Yahrtzeit next Monday, Aug. 17
LIVED 1843–1926
100th yahrtzeit 4 ELUL BURIED Daugavpils (Dvinsk), Latvia
Reb Meir Simcha of Dvinsk was one of the greatest geonim of the last generations. His famous seforim, Ohr Sameach and Meshech Chochmah, are studied and treasured in yeshivos around the world. He served as the Litvishe Rov of the city of Dvinsk, while during the same period, the great Rogatchover Gaon served as the city’s Chassidishe Rov. They were buried next to each other.
1) The city of Dvinsk was surrounded by a large river, and during the winter there was always a danger that it would overflow. One year, the water rose to an especially dangerous level, and it seemed that a devastating flood was about to strike the city. Even the local priest told the townspeople that they should ask the rabbi to pray for them. The mayor and the city officials came to Reb Meir Simcha and begged him to help.
After hearing what was happening, Reb Meir Simcha asked for a wagon and traveled to the edge of the river. Standing before the rising waters, he declared loudly, “Sar of the waters, I forbid you from rising any further!” The water continued to rise. He repeated, “I am the rabbi of this city, and I forbid you from rising any further!” Still the water continued to rise. Finally, Reb Meir Simcha proclaimed, “If you do not listen, I will place you in cherem!” The very moment he said those words, the water miraculously stopped rising.
2) One day, Reb Meir Simcha and a talmid spent several hours learning a difficult sugya, but no matter how much they discussed it, they could not reach a clear understanding. Finally, Reb Meir Simcha said, “Let’s daven for ahavas hatorah.”
The student was surprised. “Why should we daven for ahavas hatorah?” he asked. “Shouldn’t we daven for a better understanding of the Torah?”
Reb Meir Simcha explained with a beautiful mashal. “When a baby is too young to speak, people often try to understand the baby’s movements but cannot figure out what the baby wants. The baby’s mother, however, understands immediately. Why? Because of her great love for her child. When there is deep love, even the smallest hint is enough.”
“So too with Torah,” Reb Meir Simcha concluded. “If we truly love the Torah, then even a small hint will be enough to give us clarity and understanding.”
I WANNA BE LIKE …
The Ohr Sameach
Let’s try to learn Torah with more ahavas HaTorah!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 94.