4 Shevat – Rav Moshe Leib Sassover zy”a1 min read

Rav Moshe Yehuda Leib (ben Yaakov) of Sassov zy”a passed away 4 Shevat 5567/1807. He was a talmid muvhak of the Rebbe Reb Shmelke of Nikholsburg, as well as a talmid of the Noam Elimelech.

The Sassover’s dedication to the mitzvah of pidyon shvuim was legendary. It is told that upon passing away, he refused to enter Gan Eden before he was able to remove all the neshamos from Gehinnom. This tzaddik, whose name was משה and helped to release prisoners from jail, passed away in the week of Parshas Bo in which משה led the Jewish nation out of bondage.

The Gemara teaches, פדיון שבוים מצוה רבה היא – “The redemption of prisoners is a great mitzvah” (Bava Basra 8b). Remarkably, these words are equal in gematriya to רבי משה יהודה לייב בן יעקב.

Whenever I hear the name Reb Moshe Leib Sassover, I am reminded of a beautiful story and vort of his. The following is an English rendition from Rav Tal Moshe Zwecker shlita:

It was Parshas Bo in Lizhensk and the talmidim of the holy Tzaddik, the Rebbe Reb Melech, were gathered together at their Rebbe’s table. It was Rav Moshe Leib Sassover’s first Shabbos in Lizhensk with the Rebbe Reb Melech, who honored Rav Moshe Leib with saying a d’var Torah at the tisch.

Rav Moshe Leib said the following: When Hashem came to Mitzrayim, he found it full of filthy, impure idols and all forms of idolatrous practices. However, when Hashem saw the Jewish homes, “the houses of Bnei Yisrael,” He was filled with great joy! And so Hashem “skipped over” them, פָּסַח עַל בָּתֵּי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – Hashem skipped and danced with joy over the Jewish homes!

Hashem was so happy and overjoyed that He danced as one who is overjoyed dances and skips! Hashem danced over the Jewish rooftops, so to speak, shouting: “Here lives a Jew, here lives a Jew! – Du voint a Yid! Du voint a Yid!”

As he spoke these words, Rav Moshe Leib himself jumped up onto the table and began to dance and sing, “Du voint a Yid! Du voint a Yid! – Here lives a Jew, here lives a Jew!” (Chiddushei HaRamal, Bo).

Perhaps we can add that the words פָּסַח עַל בָּתֵּי are equal to משה יהודה לייב בן יעקב, alluding to Reb Moshe Leib’s dancing on the tables out of his fiery excitement from this d’var Torah.

Zechuso yagein aleinu!