav Menachem Mendel once sent Rav Naftali of Ropshitz to teach Pirkei Avos to the chassidim. On the Mishnah that all your deeds are recorded in a sefer (Avos 2:1), the Ropshitzer explained that every journey of Rav Menachem Mendel from Pristik to Rymanow, and what he accomplished on them, and the journeys of each of us, will be written down and form a new Torah, so that one will recite Birkas HaTorah over it as over the Torah scroll. Rav Menachem Mendel himself taught that the journeys of chassidim to their Rebbes, to whom they are bound at the root of their souls, will be inscribed in a sefer and form new Torah, and that even the tales of the talmidim of the Baal Shem Tov and their travels will be blessed with Nosen HaTorah.

Ateres Menachem 90; Imrei Chaim, Shoftim 71b–72b

Study in Depth

Rav Menachem Mendel often warned his chassidim to study in depth (iyun). He praised this form of study, when done lishma (sincerely, for the right reasons), as one of the forty-eight ways through which the Torah is acquired, and he taught that all the tzaddikim of his generation reached lofty spiritual levels only through study b'iyun.

On Avos, chapter 6 (the forty-eight ways of acquiring Torah)

Halachah and Tosfos in the Days of the Omer

Rav Menachem Mendel said that he had never understood the secret of the matter until recently: the laws and halachos that were forgotten during the mourning over Moshe Rabbeinu (see Temura 16a) were returned to us by Osniel ben Kenaz during the days of Sefiras HaOmer. Therefore it is a minhag Yisroel, which has the status of Torah, to study halachah and Tosfos during these days.

Igeres HaKodesh of Rav Yechezkel Paneth of Karlsburg, in Shu"t Mareh Yechezkel, siman 104

Reciting the Pesukim of the Mishkan Before Davening

Rav Menachem Mendel taught that it is a segulah to recite the pesukim of the Mishkan before davening. He learned this from Parshas Vayakhel (35:4), where it says asher tziva Hashem, that Hashem commanded us to erect a Mishkan in which to serve Him. By reciting those pesukim before davening, it is considered as if we built a Mishkan, entered it, and davened to Hashem from within.

Menachem Tzion, Kol Yaakov Melo HaRo'im, Vayikra, Behaalosecha

The Bow and Arrow of Lag BaOmer

Rav Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, author of Bnei Yissoschor, heard from Rav Menachem Mendel the reason for the minhag of young students shooting a bow and arrow on Lag BaOmer. It is known (Yerushalmi Berachos 9:2) that in the days of Rav Shimon bar Yochai the rainbow was not seen. On the day of his ascension we mark this by commemorating the absence of the rainbow with a bow and arrow.

Bnei Yissoschor, Iyar 3:4

Learning Torah From Gazing at a Tzaddik

Rav Moshe Teitelbaum of Uhel taught in the name of Rav Menachem Mendel that a person who merits true knowledge (daas sheleimah), when he sees a Tzaddik and gazes upon him, can learn true Torah from every limb of the Tzaddik. Rav Menachem Mendel testified that he himself learned Torah in this way from his own Rebbe, Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk.

Tefilla leMoshe, Noach 39b

Noam Elimelech After the Mikveh

Rav Menachem Mendel said, "On Erev Shabbos Kodesh, after immersing in the mikveh, is when I can understand a shtickel of Noam Elimelech."

Ohel Elimelech 192

Simchah Is a Segulah for Parnassah

Rav Menachem Mendel taught on the words "And you shall be only happy" (Devarim 16:15) that the final letters of the words of this verse spell a holy Divine Name connected with the angel of livelihood. This hints that simchah, joy, is a segulah for parnassah.

Toldos Noach, Likkutim 35:1, cited in Yalkut Menachem p. 232