Reb Yosef Yitzchok of Avrutch, son of the Tzemach Tzedek and son-in-law of Reb Yaakov Yisroel of Tcherkas, settled in Horonsteipel and visited Lubavitch from time to time. When he asked his father on one visit why in Chabad they didn’t say all the zemiros, his father had a strong response.
Reb Yosef Yitzchok was born to his father the Tzemach Tzedek in 5582 (1822), in the city of Lubavitch.
He married his first cousin, the daughter of Reb Yaakov Yisroel of Tcherkas who was a son-in-law of the Mitteler Rebbe. After his chassunah, he settled in Horonsteipel near his father-in-law who supported him, and he would visit his father and brothers in Lubavitch from time to time.
Around the year 5617 (1857) he was appointed by his father-in-law to be the Rov in Avrutch and lead the Chernobyler Chasidim there as a Rebbe. He became known for his mofsim and people flocked to Avrutch to see him. After 18 years of leadership, he passed away on 18 Kislev 5637 (1876).
His daughter Rebbetzin Shterna Sara married the Rebbe Rashab.
*
Reb Yaakov Yisroel once asked his son-in-law what his custom was for davening. Reb Yosef Yitzchok answered that he tries to daven betzibur, and Reb Yaakov Yisroel was happy with the response (in Reb Yakov Yisroel’s circles, davening at length was not the custom).
Reb Yaakov Yisroel once sent a messenger to call Reb Yosef Yitzchok, but he was found still davening, although the minyan was long over. The messenger was sent again a while later but once more, he was found still davening and so it happened several times. When he finished davening, his father-in-law asked him, “Didn’t you tell me that you daven ‘betzibur’?”
Reb Yosef Yitzchok responded that he heard from his father, the Tzemach Tzedek, in the name of the Alter Rebbe, that the idea of tefila betzibur is to collect and gather (tzibur means gathering) all of one’s kochos hanefesh (inner faculties) and sparks of kedusha. And that takes a lot of time.
*
The chassunah of Reb Yosef Yitzchok took place in the year 5596 (1836) and was attended by the Tzemach Tzedek and many Lubavitcher chassidim, as well as by the grandfather of the kallah, Reb Mottel Chernobler along with many Chernobler chassidim.
When the Lubavitcher chasidim asked the Tzemach Tzedek to say Chassidus, the Chernobler Chasidim protested saying that Avrohom Avinu said “yukach na me’at mayim” implying that Torah (which is compared to water) is best kept short. The Lubavitcher chassidim argued that those words were said to people that appeared like Arabs. Yidden, however, need an abundance of Torah.
Reb Hillel Paritcher resolved their dispute by saying that the entire Torah is called a ‘kad,’ a pitcher of water, since there are 24 seforim in Tanach (כ”ד). Thus, however much Torah will be said, it will always be ‘a little.’
*
Reb Yosef Yitzchok, son of the Tzemach Tzedek, married the daughter of Reb Yaakov Yisroel of Tcherkas, son of Reb Mottel Chernobyler and son-in-law of the Mitteler Rebbe. He settled near his father-in-law in Hornosteipol, and from time to time would visit his father and brothers in Lubavitch. During the lifetime of the Tzemach Tzedek he became rov in the town of Ovrutch and a Rebbe to the Chernobyler chassidim there.
During one of those visits to Lubavitch, Reb Yosef Yitzchok asked his father at the Shabbos table why it is not our custom to sing or recite the zemiros that are customarily heard among Yidden everywhere. (Why “sing or recite”? Because in many chassidic communities, the words of these zemiros are neither sung to a structured melody, nor recited, but are chanted in a certain traditional singsong.) The Tzemach Tzedek’s response was, “Say!” The room was quiet and Reb Yosef Yitzchok began to say the zemiros as they would do in Chernobyl.
The Tzemach Tzedek then said: “The Alter Rebbe did not include those zemiros in the Siddur, because he wanted people to exchange words of Torah during the meal. As to the practice of people who say neither divrei Torah nor zemiros – like Reb Moshe (a certain simple man who lived then in Lubavitch), and instead eat soup and noodles, noodles and soup…, that was not the Alter Rebbe’s intention.”
That man’s sons, who were respected chassidim, were present. Alarmed by the harsh words of the Tzemach Tzedek, they quickly ran home, only to find their father almost choking on his soup and noodles…
For sources, visit TheWeeklyFarbrengen.com
