13 Shevat – Reb Mordechai Lechovitcher1 min read

Reb Mordechai (ben Noach) Lechovitcher zy”a passed away 13 Shevat 5570/1810. He was a descendant of the Levush. He was a talmid muvhak of Reb Shlomo Karliner, as well as a talmid of the Rebbe Reb Boruch’l of Medzhibozh. There is a tradition to light a candle in the tzaddik’s memory, mentioning his name with his mother’s name, Reb Mordechai ben Udel.

At the end of Parshas Emor, the Torah states, ומכה נפש בהמה ישלמנה. Reb Moshe of Kobrin explains in the name of his Rebbe, Reb Mordechai of Lechovitch: מכה נפש בהמה – if one hits his “animal soul,” then ישלמנה – he can become an Adam Hasholeim – a complete person. The sefer in which this idea is recorded says that the Reb Moshe Kobriner didn’t merely say this vort, he gave a measure of his blood for this vort (Toras Avos, Emor, Reb Moshe of Kobrin).

We can add that the pasuk states, כי הדם הוא הנפש – “For the blood is the soul” (Re’eh, 12:23). If the Kobriner gave his blood for this vort, surely his Rebbe did as well. This vort was truly a part of him and not just a nice idea. This can be seen from the first letters of מכה נפש בהמה which are the same as the first letters of מרדכי בן נח. The first letters of כי הדם הוא הנפש are equal in gematriya to his mother’s name, אדל. Incredibly, the words ומכה נפש בהמה ישלמנה are equal to רבינו מרדכי בן רבי נח ז״ל זי״ע.

I originally heard this vort from Reb Shlomo Kupetz zt”l, who said he told it over to Reb Shlomo Eisenblatt zt’l (a great tzadik who was the Mashgiach of the Bostoner Yeshiva, Darchei Noam, in Flatbush, and previously in Boro Park) who was so inspired by it that he made him repeat the vort over to him numerous times.

Perhaps this vort can help us prepare for Purim, as the yahrzeit is 30 days before Taanis Esther. Additionally, the tzaddik was niftar the Thursday of Parshas Beshalach, where we read about am Yisrael’s war with Amalek. Amalek is compared to a dog – כלב, which is also equal in gematriya to בהמה. In addition, his name, Mordechai, is the name of the tzaddik who brought about the defeat of Haman, a descendant of Amalek.

Zechuso Yogen Aleinu!