The 29th of Av is the yahrtzeit of the gaon and tzaddik HaRav Eliezer Zusia Portugal zt’l, the Skulener Rebbe, zechuso yagen aleinu. Aside from his own greatness in Torah, tefillah and avodas Hashem, The Skulener Rebbe might have been most recognized as the champion and leader of Jewish rescue. He sought to save and care for hundreds of children who were orphaned by the war, adopting them and raising them as his own. He and his holy Rebbetzin were known throughout the world as pillars of kindness, self-sacrifice and true Ahavas Yisroel.
R’ Eliezer Zusia was the son of HaGaon HaRav Yisroel Avraham Portugal zt’l; a descendant in a long line of great rabbanim that traced itself back to Rashi Hakadosh. At the end of his life, R’ Yisroel Avraham became the Rav of the northeastern Romanian city of Skulen (Sculeni – now a part of modern-day Moldova). He was already older when his son Eliezer Zusia was born, yet he devoted himself to his son and imbued him with his Torah and yiras Shamayim. R’ Eliezer was about 18 years old when his father passed away, but despite his tender age, the inhabitants of Skulen chose him to succeed his father – everyone could see that the young man was destined for greatness.
With his appointment as the Rav of Skulen, R’ Eliezer Zusia devoted himself entirely to the concerns of the community, earning a sterling reputation throughout the region. He was not simply the Rav of the community; he was its beloved shepherd. Yidden cherished and respected their Rebbe for his greatness in Torah, his goodness of heart, and his love for the Jewish people. He loved every Yid, be they rich or poor, righteous scholars or the simplest of tradesmen.
R’ Eliezer Zusia remained in Skulen for about 20 years, until a prominent individual from Czernowitz offered him the position as Rav of their city, which at the time was home to a Jewish population numbering many thousands. There, the leaders placed him in charge of everything that concerned religious education. His love for the Jewish people was boundless – every thought concerned the guidance and well-being of the generation’s young, and in this role the Rav of Skulen found spiritual satisfaction and achieved great success.
The Skulener Rebbe accomplished a great deal during his lifetime. However, the jewel of his intense work was the devotion he demonstrated during the Second World War and the years that followed. He feared nothing and was constantly ready to give his life for any Jew. Because of his activities, the Rav experienced tremendous persecution, both at the hands of the Germans as well as the Russians. He spent several years in prison and was subjected to daily torment and torture.
It was during this time of immense personal anguish that he was inspired to compose niggunim – in fact, many of his most famous melodies were created under these trying conditions. His songs portray his deep faith in the One Above and His holy Torah, and indeed convey to us how Hashem and His Divine righteousness was always before his eyes rather than the squalor of the miserable jail which kept him prisoner.
In 5720 (1960), the Skulener Rebbe arrived in the United States and eventually settled in Williamsburg, NY where he established his Beis Midrash. He had barely opened its doors when hordes of people came to hear the Torah emanating from his lips. His home soon attracted great crowds, with many coming to his door early in the morning to ask for advice or to listen to his davening. {It is said that one who had never witnessed the tefillah of the Skulener Rebbe has never witnessed true prayer, and those who never heard the melody that ascended during his davening, never saw how a soul could connect itself to its Creator through pure devotion and love.}
Even after coming to the United States, the Rebbe continued his work to save imprisoned Jews. Then in 1962, he launched the Torah network of Chesed L’Avraham in Eretz Yisroel, which eventually expanded to six divisions of Chesed homes and schools for hundreds of children from various tragic backgrounds, as well as a countrywide network of afternoon programs for children in public schools. The Skulener Rebbe often traveled to Eretz Yisroel and closely supervised the educational institutions that he founded. Even up to his final days, he was busy saving Jews, promoting Torah-based chinuch, and performing acts of kindness.
Yehi Zichro Baruch
In order to introduce today’s song – admittedly one of the many niggunim that I was tempted to choose for this post – I would like to share the heartwarming story that has been circulating recently surrounding the one of the most iconic and triumphant of the Rebbe’s tunes. The Liminover Rebbe, Rav Yaakov Shlomo Meisels, tells over the tale that he himself witnessed. But first, a quick background:
The Skulener Rebbe zt’l and the Ribnitzer Rebbe, Reb Chaim Zanvil Abramowitz zt’l were close friends from their youth – both were chasidim of the heilige Reb Avraham Matisyahu of Shtefanesht zt’l. With time, they both began their own courts and moved to America. The following story took place in 1980 in the Seagate neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY during the short period that the Ribnitzer Rebbe lived there.
One morning, the Skulener Rebbe came to Seagate for a short stay. When the Ribnitzer Rebbe heard that his lifelong friend Eliezer Zusia was staying in Seagate, he immediately dispatched his gabbai to inform the Skulener Rebbe that he would be coming to see him. The Ribnitzer Rebbe decided to daven Shacharis much quicker than usual, and hurried to the home where the Skulener Rebbe was staying. The Ribnitzer Rebbe arrived just as they had completed Shacharis, and the two Rebbes embraced as if they were long-lost brothers.
After they sat down together, the Skulener Rebbe said, “Chaim Zanvil, I didn’t know that you were coming until this morning, and there wasn’t time to prepare special food and drink to honor you. You are honoring me so greatly by coming over – it means the world to me! Therefore, I have prepared the biggest kibbud that I can think of for you, in honor of your visit.”
The Ribnitzer Rebbe looked around him and replied, “Leizer Zusya, the table is bare, there’s only a Kedushas Levi lying next to you.” The Skulener replied, “Nein, nein, Chaim Zanvil; vus beir MIR heist kibbud! – I prepared an honor much greater than a feast. To me, the greatest honor I can give you is to sing to you one of my beloved niggunim.”
This was a new idea to the Ribnitzer, but, true to his word, the Skulener Rebbe started to sing his well-known Z’chor Davar L’avdecha – the song (from Tehillim 119:49-51) which you will hear below. When he reached the high part, he sang with extra gusto, really pouring all his emotion into it.
After hearing and enjoying the song, the Ribnitzer Rebbe asked, “Leizer Zusya, is this really your niggun? Did you compose this song on your own?”
“Yes, I did,” the Skulener Rebbe replied. Just to be certain, the Ribnitzer repeated his question, “Tell me, Leizer Zusya, did you yourself compose this niggun??”
The Skulener assured him that he, in fact, was the composer.
Replied the Ribnitzer Rebbe to his friend, “Leizer Zusya, let me ask you something. The song is beautiful. But don’t you have more important things to do than to make up niggunim?”
“Chaim Zanvil,” the Skulener Rebbe answered, “Dee fahrshteit nisht!” – “I see that you don’t understand. Allow me to explain: I don’t write songs; I write explanations and peirushim! This niggun explains the pesukim that I’m singing!” As if to better explain the “pshat”, the Skulener began to sing the song anew, as if for the first time!
When he finished singing, the Ribnitzer Rebbe said, “Leizer Zusya! The niggun is beautiful. But I’m afraid I still don’t understand the explanation.”
The Skulener smiled. “Allow me to explain.”
Said the Skulener Rebbe, “We live in very dangerous times today. Yiddishkeit is at stake. In this generation, it becomes harder and harder to raise Yarei Shamayim – good children who have steadfast emunah. And do you know what the problem is? The foreign influence; the Yetzer Hara that approaches our precious talmidim in all different forms and mocks them. They say, ‘You’re still trying to live your life like your father and grandfather did? Well, you can’t! Times have changed, and you must change with it! The Torah was written for the older generation, not for us! We must adapt to keep with the times!’
“And, slowly but surely, when our boys give in – just a little – to the pressures of this new generation, that is the beginning of the end. They fall completely away. It’s tragic. And this is the pshat of my song.
He continued, “זֵדִים הֱלִיצֻנִי – The people in the street make leitzonus of me. They mock my frumkeit. They call my way of life a joke. Why do you serve Hashem עַד מְאֹד – to the extremes? It’s too much, they say. You expect too much of us! Why don’t you compromise and round corners here and there? But I answer them, ‘No! מִתּוֹרָתְךָ לֹא נָטִיתִי – From Hashem’s Torah I will not deviate, not even a tiny drop! I will follow it word for word, without compromise, just like our esteemed grandparents did before me!’”
“Now that you understand the explanation, let’s sing the song again, together!!”
This time, when the Ribnitzer Rebbe heard the song, he jumped up and said, “Leizer Zusya, now I understand pshat!” and the two tzaddikim danced and sang the song together once more.
Z’chor Davar was recorded by famed chazzan David Werdyger for his 1968 record Skulaner Chassidic Nigunim – the first of two records that Chazzan Werdyger devoted exclusively to the niggunim of the Skulener Rebbe and the music of the Skulener chassidim.
On the occasion of the 40th yahrtzeit of the holy Skulener Rebbe, and as we commence the precious days of Elul, it behooves us to take heed of Dovid Hamelech’s timeless words. To recommit ourselves to Hashem and His Torah, and to persist in our stubborn ignorance of those voices – be they from within or without – who may ridicule or question our observance and adherence to His laws.
B’zchus R’ Eliezer Zusia ben R’ Yisroel Avraham, zeicher tzaddik l’vracha.
Lyrics:
זְכֹר דָּבָר לְעַבְדֶּךָ עַל אֲשֶׁר יִחַלְתָּנִי
זֹאת נֶחָמָתִי בְעָנְיִי כִּי אִמְרָתְךָ חִיָּתְנִי
זֵדִים הֱלִיצֻנִי עַד מְאֹד מִתּוֹרָתְךָ לֹא נָטִיתִי
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