Reflections
Yahrzeit of the ‘Ohev Yisroel’ of Apta
Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Heshel of Apta was rightly named the Ohev Yisroel which accurately expressed his nature.
Motty Meringer 30/03/2009 10:00
The Admor Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Heshel of Apta zt’l, known by the title ‘the Ohev Yisroel’, was born in the year 5515 to Rabbi Shmuel, rav in the town of Chodosh. Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua was the scion in a long line of famous rabbis; his grandfather was Rav Heshel (the rav of the Shach), and he descended from both the Maharam of Lublin and the Maharam of Padua. His father-in-law was Rabbi Yaakov of Turchin.
In his youth the Ohev Yisroel served as rav and Av Beis Din in the small town of Kolbesov. Whilst living there, Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua travelled to the Maggid of Mezritch, and afterwards, encouraged by Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov and Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, he travelled to Lizhensk where he remained to absorb the radiance of the Rebbe Rabbi Elimelech. It is related that before he had become known as the Ohev Yisroel, one of Rabbi Elimelech’s talmidim asked his rebbe what sort of person this was, who was currently spending time in his court - a young man with a glowing countenance. Rabbi Elimelech answered him that his nature went according to his name; Avrohom, since he possessed the middah of chessed as exemplified by Avrohom Avinu; Yehoshua, since he had the bearing and demeanour of a leader and king, as had Yehoshua bin Nun; and Heshel, since he had the sharp mind and wide breadth of knowledge of his grandfather Rabbi Heshel.
In approximately the year 5560 the Ohev Yisroel became rav of the town of Apta in Poland. There he began to conduct himself as a Rebbe, and many thousands of chassidim flocked to him. In the year 5568 the Ohev Yisroel left Apta to become rav and Av Beis Din in Yassi, Romania; however, when he left Apta, he promised the townspeople there that despite his leaving them, he would always continue to be known as the ‘Apter Rov’. In Yassi, however, the Ohev Yisroel found no peace; many of the town’s residents opposed his way of conduct in serving HaShem, and after a relatively short period of time he left Yassi and went to lead the chassidim in Mezhibuzh. There in Mezhibuzh the Ohev Yisroel kept himself far from the rabbinate itself and dedicated himself entirely to serving HaShem in purity.
From approximately the year 5575 the Ohev Yisroel was recognised as one of the elder admorim of the generation. His talmidim included many great leaders such as the Sar Sholom of Belz and the ‘Saba Kadisha’ Rabbi Yissachar Ber of Radoshitz.
The Ohev Yisroel was not given such a title lightly; it accurately expressed his very nature. He was renowned for his great love of his fellow Jews and for his concern for their needs. It happened once that he was in his beis medrash on erev Shabbos, already clad in his Shabbos finery, and was engrossed in the reciting of Shir haShirim with a mightly cleaving to HaShem. Suddenly the door of the beis medrash opened and a Jew of coarse appearance entered. He was dressed in dirty clothing and gave off an odour of cow manure; yet he approached the Ohev Yisroel and addressed him, saying; “Rebbe, my cow is about to give birth, and I am afraid that she will die.” The Ohev Yisroel immediately ceased his recital of Shir haShirim and advised the farmer of what steps he should take; after he had finished giving his advice, he resumed saying the Shir haShirim. After the Shabbos seuda, some of his chassidim questioned him, asking how he could have interrupted his great cleaving to HaShem in the middle of Shir haShirim for such a mundane matter as a cow. The Ohev Yisroel answered, saying; “When you heard the farmer speaking, you heard him say ‘cow, cow’ – but when I listened to him, I heard him saying ‘Rebbe, Rebbe – I need help’.”
His chassidim related that before his death, the Apter Rov addressed HaKodosh Boruch Hu, saying; “Master of the World! I know well that I have no mitzvah and no merit that would gain me entrance to Gan Eden to sit among the tzaddikim there. Therefore, you may wish to send me to Gehinnom with the sinners. However, Master of the World, You surely know that I have always had a great hatred for all sinners, all those who transgressed Your Will – how then can I sit there among them? Therefore, I ask of You, that You take all the sinners out of Gehinnom in order that You may place me there.”
The Ohev Yisroel was summoned to the Heavenly Yeshiva on the 5th of Nissan in the year 5585. Before he died, he said; “Why has ben Yishai(Mashiach) not yet come? The Berditchever Rav, before he was niftar, said that when he would ascend he would not rest and would not remain still; he would overturn worlds until the Messiah would come. Perhaps, after he was niftar, they deliberately occupied him in showing him great palaces and higher realms, until he forgot his promise. But, I will not forget!”
The Ohev Yisroel was buried in Mezhibuzh in the ohel of the holy Baal Shem Tov. On his headstone is inscribed; “Here lies buried the Rav and Admor, the Ohev Yisroel, our teacher Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Heshel of the town of Apta, the son of the Rav haChossid, the humble one, descendant of many great ones, our teacher Rabbi Shmuel z’l. He was niftar on the 5th of Nissan 5585. In his later years he moved his abode to the town of Mezhibuzh. No words can adequately express his greatness; his humility was one of his sterling traits. He instructed his sons not to write any praises of him on his headstone.”
In the cemetery in Tiberias there is a stone in his memory; chassidim relate that angels came to carry his pure body up to Eretz Yisroel to be buried there.
The Ohev Yisroel promised to extend himself to help anyone who would light a candle for the elevation of his soul. His divrei Torah were printed in the seforim ‘Ohev Yisroel’ and ‘Toras Emes’. He left behind two sons, themselves great tzaddikim; haRav haTzaddik Rabbi Yitzchok Meir of Zinkov and haRav haTzaddik Rabbi Yosef Moshe of Mezhibuzh.
In his youth the Ohev Yisroel served as rav and Av Beis Din in the small town of Kolbesov. Whilst living there, Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua travelled to the Maggid of Mezritch, and afterwards, encouraged by Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov and Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, he travelled to Lizhensk where he remained to absorb the radiance of the Rebbe Rabbi Elimelech. It is related that before he had become known as the Ohev Yisroel, one of Rabbi Elimelech’s talmidim asked his rebbe what sort of person this was, who was currently spending time in his court - a young man with a glowing countenance. Rabbi Elimelech answered him that his nature went according to his name; Avrohom, since he possessed the middah of chessed as exemplified by Avrohom Avinu; Yehoshua, since he had the bearing and demeanour of a leader and king, as had Yehoshua bin Nun; and Heshel, since he had the sharp mind and wide breadth of knowledge of his grandfather Rabbi Heshel.
In approximately the year 5560 the Ohev Yisroel became rav of the town of Apta in Poland. There he began to conduct himself as a Rebbe, and many thousands of chassidim flocked to him. In the year 5568 the Ohev Yisroel left Apta to become rav and Av Beis Din in Yassi, Romania; however, when he left Apta, he promised the townspeople there that despite his leaving them, he would always continue to be known as the ‘Apter Rov’. In Yassi, however, the Ohev Yisroel found no peace; many of the town’s residents opposed his way of conduct in serving HaShem, and after a relatively short period of time he left Yassi and went to lead the chassidim in Mezhibuzh. There in Mezhibuzh the Ohev Yisroel kept himself far from the rabbinate itself and dedicated himself entirely to serving HaShem in purity.
From approximately the year 5575 the Ohev Yisroel was recognised as one of the elder admorim of the generation. His talmidim included many great leaders such as the Sar Sholom of Belz and the ‘Saba Kadisha’ Rabbi Yissachar Ber of Radoshitz.
The Ohev Yisroel was not given such a title lightly; it accurately expressed his very nature. He was renowned for his great love of his fellow Jews and for his concern for their needs. It happened once that he was in his beis medrash on erev Shabbos, already clad in his Shabbos finery, and was engrossed in the reciting of Shir haShirim with a mightly cleaving to HaShem. Suddenly the door of the beis medrash opened and a Jew of coarse appearance entered. He was dressed in dirty clothing and gave off an odour of cow manure; yet he approached the Ohev Yisroel and addressed him, saying; “Rebbe, my cow is about to give birth, and I am afraid that she will die.” The Ohev Yisroel immediately ceased his recital of Shir haShirim and advised the farmer of what steps he should take; after he had finished giving his advice, he resumed saying the Shir haShirim. After the Shabbos seuda, some of his chassidim questioned him, asking how he could have interrupted his great cleaving to HaShem in the middle of Shir haShirim for such a mundane matter as a cow. The Ohev Yisroel answered, saying; “When you heard the farmer speaking, you heard him say ‘cow, cow’ – but when I listened to him, I heard him saying ‘Rebbe, Rebbe – I need help’.”
His chassidim related that before his death, the Apter Rov addressed HaKodosh Boruch Hu, saying; “Master of the World! I know well that I have no mitzvah and no merit that would gain me entrance to Gan Eden to sit among the tzaddikim there. Therefore, you may wish to send me to Gehinnom with the sinners. However, Master of the World, You surely know that I have always had a great hatred for all sinners, all those who transgressed Your Will – how then can I sit there among them? Therefore, I ask of You, that You take all the sinners out of Gehinnom in order that You may place me there.”
The Ohev Yisroel was summoned to the Heavenly Yeshiva on the 5th of Nissan in the year 5585. Before he died, he said; “Why has ben Yishai(Mashiach) not yet come? The Berditchever Rav, before he was niftar, said that when he would ascend he would not rest and would not remain still; he would overturn worlds until the Messiah would come. Perhaps, after he was niftar, they deliberately occupied him in showing him great palaces and higher realms, until he forgot his promise. But, I will not forget!”
The Ohev Yisroel was buried in Mezhibuzh in the ohel of the holy Baal Shem Tov. On his headstone is inscribed; “Here lies buried the Rav and Admor, the Ohev Yisroel, our teacher Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Heshel of the town of Apta, the son of the Rav haChossid, the humble one, descendant of many great ones, our teacher Rabbi Shmuel z’l. He was niftar on the 5th of Nissan 5585. In his later years he moved his abode to the town of Mezhibuzh. No words can adequately express his greatness; his humility was one of his sterling traits. He instructed his sons not to write any praises of him on his headstone.”
In the cemetery in Tiberias there is a stone in his memory; chassidim relate that angels came to carry his pure body up to Eretz Yisroel to be buried there.
The Ohev Yisroel promised to extend himself to help anyone who would light a candle for the elevation of his soul. His divrei Torah were printed in the seforim ‘Ohev Yisroel’ and ‘Toras Emes’. He left behind two sons, themselves great tzaddikim; haRav haTzaddik Rabbi Yitzchok Meir of Zinkov and haRav haTzaddik Rabbi Yosef Moshe of Mezhibuzh.
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