The holy community of Berditchev
The heychal of the holy Spiritual Defender of the Jewish Nation – Its history until today
The passing of the holy Spiritual Defender
Before Rabbi Levi Yitzchok ben Sara Sasha passed away from this world, the righteous of his generation already prophesized: “The Defender of Israel is already fighting a difficult battle with the Sitra Achra, with him teaching merit for the deeds of the Jewish nation and cleansing them from any sin or iniquity. The Satan is fighting him to send him from the world.”
The battle transpired over a long time period, with Rabbi Levi Yitzchok lying weak and exhausted in his bed. However, eventually he was able to overcome the forces of tumah and accusation and continue to defend the Jewish nation.
Until Rosh Hashana of the year 5570 (1809):
On that Rosh Hashana, the Satan decided to use all his strength and might and incite against the Jewish nation. When Rabbi Levi Yitzchok picked up the shofar, to blow the tekios, he was unable to produce any sound. The Satan blocked the shofar. Rabbi Levi Yitzchok argued before his Creator: “Did You not command us to hear the shofar? If You do not wish that we blow, let it be so! Ivan the gentile will come and blow…”
These words aroused crying and a storm inside the shul. Immediately afterwards, the tzaddik took the shofar in his hands, and this time clear, distinct tekios were heard.
After the tefillah (prayer), the tzaddik revealed:
“Indeed I removed the accusation, but I gave up my soul. I will be the atonement of Israel”.
On Motza’ei Yom Kippur, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok said that now his time had arrived to take leave of the world. However, he had succeeded in Heaven in deferring it until after the Festival of Sukkos, so that he would once again merit enjoying the holiness of the Arba Minim (Four Species).
On the 25th of Tishrei, towards the end of the month, the light of the world darkened. The holy Rabbi Levi Yitzchok ascended to heaven in a storm. And he is no longer – For G-d has taken him!
At that time, the holy Rabbi Nachman of Breslov zy”a cried and said: Anyone with pure eyes can actually see how the light of the world was extinguished. Darkness and gloom descended to the world!
The holy Ohel – a source of yeshuos
From the moving moment when Rabbi Levi Yitzchok was buried in the center of Berditchev’s cemetery, his holy tziyun (gravesite) became a beacon attracting others. The city’s Jews repeatedly visited the site, refusing to part from his holy figure, and many more Jews from all over the world began to pour into the place, knowing that at Rabbi Levi Yitzchok’s tziyun they could achieve any yeshuah.
A particularly stunning and impressive ohel was built over the holy tziyun. According to the testimony of the Jews of Berditchev from long ago, we find that the ohel was famous for being extremely beautiful and and the most impressive structure in the entire city of Berditchev.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchok is buried close to the grave of his son, Rabbi Meir zy”a, author of Keser Torah, who passed away at a young age, during his father’s lifetime. Later, next to him and in the same row, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok’s two remaining sons were also buried: Rabbi Yisroel of Pikov zy”a, who was rabbi in Berditchev after his holy father’s passing, and Rabbi Dov Berish zy”a.
The holy ohel became a spring, the source of all the yeshuos. And up until today, not even one day goes by without Jews experiencing a yeshuah there. It is not for nothing that the place has absorbed oceans of tears. Jews come here and feel that whoever they are and however far away they are from Judaism, they can still find their place with the holy Defender – since wasn’t he a tzaddik who never saw anything bad about any Jew, and therefore who has the ability that he does to nullify all evil decrees from every single Jew?
The Ohel during the Shoah and Communist rule
During the late 1930s, the Jews of the city began to feel that the Nazi sword was hovering over them. The G-d-fearing Jews there were also fearful of the various forces operating against Judaism from inside the Communist regime. Their unease led the Jews to fear for the holy tziyun of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok, that no one would plow it over.
They therefore came up with the following original solution:
In 1938 (some say 1939), the Jews destroyed the upper part of the holy ohel. They took the earth and stones from the demolition of the upper part and piled them inside the ohel until it was about half full – until the edge of what was left of the ohel’s walls. They poured a thick layer of cement on it from above, and thus ensured the continued preservation of the holy tziyun, the apple of Jewish Berditchev’s eye.
Later, around 1940, the city’s Jews added a layer of earth and cement around the ohel too, surrounding the other holy graves of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok’s family and descendants and other tzaddikim who were buried close to the holy ohel.
In this way, a low and broad concrete headstone was created, under which the tombstones of the holy tziyunim were buried.
During the years of Communist rule, the Jews did not touch the large concrete headstone under which the ohel and other holy tziyunim were hidden. They were afraid to remove the concrete, out of fear of the wicked people. For this reason, they built a stone at the edge of the large cemented area, noting that this is the burial place of the Defender of the Jewish nation.
It was intentional that the stone wasn’t placed over the exact grave, but rather at the edge of the cemented area – so that Jews would not climb on the cement, thereby treading on the graves. Over the years, the headstone was restored several times by local Jewish residents. Thus the concrete area became sanctified with the prayers of the Jews living under the terrifying yoke of the evil regime.
The structures built over the graves
Only after the fall of the Iron Curtain, with the fear from the cruel Communists vanishing, the time arrived to rebuild the ohel over the holy tziyun.
The first ohel was built in the summer of 1980. These were Jews with big hearts, led by Rabbi Nachman Elbaum z”l, Rabbi Tzvi Dov Ber Abraham z”l, the Av Beis Din of Berditchev-Monsey, and Rabbi Leibel Surkis, who gathered more Jews and together began to build the new ohel. For some reason it was decided not to lift up the concrete slab, but rather to build the new ohel on top of it, like the Cave of Machpelah – one ohel on top of the other.
Years earlier, when Communism still ruled, a stone headstone had been built at the edge of the large concrete area, with it having been engraved on it that this was the site of the grave of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok. The headstone had specificially been built by the Jews at the edge of the concrete slab, since they didn’t want those praying to climb on the concrete and accidentally tread on the graves. Now, years later, when the ohel was constructed, they thought for some reason that the place where the headstone was, marked the site, and they set a new headstone in the place where the old one had stood on the concrete.
The new ohel was built during 2000-2005. The newly-constructed ohel was bigger and encircled the old one.
Disclosure: Finding the original gravesite
Until the Coronavirus Outbreak Period. When COVID-19 conquered the world and closed the skies. The flow of people coming to pray in Berditchev suddenly stopped. Hagaon Rav Moshe Shmuel Thaler shlita decided to utilize the quiet period, and harness it as he is accustomed for the community’s welfare.
It was decided to install underfloor heating in the ohel area, so as to provide the place with suitable heating – so essential during the freezing winters, when heavy Ukranian snow “welcomes” those coming to pray.
In consultation with and following the precise guidance of rabbis, experts, and gedolei Yisroel, it was decided to lift the layer of concrete at the base of the ohel a little, and install the heating there.
When they began to lift the concrete, the great discovery was revealed:
Remnants of the old, original, and sacred ohel, were exposed.
The rabbi, Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Thaler shlita was overcome with emotion, and hurried to contact gedolei Yisroel, and in accordance with their instructions, the earth and stones which filled the original ohel were carefully removed.
After the earth and bricks had been cleared away, the greatest revelation ever made at kivrei tzaddikim was exposed:
The original gravestone of the heilege Rabbi Levi Yitzchok was revealed, standing in line with the gravestones of his three holy sons.
Here – the holy tziyun was revealed – the very same gravestone on which Jews had spilled floods of tears until the terrible Holocaust. The floor of the ohel, built of colorful, precious stones, was also exposed. As well as the remnants of the original ohel.
This discovery shook up the entire Jewish world.
Today –
The Moro D’asro
The radiant figure of Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Thaler has been lighting up the city of Berditchev for two decades. He came here as a shaliach of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, following in the footsteps of the shaliach, Rabbi Shmuel Plotkin. For the past ten years he has been the only rabbinical figure to live in the city, and he directly influences the spiritual lives of its residents, now during the war, too.
There is a blood connection between Rabbi Thaler and Berditchev, with him being one of the descendants of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, zy”a.
Today, too, following the upheavals of the Holocaust and the years of the Iron Curtain, Berditchev Jewry continues to flourish under the protection of Rabbi Thaler. The five hundred Jewish families in the city seek him out, always earning the support of the rabbi and rebbetzin, who are like a father and mother to all Berditchev’s Jews.
The rav invests many hours of his day and a great deal of money in the Jewish cemetery, to save, nurture, restore, and preserve it. He is particularly active in the most holy of all its sections – the heilige tziyun of the Spiritual Defender of the Jewish nation, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, zy”a. If this was true when life was tranquil, it is all the more so now, when the sounds of war infiltrate. There are far fewer visitors, but the expenses have grown, to pay to guard and preserve the site. However, Rav Thaler has not been deterred from continuing to safeguard the cemetery with its holiest section.
Community Activities
The holy kehillah of Berditchev, led by the moro d’asro, Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Thaler shlita, offers a complete community support bubble for the five hundred Jews of Berditchev. The Jewish community supports all the city’s Jews at all stages of their lives, with a range of Torah, educational, and chessed (acts of kindness) institutions. Each Jew receives the best of the community’s services including any spiritual or physical help which he requires. And now, as war rages, who doesn’t need help?
The kehillah institutions include:
– The local shul (synagogue), which is active year-round.
– The Tiferet Levi Yitzchok Kollel – for residents of the city who wish to immerse in the waters of the holy Torah.
The Mei Levi Yitzchok Mikveh, a mikveh built to the highest standards of kashrus.
The kehillah’s chessed organization which includes hospitality for visitors, alongside daily chessed for the community members, distribution of food and aid to all the Jewish residents of the city providing whatever they need.
– The Chevra Kaddisha
The community has a Chevra Kaddisha for burying the dead.
– Now, during these terrible times, the kehilah concerns itself – with indescribable efforts and huge sums of money – to provide essential humanitarian aid to the community members who find themselves in the middle of a war.
Minyanim
All the prayer services are held each day at the Berditchev community spiritual center, at 5 Chornovola St.
Times for tefillah on weekdays:
Shacharis: 9:30 a.m.
Minchoh: 4:30 p.m.
The Holy Tziyun
Rav Thaler, as the moro d’asro of Berditchev, is responsible for preserving and operating the holy tziyun, where countless Jews come throughout the year. With total dedication, the rav works around the clock to maintain the holy tziyun, make sure it is safeguarded, and works for the welfare of those who come to pray, that they will be able to approach the gravesite at all hours of the day, every day of the year.
It is no coincidence that the amazing discovery of the original heilege tziyun was by the moro d’asro – with the partners to the discovery being Hagaon Rav Shlomo Wilhelm, Rav of Zhitomir and Western Ukraine, and Rav Yitzchok Gelbstein shlita, Director General of the Perushim Chevra Gelbstein in Jerusalem, with his hands being guided from Heaven – hands which never cease working for the holiness of the heilige tziyun and those who pray there.
As noted, at these times, the tziyun stands almost deserted. Almost no one comes. But it continues to be guarded at great financial cost. Or as the rav defines it: “The costs only rise, but all the donations and income which usually come from the many people who come to pray – no longer exist.”
