Fw: Tonight is the Yahrtzeit of the Rabbi Shimshon Ostripolier Zecher Tzaddik Vkodesh Livracha Z'YA
Tal Moshe Zwecker
Reb Shimshon Ostropolier HY"D
3 Av is the yartzeit of the legendary
Tzadik, R’ Shimshon Ostropolier. He was a great Rov, tzadik and kabbalist who
was killed al kidush Hashem in the gezeiras Tach V’Tat. A Magid (Malach) used to
come to him and teach him secrets from the Torah and warned him of the impending
decree on Klal Yisroel. Reb Shimshon in turn implored the people to do teshuva,
which they did, but it was already too late, as it was determined from Above
that the decree would be carried out.
It was also revealed to Reb
Shimshon that if he and two of the other great tzadikim of the time would agree
to give up their lives al kiddush Hashem, everyone else would be saved. Reb
Shimshon agreed to this and also got one of the other tzadikim to agree. The
third tzadik, however, did not agree, saying that it was forbidden for them to
do such a thing.
The Ramchal says that Reb Shimshon asked the Satan why
he bothers Klal Yisroel more than any other nation. The Satan answered that if
Klal Yisroel gets rid of Shabbos, Bris Milah and learning Torah than he will
leave them alone. Reb Shimshon replied that it is better that more of us perish
than to lose even one letter of Torah.
In the end, when the city was
surrounded by the bloodthirsty enemies, Reb Shimshon gathered several hundred
great tzadikim, they each donned a talis and burial shrouds and entered the Shul
to daven. They davened, and kept davening, until the mobs entered the Shul and
murdered them all al Kiddush Hashem. The date was 3 Av 5408/1648. Hashem Yinkom
Domom.
Reb Shimshon wrote Dan Yadin on Sefer HaKarnayim, a kabbala sefer, and Machane Dan on
Zohar, which was never published. He determined that the root of his neshama was
from Shevet Dan, therefore he used the name “Dan” for his seforim. The Chida,
Ramchal and Bnei Yisaschor, among others quote him in their seforim. His
writings can be found in Nitzotzei Shimshon.
There is a very famous and
fascinating letter, on the Arizal’s commentary of the 10 plagues of Egypt, that
Reb Shimshon wrote. He writes at the end of the letter that anyone who studies
it, even once a year, especially Erev Pesach, will be saved from calamities for
the year and will have success in all their endeavors. (Here is the letter translated into
English and
here it is in the original
Hebrew.) Many
Hagadas have this letter printed. There are miraculous stories of people who
read this and were saved during the holocaust. His yartzeit is also an opportune
time to read this letter.
Some Hold that
he might have been the Moshiach Ben Yosef of his generation.
His descendants include, R’ Lieber
of Berdichev, a great-grandson (ben acher ben), and the Toldos Yaakov
Yosef.
May the
Zchus of the Tzadik, Reb Shimshon ben Reb Pesach, protect us and all of Klal
Yisroel.
http://zchusavos.blogspot.com/2007/07/reb-shimshon-ostropolier-hyd.html