Click here to view other books by Translated and adapted by Judah Lifschitz

Other books on this topic:

The Klausenberger Rebbe: The War Years
Translated and adapted by Judah Lifschitz

The Warsaw Ghetto Diaries
Dr. Hillel Seidman

Twice Buried, Still Alive
Rivky Weinstock

Noam Elimelech
Translated and compiled by Rabbi Tal Moshe Zwecker

David Avdi
Edited by Debra Applebaum

People who bought this book also bought:

The Klausenberger Rebbe: The War Years
Translated and adapted by Judah Lifschitz

Permission to Believe
Lawrence Kelemen

The Baker's Dozen: Vol. 1-3
On Our Own; Ghosthunters!; And the Winner Is
Created by Miriam Zakon

A Second Helping of Sunshine
Malka Adler

Let's Face It!
Tziporah Heller with Sara Yoheved Rigler

Book Excerpt from The Klausenberger Rebbe: Rebuilding

The Klausenberger Rebbe: Rebuilding Translated and adapted by Judah Lifschitz A rich biographical post-war sketch of the Klausenberger Rebbe, Rav Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, and his selfless acts of rebuilding - from the D.P. camps to America to Israel. Buy this book at a special online price at www.targum.com

On Holy Ground

A Welcome to the Holy Land

At three-thirty a.m., the Klausenberger’s plane landed at Lod Airport. As the Rebbe stepped through the door of the aircraft, cries of “Baruch haba!” erupted from all around. Thousands of chassidim and other followers of the Rebbe had come from all over Eretz Yisrael to welcome him. They had waited impatiently for the Rebbe’s arrival for two hours, since the plane had been unexpectedly delayed.

It is not difficult to imagine the stir of emotions in the Rebbe’s heart at this extraordinary moment, for which he had hoped and longed for so long, throughout the terrible years of the Holocaust - the moment when he would at last step foot on the ground of the Holy Land. The enormous emotion that gripped the thousands who came to Lod Airport that day was but a small indication of the great significance of that moment in history.

The large crowd that had gathered was made up of old and young alike, Chassidic rebbes and roshei yeshivah, talmidei chachamim and lay people - anyone with a connection to Sanz, chief among them the Holocaust survivors, who at that moment felt the sweet taste of victory over the evil Nazis.

The first to greet the Klausenberger as he descended from the plane were his longtime followers Reb Avraham Getzel Shiff and Reb Yehoshua Veitzenblum. Next after them were the leaders of the Sanz community in Yerushalayim, Reb Baruch Yitzchak Friend, Reb Mordechai Hirsch Schmerler, and Reb Chaim Hirsch Eisenbach (known as the “chut hameshulash,” the triple-linked chain), and Reb Chaim (Hirschman) Reisher. The crowd parted so that these four elders could walk through and receive the Rebbe’s blessing.

The elderly Rav Chaim Reisher made his way to the Klausenberger with firm steps. Lifting his eyes, he placed his wrinkled hand into the Klausenberger’s and looked directly into the Rebbe’s shining face, whispering reverently, “Shalom aleichem, Rebbe.” Though he had never seen the Klausenberger before, having moved to Yerushalayim in 1894, eleven years before the Rebbe’s birth, the Klausenberger’s face was familiar to him - he looked like Rav Reisher’s own rebbe, Reb Baruch of Gorlitz, the son of the Divrei Chaim. Overcome with emotion at the similarity between the Klausenberger and his great-uncle Reb Baruch of Gorlitz, Rav Chaim turned pale and almost fainted.

“I Did Not Come to Eretz Yisrael to Sleep”

The Klausenberger’s face shone with light and joy, full of life and vitality. It was impossible to tell that he had not slept for two whole days. The chassidim formed a circle around him and made a path for him to enter the terminal. Once inside, the Rebbe was greeted by thousands more who had come to see him and receive his blessing.

Itwas now morning, and the Klausenberger hurried to a car that was waiting to take him to Haifa, where he was to attend the bris of the newborn son of his talmid Rav Yaakov Bentzion Rotner. Reb Yaakov Bentzion, who was the rav of the Chalisah neighborhood in Haifa, had asked the Rebbe to be the sandek at his son’s bris.

The Rebbe’s first cousin Rabbi Baruch Halberstam pleaded with the Rebbe that he first come to his home in Bnei Brak and rest from his long and exhausting journey. The Rebbe, however, responded, “I did not come to Eretz Yisrael to sleep.”

An Inaugural Tefillah

Immediately upon his arrival in Haifa, the Klausenberger began his preparations for his first shacharis in the Holy Land.

He went directly to Rabbi Rotner’s synagogue in Chalisah, which quickly filled with people from all over Haifa. The Rebbe’s davening that morning was a new experience even for his traveling party, who were used to his way of prayer, for this shacharis was completely different than any he had ever davened before.

This was the inauguration of the Rebbe’s seven weeks in Eretz Yisrael - seven weeks of light and joy, during which the entire religious population of Eretz Yisrael basked under his influence. During these seven weeks the Rebbe was completely consumed, day and night, with bringing honor to the Creator and His Torah. It is difficult to determine when the Rebbe slept, if he slept at all, during his entire stay.

Visiting the Belzer Rebbe

After shacharis and the bris, the Rebbe traveled to Tel Aviv to greet the Belzer Rebbe, Reb Aharon Rokeach. He had sent Rav Shmuel Unsdorfer and Rav Yehoshua Veitzenblum to Tel Aviv earlier to arrange a time to meet with this chassidic giant. The Belzer Rebbe had warmly inquired about the Klausenberger’s trip and about his plans for the coming days, and then told them that he was planning to conduct a tisch that evening in honor of the yahrtzeit of his father, the previous Belzer Rebbe, and it would be better if the Klausenberger came after the tisch, at nine p.m. (Afterwards, he amended this by saying that if the Klausenberger arrived early he should not be concerned, because the Belzer Rebbe would interrupt the tisch to greet him.)

The two rebbes were longtime friends, since whenever the Klausenberger had visited the previous Belzer Rebbe, Rav Yissachar Dov, zt”l, in his youth, he would always eat a meal at his son Reb Aharon’s house.

At 9 p.m. that evening, the Klausenberger arrived at the Belzer Rebbe’s home. Reb Aharon came to the entrance of his home to greet his guest and led him into his private study, seating the Klausenberger beside him at the head of the table. The Klausenberger, however, moved his seat to the side of the table, sitting humbly like a student before his teacher.

The two great rebbes began to discuss a number of significant issues, particularly issues relating to Eretz Yisrael. The Klausenberger’s party was present in the room only for a short time, and thus heard only a small part of the conversation.

The Belzer Rebbe opened the conversation by asking how the Klausenberger had reached Eretz Yisrael. When the Rebbe replied that he had arrived by plane, Reb Aharon said, “At one point I was very concerned about traveling by plane. Then I thought to myself, Perhaps it is better to travel by plane because traveling by ship causes too much bitul Torah. I decided to travel by plane, but it seems to me that one should not recite the blessing of HaGomel with Shem U’Malchus after a plane trip.” (Although the Klausenberger ruled that one should recite Birkas HaGomel after plane travel, he refrained from reciting it on that trip because of the Belzer Rebbe’s comment. In a later trip to Eretz Yisrael, the Rebbe sailed to Paris by boat and then flew from there to Eretz Yisrael so that he could recite Birkas HaGomel with Hashem’s name even according to the Belzer Rebbe.)

Afterwards, the Klausenberger told the Belzer Rebbe that when trains were first invented his great-grandfather, the Divrei Chaim, had said jokingly, “Surely this is preparation for the coming of Mashiach, when only complete tzaddikim will be zocheh to come to Eretz Yisrael on the ananei hakavod. Everyone else will have to come by train!” It would seem, he continued, that planes were also created for this purpose, to enable the Jewish people to reach Eretz Yisrael more quickly.

Reb Aharon’s face lit up when he heard this and he responded, “As you say. As you say. All the planes are a preparation for the coming of the Mashiach and the ingathering of am Yisrael, may it happen speedily.”

During the course of the visit, the Belzer Rebbe’s assistant served the two great leaders cake and schnapps for a l’chaim.

Reb Aharon placed the food and drink in front of the Klausenberger so that he should eat first, but the Klausenberger pushed the food back to his host, telling him to eat first. Reb Aharon cut a large piece of cake and offered it to the Rebbe, explaining, “Here in Belz we are very strict with regard to the size of a kezayis.”

They drank a l’chaim and Reb Aharon praised the drink highly, since it was a banana liquor made from fruit of Eretz Yisrael. The Klausenberger told him, “That this drink has been placed on a holy table is enough in and of itself.”

Afterwards, the two great men were served a plate of Israeli fruit, and they discussed the significance of the fruits of Eretz Yisrael, whose ingestion can increase a person’s spiritual level.

At the conclusion of the visit, the Belzer Rebbe escorted the Klausenberger to the door, and the two giants wished each other farewell with great love and affection. The Klausenberger returned to Haifa, where he stayed for a short rest. Even before sunrise, however, he rose and set out for the holy city of Tzefas.

Buy The Klausenberger Rebbe: Rebuilding at an online discount at www.targum.com