In honor of Reb Shayele's 100th yartzeit

In honor of Reb Shayele’s 100th yartzeit, TYH spoke with several prominent mashpiim who share a deep connection to Reb Shaya ben Reb Moshe, exploring how they built that bond and how we can draw inspiration to connect with the Tzadik’s enduring legacy.

MENDY WORCH is the soulful singer and composer behind Kerestir, a heartfelt niggun dedicated to Reb Shayele. Blending beautiful vocals with chassidish warmth, his music has become a gateway for many seeking connection to the Tzaddik. His family’s connection to the Tzaddik goes back generations, and lives on today in his shul “Breslov-Kerestir” in Flatbush, New York.

YISROEL BESSER is a bestselling author known for capturing the heart and soul of our greatest Tzadikim and Gedolim through their published biographies. His book Reb Shayele: The Warmth and Wonder of Kerestir brings to life the stories, warmth, and enduring impact of Reb Shayele with depth and authenticity.

JOEY NEWCOMB is one of Jewish music’s most beloved voices, known for his heartfelt songs, incredible energy, and down-to-earth vibe. With hits like “Thank You Hashem” and “Mi K’Amcha Yisroel,” he blends deep messages with catchy tunes that uplift and inspire. Reb Joey sings the hit TYH Reb Shayele song and whether on stage or at a farbrengin, he brings people together through music, Torah, and the messages of Thank You Hashem.

How did your connection to Reb Shayele begin?

MENDY WORCH
My connection to Reb Shayele goes back to my great-great-grandfather, who lived near to Kerestir in the town of Gibart.

My grandfather was a wealthy man, and he used to support Reb Shayele. He would travel every motzoi Shabbos on his horse for the Malava Malkas, and he was very close to the Rebbe. So I’ve been going to Kerestir since my Bar Mitzvah, long before they rebuilt it and even before there was running water and electricity. There wasn’t a Jewish presence there yet, so we would pay the local Hungarians a few dollars to make their homes available for us for Shabbos. We’d mamish draw some water from the well, and throw some wood in the fire to keep us warm! Wow! How we used to go to Kerestir not that long ago!

YISROEL BESSER
I didn’t always have a connection to Reb Shayele. I was lucky enough to be in a line of work where I write about Tzadikim, and two good Yidden, R’ Mendel Rubin and R’ Shulem Eliezer Lichtenstein, presented me with this opportunity to write a book about Reb Shayele. I hadn’t really heard of Reb Shayele at that point, I just knew about the mice, and I wasn’t that intrigued by the project. But they urged me a lot to look into it and to do my own research about the Tzadik. Everything is bashert, it was a very special project. Hashem opened my eyes to learn about the Tzadik. I ended up going for a Shabbos — the Shabbos of the yahrzeit that year, and I was deeply moved and impacted by Reb Shayele.

JOEY NEWCOMB
My connection to Reb Shayele actually came through other people. Growing up, I saw his picture around, but I never really connected to it or knew much about him. Then, as the world started becoming more connected to Reb Shayele, I was invited on trips to visit his kever. The first time I went, I experienced something so unique, something I hadn’t ever felt by other kivrei tzaddikim.

That was my initial connection, and from there, I saw myself as part of the chevrah that attach themselves to Reb Shayele, and I developed a deep love for the Tzadik, Reb Shayele, who loved every Yid.

What attribute of Reb Shayele stands out to you the most?

JOEY NEWCOMB
That’s an easy one! Not living for yourself!

YISROEL BESSER
From all the stories we have of the Tzadik, we see this incredible ability to be so sensitive to others’ needs. That stands out to me as the highlight!

MENDY WORCH
I think the most important middah of Reb Shayele, of his many middos, was his ability to feel for another Yid, to really put himself in the shoes and perspective of another Yid. Sometimes it was a wealthy person who needed one type of yeshuah, and sometimes it was a small child who needed a candy and a smile. Reb Shayele knew how to connect to every type of neshamah.

What’s your favorite story about Reb Shayele?

YISROEL BESSER
(As written in my biography of the Rebbe, Reb Shayele: The Warmth and Wonder of Kerestir).

A visitor from Munkacz arrived in Kerestir in the middle of the night. The local inn had no more space, so, with little choice, he headed for the Rebbe’s home and knocked at the door.

The visitor was welcomed by an attendant, who was hard at work seeing to the many guests. Wearing neither jacket nor hat, the ordinary-looking Jew circulated amongst the guests, ensuring that they were all sleeping peacefully. The visitor from Munkacz was shown a place to sleep as well, and he thanked the diligent and gracious attendant, clearly committed to the comfort of the guests.

In the morning, the guest was astounded to learn that the shirt-sleeved host attendant was the Rebbe himself; he’d never encountered a rebbe who behaved that way. When he returned to Munkacz, he shared the account of the strange rebbe in Kerestir with his friends, and eventually, his tale made its way to the Munkaczer Rebbe, the Darchei Teshuva.

Rather than respond with ridicule, as some of the less sophisticated listeners did, the Rebbe reacted by making immediate plans to visit the young Rebbe in Kerestir.

The Munkaczer Rebbe arrived on Rosh Chodesh, and Reb Shayele invited the prominent visitor to join him in leading the Rosh Chodesh seudah. The Darchei Teshuva was seated next to Reb Shayele and after they washed, Reb Shayele made the brachah of Hamotzi and sliced the challah — but rather than taking a bite of challah, he continued slicing, removing a large chunk from the middle of the loaf.

The Rebbe motioned to a fellow at the end of the table, summoning him to the head of the table. As the fellow made his way along the table to Reb Shayele’s seat, the Darchei Teshuva, concerned about the long hefsek between the brachah and eating, knocked on the table, urging Reb Shayele to take a bite of the challah.

Only after the unfamiliar Jew received his piece of challah, did Reb Shayele himself start eating. Once they had eaten, Reb Shayele turned to his distinguished visitor and explained that as he was slicing the challah, he noticed a guest at the far end of the table who appeared weak with hunger. His eyes were fixed on the loaf and his mouth was open wide, as if eager to pounce on a piece of bread.

Reb Shayele discerned that this Jew’s teeth had fallen out and understood that it would be impossible for him to chew a crusty piece of challah. And so, realizing that it was imperative that the Yid eat immediately, the Rebbe found him a soft piece — and only then, when the hungry fellow had his challah, did Reb Shayele take a piece for himself.

“So I ask you,” Reb Shayele concluded, “Is this different than the halachah of ‘g’vil l’turi’? A Yid is certainly not worse than an animal!”

{Talmud Brachos 40a, Rav Sheshes says, even if (after reciting the brachah for bread, but prior to actually eating), one said, ‘Knead the bran for the cattle,’ (soften it in order that it may be edible for the animals), he need not bless again. This is based on the halachah that a person may not eat until he has fed his animals. Shulchan Aruch, (O.C 167, 6)}

The Munkaczer Rebbe would retell the story with admiration — both for Reb Shayele’s compassion and for the guest had no teeth. “From Shamayim, they shower special abilities upon someone who has so completely negated himself; they open his eyes so that he can see things that others would miss, both the needs of that Jew, and the relevance of the halachah of ‘g’vil l’turi.’ Reb Shayele is a Gaon in Hachnosas Orchim!

JOEY NEWCOMB
There’s a story — I don’t remember the names or exact details — where someone approached Reb Shayele with a deep Torah question, almost to test him, thinking maybe he was just a ba’al chessed and not a talmid chacham. But Reb Shayele answered his question with tremendous depth. The man was amazed and said, “I never saw you with a sefer — how do you know this?” Reb Shayele replied, “What do you mean? I get it from the same place you get it — from Hashem. I get the siyatta diShmaya from taking care of Yidden, from the zechus of chessed.”

MENDY WORCH
My grandmother told me a story that happened with my great-great-grandfather. Reb Shayele had a son named Reb Avremele (who is buried next to him in Kerestir). One time Reb Avremele was very very sick, and the doctors gathered around to see what they could do. My great-great-grandfather was there in the chatzer with Reb Shayele when the doctors came out of Reb Avremele’s room with a grim look on their faces. They reported that Reb Avremele was in tremendous pain and in terrible condition. It was very unclear whether he would survive.

Reb Shayele went into this room, and from outside they were able to hear him crying and crying and crying. As difficult as the situation was, this was also a big shock for those who were there. Reb Shayele was always the source of chizuk for everyone, and here he was crying uncontrollably.

After 20 minutes of hearing loud weeping from Reb Shayele, the Rebbetzin turned to her zeidy — his name was R’ Yermiya Hersch Berkowitz — and said “Yermiya Hersch, you are close with Reb Shayele. Go into his room and see if you can comfort him and calm him a bit.”

My grandfather was trembling as he entered the Tzadik’s room. He saw Reb Shayele bent over his shtender, crying and crying. So my grandfather approached him and tried encouraging him with words of chazal. Chazal teach us חדה אפילו חרב חדה מונחת על צוארו של אדם אל ימנע עצמו מן הרחמים, “even if I sharp sword is on a person’s neck, he shouldn’t hold himself back from davening to Hashem for a salvation.” But the Rebbe was not comforted. He tried another passuk, another message of chizuk, but Reb Shaya just kept weeping.

Finally Reb Shayele picked up his head, wiped his tears, looked at my grandfather and explained his behavior.

“Yermiya Hersch, you think I’m crying for my Avremele? I’m not crying for my Avremele. I’m crying because my whole life, when a Yid comes to me with a tzarah, I try to close my eyes and put myself in this Yid’s pain, to truly feel the tzarah so I can daven properly for him. But now I see when it comes to my own flesh and blood, when it’s my own son who is in the tzarah, that the pain is so much deeper. There’s such a level of pain now that is incomparable to anything I’ve felt over another Yid’s tzarah.

How can I be so inhumane that my pain should be worse than another Yid’s pain? Now that I am experiencing the pain in such a deep way, I’m thinking about the tzaros of all the people who have come to me over the years. Right now I’m truly feeling the pain of all the Yidden I’ve met who have shared their tzaros with me.

This is the extent of this middah of Reb Shayele. If he experienced more pain in his personal life, he used that to apply it to the pain of other Yidden who are going through tzaros. This is what it truly means to be nosah be’ol im chaveiro.

MENDY ADDS:
Perhaps this explains the koach that Reb Shayele, and other Tzadikim, have to be poel yeshuos for others in need. When hearing about a tzarah of another Yid, the Tzadik immerses himself in the pain of that Yid. In Shamayim they look down and they say “What is Reb Shayele doing in this Yid’s tzarah? The tzarah was for that Yid specifically, not for Reb Shaya! From Shamayim they have no choice but to answer Reb Shayele’s tefillah and send a yeshuah. As Chazal teach us, “Kol hamispallel be’ad chaveiro hu ne’ena techilah,” one who davens for his friend will be answered first.”

Why has there been a surge of interest in Reb Shayele in recent years?

YISROEL BESSER
The Gemarah says that Hashem said about Avraham “B’cha Chosmin,” that we end the first brachah in Shemoneh Esrai with “magein Avraham.” The Chiddushei Harim teaches that in our day and age, at the end of galus, we don’t have the same avodas as previous generations. We don’t learn Torah at the same caliber that it once was, and obviously we don’t serve Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash like we once did. But B’cha Chosmin, the chessed of Avraham Avinu, that we still have today in the same way that we always did. The way we feed a Yid today is not in any way diminished from the way Avraham Avinu fed people and did chessed.

Reb Shayele is the Rebbe for our generation because chessed is a mitzvah we can still do 100% properly without any decline from previous generations.

MENDY WORCH
There are no coincidences! The world needs this light right now, no judgement, come as you are, Hashem loves you. That’s the energy that Reb Shayala brings to our generation.

JOEY NEWCOMB
I don’t know exactly why it’s happened in the last decade, but I once heard that it’s not so much that we’re thinking about Reb Shayele — it’s that he’s thinking about us! Additionally, Rabbi Groner once said there’s a sugya called Becha Chosmin about Avraham, that the end of galus will come through chessed, tapping into the koach of Avraham Avinu. Maybe as we get closer to geulah, we need extra help with the avodah of taking care of one another. So Hashem is sending us the oros of Reb Shayele to help us along.

What’s the best way for someone to be connected to Reb Shayele?

JOEY NEWCOMB
Like Chazal teach, we connect to Hashem by emulating His middos. So, to connect to Reb Shayele, we can try to be like him — love every Yid, look out for people, pick them up when they’re down. That’s how we can truly connect to him.

Everyone can do something to tap into the chessed of Reb Shayele. If you have money to give — gevaldik. If you can give Yidden food, do that. But what about seeing someone in shul who looks down and you just go over to check on them, and maybe put your arm around them? That’s also gevaldik! Everybody can do Bikur Cholim. If Hashem gave you the koach that you are funny, then go to the hospital and be funny; cheer someone up! If Hashem gave you the koach of playing guitar, bring it along to the hospital. Just be a little creative — everyone has a way to lift another Yid.

MENDY WORCH
We can learn from Reb Shayele by identifying what another Yid needs. Does the Yid need a phone call, an arm around the shoulder? How can we make another Yid feel understood and listened to? By putting in a little effort to understand what each person needs we can begin to be po’el yeshuos and lift up our fellow Jew, just like the heiligeh tzadik, Reb Shaya ben Reb Moshe!

YISROEL BESSER
By emulating his ways. Even if one is not in the position to give others money or food, you can give time, you can give a smile, you can listen to somebody, you can tell someone you love their tie, or you love the way they davened for the amud. That’s oxygen to another Yid. That’s much more than food!