‘You Came to Leningrad to the Rebbe or to the Rebbe in Leningrad?’

Reb Yosef Rozin, the Rogatchover Gaon, was the Rov for the chassidim in Dvinsk and was renowned for his incredible memory and depth in Torah. The Rebbe called his most amazing mind ‘a special gift given in the times before Moshiach.’

Reb Yosef Rozin, the Rogatchover Gaon, was born in Ragatchov, and served as the Rov for the chassidim in Dvinsk. He is renowned for his incredible memory and depth in Torah. The Rebbe called his most amazing mind ‘a special gift given in the times before Moshiach’. Hundreds from far and wide wrote him questions in Torah and he would answer each one.  He passed away 11 Adar, 5696 (1936).

*

The Gaon accounted for every second.  Even though he possessed other talents, he decidedly never got involved in anything other than Torah.  

The Rogatchover once asked a bochur to translate a letter written in Russian, for him.  After doing his bid, the bochur turned to his teacher in surprise, “Rebbi, why don’t you learn the language?  You could surely do it in half an hour!”

The Rogatchover smiled and said, “It would take me half that time, but from where should I take fifteen minutes?”

*

In the year 5685 (1925), Reb Simcha Gorodetzki came to Leningrad. He went to the Rogatchover who asked him, “So you came to the Rebbe to Leningrad?” He answered, “Yes, I came to Leningrad, to the Rebbe.”

The Rogatchover pressed further, “You came to Leningrad to the Rebbe or did you come to the Rebbe to Leningrad?” and he remarked that there were seventeen differences in halacha if his coming was primarily for the Rebbe or not. One of them was if he would be obligated in a sukka, since one who is traveling for a mitzva is exempt from a sukka.

“The rest,” he said, “break your head yourself and find out”…

*

The Rebbe once told the following story as an example of how those who truly study Torah are able to have control over the ways of the world:

The Rogatchover once received a tax notice from the Russian government stating that he owed two types of taxes. Hearing this he commented that the first tax is valid according to Torah and he is therefore obligated to pay it since “dina d’malchusa dina,” (the law of the land is binding according to Torah), but the second tax is invalid, and he is therefore not obligated to pay.

A few days later, he received another notice apologizing for a miscalculation, exempting him from paying the second tax.

For sources, visit TheWeeklyFarbrengen.com