The Chassid Who Lit Up the Sky of Paris
Shining lights from the life and work of the genius chassid, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Rubinstein z”l, rabbi of the Agudat HaKehillot (Community Association) synagogue and the head of the Paris beit din (rabbinical court), one of the greatest followers of the Kotzk Lomza Rebbes, and the author of the Shearit Menachem
60 years since his passing: Adar 5724 – 5784 (1960 – 2024)
By: Simcha B. Markson
In the Shadow of Chasidim and Influential People
In the city of Biala Podlaska, a major Jewish city, whose reputation precedes it, thanks to the majestic figures, the great men of the generation, chasidim and influential men who lived there, who enlightened all its inhabitants and those far from it, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Rubinstein z”l rose to greatness, in the year 5648 (1887-8).
Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Rubinstein, the head of the Paris beit din, partaking in a pidyon haben (redemption of the firstborn ceremony)
His father was the Kotzker chassid, Rabbi Yirmiyahu Menachem, may G-d avenge his blood, one of the students of the head of the Biala beit din, Rabbi Zeev Nachum z”l, the author of the “Agudat Azov,” the father of the Avnei Nezer rabbi z”l. His ancestor, the chassid Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov z”l, despite being a Kotzker chassid, was a close friend of Rebbe Berish of Biala z”l.
Of his father’s entire house, may G-d avenge their blood, only Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov survived. In the preface to his book “Shearit Menachem,” he recounts the chilling event of his father’s and his family’s death in sanctification of G-d’s Name, on the first day of Sukkot 5704 (1943), along with three thousand Jews from the city of Biala, who were murdered by the cursed Nazis.
Most of the city’s Jews belonged to various chasidic communities, and kept a strict watch on the fortification of the holy walls lest the foreign winds that blew strongly in those days, which felled many victims, break in. They said that when the Jews of the city saw one of the residents who leaned a little towards progress and started walking around in clothes that were not in the spirit of Judaism, they shouted from the bottom of their hearts: “Fire on you, Israel.” And thanks to this, they were able to save many of the youth from falling, even though the physical conditions in the city were extremely poor, which could have caused enormous spiritual damage.
In the shadow of his great father and his friends among the Kotzk chasidim, as well as the wonderous people of the generation who lived in the city of Biala, the boy Shmuel Yaakov grew up, and he was known from the dawn of his day as having rare talents and was perfect in every way.
From the years of his youth until his marriage to Chava z”l, the daughter of the chassid, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Rotgerber z”l of Konstantin, he studied for four years with Rabbi Noach Shachor of Biala, one of the great Kotzker chasidim, who was the father-in-law of the Imrei Emet rebbe of Ger.
Later, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov told about the years he learned Torah and fear of Heaven from Rabbi Noach Shachor: “For four years I did not move from the door of his house, and every day we studied a fixed lesson of the Jewish Law and it’s rulings for four hours, and even on Shabbat and holidays, the lessons did not stop, and in the evening I came to go with him on a walk, which was a trip to the “Pardes” (literally translates as “orchard,” but refers to 4 aspects of Torah study), this is referring to Torah learning and chasidism. He was a tremendous genius, a wonderfully insightful person. It is true that most were not published, neither from him nor from his students, and not even a few of the ones that I wrote and were with me, these too were lost and washed away in the current waves that passed over us, what a shame.”
Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov z”l was one of the most outstanding men in his city, both in terms of Torah and chasidism. For twenty-six years, he traveled together with his father to be in the presence of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Lomza, the grandson of the “Seraph of Kotzk” (the Kotzker Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Morgenstern). And after their rabbi’s passing, they learned from his son, Rabbi Avraham Pinchas of Siedlce, may G-d avenge his blood.
Rabbi of Ateret Yisrael in Paris
The central chapter in the life of Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov z”l, the decades-long period in which he made his home in Paris, the capital of France. In a sea of chaos, in a cold and alienated environment, he was like a beacon of light in the darkness. And thanks to his blessed deeds, hundreds of Jews, who were far from Judaism, came closer to their roots.
It was around the year 5691 (1930-1), when Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov arrived in Paris to see his brothers who lived in this city. In the same chapter, the Ateret Yisrael congregation, then called the “Passage-Kushner Shul”, set their eyes on him and crowned him as theirs. And from then on, a new period began in the life of the rabbi, and the springs of wisdom that arose within him began to burst forth, and as a result, a new spirit also began to blow within the community, which included mainly immigrants from Poland and Galicia.
In those days the spiritual condition of the community was extremely poor. And these matters are reflected in the descriptions of Rabbi Mordechai Shochetman z”l, one of the rabbis of Paris. In his series of articles called “Letters from Paris”, he laments the miserable spiritual condition of the inhabitants of the city that is open to every spirit that comes its way.
Rabbi Meir Schwartzman z”l, who was later the rabbi of Winnipeg, Canada, wrote a similar description, that due to being one of the loyal builders of Agudath Israel in Poland, traveled to many European countries, and excited the ultra-Orthodox masses for the word of G-d and for the pure idea of Agudath Israel movement. Amongst others, he visited France, in 5695 (1934-5), and he published his impressions and the diary of his visit in the Agudath Israel “Darcheinu” publication, which was published in Poland. From his words we become aware of the unbearably difficult situation, about ninety percent ate non-kosher and did not have any connection to religion.
However, one special man, who had a new and young spirit, was summoned by G-d to Paris, and he, like an angel, carried out his mission faithfully, from the year 5691 (1930-1) to the end of his life – including during the years of the terrible sacrifice (the Holocaust), which did not spare France either – and after the years of the war, he continued his mission as the senior rabbi of faithful Jewry in Paris and carried its flag high.
Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov z”l once told a story that took place in 5691, when he was in Mraszew next to Warsaw, with his teacher and rabbi, the Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham Pinchas of Siedlce z”l, the son of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Lomza z”l, to receive a parting blessing before his trip to France. When his rabbi accompanied him on his way out of his house, the rabbi said to him the following words: “Know that the Belzer Rebbe said about the verse ‘And these are the names of the children of Israel who come to Egypt,’ that the Torah was saying which tribes were always considered “the ones who came”, as if they were coming that day, and even though they were there for a long time, their taste and smell did not fade, the taste and smell of the Land of Israel, and there were always those who came to Egypt.” And he concluded: “This we find in the Torah portion of Shmot (Exodus) in the words of Isaiah the prophet (27:6) ‘those who came, whom Yaakov…’ meaning, what is said about the sons of Yaakov ‘those who came’, this is the root of their existence, and by this they can exist in all their settlements, because they can always be ‘those who come,’ and are attached to the roots of Yaakov.” And Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov would say that when he heard these words coming out of his rabbi’s mouth, he realized that he was hinting to him that he was going to be in France for a long time, even though he had gone there in order to immediately return to his home in Poland.
An Island of Chasidism in the Black Sea of Paris
The Ateret Yisrael synagogue where Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov served as rabbi, was a major place for those looking for Torah and fear of Heaven. Every religious Jew who happened to be in Paris, knew that the right place of prayer for him was at the synagogue, which was glorified as a mighty fortress for Judaism and all the needs of the public. The anniversaries of the deaths of the righteous were commemorated there with feasts and Torah study, and there was even a regular dafi yomi (program to study a page of Talmud aday) lesson there.
Among his regular worshipers were some men who, even if they had lived in the heart of the Jewish community in Eastern Europe, it was rare to find people as great as them them there. These Jews excelled in having warm feelings towards everything that is holy, and matters related to the Torah and Judaism; their hands were generous and open, and ready to help others at any time and in any way possible.
The rabbi’s appearance in Paris and his election as rabbi of the community caused much excitement in all religious circles. However, in the eyes of the rabbi himself, who came there against his will, sharp questions pierced his heart and mind; how was it possible to stay in Paris, and at the same time breathe even a little of that atmosphere of holiness and piety that he drank in the shadow of his holy masters? The question of “a kohen in a cemetery” (a kohen cannot enter a cemetery due to impurity) was like a saw in the air of the murky Parisian space. Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov’s eyes and heart were set in the holy court of Kotzk-Lomza and being charged with a powerful charge of chasidic enthusiasm, and a strong desire to preserve all of his glorious past that he had acquired with blood and sweat, so that it would not go down the drain; he did not despair and came up with the next idea in his mind.
In a short time, he created a circle of followers, as a kind of spiritual incubator within the materialistic city of Paris. Rabbi Yisrael Yehoshua Meirowitz z”l of Mlawa, an original chasidic type man, with a precious and good soul, imbued with enthusiasm and reverence for G-d, who was privileged to have received a blessing from the Sfat Emet Rebbe as a child, adhered to the rabbi and became his right hand man. They were also accompanied by Rabbi Tuvia Yechiel of Gostynin z”l, an extremely G-d-fearing Jew, who lived in spiritual worlds, and day and night meditated even in Paris on the Torah and on the worship of G-d.
And this becomes an existing and solid fact. A chasidic circle arose and was in the midst of Paris, and the rabbi and his study hall, stood and preached at all times in the great synagogue, on the teachings of chasidism, and the listeners multiplied, and soon the “Ateret Yisrael” community became the center of chasidism in Paris.
Upon the outbreak of WWII, like all the Jewish communities in Europe, the activities of the ‘Ateret Yisrael’ community in Paris were also disrupted, but as the days of the terrible war drew to a close, the community renewed itself, and returned to being a central place, when, in addition to the old worshipers from before the war, a large community of refugees arrived, who established their place of prayer there, and this synagogue continued to be the center for the chasidic community in Paris.
A street in the Jewish quarter of Paris
Throughout his life, the rabbi did not forget the beginning of this community, where his springs began to burst forth, and where he found people in his heart who longed for his morals, and constantly strived to break away from the atmosphere of the city of excesses, into which they had reluctantly fallen. And many years after he was promoted and was appointed the chief rabbi of the ultra-orthodox Paris and then the rabbi of the Agudat HaKehillot, and established his place of prayer in the synagogue on Rue Pava, he continued to maintain a close relationship with this holy community, and from time to time he went there, and the people of the community also continued to be devoted to him with all their hearts and souls, and on the occasion of the appearance of his books “Shearit Menachem” they even held a kiddush in his honor. [After the war, Rabbi Chaim Alter Paneth z”l served as the rabbi of the community, and after that, he went to Israel and was the rabbi of Ramat Aviv].
Food for a Starving Soul
Against the background of the emptiness of Paris, the “Passage – Kushner” synagogue was a beacon showering an abundance of precious light on all those longing for a spiritual and chasidic environment, to which they were accustomed to in their towns of origin in Eastern Europe.
It was not a rare sight to find the rabbi z”l and his congregation, sitting and meditating on the Torah during the learning sessions on Thursday and Friday nights, until the wee hours of the night, and sometimes he did not stop learning all night.
The rabbi’s custom was to speak before his congregation every Shabbat . He was very charismatic, and he knew how to choose his words wisely. His sermons were interspersed with chasidic thoughts and ideas, and all in a popular style that allowed even a simple Jew to understand and be educated. And the audience kept growing from one Shabbat to the next.
His sermons were not just sermons for the sake of sermons, he did not seek to amuse himself with brilliant ideas; there was a main trend in his words, and that was to obtain practical performance from the listeners, and in each and every sermon, the contemporary problem at hand was expressed. The rabbi did not shy away from openly denouncing the whole way of life of the Parisian Jews, and every negative and dangerous phenomenon was condemned with fervor from his fiery mouth. And the Sages have already said, everyone who has reverence for G-d, his words are heard, and the words that came from a pure and painful heart, penetrated deeply into the hearts of the listeners who yearned for his morals.
Although the sermons he delivered at any time were addressed to all the Jewish People, he interwove into them a work of art from the sharp and piercing Torah of of the holy sages of Kotzk-Lomza chasidism, and gave over the practical morality of their souls from the kindling of the fire of their Torah thoughts, which he had heard from them.
The rabbi once said in one of his sermons, about the verse (Esther 9:19) “Therefore, the Jewish villagers, who live in open towns” – “who live in open towns means” that they become extravagant in their views and ways, and the walls of religion are destroyed little by little.
Later, the secretary of the ultra-orthodox rabbinical council in France, Rabbi Lichtenstein z”l, said that at first when he saw the rabbi dealing with aggada (biblical legends), he wondered why he was dealing with aggada when they were now dealing with serious questions, Gitin (divorce) laws, and agunot (wives who do not know the wherabouts of their husbands or are in a chained marriage), and this alongside extensive activity to combat assimilation. However, Rabbi Lichtenstein told that when he saw how the rabbi’s words worked on the hearts of the listeners, he thought about the words of the Sages, “Your desire is for you to know the one who said, and it was a world – to learn aggada,” – “Know” is for oneself and to teach others and awaken in them the belief in G-d.
Tens of hundreds of Jews, would return to their roots, and become fully baalei teshuva (returning to religion), thanks to the speeches and sermons of the rabbi z”l, who knew how to strike the hidden point in every Jewish heart, and ignite the extinguished spark in it.
And there is a story of a secular Jew who happened to be in the rabbi’s synagogue in the period before Shavuot, and asked to say Kaddish (memorial prayer) for his father. On that day, the rabbi delivered a fiery sermon about the danger of assimilation. In his sermon, he told about Ruth the Moabite, and the sons of Elimelech who married Moabite women. While Elimelech was alive, they did not marry Moabite women, and after Elimelech’s death the house was shaken and the family collapsed.
The rabbi’s excitement in his sermon, in painting the matter in a vivid and tangible way just as it was in those days, made a strong impression on the listener, who was as far away from Judaism and its commandments, and he felt that the words were aimed at him. For as long as his father was alive, he did not dare to assimilate, and now, in the coming days, he was about to marry a gentile. And at that moment he decided to deviate from his intention, and not long after, he married a Jewish woman and became a Torah-observant Jew.
The Rabbi of Paris z”l
This case was not unique, and many scenarios were published about the power of his words that made an impression on the hearts of the listeners. The rabbi’s good name went before him, his community grew and grew, many followed him, fascinated by his noble and rare personality, full of Torah wisdom, reverence and piety. They saw him as their closest friend, and a central address for all their suffering and heartbreak.
The Sound of the Shofar is Heard at the Port
A similar story happened with a boy whose heart strayed from the right path, and the rabbi was able to bring him out of the darkness and place him in the light.
The incident was told by Rabbi David Schlesinger z”l, a Chabad (Lubavitch) chassid in Jerusalem, who used to tell stories about tzadikim (righteous people) at the Melave Malka (post Shabbat) meal, which he ate with choirs in a school in the Katamon neighborhood, during which the participants were privileged to hear the storiess flowing from his mouth, stories full of inspiration, and one of them is the following story about the rabbi z”l:
Nachman (pseudonym) was a graceful Jerusalem boy. He spent his childhood years in the old Beit Yisrael neighborhood. When he grew up and became a teenager, things started to creak. Foreign influences entered his mind and affected him. He began to disrespect the Torah and the mitzvahs, first secretly, and then his whole appearance began to change slowly but surely, until one day, he left his home and disappeared. He was headed for France, where he hoped to start his new life. Within a short period of time he learned the language well, advanced in his work, and began to earn money and plan his future.
After thinking, he decided that he should get up and go to America, he went and bought himself a ticket to sail on a ship to America. On the appointed day, he arrived at the port with his luggage and all his belongings. While walking at the entrance to the port, it reached his ears. Suddenly a familiar sound that made his heart jump in the loud commotion; among the porters and mechanics, he heard the sound of a thin shofar blast that shook him.
Nachman stood for a long minute as if nailed to the ground; his legs did not move. A moment later, he began to walk following the sound; only then did he realize that it was Rosh Hashanah that day. Another tekia blast pierced the space, followed by the shvarim, teruah, and tekia blasts. Nachman followed the sounds, and soon found the synagogue that was located near the harbour. He went inside, put the suitcase in the outer room of the synagogue, put on some kind of tallit (prayer shawl) and entered the synagogue where they were standing at those moments when the shofar was blown. It was the study hall of the Rabbi of Paris z”l.
The synagogue shamash (beadle) who noticed him hurried to give him a Rosh Hashanah machzor (prayerbook) Nachman was overcome with unusual emotion and tremendous awakening. After the prayer, the rabbi z”l approached him and offered to accompany him to his house for the day’s meal. Nachman stayed at the rabbi’s house for the whole period of the High Holidays, including Yom Kippur and Sukkot, and a profound inner change took place in the boy’s soul.
A few weeks later, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov addressed him in a fatherly tone: I know the nature of the Jews of Jerusalem, I know very well that they will never give up their son even if he looks like you do. The Jews of Jerusalem have a very warm heart; they will accept you as you are, even without a beard and long sidelocks. My advice is therefore that you go to Jerusalem, build your house there, and then continue as you plan to America, I will assist you with everything necessary to change the ticket from America to the Land of Israel. Nachman returned to Israel and quickly became a glorious Torah student.
Rabbi David finished the story, pounded his hand on the table, and emotionally called out from the bottom of his heart: “You can never know what will shake a person: a good prayer, the reading of a megilla, or the blowing of a shofar. For that boy the blowing of a shofar was the point; everything they said to him, all the persuasions and conversations, none of them worked like that single shofar blow that shook his heartstrings in the heart of the French port. We have no idea how great the power is of every piece of Torah and Judaism that penetrates the heart of a Jew.”
The Friendship between the Lubavitcher Rebbe z”l and the Rabbi of Paris z”l
After the marriage of the Lubavitcher Rebbe z”l to Chaya Mushka z”l, he established his residence in the city of Berlin, Germany, where he sat in the Torah and work, keeping a low profile, and hardly mentioning his lineage, and humbling his knowledge and genius in all the intricacies of Torah and chasidism.
Upon the Nazi rise to power in 5693 (1933), due to the antisemitism that began to blow around the country, and with it a wild campaign of persecution against the Jews began to take place, the rabbi and rebbetzin decided to leave Berlin, and settled in the city of Paris, where they stayed for about eight years, until the year 5700 (1940).
During the war, the Lubavitcher Rebbe fled from Paris to Vichy, and from there to Nice, where he spent much time together with the rabbi z”l, and they even prayed there in the same synagogue.
One day in the month of Tishrei 5701 (fall 1940), when it was very dangerous, the Rebbe entered the study hall and proposed a halachic (Jewish law) question to the Torah scholars, among which was the rabbi of Paris z”l, the rabbi of the ultra-Orthodox community: Is it permissible for a person to endanger himself to glorify a mitzvah? They did not imagine that this was actually a halachic question, just a conversation between scholars, and they began to argue among themselves on the subject. The conversation was heated and evidence was brought for both sides, and in the end it seemed to be undecided. Suddenly they noticed that the Rebbe had disappeared. A few hours passed, and in such a state as then, his disappearance caused great concern, and they began to look for him. And then, a few days later, he appeared with his face beaming like a warm glow, when he surprised them by holding in his hands two fancy “Calabrian” etrogs (citron), as is the custom of Chabad, one of which was for the rabbi of Paris z”l.
It turned out that the Rebbe traveled in an almost impossible way, towards the plantations close to the war lines near the Italian border, and at great personal risk, obtained these etrogs for the fulfillment of the mitzvah (on the holiday of Sukkot). It should be noted that Italy was an ally of Nazi Germany at the time, and the Rebbe did not give up on this mitzvah and dedicated himself to the fulfillment of the mitzvah in a glorious matters as was the custom of his ancestors. Eyewitnesses said that during Sukkot that year, this set of four species was the only one in Nice.
After the war, many Chabad chasidic refugees arrived in the country of France, which was known to be a place of concentration for Holocaust refugees, and the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva was established there, located in the Brunoy suburb of Paris. The rabbi z”l devoted himself to the yeshiva’s founders and students, and headed the committee to help the yeshiva’s administration.
When the Foundations of the World Fall
During the Second World War, the country of France was one of the targets of the Nazi oppressors, whose lust to rule the entire world knew no bounds and was insatiable, and in the month of Iyar 5700 (spring 1940), Germany launched an attack on France.
With the surrender of France [on the 16th of Sivan 5700/June 2, 1940, when an armistice agreement was signed, which was actually a surrender agreement of France], the country was divided into two: the north – a German occupation zone, and the south – a free area, which was given over to the new French rule called The Vichy Government [named after its seat in the city of Vichy in the south of France].
The Vichy Government did Nazi Germany’s bidding, and gave in to all its cruel demands, including the arrest of Jews, their incarceration in concentration camps, and their handover to the Germans who strove to exterminate these Jews in Eastern Europe. However, the situation of the Jews in the southern region was relatively better than in the northern region, and there were more options for escape and hiding places.
During the war, the Italians gained full control over parts of France, and among the areas that were subject to their control, was the city of Nice in the south. Like many French Jews, right at the beginning of the war, the rabbi z”l fled with his family to the city of Nice, which in those days was considered a miracle.
In the Ezrat Achim community located on Dobushage Street, a large community of refugees, led by well-known rabbis, chasidim, influential people, and prominent businessmen who came there because of the harassment, gathered and coalesced. The rabbi and his family stayed for a time in the apartment of Rabbi Chaim Meir Granat, may G-d avenge his blood – the son of the famous chassid Rabbi Velvel, may G-d avenge his blood, one of the chasidim of Rebbe Shimcha Bunim of Otwock – who hosted many refugees in his home, received them graciously, and devotedly took care of all their needs.
In the middle of winter 5704 (1944), with the increasing danger in the city of Nice, the rabbi and his family decided to escape to the large city of Lyon, where there were more possibilities to hide and be saved. Equipped with forged documents, they arrived safely in the city of Lyon, where they stayed until the end of the war, at the home of their friend and a member of their community from Paris, Rabbi Moshe Levi z”l.
In the diary of Rabbi Yisrael Yehoshua Meirowitz, who was gifted a gifted writer, he describes what they went through in those difficult days. And above his descriptions, hovers the great spirit of the rabbi z”l, who was at that time a physical and spiritual beacon, and continued to ponder God’s Torah and piety, and was a role model to many.
As was the way of the Kotzk chasidim that the pure truth lit their ways, and they did not write Torah thoughts, so was the rabbi’s way until this time. However, since he was forced to hide in a hiding place without seeing the light of the sun, he began to write Torah thoughts, and this was with almost no Torah books to assist him, and among the writings he recounted the suffering of the Jews and the magnitude of their sorrow, and asked for the mercy of Heaven.
When, in the years after the war, he began to print his series of books “Shearit Menahem”, he also printed in them some of his Torah thoughts that he came up with in hiding during those evil years, and described the situation he was in when he wrote them.
In his preface to the second volume of his book “Shearit Menachem”, the rabbi z”l recounts the miracle that happened to him and his family on Rosh Hashanah in the year 5704 (1943). The Nazis discovered their hiding place and led them to extermination, but by a miracle they were saved from certain death. “I made a great vow then,” said the rabbi, “that if I ever get to see a new world again, I will try to immerse himself in the Torah in all possible ways. And with this I pay my vows which I promised in my sorrow. It is certainly up to us, the survivors who recognize the miracle, we do not do as the Zionists, but rather do things for our souls and for the Torah, to raise a generation from whom Torah and fear of G-d will come again.”
To Shine in the Darkness
In Elul 5704 (summer 1943), after more than four years of chaos and anarchy that prevailed in France when the Nazis took over, the dawn broke, and all of France was freed from the yoke of occupation.
Already in the previous month of Sivan (June), the allied liberation offensive, known as the “Normandy invasion,” had begun. Huge military forces of the allies landed on the coast of Normandy in northwestern France, and the attack to liberate France began, which, by G-d’s grace, succeeded.
The victory march of the American Army in the streets of Paris after liberating it from the Nazis
Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov, who at the end of the war, was staying with his devoted congregant, Rabbi Moshe Levi z”l, in the city of Lyon, continued to stay there until the summer of 5705 (1945), and when it became possible, he returned to live in Paris, his home city. A crowd of sheep from his pasture (his followers) welcomed him with great excitement and joy, when on the first Saturday after his return, a large crowd of the city’s residents gathered in the synagogue of his congregation “Ateret Yisrael” in his honour.
And while before the war, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov did not leave his magnificent congregation “Ateret Yisrael,” the crown of Jewish Paris, in the years of the war and after, he acceded to the request of the rabbis and to community who remained in France, who recognized the virtue of his Torah and leadership greatness, and joined them as a member of the Rabbinical Association. The seat and centre of activity of the Rabbinical Association was now, due to the war, in the city of Nice in the south of France, which was known as the Free Zone.
In addition to being a rabbinic authority and a teacher of his stature, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov was also gifted with much cleverness and an open heart, something that was strongly reflected in his being a firm spiritual and physical support for the many Jews who gathered around him in all the stops of his exile during the terrible war.
At the Head of the Congregation at a Fateful Hour
In this terrible time, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov was one of the greatest rabbis and Torah scholars from Poland, Russia, and the countries of Eastern Europe who survived, and in addition, he was incredibly kind; thanks to this blessed combination, it is only natural that he would lead the congregation.
He survived the terrible flood, in order to build a solid spiritual and physical foundation for a huge community of over thirty thousand refugees, survivors from the countries of destruction in Eastern Europe, who were coming to France after the war, with the city of Paris being a transit station for them, with some on their way to the Holy Land and some to other countries in Europe or to the United States.
Still in the first months after the war, when he was still living in Lyon, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov, together with other prominent rabbis, established the ‘Ultra-Orthodox Rabbinical Council in France,’ which was an institution of spiritual authority and an organizational center for the ultra-Orthodox public in the country. This distinguished institution left its mark on the course of Jewish life in France for many years.
A gathering of the ultra-Orthodox Rabbinical Council in France upon the end of the Second World War
Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov’s return to Paris and to the leadership of his magnificent community breathed life into the city. The rabbi, who did not stop for a moment from being at the head of the system, and spread Torah and taught even in the years of wrath, while being a source of support with encouragement and strengthening to all those around him spiritually and physically, returned to his old pulpit. Once again crowds of Parisian Jews came in droves to listen to his clear lessons, and his wonderful and fascinating sermons for which he gained a reputation, and in which he showed his great power in halacha (Jewish law) and agada (legend).
The Ultra-Orthodox Rabbinical Council in Paris, which Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov was the head of, also began its activities in all the communal areas, and Jewish life began to be woven anew in the city of Paris, freed from the burden of the Nazi occupation. The survivors who were hidden during the war in various places throughout France, stuck together closely, and began to organize the community, and the community grew.
The rabbi z”l recognized the purpose of the miracle of his survival and the miracle of his congregation’s rescue, to improve their deeds and to excel in the service of G-d and in keeping His commandments. And so he once said in his sermon to the members of his congregation, Holocaust survivors, and later wrote this in his book “Shearit Menachem,” regarding the mitzvah of redeeming a firstborn: “The purpose of the mitzvah is to save the firstborn of Israel from death and bring him to life, for this they must know that it is not for nothing that the miracle was done, and it is also forbidden to enjoy miracles, and therefore the firstborn were consecrated to be messengers of mercy, and they knew that their purpose was to live a life of holiness and purity.”
The rabbi continued and added: “According to this, aren’t we all here today, saved by a true miracle, and it is indescribable the waves that have passed over our heads, which have made chaos and desolation in our people, and there is not a house among the houses of the Israelites where there are not dead people, not one dead, may G-d avenge their blood. And perhaps the miracle that was performed with us is even greater than the miracle of saving the firstborn of Israel in Egypt, because there they were saved by G-d who did not give permission for the ‘slaughterer’ to come to their homes to destroy, and the ‘slaughterer’ was the angel of death. It is true that G-d saved us from beasts of prey. We are all firstborn today, embers saved from the flames, and therefore we must know that we have been dedicated to the highest, and we must do good in our ways, dedicating time to the Torah and work, and not spending days and nights obtaining money and possessions. And we will be attentive, as it says, ‘On the day of my slaying every firstborn, I dedicated them to me.'”
Paris – A Centre for Holocaust Refugees
At the same time, the flow of refugees that flowed into the city from all over the divided Europe grew and grew. Some of them saw Paris as the place of the future, and some of them saw it as a temporary transit station, until they decide where to pitch their permanent tents. The number of refugees who settled in the city was at its peak at about thirty-five thousand people.
Many of them joined the “Agudat HaKehillot” (Community Association), and the community was faced with serious problems and various tasks that were assigned to it, for example, the need to reorganize the kashrut arrangements, the establishment of educational frameworks for the Jewish children, the burning problem of thousands of agunot (women who did not know the whereabouts of their husbands) who were at the doors of the community and begged to be released from their chained marriages.
According to the way he was brought up in the house of his father and his rabbis in his native Poland, all his days, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov was immersed in learning and spreading Torah in a humble manner, but now, seeing that there was no one suitable for the position, he accepted the leadership of the community, and approaching Rosh Hashanah 5706 (1946), he was crowned rabbi of the “Community Association.” The meaning of the position was that he was appointed as the official chief rabbi for all the Jews of Eastern Europe in France, both the old residents and the recent immigrants.
From the day Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov was crowned with the rabbinate, the community entered a new period, and a new era began for it. He began the activities of re-establishing the community, and actions and deeds were carried out, whose record is still evident today. Soon his name became known even beyond the borders of France, and he was an international address for all the rabbinical institutions in the world, and they turned to him with any complicated matters to hear his opinion.
Passing on the Teachings of the Kotzker Rebbe
In the year 5714 (1953-4), despite his many troubles in carrying the burden of the rabbinate and the responsibility for all matters of Judaism in the country, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov agreed to the request of his rabbinic friends, a crowd of sheep from his pasture, and a multitude of listeners, and began to edit and publish his wonderful works, including his series of books “Shearit Menachem,” a four part work on the Torah, holidays, and various matters, which mainly contain the treasure of his sermons that he delivered to his followers. His books were received by the public from large to small with unusual interest, and to this day, it is still a prominent work, and the demand and affection for it only grows.
As Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov noted in the introduction to his books, all his words were based on the sayings of the Sages, the Rishonim and Acharonim (earlier and later rabbinic sages), and on the sayings of the holy rebbes of Kotzk-Lomza, which he and his ancestors clung to with all their hearts, and in whose ways they walked all their lives. It is known that the book “Shearit Menachem” was often placed on the desk of the Beit Yisrael Rebbe of Ger, and he even gave over words from it several times.
A great gift was given to us by the great author, by bringing hundreds of sacred sayings as given and in their own language by the rebbes of Kotsk to future generations, beginning with the Rebbe known as the “Seraph,” his son the Rebbe, Rabbi David, and his descendants after him, the rebbes of Pilov, Kotzk, Sokolow, and more, and particularly the rabbis who spent time with them: the Rebbe, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Lomza, the son of Rabbi David of Kotzk, and his son the Rebbe, Avraham Pinchas of Lomza-Siedlce, may G-d avenge his blood. He himself heard many sayings from them, and heard many from his ancestors and the elders of the Kotzk chasidism whom he had the privilege of knowing. For many of these saying, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov is the only source, and if it were not for the fact that he printed these sayings and preserved them in his writings for generations, they would not be known today; it is not for nothing that the Rabbi Shmuel Yaakoc is called “the copier of knowledge of Kotzk chasidism.” [It should be noted that in the new edition published in 5773 (2012-3), by Rabbi Shmuel Albert, there were added examples of quotes of the sayings of the Kotzker Rebbe and other great Jewish men].
In 5720 (1959-60), his book “Shemen LaNer” was published, which, like his predecessor, earned him a place of honor and value in bookshelves of Torah. The sayings included in the two parts of the book deal with topics that are of worldwide concern, and we will quote, for example, the names of some of the articles: Shabbat and the Jews, The End of Days, The Chanuka Miracle, the Ten Commandments, The Generation of the Flood, Work in the Heart, The Four Cups (of wine on Passover), The Test of the Sacrifice (of Yitzchak), The Blessings of Enjoyment, The Tribes of Israel, The Holiness of the Firstborn, The Holiness of the Priesthood, and more.
In this context, we will mention one of the dozens of wonderful ideas that the rabbi recorded in his books, which he heard from the Rebbe of Lomza. And these are his words: Why was the name of Yaakov, our forefather first in the verse “And I remembered my covenant with Yaakov, and even my covenant with Yitzchak, and my covenant with Avraham I will remember…”? The Rebbe of Lomza explained this in an Kotzk chasidic way, straightforward and emotional: “Mit a gelitenem stelt men doch arois” (with a guillotine you are put out). Jacob our father suffered more than all the fathers and that is why he is put first, in order to remind us of the merit. The sufferer is placed at the top of the list, because of his enormous importance.
Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Lomza z”l
His Connections with the Beit Yisrael Rebbe of Ger
After the Holocaust, when the Lomza-Siedlce Rebbe was murdered, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov was deeply connected to the Beit Yisrael Rebbe and was one of the first to sit in in his court. From time to time, he came to spend time in his presence and expressed himself with admiration that “this is really Kotzk in its embodiment.”
The Beit Yisrael showed him much affection, and apart from his participation at his pure gatherings, he was even invited to enter the holy place for kiddush and Shabbat meals. The rabbi listened with trepidation to the sayings of his holiness, and in order not to lose them, he had them written down for safekeeping and as a memento, and he even his friends and students merited to hear the holy words, in his many letters to them.
Regarding the holy words of the “Seraph” of Kotzk, the Beit Yisrael expressed, “Because they go down to the abyss, and he was willing to walk many miles to hear exactly how they were said from his holy mouth and tongue.” And when it became known to the Beit Yisrael that Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov was privileged to hear the holy words of the “Seraph” from followers who had the privilege of being in his presence, even though Kotzk was not the same chassidic group as the Beit Yisrael was, he was happy to hear from Rabib Shmuel Yaakov about the words and ways of Kotzk, as they had been given over, and even on several occasions he quoted them by name. Once the Rebbe spoke to him in the language falling on the tongue “du bist a gedrukter yud” (you are a printed Jew).
According to a Jew who was once present at a kiddush of the Beit Yisrael, among those present was Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov. He sat the whole time like a servant before his master (despite the fact that he was ten years older than the Rebbe), so much so that he could not even touch and eat from the plate that was brought before him because of fear. And he said to him: “Megst essen shirayim fum ehem oichet” (You can also eat his shirayim – the Rebbe’s leftovers).
“And the Lamp of G-d had not Yet Gone Out” (Samuel A 3:3)
The burden of the rabbinate that was placed on his shoulders did not allow the rabbi to leave the capital city of Paris often, however, whenever he had the opportunity, he visited the Holy Land, where his eyes and heart always were. First, he visited Jerusalem, where he spent time in of the sanctity of the Beit Yisrael, and it was a great joy for him to meet with his companions and chasidic friends from the past. The Torah institutions took great pains to invite him for an honourary visit, so that their students could see the face of a chassid from the previous generation, great in Torah and fear of Heaven, and endowed with every right trait as the sages, and he willingly accepted their invitation, and came to influence the students with his kindness and words.
Over the years, when the ultra-Orthodox community in Paris dwindled, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov felt that he had finished his extensive mission there, and in his longing to immigrate to Israel, he began to look for a suitable replacement to sit in his place, and after many efforts he found what he was looking for, the genius Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Rotenberg z”l from Antwerp, in whom he saw the appropriate figure to continue to kindle the holy fire that he lit in Paris.
During the winter of 5724 (1964), Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov came again to grace the face of Israel, and this time more than ever, with the practical intention of immigrating soon and settling in the land that G-d gave as a gift and was in the thoughts of all generations of the Jewish People.
A notice on the rabbi of Paris’s immigration to Israel, Hamodia Iyar 14, 5720 (May 11, 1960)
At the beginning of the month of Adar (in the winter), he returned to Paris, in order to keep a close watch on the kashering (making kosher) for the approaching Passover holiday, and to take care of the other needs of the community in the physical and spiritual realms.
Many thoughts are in a man’s heart, and to the sorrow and heartbreak of his congregation, and the whole community of Paris Jews who loved him with soulful love as he loved them, in the midst of his holy work, while he steadfastly stood in his position, on the 11th of Adar after his visit to his private doctor, his heart suddenly stopped, and he was requested at the Heavenly yeshiva. The shock and at the fact that the person who had made such a great impression on Paris, the capital city of France, had passed, was extremely heavy. The feeling was that the void he left was very large, and there was no one who would be able to fill the place of the revered rabbi who glorified France for thirty-five years.
In the midst of the holiday of Purim, the funeral of Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov was held; a crowd of many thousands of Jews gathered in the street of the city near the synagogue of “Agudat HaKehillot” to pay the rabbi his last respects. Old and young shed tears like water, and mourned the great loss of a rabbi and great leader of faithful ultra-Orthodox Jews in France.
Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov was temporarily buried in the cemetery in Paris, and about ten days later, his bones were brought to Israel for eternal rest. At his funeral, which took place in Jerusalem on the 21st of Adar, a huge crowd attended, led by the Beit Yisrael rebbe, the Rebbes of Biala, Amshinov, Slonim, and other important persons who accompanied him on his way to the rabbinical section of the Har HaMenuchot cemetery, where he was buried near the grave of the genius and wonderous Rabbi Menachem Ziemba z”l, may G-d avenge his blood.
This article is based on chapters in the biography “HaRav Mi’Paris” (The Rabbi of Paris), which were written with good taste and loyally by the chassid, Rabbi Shmuel Albert, and in which the illustrious life of the rabbi was described in detail, including rare facts, documents, and photos.
The book “HaRav Mi’Paris”
