Sholom Schwadron
Encyclopedia
Sholom Schwadron (1912–1997) was a Haredi
rabbi
. He was known as the "Maggid
of Jerusalem" for his fiery, inspirational mussar talks. Some of the stories he told about the character and conduct of Torah
leaders and tzadik
im of previous generations were incorporated in the "Maggid" series of books by Rabbi Paysach Krohn
, whom Rabbi Schwadron mentored.
neighborhood of Jerusalem to Rabbi Yitzchak and Freida Schwadron. Rabbi Yitzchak was formerly the Av Beit Din
(head of the rabbinical court) of Chatzmer and son of Rabbi Sholom Mordechai Schwadron
, a leading halachic authority known by the Hebrew acronym, Maharsham.
This was Rabbi Yitzchak's second marriage. He was widowed of his first wife, Chaya Leah, in 1898, leaving him with nine children. In 1903 he moved to Israel with four of his children and remarried Freida, who raised the orphans as her own. Rabbi Yitzchak and Freida had six more children together. Their son Sholom, born a year after the death of the Maharsham, was named after his illustrious grandfather.
Rabbi Yitzchak died at age 63, leaving Freida a widow at the age of 35 and young Sholom an orphan at the age of 7. Freida struggled to support her young children, as well as her sickly brother who lived with her, by selling bread door to door. At night she found time to learn Torah
, recite Psalms, and share with her children their father's Torah legacy. Schwadron later published some of his father's Torah thoughts in the introductions to his books, Oholei Shem and Daas Torah (Part II).
For a few years, Sholom was forced to live at the Diskin Orphanage
in Jerusalem, an experience which heightened his sensitivity to orphans and people in difficult straits. At age 12, he entered Yeshivat Tzion under Rabbi Yaakov Katzenelenbogen. At age 15, he entered the Lomza Yeshiva in Petach Tikva
under Rabbi Eliyahu Dushnitzer.
Despite his family privation, Schwadron developed into a Torah scholar of note. By the age of 18 he was learning 700 pages of Gemara
every semester at the Hebron yeshiva
, which had moved to Jerusalem after the 1929 Hebron massacre
. In the seven years in which he studied at Hebron yeshiva, he became the talmid muvhak (primary pupil) of the mashgiach ruchani
, Rabbi Leib Chasman. To the end of his days, Schwadron referred to Chasman as "my rebbe."
1936, Schwadron married Leah Auerbach, daughter of Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach
, rosh yeshiva
of Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva
. Auerbach was a well-known Jerusalem personality whose extreme poverty was only matched by his extreme love of Torah and Torah scholars.
A story from the early days of Schwadron's marriage illustrates the dire poverty found in the Auerbach household. As part of the dowry agreement, Rabbi Auerbach and his wife committed to supporting their son-in-law for the first three years of his marriage. On the first day, he came to eat breakfast and was served black bread, cream, a cup of coffee and halva
by his mother-in-law. Schwadron ate the meal, thanked his mother-in-law, and went to learn. The next morning, he realized that his wife hadn't joined him and asked where she was. "Oh, she had to go somewhere," Rebbetzin Auerbach replied. On the third morning, when his wife still didn't join him, Schwadron became worried and demanded to know what was going on. His mother-in-law tearfully admitted that they had agreed to support him, but had no money to support her too. Schwadron's wife would come in after he left and make do with bread and water for breakfast.
Schwadron founded his own home on simplicity and lack of luxuries. He and his family lived in a small, two-room apartment in the Shaarei Chesed neighborhood of Jerusalem, which lacked a refrigerator, a bathtub, a washing machine or running water. (Water was drawn from a nearby well.) The kitchen, located in the courtyard, was so small that it did not fulfill the halachic requirement for a mezuzah
. Yet despite the lack of space and conveniences, the family was known for sharing everything it had with drop-in visitors and indigent guests.
Schwadron's marriage made him the brother-in-law of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Kol Torah in Bayit Vegan
, with whom he enjoyed a long and productive relationship as learning partners and friends. Schwadron also became the brother-in-law of Rabbi Simcha Bunim Leizerson, founding president of the Chinuch Atzmai
school system.
Following his marriage, Schwadron joined the Ohel Moshe kollel
, where he learned alongside future Torah leaders such as Rabbi Shmuel Wosner
, Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg
, and Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
. He also taught an evening Gemara
class to residents of Shaarei Chesed, the neighborhood in which he now lived, and learned each night with his brother-in-law, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. In 1937, he was asked to deliver a more advanced evening Gemara shiur in Shaarei Chesed, a class he led for the next 25 years.
In 1943, he became mashgiach ruchani
at Yeshivat Tiferet Tzvi for young teens. The talks he gave to the students, as well as his personal example of total concentration in his own learning, made a lasting impression on these boys. Schwadron exerted a similar positive influence on Sephardi
students at Mekor Chaim Yeshiva, where he served as rosh yeshiva from 1950 to 1960. He taught the highest shiur, establishing personal relationships with students that often lasted 30 or 40 years.
At the urging of the Brisker Rav
, Schwadron became a spokesman for the Pe'elim organization, which promoted the spiritual rescue of Jewish children who had emigrated from Yemen
and Morocco
.
shtiebel near the Geula
neighborhood of Jerusalem. It was this lecture, which continued for the next 40 years, that earned Schwadron the title of "Maggid of Jerusalem."
He opened each talk with halacha and ended with fiery mussar, penetrating his listeners' hearts and inspiring them to self-improvement. A master at storytelling, Schwadron was able to draw out his audience's emotions using sing-song and mournful voices, witty remarks, and exaggerated mannerisms before delivering the "punch line" of his call to change. Often he punctuated the irony of human foibles with a booming laugh and the words, "Pilei ployim, hafla vafelle! (Wonder of wonders! Amazing!)"
Following is the introduction to one speech delivered in the Hebrew month of Elul
, as he prepared his listeners to undertake serious contemplation and teshuvah
before Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
:
In the course of his talks, Schwadron publicized many stories about leading rabbis and tzadik
im of previous generations. Some of these stories were included in Rabbi Paysach Krohn's books, The Maggid Speaks (on which Schwadron collaborated) and Echoes of the Maggid (published after Schwadron's death).
Schwadron also served as the hazzan
for the Zichron Moshe shtiebel
on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The Gerrer
Rebbe, Rabbi Yisrael Alter
, once said that if someone wanted to do teshuvah, he should listen to Schwadron's soul-stirring prayers on the Days of Awe.
Just as he exhorted others to change and improve, Schwadron constantly worked on improving himself. From the time of his marriage until into his eighties, he made a taanit dibbur (abstention from speaking) every Monday and Thursday, as well as during the forty days from the first of the month of Elul
until Yom Kippur
.
It was on one of these trips, in late 1964, that he was invited by Rabbi Avrohom Zelig Krohn, the father of Rabbi Paysach Krohn
, to stay at his home in New York, even though Schwadron didn't know him or his family personally. Schwadron insisted on paying rent, which Rabbi Avrohom Zelig agreed to reluctantly. During the five months that Schwadron resided with the Krohns, a close bond formed between him and the family. When Schwadron announced that he was leaving after Passover
1965 to travel back to Israel by boat, the entire family saw him off at the pier. Then Rabbi Avrohom Zelig handed Schwadron an envelope containing all the "rent money" he had paid, as he had never intended to keep it.
A few days later, Rabbi Avrohom Zelig missed his guest so much that he decided to greet him when his boat docked in Israel. He and his wife quickly arranged passports and flew to Israel two days before Schwadron arrived. After giving the Schwadron family their own time for a reunion, the Krohns appeared with their own welcome.
Rabbi Avrohom Zelig was diagnosed with a terminal illness after this event, and died a year later. Six months after that, the family received a letter from Schwadron saying that he was coming to America again. Schwadron became a surrogate father to Krohn's seven orphans and a surrogate grandfather to their children as well.
With Schwadron's encouragement and active input, Rabbi Paysach Krohn penned the first of his popular "Maggid" books, The Maggid Speaks, published in 1987. Subsequent titles (Along the Maggid's Journey, In the Footsteps of the Maggid) memorialized Schwadron's influence on the overall project. After Schwadron died, Krohn's titles reflected that fact too (Echoes of the Maggid, Reflections of the Maggid).
, mainly those penned by his grandfather, the Maharsham. These included:
He also wrote and edited two famous mussar texts composed by his teachers — Ohr Yahel by Rabbi Leib Chasman and Lev Eliyahu by Rabbi Elyah Lopian
.
Schwadron died on December 21, 1997 (22 Kislev
5758). He was buried in the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
.
Haredi Judaism
Haredi or Charedi/Chareidi Judaism is the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox. A follower of Haredi Judaism is called a Haredi ....
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
. He was known as the "Maggid
Maggid
Maggid , sometimes spelled as magid, is a traditional Eastern European Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A preacher of the more scholarly sort was called a "darshan", and usually occupied the official position of rabbi...
of Jerusalem" for his fiery, inspirational mussar talks. Some of the stories he told about the character and conduct of Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
leaders and tzadik
Tzadik
Tzadik/Zadik/Sadiq is a title given to personalities in Jewish tradition considered righteous, such as Biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ṣadiq, is ṣ-d-q , which means "justice" or "righteousness", also the root of Tzedakah...
im of previous generations were incorporated in the "Maggid" series of books by Rabbi Paysach Krohn
Paysach Krohn
Paysach J. Krohn is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a noted author, mohel, and lecturer on topics related to ethics and spiritual growth.-Biography:...
, whom Rabbi Schwadron mentored.
Early life
Sholom Mordechai HaKohen Schwadron was born in the Beit YisraelBeit Yisrael
Beit Yisrael is a predominantly Haredi neighborhood in central Jerusalem, Israel. It is located just north of Mea Shearim.The name Beit Yisrael is taken from the verse in Ezekiel , in which Ezekiel prophesies to the hills and mountains of Israel, "I shall make numerous on you the people, the...
neighborhood of Jerusalem to Rabbi Yitzchak and Freida Schwadron. Rabbi Yitzchak was formerly the Av Beit Din
Av Beit Din
Av Beit Din, Av Beis Din, or Abh Beyth Diyn . was the second-highest ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Commonwealth period. He presided over the Sanhedrin in the absence of the Nasi, and was the chief of the Sanhedrin when it sat as a criminal court...
(head of the rabbinical court) of Chatzmer and son of Rabbi Sholom Mordechai Schwadron
Sholom Mordechai Schwadron
Rabbi Sholom Mordechai Schwadron was known by his acronym Maharsham. He was a foremost halachic authority and his main works "Shailos Uteshuvos Maharsham" and "Daas Torah" are widely studied sources of practical Jewish law.He also authored Techeiles Mordechai, a three-volume commentary of the...
, a leading halachic authority known by the Hebrew acronym, Maharsham.
This was Rabbi Yitzchak's second marriage. He was widowed of his first wife, Chaya Leah, in 1898, leaving him with nine children. In 1903 he moved to Israel with four of his children and remarried Freida, who raised the orphans as her own. Rabbi Yitzchak and Freida had six more children together. Their son Sholom, born a year after the death of the Maharsham, was named after his illustrious grandfather.
Rabbi Yitzchak died at age 63, leaving Freida a widow at the age of 35 and young Sholom an orphan at the age of 7. Freida struggled to support her young children, as well as her sickly brother who lived with her, by selling bread door to door. At night she found time to learn Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
, recite Psalms, and share with her children their father's Torah legacy. Schwadron later published some of his father's Torah thoughts in the introductions to his books, Oholei Shem and Daas Torah (Part II).
For a few years, Sholom was forced to live at the Diskin Orphanage
Diskin Orphanage
The Diskin Orphanage was an orphanage in the Old City of Jerusalem, establishedin 1881 by Yehoshua Leib Diskin. From the Jewish Quarter, it moved to Street of the Prophets outside the walls of the Old City...
in Jerusalem, an experience which heightened his sensitivity to orphans and people in difficult straits. At age 12, he entered Yeshivat Tzion under Rabbi Yaakov Katzenelenbogen. At age 15, he entered the Lomza Yeshiva in Petach Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
under Rabbi Eliyahu Dushnitzer.
Despite his family privation, Schwadron developed into a Torah scholar of note. By the age of 18 he was learning 700 pages of Gemara
Gemara
The Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. After the Mishnah was published by Rabbi Judah the Prince The Gemara (also transliterated Gemora or, less commonly, Gemorra; from Aramaic גמרא gamar; literally, "[to] study" or "learning by...
every semester at the Hebron yeshiva
Slabodka yeshiva
Hebron Yeshiva, also known as Yeshivas Hevron, or Knesses Yisroel, and originally as Slabodka Yeshiva, is known colloquially as the "mother of yeshivas" and was devoted to high=level study of the Talmud. The yeshiva was located in the Lithuanian town of Slabodka, adjacent to Kovno , now...
, which had moved to Jerusalem after the 1929 Hebron massacre
1929 Hebron massacre
The Hebron massacre refers to the killing of sixty-seven Jews on 23 and 24 August 1929 in Hebron, then part of the British Mandate of Palestine, by Arabs incited to violence by rumors that Jews were massacring Arabs in Jerusalem and seizing control of Muslim holy places...
. In the seven years in which he studied at Hebron yeshiva, he became the talmid muvhak (primary pupil) of the mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani or mashgiach for short, means a spiritual supervisor or guide. It is a title which usually refers to a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yeshiva students' lives.The position of mashgiach ruchani arose with the...
, Rabbi Leib Chasman. To the end of his days, Schwadron referred to Chasman as "my rebbe."
Marriage
On the Friday of HanukkahHanukkah
Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
1936, Schwadron married Leah Auerbach, daughter of Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach
Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach
Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach was one of the founders and first roshei yeshiva of Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva, a landmark Jerusalem institution specializing in Talmudic and kabbalah studies for Ashkenazi scholars...
, rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva
Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva
Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva, located in the Mekor Baruch neighborhood of Jerusalem, was founded in 1906 by Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach, author of Chacham Lev, and kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Tzvi Horowitz, for the purpose of teaching and studying the kabbalah of the Arizal...
. Auerbach was a well-known Jerusalem personality whose extreme poverty was only matched by his extreme love of Torah and Torah scholars.
A story from the early days of Schwadron's marriage illustrates the dire poverty found in the Auerbach household. As part of the dowry agreement, Rabbi Auerbach and his wife committed to supporting their son-in-law for the first three years of his marriage. On the first day, he came to eat breakfast and was served black bread, cream, a cup of coffee and halva
Halva
Halva refers to many types of dense, sweet confections, served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish world.The term halva ,...
by his mother-in-law. Schwadron ate the meal, thanked his mother-in-law, and went to learn. The next morning, he realized that his wife hadn't joined him and asked where she was. "Oh, she had to go somewhere," Rebbetzin Auerbach replied. On the third morning, when his wife still didn't join him, Schwadron became worried and demanded to know what was going on. His mother-in-law tearfully admitted that they had agreed to support him, but had no money to support her too. Schwadron's wife would come in after he left and make do with bread and water for breakfast.
Schwadron founded his own home on simplicity and lack of luxuries. He and his family lived in a small, two-room apartment in the Shaarei Chesed neighborhood of Jerusalem, which lacked a refrigerator, a bathtub, a washing machine or running water. (Water was drawn from a nearby well.) The kitchen, located in the courtyard, was so small that it did not fulfill the halachic requirement for a mezuzah
Mezuzah
A mezuzah is usually a metal or wooden rectangular object that is fastened to a doorpost of a Jewish house. Inside it is a piece of parchment inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah...
. Yet despite the lack of space and conveniences, the family was known for sharing everything it had with drop-in visitors and indigent guests.
Schwadron's marriage made him the brother-in-law of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach , was a renowned Orthodox Jewish rabbi, posek, and rosh yeshiva of the Kol Torah yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel...
, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Kol Torah in Bayit Vegan
Bayit Vegan
Bayit VeGan is a neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem, Israel, with a mostly charedi religious population. Bayit VeGan is located to the east of Mount Herzl and borders the neighborhoods of Kiryat Hayovel and Givat Mordechai. The Shaare Zedek Medical Center is located near Bayit VeGan...
, with whom he enjoyed a long and productive relationship as learning partners and friends. Schwadron also became the brother-in-law of Rabbi Simcha Bunim Leizerson, founding president of the Chinuch Atzmai
Chinuch Atzmai
Chinuch Atzmai was founded in 1953 by the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah to serve as an alternate school system for Orthodox children in Israel. It was initially led by Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin....
school system.
Following his marriage, Schwadron joined the Ohel Moshe kollel
Kollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
, where he learned alongside future Torah leaders such as Rabbi Shmuel Wosner
Shmuel Wosner
Rabbi Shmuel Wosner is a Haredi rabbi and posek living in Bnei Brak, Israel....
, Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg
Eliezer Waldenberg
Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg was known as the Tzitz Eliezer after his monumental halachic treatise Tzitz Eliezer that covers a wide breadth of halacha, including Jewish medical ethics, as well as ritual halachic issues from Shabbat to kashrut...
, and Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
Yosef Shalom Elyashiv is a Haredi rabbi and posek who lives in Jerusalem, Israel.At the age of , Elyashiv is active and remains the paramount leader of both Israel and the Diaspora Lithuanian-Haredi community, and many Ashkenazi Jews regard him as the posek ha-dor, the contemporary leading...
. He also taught an evening Gemara
Gemara
The Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. After the Mishnah was published by Rabbi Judah the Prince The Gemara (also transliterated Gemora or, less commonly, Gemorra; from Aramaic גמרא gamar; literally, "[to] study" or "learning by...
class to residents of Shaarei Chesed, the neighborhood in which he now lived, and learned each night with his brother-in-law, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. In 1937, he was asked to deliver a more advanced evening Gemara shiur in Shaarei Chesed, a class he led for the next 25 years.
In 1943, he became mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani or mashgiach for short, means a spiritual supervisor or guide. It is a title which usually refers to a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yeshiva students' lives.The position of mashgiach ruchani arose with the...
at Yeshivat Tiferet Tzvi for young teens. The talks he gave to the students, as well as his personal example of total concentration in his own learning, made a lasting impression on these boys. Schwadron exerted a similar positive influence on Sephardi
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
students at Mekor Chaim Yeshiva, where he served as rosh yeshiva from 1950 to 1960. He taught the highest shiur, establishing personal relationships with students that often lasted 30 or 40 years.
At the urging of the Brisker Rav
Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik
Yitzchok Zev Halevi Soloveitchik , also known as Velvel Soloveitchik or as the Brisker Rov Yitzchok Zev Halevi Soloveitchik (Hebrew: יצחק זאב הלוי סולובייצ'יק), also known as Velvel Soloveitchik ("Zev" means "wolf" in Hebrew, and "Velvel" is the diminutive of "wolf" in Yiddish) or as the Brisker...
, Schwadron became a spokesman for the Pe'elim organization, which promoted the spiritual rescue of Jewish children who had emigrated from Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
Maggid of Jerusalem
In 1952, Schwadron began teaching a Friday-night shiur for the public at the Zikhron MosheZikhron Moshe
Zikhron Moshe is a neighborhood in the center of Jerusalem, Israel.Zikhron Moshe was founded in 1905. It is located between Meah Shearim and Geulah. The first inhabitants were secular teachers. It was one of several neighborhoods in Jerusalem named for Sir Moses Montefiore.The neighborhood grew up...
shtiebel near the Geula
Geula
Geula is a neighborhood in the center of Jerusalem, Israel populated mainly by Haredi Jews. Geula is bordered by Zikhron Moshe and Mekor Baruch on the west, the Bukharim neighborhood on the north, Meah Shearim on the east and the Jerusalem city center on the south.-History:Geula was established in...
neighborhood of Jerusalem. It was this lecture, which continued for the next 40 years, that earned Schwadron the title of "Maggid of Jerusalem."
He opened each talk with halacha and ended with fiery mussar, penetrating his listeners' hearts and inspiring them to self-improvement. A master at storytelling, Schwadron was able to draw out his audience's emotions using sing-song and mournful voices, witty remarks, and exaggerated mannerisms before delivering the "punch line" of his call to change. Often he punctuated the irony of human foibles with a booming laugh and the words, "Pilei ployim, hafla vafelle! (Wonder of wonders! Amazing!)"
Following is the introduction to one speech delivered in the Hebrew month of Elul
Elul
Elul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days...
, as he prepared his listeners to undertake serious contemplation and teshuvah
Repentance in Judaism
Repentance in Judaism known as teshuva , is the way of atoning for sin in Judaism.According to Gates of Repentance, a standard work of Jewish ethics written by Rabbenu Yonah of Gerona, if someone commits a sin, a forbidden act, he can be forgiven for that sin if he performs teshuva, which...
before Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
:
"Imagine that the inhabitants of the local cemetery were given the opportunity by the Heavenly Court to return to this world for just one hour. Just one hour, just one hour," he sang in a mournful tone of voice.
"Look at the door!" he startled the audience. "There is the elte bubbe (old grandmother) and the old rabbi who passed away last year! And there is Berel and Yankel and Yossel! They're all coming in!"
The listeners spun around, actually expecting to see the long departed members of their community walk through the ornate doorway. The vivid descriptions portrayed by the orator transported the crowded shul members into a dizzying whirl as they pictured the town filled up by the departed.
"Move over," continued the speaker relentlessly. "'Make place for me,' the former departed are screaming. 'We have just one hour!' Just one hour, just one hour," he intoned in that special tone unique to maggids.
The mournful tones and mannerisms employed by the maggid played on the listeners' emotions, putting his audience exactly where he wanted it to be: with thoughts of God's greatness, man's mortality, and the teshuvah period. (Donn)
In the course of his talks, Schwadron publicized many stories about leading rabbis and tzadik
Tzadik
Tzadik/Zadik/Sadiq is a title given to personalities in Jewish tradition considered righteous, such as Biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ṣadiq, is ṣ-d-q , which means "justice" or "righteousness", also the root of Tzedakah...
im of previous generations. Some of these stories were included in Rabbi Paysach Krohn's books, The Maggid Speaks (on which Schwadron collaborated) and Echoes of the Maggid (published after Schwadron's death).
Schwadron also served as the hazzan
Hazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
for the Zichron Moshe shtiebel
Shtiebel
A shtiebel is a place used for communal Jewish prayer. In contrast to a formal synagogue, a shtiebel is far smaller and approached more casually. It is typically as small as a room in a private home or a place of business which is set aside for the express purpose of prayer, or it may be as large...
on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The Gerrer
Ger (Hasidic dynasty)
Ger, or Gur is a Hasidic dynasty originating from Ger, the Yiddish name of Góra Kalwaria, a small town in Poland....
Rebbe, Rabbi Yisrael Alter
Yisrael Alter
Yisrael Alter, , also known as the Beis Yisroel after the works he authored, was the fourth Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1948 until 1977....
, once said that if someone wanted to do teshuvah, he should listen to Schwadron's soul-stirring prayers on the Days of Awe.
Just as he exhorted others to change and improve, Schwadron constantly worked on improving himself. From the time of his marriage until into his eighties, he made a taanit dibbur (abstention from speaking) every Monday and Thursday, as well as during the forty days from the first of the month of Elul
Elul
Elul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days...
until Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
.
Relationship with the Krohns
Schwadron traveled abroad frequently to raise money for the institutions with which he was involved. During his months-long stays, he would address congregations, conventions, and other assemblies, solidifying his title of "Maggid".It was on one of these trips, in late 1964, that he was invited by Rabbi Avrohom Zelig Krohn, the father of Rabbi Paysach Krohn
Paysach Krohn
Paysach J. Krohn is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a noted author, mohel, and lecturer on topics related to ethics and spiritual growth.-Biography:...
, to stay at his home in New York, even though Schwadron didn't know him or his family personally. Schwadron insisted on paying rent, which Rabbi Avrohom Zelig agreed to reluctantly. During the five months that Schwadron resided with the Krohns, a close bond formed between him and the family. When Schwadron announced that he was leaving after Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
1965 to travel back to Israel by boat, the entire family saw him off at the pier. Then Rabbi Avrohom Zelig handed Schwadron an envelope containing all the "rent money" he had paid, as he had never intended to keep it.
A few days later, Rabbi Avrohom Zelig missed his guest so much that he decided to greet him when his boat docked in Israel. He and his wife quickly arranged passports and flew to Israel two days before Schwadron arrived. After giving the Schwadron family their own time for a reunion, the Krohns appeared with their own welcome.
Rabbi Avrohom Zelig was diagnosed with a terminal illness after this event, and died a year later. Six months after that, the family received a letter from Schwadron saying that he was coming to America again. Schwadron became a surrogate father to Krohn's seven orphans and a surrogate grandfather to their children as well.
With Schwadron's encouragement and active input, Rabbi Paysach Krohn penned the first of his popular "Maggid" books, The Maggid Speaks, published in 1987. Subsequent titles (Along the Maggid's Journey, In the Footsteps of the Maggid) memorialized Schwadron's influence on the overall project. After Schwadron died, Krohn's titles reflected that fact too (Echoes of the Maggid, Reflections of the Maggid).
Published works
Schwadron wrote, annotated and edited more than 25 sefarimSefer (Hebrew)
Sefer in simple Hebrew is a word that means any kind of "book" It is derived from the same Hebrew root-word as sofer , sifriyah and safrut ....
, mainly those penned by his grandfather, the Maharsham. These included:
- Oholei Shem
- Daas Torah
He also wrote and edited two famous mussar texts composed by his teachers — Ohr Yahel by Rabbi Leib Chasman and Lev Eliyahu by Rabbi Elyah Lopian
Elyah Lopian
Eliyahu Lopian , known as Reb Elyah, was among the most prominent rabbis of the Mussar Movement. As a disciple of the Kelm Talmud Torah method, he was known for his strict keeping of order and strong self-control...
.
Later years
Schwadron's mother, Freida, died in 1962. His wife, Leah, died in 1977 at the age of 63.Schwadron died on December 21, 1997 (22 Kislev
Kislev
Kislev Kislev Tiberian ; also Chislev is the third month of the civil year and the ninth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar....
5758). He was buried in the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
.