Living Legacy: The Yismach Moshe, zy”a

28 Tammuz marks the 180th yohrtzeit of Rebbe Moshe Teitelbaum, zy”a, known as the Yismach Moshe—who is credited with introducing and spreading the derech hachasidus to Hungarian Jewry, and is the founder of the Sighet and Satmar dynasty, the largest in existence today.

 He was born in Pshemishl, Galicia, in the year 1758, to a family of misnagdim who opposed chassidus, which was then in its relative infancy. In his youth, he learned Torah under great Rabbonim, and it is said that by the age of eleven, he delivered deroshos.

 It was only through the influence of his son in law, the Aryeh D’bei Ila’i, Rebbe Aryeh Leibush Lipshitz, that the Yismach Moshe was drawn to chassidus—becoming an ardent chossid of the Chozeh of Lublin, the Koznitzer Maggid, Rebbe Mendele of Rimanow, and the Apta Rov.

 He settled in the Hungarian town of Uhel, and this is where his work of transforming the landscape of Hungarian Jewry—as well as that of their offspring to this day—began to take root.

 The Tosher Rebbe, zy”a, used to say that with his powerful droshos the Yismach Moshe could melt the heart of even the greatest rasha, bringing him to teshuvah. He would further say that invoking the memory of the Yismach Moshe is alone a segulah for a refuah—since he stood out in effecting refu’os for his fellow Yidden, including saving the life of the Ateres Tzvi of Zidichoiv.

 Apropos of the approaching month of Menachem-Av, the Yismach Moshe was wont to say that the month is called Av-father, since it will one day become the father of all months, being entirely transformed into joyous days, and that the 21 days of ‘bein hametzarim’ correspond to the 21 days of major Yamim Tovim in the year.

 The Yismach Moshe was a ga’on atzum, and his seforim are breathing brilliance. He would daven for hours upon hours in the day. Of course, he would not eat before davening, and so he wound up fasting on most days. The Rebbetzin, concerned for his health, would prepare different foods for him to break his fast. Seeing this, the Yismach Moshe said that he could not eat more than one type of food at a meal during the week. So the Rebbetzin came up with a plan; and placed many foods in one plate. The Yismach Moshe who never really concentrated on his eating, and would eat with his eyes closed, said to her: “You see, I told you that one dish is enough!”

 He presided over a Yeshiva that fashioned some of the greatest tzaddikim of the ensuing generations—and through them, so many other branches of his influence are felt to this day.

 Before Rebbe Sender’l of Komarna, zy”a, was niftar in Uhel in in the summer of 1818, he gave a sealed letter to the chevra kadisha—instructing them to open it on 28 Tammuz, 1841. When they did so, it said the following: “Whoever is niftar on this day should be buried alongside me.”

 And so it was that on that day, 23 years later (!), the holy neshamah of the Yismach Moshe ascended to Shomayim, and was buried alongside the Komarna Rebbe in the Beis Hachaim in Uhel where it has continued to draw the masses, among them his many descendants who continue to uphold his living legacy.