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Weekly Chasidic Story #1338 (5783-45) 13 Av 5783 (July 31, 2023)
Story in PDF format for more convenient printing A Superiour Scholar and True Friend
Rabbi Adin Even-Yisrael Steinsaltz was born on 3 Av 5697 (1937) to Avraham Moshe Steinsaltz, a descendant of the first Rebbe of Slonim, and Rivka Leah Krokovitz, a descendant of the first Rebbe Vorka (Warka, Poland). When he was a teenager, Rabbi Adin became a ba'al teshuvah (someone who returns to his/her true Jewish roots). At the early age of sixteen, he began to study mathematics and physics at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Parallel to his academic studies, he learned the Oral Torah in Yeshivat Tomchei Temimim in Lod. He also studied in the Jerusalem yeshivas, Torah Emmet and Mir. At the young age of 24 he was offered the position of Chief Rabbi of Holon, but refused. Over the decades, he established a network of experimental schools and educational institutions in Israel and the former Soviet Union. In 5751 (1991) Rabbi Steinsaltz changed his last name to Even-Yisrael upon the recommendation of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He authored over 400 books concerning every aspect of Torah including Kabbalah and Chasidut, although he is best known and celebrated for his monumental linear translation with commentary of the entire Babylonian Talmud, which he began at the age of 28 and finally completed in 2010. Rabbi Adin Even Yisrael Steinsaltz passed away on 17 Av 5780 (August 7, 1980).
He was buried in the Chabad section of the ancient Mount of Olives Cemetery. One of Rabbi Even-Yisrael's close students related: During one of her pregnancies, my wife, who had juvenile diabetes, was suffering from drastic, dangerous, and uncontrolled drops in her blood-sugar levels. One Friday might, I met Rabbi Steinsaltz in the synagogue. "How are things going?" he asked "Not good at all," I replied and embarked on an enumeration of the difficult situation.
"And are you praying?" Truthfully, his question irritated me. "Do you really believe that prayer can do something?" I responded. "Will these words truly balance her sugar?" Rabbi Adin turned red. After a moment he said to me, "Look, if you don't believe in the power of prayer, then the only solution is for G-d to push you against the wall. He will pressure you and cause you pain until ultimately, not only will you pray, but you will shout. And then He will answer!" Rabbi Adin's answer made me feel very pressured, and even a bit insulted. I began to sob uncontrollably. He looked at me with compassion and blessed me with "Shabbat Shalom," whereupon I went home. Amazingly, from that Shabbat day on through the end of the pregnancy, my wife didn't have one significant glycemic drop. In other words, we were saved! Rabbi Adin was very happy to hear the good news. When I thanked him profusely, he responded with a sentence that to me is immortal: "Look, I don't know if I'm a Baba whose prayers are more accepted that the next person's. Anyway, I actually think that something completely different took place. When you tell a friend your trouble from the depths of your heart, from the point of your pain - G-d hears. "This is the explicit meaning of the verse 'Then the people who feared G-d spoke to each other, and G-d listened, and He heard.'[1] You spoke from the depths of your heart with a good friend and G-d heard." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Connection: This week, on Friday 17 Av (Aug. 4) is the 3rd yahrzeit of Rabbi Steinsaltz. Biographical note: Footnote: [1] Malachi 2:16, quoted in Pirkei Avot 3:2
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Rabbi
Adin asked about the doctors, and I answered that we had already tried everything.
He lowered his eyes, waited a bit, looked at me with penetrating eyes and asked:
Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.