The Sassover Rebbe - Rabbi Simcha Rubin

מוֹרינוּ ורבינוּ ר שמחה רוּבין זצוק”ל
האדמו”ר מסאסוֹב

נפטר לגן עדן י סיון תשסג

Who passed from this world to the heavenly world on

10th Sivan 5763 - 10th June 2003

The Rebbe was a "Talmid Chochom"

There is no doubt that the Sassover Rebbe made an unbelievable outstanding contribution to Anglo-Jewry . The Sassover Rebbe, Rabbi Simcha Rubin, who was born in Lvov, Poland, died at the saintly age of 93. And was active in his charitable work, helping as many people as possible from all walks of life .

One of his former students Winston Held said: “He opened the window for English Jews into chassidic life of the 19th Century which they may have only known from family anecdotes or books. His greatness lay in his warmth and sense of welcome to everyone of whatever background.”

He established the current Sassov shtiebl (Synagogue), one of the first chassidic shuls in London, in Golders Green in 1942. Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said about the Rebbe " He was a saintly man whose charitable work was legendary. He did much to raise standards of kashrus throughout our welfare institutions as well as encouraging the building of mikvoas.

Rabbi Rubin was buried at Edmonton Federation cemetery next to his father the Previous Sassover Rebbe .Please see here for Photos of Ohel Tomb of the Sassover Rebbes in Edmonton, London .

This picture below is of the Sassover Rebbe Rabbi Simcha Rubin ( 2nd from the right) with his father The Sassover Rebbe Reb Hanoch Henoch Dov ( 1st on the right ) and his other son Shulem ( 1st on the left, whose yarzheit is on the 20th Iyar 5764) .

Please see here for Photos of Ohel Tomb of the Sassover Rebbes in Edmonton Cemetary, London

 

The Sassover Rebbe was famous for getting involved with everyone, he never judged anyone, and his heart was open to help anyone with any kind of difficulty . The photo below was taken in 1933 of the Sassover Rebbe - Rabbi Simcha Rubin at Hyde Park protest rally against rise of fascism in Germany.

 

Even from a young age, he made his amazing impression, this picture was taken in Hyde Park in July 1933 , at a protest against the rise of Hitler in Germany, the article made the front page of the Daily Mirror National newspaper . Reproduced with thanks and kind permission from the Daily Mirror Photos by courtesy, owned by Trinity Mirror PLC, special thanks to Antony Schipani for his help .

 

And one of last photos taken , from the Jewish Tribune Newspaper ( An English printed newspaper who apologise for spelling Sassov wrongly in hebrew) with the news in Yiddesh of his passing ....

and the Obituary from the Jewish Chronicle ( with kind permission )

 

 

 

Torah of the Sassover Rebbe

with thanks to Rabbi Zvi Zobin of Yerushalayim

The Mitzva of Tzedoka
Rabbi S. Rubin - The Sassover Rebbe

"Teshuva, Tefilla and Tzedoka take off the Bad Decree"

We can understand the relevance of the first two conditions since they are essential to our service to HaShem Yisborach. They purify us spiritually and physically and bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. But Tzedoka is presumable a mitzva like any other. Why, therefore, not mention Shabbos or Kashrus, or, for that matter, it might be more timely to mention Shofar, as it says in Gemora Rosh Hashona (34), "So that your rememberance should pass before me for good - How? With a shofar!"
However, if we reflect on our own lives, we might find an answer to this question. Just a moments pause would make us realise that our entire existance depends on tzedoka. We pray, "Do for us tzedoka and chessed." Our health and our lives are forms of tzedoka. We say, "Who supplies Life with chessed!" The act of respiration, the gifts of sight, speech and the ability to eat, are all examples of chessed from HaShem Yisborach.
So how can we possibly ask for tzedoka if we ourselves fail to practice it? Moreover, when we remember that HaShem Yisborach is a Merciful and Kindly G-d, and yet, when we have cause to call upon Him to pass over the Bad Decree, the advent of which cannot be regarded as undeserved, we plead for mercy.
More to the point is the very fact that teshuva achieves atonement is, in itself, a tremendous Chessed - The Heavenly Kingdom is like the Earthly Kingdom - on this world when an accused is brought before a judge and found guilty, it will avail him very little if he says, "I am very sorry. I will not do it again." Not so is the practice of the Heavenly Court. There, if a sinner confesses his crime and merely repents he will be forgiven. Indeed, if his teshuva is prompted by love of God then the very sins are converted into merits. Is this not supreme kindness?
Thus we can interpret the phrase as follows:-
Because of the practice of tzedoka, our teshuva and tefilla will be well received.
Now, I think we can can understand why the author of this "piyut" gave precedence to tzedoka. It was to impress upon us the importance of practicing this Mitzva constantly and diligently.
Only then are we justified in pleading, "May the trait of Mercy roll onto us!" although according to the strict letter of the law we may be guilty and deserve punishment, Chass vechollilah. Since we engage ourselves in the mitzva of tzedoka, we in turn can hope to expect the benevolance of Heavenly loving kindness.
* * *
The Gemora (Bava Basra 10) relates how the Roman Governor, Turnis Rufus once challenged Rabbi Akiva about the Jewish practice of giving Charity to the poor.
Turnis Rufus said to Rabbi Akiva, "Imagine a king was angry with his servant and commanded that he be put in prison without food and water. Then one of the king's subjects came and smuggled food and water in to the servant. Surely the king would be angry with the subject for tryng to foil his punishment? Your King has decreed that this servant be smitten with poverty, at it says, "For you are servant to HaShem." What right do you have to try and foil your King's plans by giving the poor person charity?"
Rabbi Akiva responded that the Governor had got the wrong story. "Imagine a king whose son had been disobedient. In desparation, the king ordered that his son be put in prison without food or water. A loyal subject of the king, knowing how pained the king was at the punishment he had been forced to give his beloved son, secrectly smuggled food and water in to the prince. When the king found out, how happy he was at the loyal subject. So too by us, as it is said, 'For you are children to HaShem!'."
We call HaShem Yisborach "Our Father, our King!". If our relationship with HaShem Yisborach is as a subject to his king, then we cannot hope for atonement for our sins. As mentioned before, under the laws of a country, just saying sorry and promising not to commit the crime again does not expiate the criminal from suffering the punishment which the king has to give him for committing the crime.
However, if a disobedient child cries to his father and promises to be good, surely the father will kiss his child and forgive him.
So, giving charity to the poor shows that we want our relationship with HaShem Yisborach to be that of a son to his father. Otherwise, as Turnis Rufus pointed out, if our relationship is as a subject to his king, we would not be allowed to give charity.
* * *
In the Shema, we recite the obligation to serve HaShem Yisborach "with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our all our 'mo'ed''. The Gemora in Brochos explains that "mo'ed" refers to money and that the Torah is enjoining us to serve HaShem Yisborach with all our wealth. The Gemora then asks, surely, if we are already serving HaShem Yisborach with all our heart and with all our soul, money is a minor issue! The Gemora answers that there are some people who regard their money more dearly than their heart and their soul.
Rabbi Pam, שליט"א, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Vo'daas, suggested another answer. He pointed out that we can never tell if a person is serving HaShem Yisborach with all his heart and with all his soul. But we can tell if a person is serving HaShem Yisborach with all his wealth. Therefore, the fact that a person is serving HaShem Yisborach with all his wealth shows that he is also fullfilling the first two parts of the requirement.
We can also apply Rav Pam's answer to the point being discussed here. We cannot tell if a person is doing teshuva or supplicating to HaShem Yisborach, be we can see if a person is giving Charity. Therefore, the fact that a person is giving charity indicates that he is also fulfilling the other two issues.
* * *
The Torah (Devorim 15:11) pleads that the poor shall not flounder under their poverty. "Therefore," commands the Torah, "I command you, saying, you shall surely open you hand to your brother, to your poor and to your destitutes who are in your land."
It is noteworthy that the words "open your hands" are inflected with the notes "kadmoh" and "azloh" - which mean, "get up first" and "go". These notes seem to be telling us an important rule about giving charity. Do not wait for the poor and destitute to come to you but rather you should go and seek them out and supply their needs before they have a chance to turn to you.
This sentiment is also expressed regarding the requirement of each person to give a half-shekel as a redemption for his soul. The word "and you shall give" is likewise inflected with the notes "kadmoh" and "azloh". So the notes seem to be warning us that we should take the initiative and send our offering rather than to wait for the collector to come and demand payment.
* * *
The Rambam (Hilchos Matanas Anyi’im, chap. 10) explains, “We are bound by the mitzvah of charity more than any other positive commandament (Mitzvas Aseh) because charity is the hallmark of the righteous descendents of our Patriarch Abraham. As the Scripture says, “. . . so that he command his offspring to engage in charity.”
Furthermore, The People of Israel are identified and the Torah of Israel only stands firm because of the mitzvah of charity, as it is written, “Zion in justice will be redeemed and its captives (will be liberated) through charity.”
We see from the Rambam’s words that we only inherit the title, “Children of Abraham” through acts of charity. In spite of the terrible sins of Sodom anf Gemorrah, G-d would only destroy them after consulting with Abraham because Abraham was to teach his descendants the virtue of charity and justice. The poet could find no term more apt than tzedokah.
It seems to me that we can compare charity to a pay-phone – we can only make contact by first inserting coins.
The banner of Teshuva, Tefilla and Tzedoka is interpreted to refer to tzom (fasting), kol (voice) and mommon (money). Each of these terms has a numerical value of 136, totalling together to 408.
The Torah says, “bezos yovo Aharon el hakodesh” – “with this shall Aharon enter to the Holy Place.” The word “bezos” (with this) also has a numerical value of 408.
So the Torah is hinting to us that Aharon can enter into Holy of Holies only through the merit of these three mitzvos, Teshuva, Tefilla and Tzedoka

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Azov T'azov Imo
- when a person must help himself first
Rabbi S. Rubin (Sassover Rebbe).

There is a curious anomaly which seems to follow the Jewish people throughout their history.
In preparation for the Flood, all the animals had to come into the Ark. The Medrash tells us that the unclean animals came to the Ark by themselves, but Noach had to go out and bring in the clean animals.
Eliezer, the servant of Avrohom, noticed that when Rivka Imainu went to draw water from the well, the water rose to meet her. However, when she went to draw water for Eliezer's camels, the Medrash tells us that the water did not rise but she had to lower her bucket all the way to the bottom of the well.
When Ya'akov Ovinu was on his way to Lovon, Ya'akov Ovinu unwittingly passed by Har Moriah, the site of the future Bais Hamikdosh. Suddenly, he realized his oversight and retraced his steps. By the time he reached the Mount, the sun set and he was forced to sleep there. During the night, he had the grand dream of the Ladder and awoke full of wonder - "How fearful is this place!"
The Medrash explains that Hashem Yisborach caused the sun to set prematurely to force Ya'akov Ovinu to sleep there so that he could receive the dream. But Ya'akov Ovinu had already passed by Har Moriah before! Why did HaShem Yisborach cause the sun to set only the second time and not the first time?
After he left Lovon, Ya'akov Ovinu was faced with two confrontations. When he heard that his brother Aisov was coming to meet him, Ya'akov reacted by praying, sending gifts to appease Aisov and by dividing his camp. That night, Ya'akov was faced by Aisov's Guardian Angel. How did Ya'akov react? Ya'akov did not pray or try to appease the angel but he fought with the angel.
When the Children of Israel left the land of Egypt, Pharaoh raced to overtake them. Eventually he cornered them at the edge of the Yam Suf. The Children of Israel faced disaster, trapped between the mighty Egyptian army, the desert full of deadly snakes and scorpions and the waters of the Yam Suf. So they cried out to HaShem Yisborach. Hashem Yisborach reassured them, "Do not worry, I will battle for you."
Some time later, the army of Amalek attacked the Children of Israel. Again, they cried out to HaShem Yisborach. This time, HaShem Yisborach told them to form an army and do battle with the Amalekites.
While the Tribe of Israel wandered in the Desert, the Mishkon was taken apart and carried by the Levites. Most of the families were allotted wagons to help them transport the parts assigned to them. But the family of Kehos, who carried the most holy parts of the Mishkon, were not assigned any wagons. They had to carry their loads on their shoulders. Surely, as the carriers of the most holy parts of the Mishkon, they should have had priority for being allocated use of the wagons.
Well before the Children of Israel entered the Holy Land, the Torah tells us exactly where the Cities of Refuge were to be located. When the land was settled, a network of sign-posted, broad highways was established to enable someone who had slain a person to flee to the nearest City of Refuge. In contrast, when Dovid Hamelech wanted to build the Bais Hamikdosh, he could not even find a hint of where it was to be built. In the end, he had to pray to HaShem Yisborach. Only then was its site revealed to him.
When the people of Israel faced destruction from the hand of Haman and Achashverus, they reacted by fasting and praying. Later, when the Greek Empire was trying to crush the Jewish people, Matisyahu Cohen Godol declared war on the Greek Army and they were ready to fight to the death.
A clue to clarifying the anomaly lies in the answer to an interesting question raised by the previous Belzer Rebbe.
The load has fallen off the back of a donkey. The owner is standing there. He needs to put the load back onto his donkey. The Torah states, "You shall surely help him." The Torah gives us a special mitzvah to help the man reload his donkey.
The Gemora tells us that HaShem Yisborach also keeps all the mitzvahs of the Torah. Of course, it is not easy to understand such a concept. But the Belzer Rebbe asks, "How can HaShem Yisborach keep this mitzvah of "You shall surly help him"?
The Belzer Rebbe answers that HaShem Yisborach keeps the mitzvah of "You shall surely help him" when a person tries to do Teshuva.
Let us look more closely at the Belzer Rebbe's question. The truth is that without HaShem Yisborach's help, no-one could do anything! Everything in this world only comes about through HaShem Yisborach's help! So what was the real basis for the Belzer Rebbe's inquiry?
Let us return to the mitzvah of "You shall surely help him". The Gemora explains that that a person should not think that the good Jew who passes by is obligated to load up the donkey while owner of the donkey stands by idly. The Gemora points out that the Torah actually says, "You shall surely help with him". The passer-by is only obligated to help the owner reload the donkey. The owner himself must also participate in the loading.
Now we can understand the basis for the Belzer Rebbe's inquiry.
The real scene for fulfillment of the mitzvah of ""You shall surely help him" is one in which the owner of the animal is engaged in the task and the passer-by steps in to help him. So the Belzer Rebbe's problem was to find a situation in which a person is engaged in a difficult task and then HaShem Yisboruch steps in to help him - surely HaShem Yisboruch is always helping everyone all the time.
The Belzer Rebbe response was that such a situation occurs only when a person wants to do teshuva. "One who comes to purify receives help" - first he has to make the effort. Then he can hope for Divine Assistance, and then HaShem Yisborach will surely help him.
This idea is also summed up in the famous phrase, "Everything is from Heaven except the fear of Heaven." Ultimately, health, wealth and every other aspect of our physical existence is decreed from Heaven - but the amount of Fear of Heaven a person has depends solely on his own efforts.
This now explains the apparent anomalies mentioned above. When the issue is one of corporeal, physical existence, we can hope that HaShem Yisboruch will initiate His intervention and send Divine Assistance to save us from calamity. But if the issue is regarding our spiritual existence, we must make the initial effort - and only then can we hope for Divine Assistance.
The bringing in of the unclean animals to the Ark, the threat to Ya'akov from Aisov, the war against the pursuing Egyptian army, the setting up of the Cities of Refuge and Homon's plan to destroy the Jewish people were all issues regarding the physical existence of the Jewish people. Therefore it was right to pray and hope for Divine Assistance.
In contrast, the bringing in of the pure animals, Ya'akov's confrontation with the Angel Of Aisov, the war with Amolaik the building of the Bais Hamikdosh and the threat of the Greek culture to the Jewish people were all issues regarding our spiritual existence. Therefore, the individuals needed to take the initiative and only then could they hope for Divine Assistance.
This also explains why HaShem Yisborach did not cause Ya'akov to receive his dream when he passed over Har Hamoriah the first time. Ya'akov first needed to show the desire to intentionally make the effort to go to the mount, which he knew was the site of the Akaida. This he did only when he decided to turn around and retrace his steps.
Similarly, when Rivka went to draw water the first time it was only for herself, therefore she received Divine Assistance. But when she went to draw water to do chessed to Eliezer and his camels, she was doing a big mitzvah and so she invested full effort.
This clarification explains an unusual facet of the Festival of Shavuos. The dates for all the Festivals are stated clearly in the Torah, except for the festival of Shavuos. Not only is the date for the festival not given, but also it is referred to as the Festival of Bikkurim - First Fruits. The aspect of Shavuous being the time for the Giving of the Torah seems to be completely hidden.
Using the principal derived from the Belzer Rebbe's answer, we can now begin to understand why the Festival of Shavuous is different to the other festivals. The festival of Shavuous is the time for the acceptance of Torah, not just then in the desert of Sinai but now, for every individual.
A person's ability to accept the Torah does not depend on a date on the calendar. It depends primarily on the person's own efforts.
Once we invest our efforts, we can pray for Divine Assistance, but the initiative must come from us.
We also see this from the way Yisro reacted to the news of the miracles which occurred when the Children of Israel left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. The Torah says, "He heard and he came". He did not wait for his son-in-law Moshe to send him a teacher, but he took the initiative and came immediately.
Furthermore, we see from the work of the family of Kehos that the holier the task, the more a person is expected to do by himself. It was because the parts they carried were so holy that they needed to carry their loads on their own shoulders.
There is a well-known saying that HaShem Yisborach helps those who help themselves. The Gemora in Megilla 6b explains that this principle does not apply to matters of materialistic matters such as earning a livelihood but to spiritual matters such as doing mitzvos, moral development and learning Torah.
One who strives to improve his Avodas HaShem should note the principle we derived from the Belzer Rebbe's answer. He needs to remember that in situations of spiritual challenge, such as when learning Torah, when working to improve his midos or when trying to raise the standard of the way he observes mitzvos, the individual first needs to take the initiative and try his best. Then can he hope and pray for Divine Assistance - which HaShem Yisborach will surely provide.

 

Articles submitted , with sincerest thanks to Rabbi Zvi Zobin of Yerushalayim

 

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Please see our new website www.famousrebbes.com with photos & history,

Especially of their holy gravesites / "Ohel" - tombs.

Please see here for Photos of Ohel Tomb of the Sassover Rebbes in Edmonton, London

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