Why Did R’ Itcha Cut Out Slivovitz?

Fascinating stories are told of the legendary R’ Itcha the Masmid – Rabbi Yitzchok Gurevitch H”YD, personal emissary of the Rebbe Rashab and the Frierdiker Rebbe and one of the kedoshim of the Holocaust.

Rabbi Shalom Ber Schapiro is sharing a few of these stories, from the Mindel Archives.

These stories were given in to the Rebbe, After reading them the Rebbe had commented to Rabbi Dr. Nissan Mindel that “R’ Itcha was a true chossid devoted to my father-in-law. We can learn from him.”

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WHY R’ ITCHA CRIED
Story #1 as told by a Yeshivah Tomchei T’mimim bochur, from Cherson, Russia:

In the summer of 5676, when I came home from Yeshivah Tomchei T’mimim for a brief visit with my parents, there came to town on Erev Shabbos the Shadar of the Rebbe Rashab, the well-known R’Itcha Masmid. Since we hosted him in our home, he asked me to go with a chicken to our local Sh’u’b (shochet u’bodek, ritual slaughterer), R’ Moshe Charitonov and watch him examine the knife before and after the shechita.

R’ Itcha was very careful that when the shochet would shecht for him, he should examine the knife before and after the shechita.

This is what I did and brought the chicken home – where my mother prepared it, together with other food for Shabbos, in a pot especially for R’ Itcha. That night we waited for R’ Itcha- as he would spend a long time in prayer. After the meal he requested that we not wait for him the next day for the Shabbos meal.

On Shabbos day R’Itcha came back from davening around six o’clock – at which time I attended to him. When I served him the kugel, he asked me to call my mother and when she came, he asked her if there was any fat in the kugel. She replied yes. And he further asked, “which fat?” to which she replied, “the fat from the chicken which was shechted for you.” When she left the dining room, R’ Itcha still did not eat the kugel. Mother soon came back to the dining and apologized to R’ Itcha – she did not have enough of the fat from the chicken that was especially shechted for him, so she used some from their chicken, shechted on Thursday, by the same shochet, R’ Moshe. She had done this in haste and unintentionally. R’ Itcha did not eat the kugel.

That same day we also hosted R’ Eliezer Dvoskin H’yd, and invited him to partake of the cholent. He mentioned that since they had not prepared kugel for Shabbos in his house and being that R’Itcha was not eating his kugel, he would eat it.

Two years later, 5678, I came before Rosh Hashana to the Rebbe RASHAB in Rostov for a yechidus, private audience. I entered the waiting room where I asked the secretary to register me for an appointment. He said there was not available time that day and perhaps something might become available in the next few days. He stood at the doorway and at 8 o’clock in the evening he started to call those with appointments. Shortly after, he called me over and asked me to take over for the next couple of hours while he would be away, that I should stand at the door and call the names in order. He then left.

The first person on the list was R’ Itcha H’yd, who generally was very careful with his attire – making sure it was in perfect order. He was standing near the door of the zalle (room) and prepared himself to enter. At exactly 8:30, his appointed time for yechidus, I opened the door of the zalle for him and he entered with trepidation. I closed the door, but not fully, leaving it a crack open so I could hear.
R’ Icha cried. The Rebbe asked why he was crying.

R’ Itcha then related what had happened with the kugel in Cherson and added that since R’ Lazer had eaten it – he stands on a higher level than himself and he is therefore doubting if his hiddur/stringency with the chalif/knife before and after the shechita is above his level. And since he had not asked the Rebbe’s approval for such a stringency – perhaps, he fears, the practice of this stringency will cause him to falter ch’v and he is asking the Rebbe what to do and for a rectification for the past.

The Rebbe answered that the stringency is very good and he should continue with it. R’ Itcha cried again, and the Rebbe once more asked him why he is crying.

R’ Itcha answered that being that he is the shadar of the Rebbe to Ukraine and surrounding areas – he goes around teaching Chassidus to the people and conducts farbreingens with them and accepts the panim/notes to the Rebbe, which he in turn brings to the Rebbe. On occasion, when the matter is of utmost urgency, he reads the pan and then communicates it mentally to the Rebbe, so as to get the blessing quickly – and when the blessing is fulfilled, the one who wrote the pan attributes the salvation to R’ Itcha. Where in truth it is clearly the Rebbe’s blessing. This misconception pains me greatly, he said.

In previous generations, the righteous R’ Hillel Paritcher would travel to the colonies in behalf of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek – teaching chassidus, conducting farbreingens and accepting panim from the people, which he would bring to the Tzemach Tzedek. When the one who wrote the pan experienced and immediate salvation, he would never entertain the thought that it was due to R’Hillel, but clearly knew that it was due to the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek.

The Rebbe Rashab answered him:
It is the right thing to do and you should accept the panim from the people and bring them to me –as this is a great favor for the people.
R’ Itcha continued and asked the Rebbe in matters of chassidus and the Rebbe answered him.

GOODBYE SLIVOVITZ
Story #2 as told by Rabbi Avraham Tzvi Fallman of New Haven, Connecticut:

The nickname “Masmid” he got in his young years, when he was learning in Yeshivah. It was not because they saw him constantly with a sefer in his hand but rather because his thoughts were deep in Torah and Yiras Shomayim.

Scholars would say that R’ Itcha was an intellect – contemplating an entire night and spending many long hours engrossed in prayer was usual for him.
For many years R’ Itcha was the Rav in town and many members of the community would flock to his home on festivals and special occasions to hear his timely Torah teachings.

R’ Itcha’s friend from their youth would send him every year for Pesach a gift – a bottle of plum liqueur, Slivovitz. This friend, also a Rav and a great yira Shomayim, personally made this liqueur.

One time, on the first day of Pesach, they noticed that R’ Itcha seemed worried and looked uncomfortable. His davening was not in his usual heartfelt manner and he spent an unusually long time reciting Tehillim with hot tears. When he came home to make Kiddush it was already very late and a full house of community people were eagerly waiting for him to farbreing with them.

R’ Itcha started right away to say words of Torah and did not make Kiddush on the Slivovitz which was on the table.

His wife, the Rebbetzen, reminded him about making Kiddush – but he did not respond. The people also did not make Kiddush, out of respect for the Rav. All were listening to his teachings with great pleasure and were anticipating to say l’chayim and to rejoice. They finally said, “Rebbe, it is late, almost sunset. Will you be making Kiddush?” The Rav did not respond but continued with increased enthusiasm to expound on the Torah he was teaching.

Suddenly, the door opened and in burst a non-Jew, disheveled and exhausted, panting and out of breath – as he clearly had been running a long distance.
He immediately asked to speak with the Rav – and told him that he was sent by the Rav of the near-by town, with an urgent message! The Slivovitz you have is chometz. A big mistake was made and the chometzdiker liqueur was sent instead of the pesachdiker one.

R’ Itcha fainted and when they revived him, he started to sing a joyous niggun and to dance with much enthusiasm – thanking Hashem for His help and protection – guarding him from chometz on Pesach. That year, R’ Itcha was particularly happy and each of the eight days of Yom Tov he farbreinged long hours – relaxed and happy. Giving heartfelt thanks and praise to Hashem that he did not come to a serious transgression – chometz on Pesach!
Everyone finally understood the source of their Rav’s discomfort and broken-heartedness during the prayers – he must have surely sensed something was not right with his Pesach at home. There was something very serious bothering him. And this, they understood, was a Divine protection because of his meticulous observance of Pesach.

The one who is careful and watchful below – is carefully watched and guarded from above. As the verse states, “The righteous one will not come to sin.”
Understanding this now, the people all rejoiced with the Rav – grateful to merit such a teacher.

For generations to come, every Pesach – fathers and grandfathers would tell their children and grandchildren this wondrous story.

THE LIMITED PESACH DIET
Story #3 as told by Rabbi Shalom Ber Schapiro:

I remember my parents-in-law, Rabbi and Mrs. Nissan Mindel telling of the experience which Mrs. Mindel’s parents, the Nemtzovs, had with R’ Itcha in Manchester, England.

It was during the Pesach which R’ Itcha spent in Manchester at the home of R’ Avraham Sender Nemtzov, father of Mrs. Mindel, well known chossid of the Rebbe Rashab, the Frierdiker Rebbe and the Rebbe who had been a bochur in the first group of students in the newly-established Yeshivah Tomchei Temimim in Russia.

R’ Itcha was extremely careful with food on Pesach. At the home of the Nemtzovs he was given a separate table on the side, at which he sat to eat. It was at this table that R’ Itcha ate the required k’zeisim of matza on the two sedorim – six matzos in all. He ate no other matza whatsoever during the eight days of Pesach.

The only other food he ate during the entire week consisted of hard boiled eggs – nothing else. He ate no other food on Pesach besides the required matzos of the sedorim and hard boiled eggs.

It could well be that R’ Itcha took upon himself even greater stringencies on Pesach as a result of the experience he had on Pesach with the Slivovitz liquor, which was told in one of the stories we presented.