Sunday, March 16, 2008

Mai ahani lon Rabonon ? Part II

The "Anti" voices a "question" posed by the very object of his "antiness" - "What have the Twerskys done for the Jewish People during the 100 year reign ?". A good question, certainly worth answering - if anyone was interest in the answer, of course.

First of all bear in mind that the "asker" comes with a crypto-atheist cynical attitude that places no positive value on a concept of Tzadik, a righteous person in and of himself, who doesn't "produce". Unless there is a tangible benefit that you can take to then bank, a person is worthless. "Jewish People" in such context is some sort of consumerist union, an organization that has to benefit in an accountable fashion; if that can't be shown, there is no legacy.

Written legacy of first two tzaddikim of Czernobyl is in the "top 10" list of representative, core Sifrei Chassidus that are learned and revered wherever word "Chassidus" has a meaning. Meor Einaym and Likutei Torah are deep, concise works that are revolutionary in many ways and introduce concepts that aren't seen elsewhere. These seforim and their authors were without doubt a "chidush" in this world, so we can write off original "askers'" not mentioning of Likutei Torah as another manifestation of ignorance.

With R' Mottele's z"l children, matters aren't so simple. "Mogen Avrohom" is an important work but not as much as the first two. "Mogen Dovid" is even less so. So what were these Twerskys busy with for so many generations and in so many places ?

The simple answer is that they dedicated their lives to mundane, day to day and non rewarding dealing with ordinary people and their ordinary lives. Acting as shrinks, judges and councils of everyone seeking their advice, Czernobyler Rebbes spent day after day and year after year listening, giving advice, helping with hard decisions, collecting and disbursing money, making peace, dealing with constant mesiros, with Haskala and with all the hostile forces that Ukraine of 1800's had to show. They nurtured spirits of those who came from great distances and often took heat whenever things went not in the best way. And they often showed knowledge, insight and openmindedness that was simply never seen elsewhere.

R"Y of Skver was the very epithome of a Tzaddik. The few words that he managed to utter still ring in ears of those to whom it trickled down. He's worthless in the eyes of the "asker", as he didn't leave behind eighty six volumes of essays, but those who saw him and who grew up touched by his genius were kept warm forever. The "m'shveigt" vort is often parroted but rarely understood.

His brothers Trisker Maggid, Tolner Maggid, R"YY Cherkasser, R' Yochanan from Rachmystrivka and R' Aron (whose daughter, by the way, married a grandson of R' Nachman from Breslav) were up to their eyebrows in handling affairs of ordinary people, without much time left to themselves. So if anyone gave all they had to the very concrete people connected to them, it was the "Twerskys" ahead of everyone else ...

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