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Parshat Va'eira 2018

Parshat Va'eira
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו

Inviting the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

‘Speak unto Pharaoh King of Egypt’

‘God, Master of the world and all worlds, You are King over all kings’ (Yah Ribon). The acknowledgment of HaShem, our God, as the King over all other kings gives us the courage to speak for the honor of HaShem’s Torah, His People, and His Holy Land. It is Hebron, the cradle of Israel’s monarchy as the kingdom of David, that stands out as the City of Courage - where Kaleb drew his courage to talk in praise of the Holy Land despite the other leaders of the People who had spied the Land. In this parsha, we see the courage of Moshe Rabeinu and his brother Aaron, as they speak time and again before one of the most powerful figures of the ancient world, Pharaoh of Egypt. One of the important figures of Hebron, the Cradle of Royalty - who also had close ties with the ruling powers of his time and was also named Moshe - was Rabbi Moshe Meizelish zt”l.

The Meizelish family was one of the affluent and honored families in Vilna. A number of the members of this family at different periods were heads of their communities. Rabbi Moshe Meizelish stood out as he served as the head of his community for 22 years.  Rabbi Moshe Meizelish was close to the Vilna Gaon. He learned from him and even went to jail with the Vilna Gaon along with the other leaders of the Vilna Jewish community. Nevertheless, Rabbi Moshe Meizelish decided to join Chabad Hasidism publicly after the passing of the Vilna Gaon, and by so doing he was rejected by those who opposed Hasidism to such an extent that he was forced to leave his home for Germany. There, under the guidance of his master, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (The Baal HaTanya), Rabbi Moshe Meizelish ‘befriended’ Napoleon in order to work as a spy for the Tsar of Russia. This motion was supported by the Baal HaTanya who believed that although Napoleon will provide greater material prosperity for the Jews, he will ultimately bring about the spiritual demise of Judaism in Europe. Therefore, he sent Rabbi Moshe Meizelish to work as a spy to bring about the demise of Napoleon.

After Napoleon was defeated, Rabbi Moshe Meizelish could have benefited from an honorary position in the court of the Russion Tsar in appreciation for his highly valued espionage. However, instead Rabbi Moshe Meizelish preferred to ascend to the Land of Israel. He writes, “When the war was over… and I was asked to be paid my salary/reward, I remembered the mishna ‘do not be known by the government’... and I made a vow to leave all matters of the world and go to the holy service, to the Holy Land”. First, Rabbi Meizelish settled in Jerusalem or Tzfat and then, when the Chabad Hasidim settled in Hebron, he was asked by the Middler Rebbe of Chabad to settle in Hebron. Rabbi Meizelish moved to Hebron and there he served as one of the leaders of Hasidic settlement in the Land of Israel. Because of his ties with Lithuania, Rabbi Meizelish was also influential in mustering financial aid from Lithuanian Jews for the settlement of the Land of Israel. In Montefiori’s visit to the Land of Israel in 1838, he met Rabbi Meizelish, was impressed by him, and wrote the following: “a noble and trustworthy man… who could have achieved famed success, but behold his spirit led him to go to the Land of Israel.” Montefiori was especially amazed that although Rabbi Meizelish had become poverty stricken especially after his home was robbed, and despite his previous prospects of great wealth, Rabbi Meizelish did not ask for any personal support. Rather, Rabbi Meizelish only asked Montefiori for help in publishing his book on the 613 Mitzot.

Real Stories from the Holy Land: Real Stories from the Holy Land: ‘On my way to Hebron, I was waiting for the mini-van designated by the Jewish Community of Hebron to take me to my destination. However, meanwhile, one person stopped to take me although I made no sign to seek a ride. In appreciation of this kind overture I felt I should not refuse their offer even though I planned to take the designated ride straight to my destination. Afterwards I inquired why it seemed that the mini-van was late – it ‘turns out’ that the mini-van took an alternative route that day and couldn’t have taken me anyway…’ (M.A)  

Sources: Sefer Hebron pp. 148-149