Reb Shlomo Chaim of Sadiger, 5647-5732.I apologize to he who sent in this tribute, for it's several weeks late in appearing on the blog. IIRC he told me in a separate email that most of what he sent was taken from a book whose name I forgot. Maybe one of you can remember? (It may have "Royal" or "Golden" in the title)Reb Shlomo Chaim Sadigerer was born in 1887. He succeeded his father in 1908. Despite the fact that Reb Shlome'nyu was the youngest of the five(?) (or three) brothers, he attracted many of the elder and more senior
chassidim after the passing of his father
Reb Yisroel of
Sadiger in 5668. His deep and penetrating
divrei Torah were printed and distributed all over
Galicia. When one of the
divrei Torah came into the hands of
Belzer Rebbe, Reb Yissocher Dov zt'l, he marvelled greatly that such a young person could produce such a masterpiece, and he remarked that it was
Toras Emes! When the first World War broke out and
Reb Shlome'nyu was forced to flee to Vienna, he decided to give up being
Rebbe, leaving his older brother,
Reb Avrohom Yaakov, to lead the
chassidim. Despite the
chassidim's vigorous protests,
Reb Shlome'nyu refused to retract his decision; he wanted to serve
Hashem in the way that suited him. In a letter to one of the
chassidim, Reb Shlome'nyu wrote, "I never accepted to be a
Rebbe in the usual sense, I wish to go in my own way, the way of life that I have chosen for myself over many years. My
derech (path) is the
derech of many of the
talmidim of the
Baal Shem Tov.(On another occasion he said
Reb Zushe)
Boruch Hashem I have succeeded in my
derech and
Hashem should help me succeed further."
RSC, (l) with his brother, RAY, (c) in The Holy LandAsked once why he does not take
kvitlach, he answered "When I go into grocery, and I look at the grocery store owner, I see all his problems, and "take care" of him on the spot. So , why do i have to sit down and take a
kvitel?" Reb Shlome'nyu was not a man who sat back and saw to his own life and problems. Although he had retired from being
Rebbe, he didn't stop helping others for a minute. In another letter,
Reb Shlome'nyu wrote, "My position as a
Rebbe is not confined to a particular spot. It is a moving position, each time it finds itself in a different place. Sometimes it is in a cellar or in a shack which serves as a house for a poor family. Other times it is in a rich man's office where I remind him of his duty to his less fortunate brothers. Or it is in the council offices where I draw their attention to some important matter." He use to sit in parks in
Tel Aviv and speak to people daily. He belonged to
MAFDAL and wrote in the party newspaper,
HATSOFE, (In his brother's RAY's words) to have influence on the all sorts of
yidden. He did not care for a minute who said what.
In 1938
Reb Shlome'nyu left Vienna for
Eretz Yisroel, settling in
Tel Aviv. There he freed himself further from the trappings of the
Rabbonus. Although in Europe
Reb Shlome'nyu was always accompanied by at least one gabbai (attendant), if not two, in
Eretz Yisroel he refused to have a
gabbai. When he was asked the reason for the change he answered, "My father was always accompanied by many
gabbaim, yet at home when he went from one room to another, he was by himself. In
Eretz Yisroel I feel as if I am in my home, therefore a
gabbai is quite unnecessary."
In 1949
Reb Shlome'nyu left
Eretz Yisroel for Europe. He went to seek out the many
Yiddishe children that were still in non-Jewish hands and were being brought up as
goyim. These children had been given away during the second World War to avoid their being killed by the Germans, and after the war's end their new foster parents were in no hurry to return them.
Reb Shlome'nyu saw it as his life's mission to rescue these children and bring them back to
Yiddishkeit. In a letter
Reb Shlome'nyu wrote: "My stay in this lowly world is between one Heavenly sphere and the other. I came down here, a messenger from Above, to participate in the great tikkun (rectification), to perfect the world through
Hashem's sovereignty." For close to two years
Reb Shlome'nyu traveled throughout Europe searching high and low for his lost brethren. Special
frum absorption centers were set up in
Eretz Yisroel to look after the children that
Reb Shlome'nyu rescued. After a number of years, when these children grew older, Reb Shlomenu helped them to get married and set up
frum (religious) homes. He would appear at their chasunahs (weddings) as a
mechutan, even signing his name on the wedding invitation.
Reb Shlome'nyu excelled as a true
manhig Yisroel, not someone who liked to make long flowery speeches for the masses to hear, but as a
manhig in action. In his notebook he wrote: "A speech which is not followed by the appropriate actions, not only is the speech not worth anything, it is even detrimental. The speaker thinks that he has already done his duty. He forgets that he still has the obligation to help complete the task at hand."
The
Sadigerer Rebbe, Reb Avrohom Yaakov, used to say, "My brother
Reb Shlome'nyu is
kodosh ve-tahor." His "
hoisbucher" told me that when it was time for him to get married, he asked
Reb Shlome'nyu "what was the
minhag in
Rizhin - were the ladies
noheg to be
megaleach ssaros roshon?"
Reb Slome'nyu became red and answered "You know, I'm already married for 60 years but I do not know...."
Indeed, anyone who ever saw
Reb Shlome'nyu whilst he was
davening never forgot the experience. His
tefillos gushed forth from the depths of his soul. Each word was said and pronounced with intense
kavanah, (intention) accompanied by hot tears. The realization that he was standing in front of
Hashem enveloped his whole being, elevating him to a level far above this mundane world. All his energy was inserted into his
davenen and often he had to pause to rest in the middle until he regained his strength.
During the
tishen that he lead on special occasions,
Reb Shlome'nyu sat deep in thought as his mind drifted back to times gone by. Often when he recounted stories of
divrei Torah from his
zeides, he would burst into tears, weeping like a small child. Those present could almost visualize the particular
tzaddik who was being spoken about. A lot of times he use to abruptly finish his
toire in the middle, saying “I have already said enough…”
His advice and his
berachos (blessings) were given with that same emotion as during
davenen or a
tish. One could sense his great love and feeling for every person.
Reb Shlome'nyu wrote in his notebook, "I have tried for myself what I suggested to others with the unpleasantness and the problems that go with it, and the result was excellent. It has worked wonders!"
Not many people were
zoche (had merit) to truly understand and appreciate who
Reb Shlome'nyu was. He always shunned the limelight, preferring to let others receive the honor whilst in reality he did most of the work. Those who were granted the privilege of an inside view saw in him a model of a true servant of
Hashem, a person who strove constantly to become ever closer to
Hashem. Reb Shlome'nyu was
niftar in his eighty fifth year on the twenty sixth of Av 5732 (1972). His passing was a major blow for all the
Ruzhiner chassidim worldwide, who until this day speak of him with emotion and longing.
