Shabbat Parashat Vayishlach 5786

Parashat Hashavua: “Kings Will Descend from You”

With the birth of Binyamin, the “construction” of Yaakov’s unblemished family was complete. It then became critical that the family/nation maintain unity.

I will share an important story about unity that involves distinguished Torah scholars from several generations ago. The story is connected to the pasuk from the parasha that is this piece’s title.

Two brilliant Torah scholars lived in Lublin more than 200 years ago. They came from different schools of thought, and their followers consistently felt tension between them. The older of the two was the “Chozeh of Lublin” (Rav Yaakov Horowitz, 1745-1815), a student of Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk and a prominent Chassidic leader. He received his nickname because of his followers’ claim that he could see from one end of the world to the other and/or into people’s thoughts. The other, Rabbi Azriel Horowitz (b. 1757) followed the approach of the Vilna Gaon, and was the rabbi of the official community of Lublin (the Chassidim formed a separate community). He was nicknamed the “Iron Head” because of his brilliance.  

Rabbi Avraham Levi, the rabbi of a neighboring town, would daven vatikin (early, preferable time for Shacharit) in his town and then travel to Lublin to be a study partner of the Iron Head, returning to his town before sunset. One Friday, heavy snow prevented his return for Shabbat. He was adamant about davening vatikin on Shabbat, but a townsperson told him that the only such minyan was at the rival Chozeh’s shul; it would be “inappropriate” for a non-Chassid to daven there. Rav Levi went anyway, and when he entered, the Chozeh told his gabbai to give him the sixth aliya, which Chassidim reserve for their Rebbe. In response to the gabbai’s protest, the Chozeh explained that the fifth aliya ends with “kings will descend from you” (Bereishit 35:11) and that the gabbai would see those “kings.” Years later, the Chozeh’s gabbai moved to Eretz Yisrael.

All of Rabbi Avraham’s five sons served in the rabbinate in the Lublin region. Something happened in the family that prompted three of them to move to Eretz Yisrael and strengthen its Jewish community, especially in Yerushalayim. The community was very happy about their arrival, and the Chozeh’s gabbai understood that these were the kings the Chozeh had seen coming from Rabbi Avraham (great rabbis are compared to kings – Gittin 62a).

The oldest of the Levi sons, Rabbi Yaakov, was a head of the city’s rabbinical court, founded the Kollel Polin, and was one of the founders and leaders of Meah Shearim. (Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira was a descendant of his, as am I). Rabbi Asher Levi replaced him on the rabbinical court after his death. Rabbi Nachum Levi is the antecedent of the distinguished Baharan family.

The lesson of this story is that when warm connections arise between people of different approaches and philosophies, good things can happen. The aliya of these three brothers turned them into “kings,” as men who built the Land spiritually and physically. The Chozeh’s beracha, along with the merits of the Mitnaged study partner of the Iron Head, brought together by a joint tefilla, brought benefit to all of Am Yisrael.

Let us pray for peace between us. May we all pull together in national responsibility with sensitivity for the needs of each element of society.

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