TYH Nation Presents

Hold on to Shabbos with Stories of Tzadikim

with Harav Yussie Zakutinsky

/ Farbrengable Studios

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There is a tradition amongst Jews, that on Motzei Shabbos, we get together and share stories of Tzadikim. These tales of holy people, from times long ago, can have a profound effect on our week. On Shabbos we rest from our weekday activities, and we have an opportunity to reconnect with who we really are. The energy and spirit of Shabbos enables the ultimate rendezvous with our true selves and deep moments with our Father in Heaven. And then, right before we re-enter the world of action, we sit together and recall the lives of our exalted Tzadikim, gleaning lessons, morals, and values to carry this spirit of unity forward with us…Until next Shabbos….

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Listen on Apple Podcast https://l.tyhnation.com/3nLiuWq

Listen on Spotify https://l.tyhnation.com/3PaVGLp

TYH Nation Presents

Hold on to Shabbos with Stories of Tzadikim

with Rav Yussie Zakutinsky

/ Farbrengable Studios

---

There is a tradition amongst Jews, that on Motzei Shabbos, we get together and share stories of Tzadikim. These tales of holy people, from times long ago, can have a profound effect on our week. On Shabbos we rest from our weekday activities, and we have an opportunity to reconnect with who we really are. The energy and spirit of Shabbos enables the ultimate rendezvous with our true selves and deep moments with our Father in Heaven. And then, right before we re-enter the world of action, we sit together and recall the lives of our exalted Tzadikim, gleaning lessons, morals, and values to carry this spirit of unity forward with us…Until next Shabbos….

----

Listen on Apple Podcast https://l.tyhnation.com/3nLiuWq

Listen on Spotify https://l.tyhnation.com/3PaVGLp

Hold on to Shabbos with

Stories of Tzadikim

with Rav Yussie Zakutinsky

There is a tradition amongst Jews, that on Motzei Shabbos, we get together and share stories of Tzadikim. These tales of holy people, from times long ago, can have a profound affect on our week. On Shabbos we rest from our weekday activities, and we have an opportunity to reconnect with who we really are. The energy and spirit of Shabbos enables the ultimate rendezvous with our true selves and deep moments with our Father in Heaven. And then, right before we re-enter the world of action, we sit together and recall the lives of our exalted Tzadikim, gleaning lessons, morals, and values to carry this spirit of unity forward with us…Until next Shabbos….

Hold on to Shabbos with

Stories of Tzadikim

with Rav Yussie Zakutinsky

There is a tradition amongst Jews, that on Motzei Shabbos, we get together and share stories of Tzadikim. These tales of holy people, from times long ago, can have a profound affect on our week. On Shabbos we rest from our weekday activities, and we have an opportunity to reconnect with who we really are. The energy and spirit of Shabbos enables the ultimate rendezvous with our true selves and deep moments with our Father in Heaven. And then, right before we re-enter the world of action, we sit together and recall the lives of our exalted Tzadikim, gleaning lessons, morals, and values to carry this spirit of unity forward with us…Until next Shabbos….

Hold on to Shabbos with

Stories of Tzadikim

with Rav Yussie Zakutinsky

There is a tradition amongst Jews, that on Motzei Shabbos, we get together and share stories of Tzadikim. These tales of holy people, from times long ago, can have a profound affect on our week. On Shabbos we rest from our weekday activities, and we have an opportunity to reconnect with who we really are. The energy and spirit of Shabbos enables the ultimate rendezvous with our true selves and deep moments with our Father in Heaven. And then, right before we re-enter the world of action, we sit together and recall the lives of our exalted Tzadikim, gleaning lessons, morals, and values to carry this spirit of unity forward with us…Until next Shabbos….

A gut voch everybody, so I’ll tell you a mayseh. Back in the earlier years of the movement of chassidus, of the Baal Shem there was a large opposition to it with the misnagdim. Unfortunately it’s a historical fact that families were broken because of it, let’s say you’d have one family member who became a chassid and the rest of the family were misnagdim and families fell apart because of it. 

The story goes that there was a young man who was attracted to the world of the Baal Shem and became a chassid. At the same time his father in law wasn’t a chassid, wasn’t a misnaged either but was certainly cautious. He was willing to give a proper investigation of the way of the Baal Shem, to see if it’s okay or if drastic measures should be taken for his daughter and the marriage but he wanted to investigate. 

He figures the way to test the Baal Shem’s way of life, if it’s too extreme or will take his son off the derech so he decided he would go to the Baal Hatanya. The town wasn’t too far from the father in law so he figured he would go there for a shabbos, see what’s going on and make a decision after that Shabbos. 

So he goes there, it happens to be that shabbos by the Baal Hatanya nothing strange was going on. Regular davening, learning it was very nice. After shabbos was over this guy was very impressed and the result of the investigation was he was more than happy for his son in law to be a chassid. 

But there was one thing that bothered him, not enough to make a big stink in the family but it was bothering him. He saw that the students of the Baal Hatanya spent a lot of time over Shabos learning Chassidus, learning Pnimiyus hatorah and this bothered him that they were sacrificing learning gemara and halacha. 

He saw everyone was happy and healthy so he was happy for this son in law but this bothered him. He saw people going to yechidus with the Baal Hatanya so I’ll give shalom on my way out and I’ll raise this issue. So he goes, he says it was beautiful. I'm coming from a different world, but I have one question. Why do you and your chassidim spend so much more time, maybe it’s only shabbos but you spend more time on chassidus than other things? Shouldn't the main learning be Gemara and halacha?

The Baal Hatanya appreciated the question. He asked how do you make a parnassah? The man answered I have a business. And how much funds are in the business? He gave a certain number. The baal hatanya responded, how much of that was your funding, and how much was money from other people to start the business and maintain the business? 

The man said I put all my money into the business then I had to borrow some as well, but now it’s profitable boruch hashem. The Baal Hatanya said but I don’t understand, you're a learned person. The gemara said that the way a person should divide up your money should be a third in real estate, a third in business and a third should be in cash. That’s the way it’s supposed to be split up, why didn’t you follow that model?

The man said okay it’s a good question, I’d say that the gemara is suggesting this model probably when the business environment is stable and everything is fine and it’s a matter of how to divide up your funds. But if the business environment is shaky to begin with then a person has no choice but to take big risks. It is risky but what can I tell you, without putting in all my money it never would take off!

If everything was mesudar and there was enough money then you can follow the gemara. But sometimes you have to take extreme risks. There can be extreme rewards. The Baal Hatanya said that’s exactly why I tell my chassidim to learn a lot of chassidus. When everything is good, normal and healthy in Emunah the gemara says you split your time evenly and there’ll be time for chassidus. 

But in a time where the business atmosphere is shifting and it’s not so settled then you have to take extreme risks. And you’re right, it’s risky to spend so much time learning about Emunah and Elokus. But what can I tell you, without putting in all that time and money starting a business you can’t get the business off the ground.

Without spending time thinking about the ribono shel olam and learning about elokus it’s very hard to get a neshama off the ground. Once things are stable then you can get back to the regular routine. But to get the business going you have to take extreme risks sometimes. 

Hashem should help us that we should get the business going, the business of yiddishkeit, of elokus off the ground. Hashem should bless us that this week should be a week of shefa bracha v’hatzlacha b’vias goel tzedek amen.

Gut voch everybody. I’ll tell you a mayseh, the Frierdike Lubavitcher Rebbe, Reb Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, we know that he was moser nefesh. Literally put his life in danger constantly to spread yiddishkeit under the weight of the soviet union. To the point that it only was he always being watched by the soviets and the communists, but he was imprisoned, he was put on death row, his life was literally in danger for weeks until eventually his sentence became lessen and eventually he was just exiled and kicked out of the soviet Union and came to America. 

We can only imagine, someone who was imprisoned, what their mind would be focusing on. That’s the difference between us and tzadikim. 

It was well known that the Rebbe Rayatz’s house was being watched and monitored  by the communists. Whenever a jew were to go visit the Frierdiker Rebbe it was putting their own life in danger as well, even just to associate with the Rebbe. 

This was a story that happened the night before the Frierdiker Rebbe was arrested, his life was in the balance for mamash a month. The night before a yid comes, knocks on the Rebbe's door. He says Rebb, my problem is that Boruch Hashg=em my wife just gave birth to twins. But I need a bracha, it was a difficult pregnancy, a difficult labor she needs a refuah. The twins are healthy but they’re not nursing properly, they have some problems with the Doctors. 

Okay, for this yid to even come knock on the door, it’s clear that it’s a severe situation. The Rebbe gave a bracha, took down the names okay. 

The next day the communists break into his house, he’s arrested for a month and his sentence is reduced from death to exile and eventually he leaves. 

Once he’s on his way out, he stops by the house to gather his belongings to leave the country. The first thing he said when he came in the door, and seeing his family after a month he asked how’s the mother and the twins doing?

With his own personal life being in danger, all the mosdos, inyanim that were dependent on him as well, what was also on the top of his mind and the first words that come out when he comes home are how are they doing. That’s what a tzadik is, they can somehow think about the individual person even when things are so overwhelming.

Hashem should help us. We should be zocheh to connect to tzadikim like that, to become tzadikim like that in our own light. This week should be a mazaldik, simchadig voch, a nachasdik voch filled with Brachos ad bli dai, shefa ad bli dai b’vias goel tzedek, amen.

Gut voch everybody, I’ll tell you a mayseh. One of the great tzadikim, was Reb Yitzchak Vorker. He was known for his Ahavas Yisroel, he was known for his overflowing kind heart. It was once an erev shabbos, he was getting ready with his rebbetzin. 

There was a knock on the door, and it’s a beggar. It’s not a jewish poor person, it’s a non jew who’s begging. Usually when a poor person comes they ask for money, or don’t ask for anything specific. But this beggar asked for something specific, he said that he wants some challah. He said he was hungry and he knew it was before shabbos and every jewish home has challah so he asks specifically for challah. 

The Rebbetzin is thinking to herself, if it was a jewish beggar it wouldn’t be a question but for a non-jew it’s different. She goes to check what she has and she sees that all she has is the 2 challahs for lechem mishna for them. They were going to have the tish so they only needed 2 challahs at home for 1 meal Friday night. 

The halacha is even if the Rebbetzin decided to cut a piece the halacha is you need 2 whole loaves in order to fulfill the mitzvah of Lechem Mishna. She says listen, I apologize we don’t have any challahs here and she’ll give some money instead. Reb Yitzchak of Vorke is in the other room and he hears what’s happening he comes over to the rebbetzin and says it’s okay we’ll cut a piece and give him half the challah it’s not going to bleed, no blood will come from it. 

Okay that’s what the Rebbe said that’s what the Rebbetzin did and that’s it, that was this part of the story. Months go by, years go by and one day Reb Yitzchak Vorke was traveling with a small group of chassidim. In those days, especially in that part of the world, traveling was extremely dangerous and you’d have gangsters going after people and ransoming them to their communities for money. 

So this is what happened, Reb Yitzchak Vorke is traveling and they’re attacked by a group of bandits. They’re all tied up and brought to the leader of the gand to then be sold for ransom from the Jewish community. They knew the yidden would pay so much money for any yid, especially someone who looks like a rabbinic figure.

Once the head gangster is standing there and sees the Rebbe he immediately says let them go. What happened? Reb Yitzchak of Vorke notices this head gangster and after looking at him for a second he realizes he was that poor beggar that years ago came and asked for challah. Eventually he became the head of this gang, when he saw the rebbe, he said this jew saved my life when I needed saving so we’re going to let him go as well. 

Reb Yitzchak Vorker and the chassidim go on their way and by the time they get home the Rebbe tells his rebbetzin what happened. He says to his rebbetzin, remember years ago there was a situation where a non-jew came on erev shabbos with a funny request and I said cut the challah no blood will come from it. 

Even when I said that I meant it as a joke, I didn't even know what it meant. It turns out that what I said was true, because we cut the challah and gave it to that poor person, no blood, no damage, no danger is going to come because of that particular mayseh. 

There’s so many things we can take from that, just the kindness not just to a poor yid, but to a poor goy. To the extent that he sacrificed his lechem mishna for that. We see that the Ribbono shel olam always plants seeds. You never know what yeshua you need years later. 

The ribono shel olam gives us a mitzvah right now, and we don’t see the immediate schar or how it might change our lives. We have emunah, we plant seeds, we plant chesed then yeshuos come. It might be years later, we might realize it or not but every single act of chesed is planting a seed that produces peros of a yeshua. 

Hashem should bless us that this week should be zorea tzedakos, a week filled with giving of shefa bracha and tzedaka b’vias goel tzedek amen.

A gut Voch everybody, it’s almost Purim so I’ll tell you a Purimdik mayseh. The minhag of the Chozh was, on Purim everyone would come to theRebb, there was a big tish and there was a certain section off to the side where people would leave mishloach manos. No one ever thought that the Rebbe was paying attention to who gives shaloach manos or not. 

There was a particular year that Moishele came to the Tish, this guy was a little bit of a schlepper, a shlamazel. Never really had hatzlacha, never was matzliach in business he was always a little tzebruchen. With a complaint, things could be better. Moishele comes to the tish, the rebbe looks at him and says where’s the Shaloach manos? Everyone’s surprised the rebbe realized and Moishe shrugs his shoulders, why should I give shaloach manos? I can’t afford anything. 

 The Rebbe says it’s Purim, you have to give. Now the Rebbe is personally asking for shaloach manos. I can’t give a can of corn, a can of peas. I have to do something nice. But he doesn’t have money to get it. So Moshe goes into the store, one of the nicer grocery stores in the area and he says I need the best packaged mishloach manos. The guy looks at him and he’s indicating, you Moishele want the nicest shaloach manos, how will you pay for it? He says today is Purim, give me what I need and I'll pay tomorrow. 

This was the first time the store-owner saw Moshe had a bit of an edge, a back-bone. He gives and he goes to the rebbe, he says yasher koach, you should have a freilichen Purim. Moshe leaves, he says to himself, you know I just gave the rebbe such a nice shaloach manos, my wife and kids are gonna have a shvach meal at home. So he goes back to the store, takes a whole meal, chicken, meat and the owner says how will you pay for it? He says it’s purim, i’ll deal with it tomorrow. 

Then he says look at how i’m dressed, how my wife and kids are dressed he goes into the clothing store with the same spiel and asks for the best stuff and we’ll work it out tomorrow. With every addition he’s standing taller, a little more confident, becoming more of a respectable person within himself. 

Slowly but surely, he gets home and his rebbetzin asks where’d you get all this stuff? He says it’s Purim today we’ll talk about it tomorrow. Slowly but surely the confidence that Moishy built on Purim itself, even after Purim he felt why can’t I start my own business? 

He goes to a friend of his and he asks for a loan in order to start this new business. His friend is a little confused and he says listen we’ll make it work and he sells the idea. Slowly but surely he builds his business and he becomes one of the wealthier people in the are, all because of the Rebbe’s Mishloach Manos. 

Sometimes we define ourselves as shlemazals and it’s a self-fulfilling promise. What the rebbe was saying is that you're a somebody, and you have a responsibility to live up as somebody. You have the responsibility and the right to give me mishloach manos, and through that he pulled him out of being a schlemazel. To give him the confidence to become the person he was supposed to become. 

Hashem should bless us, that we should walk taller with confidence, and strength. To recognize what we have to offer for the world, not to be entitled by that but to be filled with a sense of responsibility, mission and drive in order to accomplish what he has to accomplish. 

We should have a mazaldik voch, a simchadik voch. We should have a week filled with simcha, b’vias goel tzedek, amen.

A gut voch everybody, I’ll tell you a mayseh. You know, tzadikim look like they’re operating on the same plane as we are, they walk through a doorway, they breathe air like we do. But the truth is, Tzadikim and tzidkanios are operating on a different space altogether so i’ll tell you a mayseh about that. 

Everyone’s heard of the tzadik reb Mendel Rimanover, when he was younger he spent time by Reb Meilech of Lizhensk. One Friday night they were by the tish, with many chassidim and they get up to the soup. The waiter comes out with the soup, takes a bowl and puts it in front of Reb Meilech. Reb Meilech looks at the soup, he takes a bowl and spills it on the floor. As the rebbe spills it on the floor, Reb Mendel Rimanover says rebbe we’re going to go to jail, and Reb Meilech says no no no, we’re here. 

The whole thing makes no sense, what is he doing spilling the soup, what does the response mean that we’re here? 

After things calmed down, the chassidim asked the rebbe what happened. So this is the mayseh. Back then the yidden were controlled and somewhat owned by the Porutz, the land-owner. And for the most part the Porutz can do what he wants and it would give tzaros. But there are some things that even the Porutz can’t do and would need permission from the prince or the King. 

The porutz who owned the shtetl that Reb Meilech was a part of, was a big anti-semite and was always looking for excuses to get rid of yidden. He wasn’t able to fully expel Yidden, he needed permission from the higher-ups, he had to submit an official complaint against the jewish people to his higher-ups and then g-d forbid his plan would  be fulfilled to expel the yidden. But in order for this claim to be made it had to be done in a proper way, with documentation and paperwork etc. 

The story was that Friday night, the porutz was sitting in his office with an official paper and reservoir of ink while the tish is happening. He’s about to fill out this paperwork to file his official complaint and submit it to his higher-ups and it would result in the yidden being expelled. 

It happens to be that porutz, his personality was an extremely superstitious person. And it happens to be that Reb Meilech knew, that if at that moment while he was filling out the paperwork if something happened that if the porutz saw something happen that was a bad sign he would stop writing the document and drop the idea. 

So what Reb Meilech was doing was that while he’s by his tish, that’s where his body is. Where his mind is is at the office with the porutz. When Reb meilech picked up the soup and poured ito n the floor, what he was doing in his mind in the room with the porutz was he was taking the ink and poured it on all the papers, and the Porutz stopped it all. 

Reb Mendel of Rimanover was on the same wavelength, he was by the porutz also, so when he sees reb meilech spilling the ink he says rebbe we’re going to go to jail for this, and Reb meilech says no were here, physically we’re actually here no one sees us there. Tzadikim are operating in a different space. 

What’s amazing here is you see the different levels of tzadikim, Reb Mendel Rimanover was a tzadik in his own right, he couldn’t identify a part of himself in this world. Reb Meilech was able to be with his mind in one place and to also be down in this world, with the chassidim at the tish. He was able to recognize that and sort of come to terms with that split, being in one place spiritually and one place physically. 

This is one of the biggest qualities of tzadikim, of being in 2 places at one time. Of being able to identify being involved with physical thing, being involved with people, being fully there but at the same time being fully elsewhere as well. 

That’s a big avoida, that’s what tzadikim are all about. Let’s realize the to an extent all of us are at 2 places are at once, there’s a part of us that is by the kisei hakavod, Veamech kulam tzadikim, we’re all at some level in 2 places it’ll give us a better appreciation of who we are. 

We should be zoche to a good week, a voch full of bracha, siyata dishmaya, b’vias goel tzedek amen.