The Holy Rebbe of Ropshitz: Stories, Wisdom, and Legacy of Rabbi Naftali Tzvi

Rabbi Naftali Zvi of Ropshitz was born to his father, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Rubin, the rabbinic judge of Linsk, and to his mother, Rebbetzin Beila, daughter of the holy gaon Rabbi Itzikel Hamburger, of a lineage of great Torah scholars, righteous men, and Kabbalists.

He was born on Shavuot, in the year 5520 (1760), the same day as the passing of the holy Baal Shem Tov. Chassidim found an allusion to this in the verse: “The sun rises, and the sun sets.”

Torah Learning and Great Teachers

He studied Torah under his uncle, the great gaon Rabbi Meshulam Igra, together with Rabbi Mordechai Benet and Rabbi Yaakov of Lisa, author of Chavat Da’at and Netivot HaMishpat. There he completed the entire Talmud three times. Whenever the “Yeshuot Yaakov” met him, he would ask in amazement: how did a genius like him come to attach himself to the Chassidim?

As his bar mitzvah approached, his father took him to Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk to put on tefillin, and afterward said: “They tied knots then in all the worlds.”

From the age of fifteen he warmed himself in the light of Rabbi Elimelech, who said about him that he had a revelation of Eliyahu whenever he wished. The Maggid of Kozhnitz said that Rabbi Elimelech would come to his disciple, Rabbi Naftali, after his passing, to teach him the sefer Noam Elimelech.

For an entire year he was in the home of Rabbi Mordechai of Neshchiz. He traveled to many of the righteous leaders of his generation, fulfilling the idea of “make for yourself a teacher,” but above all he cleaved to the Seer of Lublin, who cherished him more than all his students and treated him as a colleague disciple. He spent most of his time with the Seer and observed his ways closely.

He built his chassidic path on joy and melody. On his journeys to Lublin he would compose the wondrous Ropshitz melodies. He was known as an extraordinary prayer leader, a composer and musician, and many of his tunes were preserved for later generations.

In all his teachings and conversations there were mystical unifications and holy combinations of Divine Names. The righteous of his generation testified that he had “a gold scale in his mouth,” weighing every word. He was known as one of the sharpest and wisest minds of his time.

His outstanding disciple, the Divrei Chaim, would not call him “Rebbe,” only “the Elder Rav,” saying that it was impossible to truly grasp him.

His Silence and His Passing

Before his passing he stopped speaking. His family was deeply distressed, because they did not know what he wanted or what to give him. His eldest son, Rabbi Avraham Chaim of Linsk, said to him: “Father, from all the signs I see that you are able to speak, but you do not want to. Tell me the reason for your refusal.”

His father replied: “Know, my son, that from the day I reached understanding, I never spoke a word without a yichud (spiritual intention). Now my mind has weakened. I said, better to say nothing at all than to speak without yichudim (spiritual intentions).”

He passed away on the 11th of Iyar, 5587 (1827), and is buried in Lancut. On his tombstone was engraved: “Unique in his generation in the wisdom of Godliness. And as for additional praises, we have no permission, for so we were commanded by his own mouth.”

Matches from Heaven

Rabbi Naftali Tzvi of Ropshitz sat and learned in the study hall of Rabbi Michel of Zlotchov, and still had not yet found his match. Once he entered Rabbi Michel and said: “Rebbe, you promised me I would find my destined match, and I am certain it will be so. But I want to know: will it be before age seventy, or after seventy?”

Rabbi Michel replied: “There is nothing to be done, for we do not push aside one life for another.” And time passed.

There was a wealthy man, Reb Hershka of Dukla, a respectable God fearing innkeeper, who rose early each day to say Tehillim and performed mitzvot and good deeds. One day, his daughter became widowed. Her father sent to Rabbi Mendel of Linsk to ask whether he would agree to a match: that his son, Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz, marry the widowed daughter.

Rabbi Mendel of Linsk said to his wife: “Come and see the spiritual perception of an innkeeper, whose soul desires to be connected by marriage to the Rav of Linsk.”

The Rebbetzin answered: “Listen. If he truly has such perception, it may be that this match is from Heaven. Let us go and see.” And the match was made.

Miracles and Wonders

The first wonder his grandson Rabbi Naftali performed was in the presence of his teacher Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, while he was still young.

One hot summer day Rabbi Elimelech sat outside his home with his close friends and holy disciples, breathing fresh air and speaking with them about lofty and holy matters. Rabbi Naftali noticed a Jew from a nearby village approaching, and understood he was coming to the Rebbe about a business problem that was not going well. Rabbi Naftali did not want this villager to interrupt his teacher’s sacred conversation with his disciples.

He ran ahead to meet the villager and asked what he needed. At first the villager did not want to speak, seeing that Rabbi Naftali was still young. But when Rabbi Naftali blocked his way, the villager described his distress: night thieves had broken into his home and stolen everything he owned.

Rabbi Elimelech’s custom, when someone came to him with a complaint about theft, was to take the cuff of his sleeve, shake his hand, and say: “So will the Blessed One shake the thief’s limbs with pain until he returns the stolen goods.”

Rabbi Naftali did the same before the villager, sent him home, and promised that the stolen property would surely be returned.

And so it was. Everything was returned, not even a shoelace was missing.

The villager then came to Rabbi Elimelech and thanked him. Rabbi Elimelech had no idea what had happened and understood who had done it. He called Rabbi Naftali and asked: “Why did you block the way of the man coming to me with his broken heart, and then perform wonders in my place and in my presence?”

Rabbi Naftali explained that his intention was only to prevent the villager from interrupting the Rebbe’s holy conversation with his disciples, and he did it only for the Rebbe’s honor. Rabbi Elimelech was pleased and said: “If my son is wise, my heart too will rejoice,” and he blessed him.

A Letter Sent to a Tzaddik’s Grave

It was told that on the first yahrzeit of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, his great disciples gathered, among them Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz, Rabbi of Ziditshov, the Bnei Yissaschar, and others.

Rabbi Naftali sat on Rabbi Mendel’s chair, and the disciples were astonished. Suddenly a Jew entered crying bitterly. He had a dowry for his daughter that had been lost, and after searching everywhere they could not find it. He begged Rabbi Naftali to pray that the money be found, for it was all he owned.

Rabbi Naftali asked for pen and paper and wrote a note addressed to the holy Rebbe there, explaining that a Jew had come to the yahrzeit and lost his daughter’s dowry, and that it would be a sanctification of God’s Name if he found it. He signed it “the humble Naftali Tzvi son of Beila,” and gave the letter to the man, instructing him to place it on the grave.

Within hours the man returned joyfully and announced that the entire lost sum had been found.

When the tzaddikim saw this, they said: if he can send a letter in this way as if through the mail, then he is permitted to sit on the chair of the one whose yahrzeit it is.

To You, Hashem, Is Kindness

His grandson explained the verse: “And to You, Hashem, is kindness, for You repay a man according to his deeds.”

His explanation was: Truly, kindness belongs to Hashem. He desires kindness and does kindness even without the prayers of those who pray. But the fact that God longs for the prayers of the righteous, and arranges that salvation comes through the prayer of a tzaddik, is so that He can “repay the man,” meaning the righteous person who is called “man.”

God gives him reward for praying and causing the flow of blessing and salvation to be drawn down. It is as if the righteous person himself did it, because this is God’s will.

Turn Away From Evil

He also explained the verse about those who rise early, rushing to fulfill the positive commandments, before they have completed themselves in avoiding the negative prohibitions.

He taught that a person must first strengthen himself like an iron pillar in the negative commandments, removing evil and distancing it from holiness. Only afterward can he properly fulfill the positive commandments and draw down holiness, light, and kindness, without giving any nourishment to the “other side.”

First turn away from evil, and only then do good.