Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein

The Birth of Mashiach ben Yosef

It is told that Rav Yehuda Tzvi once announced, “Today Mashiach ben Yosef was born in Hungary.” He explained that the child would be one of the tzaddikim nistarim (hidden tzaddikim who remain anonymous), and that if Hashem granted him years, he meant to visit him one day. Many chassidim heard this, though not all of them took it to heart. The Rebbe's personal shochet (ritual slaughterer), however, kept it in mind.

Many years later, the Rebbe prepared a journey to Pest, the capital of Hungary, and brought many chassidim along, including that same shochet. He stayed there for several weeks, and no one knew the purpose of the trip.

During his stay, a young man of remarkable beauty and stature came to see him. He walked into the Rebbe's room without knocking or asking permission and shut the door behind him. He remained inside with the Rebbe for many hours, and the chassidim waiting outside were astonished. The shochet suddenly remembered the Rebbe's announcement of years before and stood by the door, ready to greet the visitor when he came out.

After several hours the door opened, and the two men walked together to the outer door. Rav Yehuda Tzvi bade the stranger farewell, and in a moment he vanished from sight. The shochet was disappointed that he had received only a single “Shalom” from him.

The Rebbe then prepared to return home. On the way the chassidim kept discussing the mysterious visitor, though only the shochet knew who he was. Many years afterward he would say that he still felt the effect of that “Shalom” and the new life it had poured into him, and that the mere memory of the man's face still inspired him.

The Banquet on the Fifth Night of Chanukah

On Rosh Hashanah, Rav Yehuda Tzvi promised his chassidim a banquet on the fifth night of Chanukah. The chassidim looked at their master in bewilderment. What connection was there between Rosh Hashanah and Chanukah? And why a banquet only on the fifth night, and not on every night?

When the fifth night arrived, they reminded the Rebbe of his promise. His face lit up, and he at once ordered a banquet prepared for all the guests. After many l'chaims, someone stood up courageously and asked, “Rebbe, what is the occasion for this banquet?”

Rav Yehuda Tzvi spoke in hushed tones. “During the holy prayers of Rosh Hashanah I saw that one tzaddik of our generation would be appointed as a judge in the heavenly court. I knew there were three possibilities: myself, the Rebbe of Butzchatch, or the holy Rebbe, Rav Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov. I prayed with all my heart to the Creator that I should not be found worthy of being a judge there. It was not clear to me what the decision from Heaven would be until this moment. As you all know, Chanukah is the final seal of whatever was decided on Rosh Hashanah. Now I know that I was not chosen, and that is why I made this banquet.”

The chassidim were awestruck. Soon afterward the news spread that Rav Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, the Bnei Yissaschar, had been chosen as a judge of the heavenly court. He passed away on 18 Teves.

The Expert Shochet

The chassidim who traveled with Rav Yehuda Tzvi were full of questions that they dared not ask him. They knew that the Rebbe always brought his personal shochet along on journeys, because he never trusted anyone else's knife. They also knew that he never ate meat during the week. So why had he agreed to a meat meal with a simple farmer who slaughtered his own animal without even showing the Rebbe his knife?

The whole episode had been unusual. The group had come to a farmhouse, where the Rebbe asked the woman of the house whether they could have a meat meal. She replied that her husband would soon return from the fields and would prepare one for them. Before long a hay wagon pulled up with a peasant sitting on top. Rav Yehuda Tzvi repeated his request, and the farmer drew a slaughtering knife from his shoe, slaughtered one of his animals, and examined it afterward as halacha requires.

The riddle was only partly solved at the end of the meal. After the Rebbe had eaten, he begged his host to show him the knife. The farmer refused at first, but when the Rebbe asked again several times, he took it out to be inspected.

“Believe me,” he said, “I have never shown my knife to any rabbi or expert, except Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet).” Only then did the chassidim understand that their host was one of the lamed vav tzaddikim, the hidden righteous of the generation.

The Embarrassed Fish

There was once a chassid of Rav Yehuda Tzvi who was a fisherman by trade. One day he caught a very small fish and was bitterly disappointed. Without thinking, he spitefully cut off its tail and threw it back into the water. For the next three months he did not catch a single fish.

In those days people went to their Rebbe about anything and everything, so the fisherman went to ask why his nets had come up empty. Before he could speak, the Rebbe asked him, “Tell me, did you ever do something strange to a fish?” The fisherman answered that he had not. The Rebbe asked again, “About three months ago, did you do something to a little fish?” Suddenly the man remembered and confessed what he had done.

The Rebbe began to weep. “That little fish was so ashamed to be without a tail that he begged his friends to hide with him under a big rock, and they have been hiding there ever since because of what you did. You must understand that the honor of any of Hashem's creatures must never be taken lightly. If you promise never to do such a thing again, I will tell you where they are hiding.”