Rabbi Meshulam Zusha of Anipoli 

Born:  Galicia, Southeast Poland,  1718

Died: Hanipol, 1800

Popularly known as Reb Zusha.

One of the most cherished of the chasidic masters, Rabbi Meshulam Zusha was the younger brother of the famous Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, the Noam Elimelech. The two brothers joined the circle of disciples of  the Maggid of Mezritch. R' Zisha soon excelled in his studies and gained the admiration of his fellow students for his deep piety. Rabbi Shnuer Zalman of Liadi, said about him: "His prayers were uttered with an intensity and awe that is beyond compare." He combined a self-effacing devotion and attachment to God with an ardent love for the Jewish people, sharing their joys, bearing their burdens. The people reciprocated, flocking to him in large masses. They saw in him a tzaddik and a guide, but above all a champion and a defender. He was the rebbe who recognized only goodness. In his final years he suffered from a protracted illness, but he never complained. "Whatever comes from God is good," he would say. The final resting place of this beloved chasidic rebbe is beside the grave of his mentor, the Maggid of Mezritch.

Rabbi Zusha did not write any books. His reflections and commentaries, which are scattered among the works of his students, were compiled under the title Menorat Zahav. He was succeeded by his son Rabbi Tzvi Menachem Mendel.

Repentance

The Chozeh (Seer) of Lublin learned from R' Elimelech, who sent him to Reb Zusha. Reb Zusha asked him, "How would you make a person repent?" The Lubliner answered, "I'd show you in the Shulhan Aruch where he did wrong." Reb Zusha answered, "I don't think that would work." Do you think that would make the person feel good?" On the contrary, it would make them feel bad. And if they feel bad, they would run away from you. People do wrong because they don't have the strength to do right." The Lubliner asked Reb Zusha, "How do you do it?" To which Reb Zusha replied, "I shine the light into them, into their hearts, a great light of the love from God."

The Maggid of Mezritch was asked a question, by a few of his followers :  "How was it humanly possible for anyone to reach the level of what the Talmud in Brachot says, 'A person is required  to bless  [God] for the bad [occurrences] just as he would bless [God] for the good (occurrences]' ".  The Maggid told them that they could discover the answer if they went to see his student the holy Rebbi Zusha of Anapoli.

They went to the house of study and found R' Zusha.  His clothes were torn and faded, yet his face shone with splendor.  They asked R' Zusha their question.  Rebbi Zusha was amazed that his Rebe the Maggid had sent them to find out the answer to their question from him.  R' Zusha answered the two brothers that they should find a person who really was suffering to be able to attain the answer to their question. Reb Zusha told them that he hadn't experienced any bad experiences in his entire life, so how would he know how to answer them.

Then the two brothers realized that their question had been answered.   For they saw by R' Zusha's answer to their question that it was possible for a person to see only good and be happy even in bad circumstances.  R' Zusha was oppressed all his life from extreme poverty, yet due to his strong attachment to God, the source of joy, R' Zusha didn't feel the afflictions of his extreme poverty and only experienced joy.

It Happened Once...

Reb Zusha had gone to visit his teacher. R'b Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezritch. After a fulfilling stay, drinking in his teacher's wisdom, R' Zusha prepared to take his leave. When he went into his rebbe's study for a parting word, he mentioned to R' Dov Ber that he needed to marry off his daughter. Now, R' Zusha was as poor as could be, and to marry off a child required a considerable sum. R' Dov Ber immediately took a sum of 300 rubles and pressed it into his disciple's hand, wishing him mazal tov, and sending him happily on his way.  Reb Zusha was greatly relieved. Now, his wife and daughter would be at ease. Although he had taken money, which was not his habit or desire, it was a necessary thing, he thought to himself.

The trip home took R' Zusha through many towns and villages, and as he passed through one tiny Jewish village he was startled by the sound of bitter weeping coming from a small hut. The other villagers were going about their business, and he stopped one and asked, "Who is that crying?"   "That is a poor widow who was about to marry off her daughter. But on the way to the chupa she lost the entire dowry. Now, the wedding is off because the groom and his family refuse to go on with it without the dowry. And how will she ever amass 300 rubles again?"

R'  Zusha's tender soul was pained for the poor woman. Then he suddenly realized that 300 rubles was exactly what he had with him. He walked up to the door of the hut and knocked. "My good woman, I think I may have found your money!" Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Can you tell me if this money had any distinguishing marks?" asked R' Zusha. "Why yes," she replied. "The money was in a packet of two fifties, and ten twenties, and it was tied with a red string." "Yes, that's exactly what I found!" replied R' Zusha. "I will go to the inn and get the money and bring it right back."

Reb Zusha ran to the inn and changed his money for the denominations the widow had described. Then he tied the bills together with a red string and ran back to the widow's hut. By the time he returned the little village was buzzing with the good news. The girl had changed into her bridal dress, and the neighbors were bustling about preparing the wedding feast. As Reb Zusha presented the widow with the money, he said, "I am keeping one twenty ruble note for my trouble."

She looked at him as if he was speaking a foreign language. The others who had overheard the remark stood with their mouths open. "What!" screamed the widow, finding her tongue. "How can you rob a poor widow of twenty rubles! And after you have just performed a most wonderful and holy mitzva!" The others converged around Reb Zusha screaming and yelling, "Thief! Stealing a widow's money! For shame!"   R' Zusha, however, refused to budge. He clung to the twenty rubles as if to dear life. "This money is mine as a reward, and for my troubles!"

Relatives, friends and other townspeople berated R' Zusha, and soon it seemed that they would tear him limb from limb to retrieve the money. Finally someone piped up: "Let's go to the rabbi. He will be able to settle this once and for all!"   Everyone agreed to follow the rabbi's ruling and they all trailed along to the rabbi's house. The rabbi listened to each side and then ruled: "Reb Zusha must give the widow the twenty rubles."  Still, Reb Zusha refused to give up the money. One young man put his hand into Zusha pocket and extracted the bill, Then Zusha was escorted to the edge of the village and unceremoniously kicked out..

Many months later the village rabbi happened to encounter Rabbi Dov Ber and related to him the incident with his disciple, Reb Zusha.  The Maggid turned to the rabbi, "You must go to Reb Zusha and beg forgiveness. That money didn't belong to the widow. I myself gave it to Reb Zusha to marry off his own child! He demanded twenty rubles because he wanted to avoid honor at any cost. He wanted this great mitzva to be completely pure."

The rabbi was shocked and ashamed when he heard this. He went to Anipoli to beg Reb Zusha's forgiveness. But Reb Zusha replied to him, "You don't need my forgiveness because I never was angry. I do not hold my honor high, but I will forget about the incident completely if you promise never to reveal the truth to the widow. I never want her to suspect that the money wasn't hers by right." The rabbi, of course, agreed and the incident was never mentioned again.

__________________________

R' Zusia and his brother R' Elimelech had an ongoing dispute on what should one base his service of God. R' Zusha maintained that one should first reflect upon his own lowliness which would in turn cause him to appreciate God's eminence. R' Elimelech held that by contemplating God's eminence, he would come to realize his own insignificance. Since neither brother could sway the other, they went to the  Maggid of Mezeritch for a judgment as to whom was correct. "You are both correct, explained the Maggid, both paths are valuable. But the one who begins with himself is safer . . . one can't fall from the ground".

Living by Faith

It was the custom of  R' Zusha to recite his morning prayers at length. After he concluded, he would retire to his room next to the Shul. Once there, he would open the window and lifting his eyes to the heavens call out, "Master of the World, Zusha (he always referred to himself in the third person) is very hungry and desires to eat something!"  Every morning, his attendant would wait until he heard R' Zusha's appeal, then he would bring in R' Zusha's morning meal of cake with a little schnapps.  One morning the attendant thought to himself, "Why doesn't R' Zusha ask me directly for his meal. In fact, who does he think he is fooling by calling out to God like that. He knows full well that I bring him his food everyday." So on the spot he decided that the next morning he would not bring R' Zusha's meal when he called out. He would just wait to see what would happen and where R' Zusha's would look for his meal.

The next morning, R' Zusha awoke as usual, well before the light of day. As he did every morning, he first went to the town Mikveh to immerse himself in preparation for the day's holy work. The night had been a rainy one in Anipoli, and the streets of the town had already turned to rivers of mud. In order to get from one side of the street to another, one had to cross on narrow planks that were laid across the flowing mud. As R' Zusha was crossing in the direction of the Mikveh, a man whom he didn't recognize, a guest in town, was coming towards R' Zusha from the other side. When he saw R' Zusha, gaunt, almost emaciated, dressed in rags without a tooth in his mouth, the stranger yelled out, "Itinerant!", and with a hearty laugh jumped up and down on the plank causing R' Zusha to tumble into the mud.

R' Zusha didn't say a word. He calmly picked himself out of the mud and continued on his way to the Mikveh, while the stranger sauntered off into the distance, chuckling merrily the whole way as he re-enacted his great prank over and over in his mind. When he arrived back at the inn where he was staying, he couldn't help but brag to the innkeeper about his good prank. The innkeeper didn't laugh so quickly. He asked the guest to describe the "itinerant" whom he had catapulted into the mud. He suddenly clapped his hands to his head and cried out in anguish, "Oy VaVoy, Oy Oy, do you know what you did!? That was not just some itinerant, that was the Rebbe R' Zusha!"  Now it was the turn of the guest to cry out "Oy VaVoy". R' Zusha was known to all as a holy man and a Tzaddik. Trembling, the guest cried out, "Oy Vey, Oy Vey! What am I going to do now? What am I going to do now?!"

"Don't worry", exclaimed the innkeeper regaining his composure, "Listen to me, I know what you should do. R' Zusha spends many hours every morning in prayer. When he is finished he goes into his private room next to the Shul. There he opens the window, and anybody can see how he leans out and lifting his eyes to heaven calls out, 'Master of the World, Zusha is very hungry and desires to eat something!' I'll prepare some cakes and some schnapps for you to take to him. When you hear him call out to the Creator, you go in immediately with this gift, and offer it to him and beg his forgiveness. I'm certain that he will forgive you whole-heartedly."

That morning, like every morning, after the prayers, R' Zusha went into his room, opened the window and called o, "Master of the World, Zusha is very hungry and desires to eat something!" The attendant, upon hearing R' Zusha, held his ground and clasped his folded arms together even tighter, waiting to see what the outcome would be. "Let God bring him his cake this morning", he huffed to himself.   Suddenly the door to the Shul opened and a man, holding a large plate of cakes and a bottle of schnapps came in and made his way to the room of R' Zusha. He went straight in, put the cakes on the table, then fell to the floor in grief, begging the Tzaddik for his forgiveness (which he was certainly granted).  Let it be known, that the attendant came to understand that it really was the Master of the World who brought R' Zusia his breakfast every morning.

May the merit of the tzaddik Rabbi Meshulam Zusha of Hanipol  protect us all, Amen.