Reb Aharele of Kozhnitz

LIVED Approx. 1889–1942
84TH yahrtzeit 4 Tishrei
BURIED elechów, Poland

Reb Aharon Yechiel Hopstein, better known as Reb Aharele of Kozhnitz, was one of the most fascinating and mysterious Rebbes in Poland before World War II. He was famous for bringing hundreds of Yidden back to Hashem, and many of his chassidim were baalei teshuva. It was said that just by looking at a Yid who had strayed from Yiddishkeit, Reb Aharele could awaken something inside him and inspire him to do teshuva. Reb Aharele was niftar during the Holocaust, in the Aseres Yemei Teshuva, the very days whose message of teshuva he had spent his life spreading.

Motzei Shabbos was an especially joyous time in Reb Aharele’s shul. Reb Aharele himself would play the violin while everyone danced together! One Motzei Shabbos, in the middle of the dancing, the head of the local Communist group walked into Reb Aharele’s shul. This man had a crooked neck, and when he entered, the Rebbe called him over. The man tried to run out, but the chassidim blocked his way and brought him to the Rebbe.

The Rebbe asked him, “What is your name?” “Crooked Head,” the man answered. “From now on,” the Rebbe told him, “you will have a straight head, and you will be called by your real name.”

The Rebbe then told everyone to pour their leftover tea and sugar into one cup and told the man to drink it. The man was disgusted and refused. Reb Aharele gave him a slap and said, “You are going to drink this now!” The man had no choice but to drink it. Everyone waited with bated breath to see his crooked head straighten out, but nothing happened. At least, nothing happened on the outside.

But everyone soon realized that his inner “head,” his mind and his way of thinking, became straight! The man completely changed his life, did teshuva, and eventually became one of the respected Yidden in the kehillah!

Once, one of the children in the cheder fainted. Reb Aharele, who was in charge of the cheder, immediately told all the children to bring lots of water and pour it over him.

When the child woke up, he looked around and saw that the room seemed to have been hit by a major flood! He wondered out loud why the Rebbe had so much water poured on him.

Reb Aharele gave an amazing answer. “I also know that there was no reason to panic,” he said. “But I wanted to teach my talmidim that when it comes to saving a fellow Yid, you don’t make calculations!” 

I WANNA BE LIKE …

Reb Aharele

Let us try to be like Reb Aharele by thinking about our fellow Yidden, how we can help them, and especially how we can bring them closer to Hashem.