Reb Shlomo and Shevat
Shevat provided a lot of inspiration to Reb Shlomo. Some of his most profound Torahs are based on the Rebbes whose Yahrzeits we remember in Shevat.
On the first of Shevat, Moshe Rabbaneu convened the Jewish people and began the 37-day “review of the Torah”, which he concluded on the day of his death on Adar 7. The second of Shevat is the Yahrzeit of Meshulam Zusha of Anipoli (1718-1800) who was a disciple Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch. On the 3rd of Shevat we remember Reb Yosef ben Rabbi Menachem Kalish zt”l, the Amshinover Rebbe, who died in 1935. On the 4th of Shevat we celebrate the Yahrzeit of Reb Moshe Leib of Sasov (1745-1807), one of the early Chasidic Rebbes in Poland whose actions served as the basis of many of Reb Shlomo’s most memorable stories.
On the 5th of Shevat we remember the Yahrzeit of the “Sfas Emes”, Reb Yehudah Arye Leib Alter of Ger (1847-1905), who was the second Gerer Rebbe. On the seventh of Shevat, Reb Dovid Biederman of Lelov (1746-1814) passed on to olam habah.. He was a disciple of the Seer of Lublin. Reb Shlomo was influenced by Reb Dovid’s Ahavat Yisrael (love of his fellow Jew). Reb Dovid was incapable of seeing faults in a fellow Jew. Two printed collections of stories about him are Migdal David and Kodesh Hillulim. Rabbi Dovid’s main disciple was Rabbi Yitzchak of Vurke whose parables so influenced Reb Shlomo.
On the 22nd of Shevat we remember the Yahrzeit of the Kotzker Rebbe (Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (1787-1859)) the forerunner of the Chassidic dynasties of Ger and Kotsk and on the
25 of Shevat we remember Reb Yisrael Lipkin of Salant (1810-1883), the founder of the “Mussar” movement.
Tu Bishvat (Shevat 15), the “New Year of the Trees” (Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot) is one of four “New Years” mentioned in the Mishnah. Many Chassidic Rebbes pickle or candy the etrog from Sukkot and eat it on Tu Bishvat and pray that they will be worthy of a beautiful etrog on the following Sukkot.
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