Shemini Atzeres

My zeide told me that the Rebbe Ma­ha­rash knew how he spoke (af­ter a few LeChaims) of the Chas­sidus of Reb Aizel of Homil. For al­though he re­ferred to Reb Aizel as Der Hieger 30 or Der Homiler, and re­served the term “Rebbe” for the Tzemach Tzedek, nev­er­the­less — as Reb Aizel’s out­stand­ing dis­ci­ple — he had high re­gard for his Chas­sidus.

Early one sum­mer morn­ing as he walked through the Rebbe’s court­yard af­ter a late-night far­bren­gen and a gen­er­ous mea­sure of mashkeh, he looked up to see the Rebbe Ma­ha­rash stand­ing by the win­dow.

“Mordechai Yoel, come here, ” the Rebbe said, and be­gan talk­ing with him.

When the con­ver­sa­tion reached the topic of Reb Aizel’s Chas­sidus, my zeide said (with a ni­gun), “The Rebbe doesn’t need it, nor do the Rebbe’s chil­dren need it. But the Rebbe’s grand­chil­dren and reg­u­lar chas­sidim 30 "The lo­cal one. "

should learn Reb Aizel’s Chas­sidus. ” Con­clud­ing his words he glanced up­ward and there, in the sec­ond win­dow, saw the Tzemach Tzedek. “I was sober in an in­stant, ” my zeide re­counted, “and fled. ”

My zeide de­scribed the time when a young man, burst­ing with joy, came out from yechidus with the Tzemach Tzedek and turned som­er­saults in the court­yard — for the Rebbe had said Chas­sidus in the meet­ing!

“How did that hap­pen?” they asked him.

When he en­tered yechidus, the young man re­lated, he said, “Rebbe, say Chas­sidus for me. ”

“What do you need Chas­sidus for?” the Rebbe asked.

“I need some­thing to daven w ith.”

“Med­i­tate on how Hashem fills all worlds, how He en­com­passes all worlds, and how ev­ery­thing is ut­terly noth­ing be­fore Him, ” replied the Rebbe.

Who was the young man? Bera, the Patz­itzer Rav.