By COLlive reporter
Photos by Levi Israeli
Hundreds of Jews recently traveled to the historic city of Berdychiv in northern Ukraine to mark the mark the yartzeit of one of the most known Chassidic Rebbes, R’ Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev.
The Berdichever, as he was known, was one of the foremost disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch. He was renowned for his all-encompassing love and compassion for the Jewish people and for every individual Jew.
Visitors who came for the yartzeit on 25 Tishrei went to the mikvah and then visited his holy gravesite in the old Jewish cemetery in Berdychiv, asking the Berdichever to intercede on their behalf on high.
But were they praying at his actual resting place?
Rabbi Moshe Thaler, Chabad Shliach and Rabbi of Jewish Community of Berdichev, revealed a few months ago that the original foundation of the Ohel building that typically covers a Rebbe’s gravesite was uncovered in another spot nearby.
He discovered that it was not in the same location as where the current Ohel stands and where visitors typically pray. In fact, it is located 4 meters from the perceived gravesite at Zhytomyska Street in Berdychiv.
“Whoever saw the foundations has no doubt as to where the tziyun is located,” one visitor told the Israeli news website Charedim 10. “It was always strange to me that we went to the Berdichever’s Ohel but it said something else on the headstone.”
Rabbi Thaler says that he has not stopped people from praying at the commonly used location. “They are very close to each other, so people daven here and there.”
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I heard from the Bobover (45) Rebbe that the reason Hashem buried Moshe Rabbenu at an undisclosed location was so that the whole world would be his tziyun, and we can talk to him wherever we are.
(However we’re told that Yirmiyohu went to Mt Nevo to inform Moshe of the churbon; according to this he could have done so anywhere.)
The Berdichever was so holy that he could be buried anywhere else in the world and the mispallelim will still have their berachos answered. Such is his zechus.
I was once at what was supposed to be the tziyun of Gid’on. It was explained that the Tanach says he is buried somewhere in the immediate vicinity, so they built the tziyun on top of a hill from which one can see the whole area, and therefore one can definitely see his burial place, wherever it may be.
Could we get a little more info on the story here? What are the pictures of? And how could the actual kever be 4 *meters* away… the building is bigger than that? And is there really a different name on the matzeivah? Who’s?
I had the great zechus to daven there (in the beautifully reconstructed ohel), and the experience was unique and quite powerful. Even if the Tzaddik is really interred several meters away, the whole area is indescribably special. Go visit the kevarim of our Rebbeim in Russia and Ukraine if you can! If not, may Moshiach make it possible ASAP to meet them and learn from them “for real.”
has. So many are visiting his grave, lighting candles there and praying there. If this is a mistake how did it come about? I see there are many very, old looking and badly damaged headstones in this Beis Hachayim. Wow!