Snuff Box

The Alter Rebbe once received, as a gift from a baal teshuva, a silver snuff box. Upon receiving it, the Alter Rebbe remarked: “There is one limb in the person (the nose) that is not by its nature such a glutton for worldly pleasures, and they want to create means for it to indulge as well?!” And the Alter Rebbe broke off the top to use as a mirror for his teffilin.

When the Tzemach Tzedek heard the story, he remarked: “The zeide (the Alter Rebbe) was involved in building not in breaking, and it is inconceivable that he broke the snuff box. Surely what actually took place was that the two parts were held together by a screw, and the Alter Rebbe removed the screw and detached them”

R’ Eizik Homler

R’ Eizik Homler was one of the prominent Chassidim of the early generations of chassidus. Although a yungerman in the times of the Alter Rebbe, he was already a chosid of note then and recognized by the Alter Rebbe (who once invited him in to a maamar that was being said exclusively before the elder Chassidim, remarking “a yungerman ken veren an alter man”). He was later a distinguished chosid of the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek.

Once the Tzemach Tzedek sent R’ Eizik on a mission to R’ Yisrael of Ryzhin (there was a very close relationship of great love and affecrion between the Tzemach Tzedek and the Ryzhiner, and the Tzemach Tzedek would refer to R’ Yisrael as the ‘heilige Ruzhiner”). On Friday, R’ Eizek was conversing with the Ryzhuner, who was smoking a pipe.

The holy Ryzhiner had the custom that from chatzos on Friday he would accept the holiness on Shabbos upon himself, and refrain from any work. Thus, as the hour of midday arrived, the Ryzhiner removed the pipe and pushed it aside. At the same time, his face changed it’s appearance to such a degree that, as R’ Eizik later testified, had he not known who it was he would not have recognized him.

R’ Eizik later related: “As I witnessed this, I felt intense shame, such a shame as I had not felt in my entire lifetime. For I clearly saw how this Tzaddik is ascending to higher realms, while I am remaining down below”.

Cherries

R’ Hillel was once visiting the Tzemach Tzedek. In honor of the illustrious guest, a bowl of cherries (strawberries?) – a delicacy at the time – was placed on the table.

Both the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek and R’ Hillel made a brocho, and partook of the treat. However, while the Tzemach Tzedek ate them whole, R’ Hillel first opened each one and carefully inspected it for worms and bugs. Only after assuring himself of it’s kashrus, did he place it in his mouth.

Some of the Chassidim, who were closely monitoring the visit of the famed chosid with the Rebbe, found the behavior of R’ Hillel an affront to the Tzemach Tzedek. As soon as R’ Hillel emerged from the room, he was accosted: “Hillel”, they demanded, “how could you act differently from the Rebbe in his presence? Are you perhaps more frum than the Rebbe?”

“It is very simple”, R’ Hillel reassured them, “the Rebbe, being a true tzaddik, can be assured that he will not encounter anything objectionable, as the Possuk says “לא יאונה לצדיק כל און”. Therefore he has no need to be overly cautious. I, on the other hand, have no such protection; I, therefore, have to personally verify the appropriateness of anything I take into my mouth”.

70 kopeks

The Tzemach Tzedek once said to his son the Rebbe Maharash: For one who helps another Jew in his livelihood, even if he helps him earn a mere 70 kopeks (a low-value Russian coin) on a calf, all the gates to the heavenly chambers are open for him. Years later the Rebbe Maharash added: one ought to know the route to the heavenly chambers, but actually, it is not crucial. You only need the main thing: to help another wholeheartedly, with sensitivity, and to take pleasure in doing a kindness to another.

Big windows

Once, the Tzemach Tzedek came to visit the Maharash in his newly-built house. The Rebbe Maharash’s house was built in the fashion of the very wealthy, which included very large windows (I guess the equivalent of French Windows?).

The Tzemach Tzedek asked his son: “Why do you need such big windows?”

Answered the Maharash: “In order to increase the light”.

Retorted the Tzemach Tzedek: “Der Zeide [my grandfather, the Alter Rebbe] didn’t have large windows such as these in his home!”

To which the Rebbe Maharash responded: “And perhaps, indeed, it was lacking light”

Said the Tzemach Tzedek: “No! By him it was light, very light!”

Oisgehorvete Chassidim

A chosid once came to the Tzamach Tzedek and asked for a brocho for his son; - that he shouldn’t forget anything that he learns or hears (in Lubavitch), and automatically he’ll become a chosid.

The Tzemach Tzedek retorted: “It’s already three generations that my grandfather (the Alter Rebbe), my shver (the Mitteler Rebbe) and I are working towards the end that Chassidim should be “oisgehorvete Chassidim” – Chassidim that result from toil and effort, rather than ‘b’derech memeila’diga Chassidim’” [“automatic Chassidim”]!

True Vision

The Tzemach Tzedek used to get countless halachik queries from all over the world. In the later years of the Tzemach Tzedek, he wouldn’t answer the letters himself, but would delegate that task to one or 2 of his sons. The finished teshuva would then be brought to the Tzemach Tzedek for his approval, before being sent out. [It should be noted that there was a similar practice during the lifetime of the Mitteler Rebbe, when the Mitteler Rebbe would give the incoming shailos to the Tzemach Tzedek to respond to them, and then would look over the answers].

On one occasion, there was a complex shailoh regarding anagunah: A man had disappeared, and there were numerous indications that he had, in fact, died. The question was whether the evidence was halachikally sufficient to establish that the man was (al pi Torah) dead, and to therefore permit his wife to get remarried. The son of the Tzemach Tzedek (the Mahari”l?) wrote an involved teshuva, in which he cited various halachik sources that supported the fact that the evidence could be accepted as legitimate proof that the husband was indeed dead, and that according to Torah his wife was free to remarry.

Upon completion, he dutifully brought his handiwork to the Tzemach Tzedek for his approval. The Tzemach Tzedek began reading the teshuva, and his son recognized from his facial expressions that he found something objectionable with it.

“What is it father?” he asked, “Did you find fault with the source I brought from tosefos?” 

“No, no”, replied the Tzemach Tzedek, “your source from tosefosis irrefutable”. The Tzemach Tzedek, continued to read, and again his expressions seemed far from pleased. “What is it father?” his son inquired again, “do you not agree with the reasoning that I borrowed from the shach?”

“No, no”, replied the Tzemach Tzedek again, “your reasoning is sound and your logic beyond reproach”. The Tzemach Tzedek continued to read, but his displeasure was clearly evident. “Father”, cried the Maharil, “if I erred in my judgment, please inform me and I will correct it. I can clearly see that something is troubling you about this teshuva, and I will not leave you until you tell me what it is”.

So the Tzemech Tzedek enlightened him: “There is nothing faulty with your reasoning or with any of your halachik sources. Your conclusions are sound. Ober vos zol ich ton az ich zei doch az er lebt (But what can I do when I can see that he isalive)!”

During the nesius of the Mitteler Rebbe, when questions in halacha were sent to him, he would give them to the Tzemach Tzedek to answer. The Tzemach Tzedek would write a Teshuva, and then bring it to the Mitteler Rebbe for approval. After the Mitteler Rebbe gave his approval, the teshuva would then be sent out. However, the Mitteler Rebbe never took issue with any of the teshuvos of the Tzemach Tzedek.

Once, an urgent query arrived, and the Mitteler Rebbe was not available. The Tzemach Tzedek decided that, in light of the fact that the Mitteler Rebbe always approved of his Teshuvos, and being that an immediate response was required, he would send out the Teshuva this once before showing it to the Mitteler Rebbe. When he later told the MR about, he asked the Tzemach Tzedek what he had answered in the Teshuva, and then showed him that it was contrary to an explicit tosefos.

The Tzemach Tzedek was very upset about this, so the Mitteler Rebbe said to him: “Don’t feel bad, in the meantime you are not a Rebbe!”

Even the Torah learning of the Tzemach Tzedek, with all of his phenomenal genius, had to be connected to the Mitteler Rebbe, who was then the Rebbe.