Rav Isumer Rosenbaum, Nadvorna,

22nd of Sivan

Reb  Isumer Rosenbaum was born in 1886 in Kretchnif. He passed away in 1973 in Tel Aviv and was interred on הר הזיתים, in Yerushalaim. He was the son of Rabbi Meir (1852 - June 29,1908) of Kretchnif, who in turn was a son of Rabbi Mordechai  (1824–1894) of Nadvorna. Reb Issamar became a rebbe at the age of fifteen and, at his father's behest, moved to Czernowitz  where he served as a chasidic rebbe. In the Nadvorna dynasty, all children of the rebbes open their own chasidic courts, even during their fathers' lifetime. His wife, Rebbitzen Malka, was the daughter of the Rebbe Usher Yeshaya Rubin of Kolbuszowa.  His family was the only chasidic family of grand rabbis known to have all survived the Nazi camps with the whole family intact. His wife died in 1969 and was buried in Tveria. In 1970, three years before his death, he moved from the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan to Yad Eliyahu  in Tel Aviv, Israel. At the time of his death, he was one of the longest living chassidic rebbes in history. He was known as the Admor Hazaken miNadvorna, or "Elder Rebbe of Nadvorna".

The Violin Rav Mordecha’le of Nadvorna used to play the violin. He taught his descendants that they too should attempt to learn and study its secrets, explaining that “when Moshiach comes, who then shall play in his honor and add music to his welcoming ceremony? Chaim’l Klezemer? Or a Tzaddik such as one of us – if we might have such a merit?!” Rav Meir of Kretchnif said before his passing that his son, Rav Isumer, would be the best successor to inherit the violin. However, he would not change the family custom of drawing lots. And so, when Rav Meir passed on and there was a lottery drawn among his holy sons for his holy possessions, the violin did indeed fall to Rav Isumer. Rav Isumer used to play the violin only a few times a year at auspicious times such as Lag Ba’Omer, Chanuka, and family simchas. On these occasions he played the well-known Nadvorna niggunim of אחד יחיד ומיוחד as well as ידיד נפש and Bar Yochai on Lag BaOmer. He was once asked: If he only played a few times a year and never practiced, how did he learn and know how to play? He answered that his father, Rav Meir of Kretchnif, once played those niggunim to him and said, “See – that’s how you play the violin,” and he acquired the knowledge right then and there on the spot and never needed to practice again! Once he moved to Czernowitz and later, when the accursed Nazis began their rampage, his home was miraculously spared their wrath from searching and pillaging. One day, the precious violin vanished. My Rebbe, the Clevelander of Raanana, shlit”a, was looking out of the window a few days later and miraculously spied the precious violin being hidden by an unknown thief beneath the haystack in his wagon. Immediately upon hearing this, Rav Isumer simply went outside, marched up to the amazed goy’s wagon, lifted the haystack, pointed at the instrument, and thundered, “That is my violin!” So saying, he took it and just marched back into his home. The thief was too stunned to utter a syllable!

The Miracle of the Young Czernowitzer Rebbe There was a young Jewish woman who was married to a merchant and lived just outside Czernowitz. Her custom was to hire a non-Jewish wagon driver who would drive her wagon to and from town, where she would purchase goods and wares that her husband would sell. One such day, the wagon driver she hired was too inexperienced to handle the horses properly and they began to tear down the main road in Czernowitz, bearing down upon all passersby. People ran screaming for their lives as the horses’ hooves thundered and the wagon driver could not control them. One luckless young non-Jewish boy failed to escape and was killed. The father of this boy realized that he now had an opportunity to frighten the Jews and squeeze them for their money and so he demanded compensation from them for the death of his son. Day after day and week after week, he harassed them. His demands grew and his threats were always the same: if they didn’t pay up, he would go to the authorities and press charges for manslaughter since it was the fault of the merchant’s wife that his son died because she had hired the incompetent wagon driver and was therefore responsible. Seeing that the extortion attempts and ransom tactics never let up, the Jewish couple finally refused to pay the man, lest they would become destitute and penniless as his demands never ceased. The father was true to his threats and went to the authorities, who drew up a case and set the court date for several weeks later. The merchant and his wife went from lawyer to lawyer; however, each one said there was no point and that the case would surely be decided in favor of the father whose child was accidentally killed and that the merchant’s wife would be imprisoned for a long time. The merchant went to his Rebbe, and he too could not offer help. Finally, the wife’s sister mentioned that a young man, a Rebbe, had just moved into her apartment building and that he appeared to be a Tzaddik. Perhaps they should try him. (Rav Isumer had only recently become a young Rebbe at the age of seventeen, and he had just moved to Czernowitz He had not yet built a Bais Medrash or home, and was renting an apartment in the same building as this sister.) The merchant’s wife heeded her sister’s advice, and to her amazement the young Rebbe asked her all the details of the entire story, more than any lawyer had! He then nodded his head and declared, “You have absolutely nothing to fear; this man will be dead and buried before you go to trial! Go home with a light heart.” She could not believe the good news. The following week, she came back to Czernowitz to search for one more lawyer, just in case the young Rebbe’s ברכה was too good to be true, but her sister told her the amazing news. The goy and died and been buried the day before. He suddenly got a high fever, and before the doctor even arrived he was dead. The doctor had no choice but to simply establish his death!” The tzaddik’s words came true.

A simple Jew who lived in Chernowitz once came to the Rebbe Reb Isumer of Nadvorna and asked him why he keeps his children indoors and doesn’t let them go out like everyone else. (Chernowitz Was a very spiritually void city, therefore he was extremely careful that his children not go out and learn the improper ways of its Inhabitants). The question was asked in these words, “Why do you lock the doors to the street before your children and cause them to be less knowledgeable about the goings-on in the street and in the world?” The Rebbe took out his Siddur (prayer book) and showed him the prayer that is said on motzei Shabbos called רבון העולם אב הרחמן והסליחות. It lists many gates (in fact it lists a total of 63 gates!) that are opened to those who keep the Torah. The Rebbe then said, “You see my friend, I lock before them one door, the door to my house, however this causes all these lofty doors to be opened to them. Now certainly you agree that this is better to close the one than to open up the door of the house which opens to the city which can cause that, Heaven forbid, all these lofty and good gates will be closed before them. Indeed the Rebbe Reb Issumer was blessed with sons who were great Torah scholars and Tzadikim inspite of them having grown up in Chernowitz.

Married Malka, daughter of R. Asher Isaiah Rubin, Amdur Kolbuszowa (Chapter xvi - Branch vii - Roshpitz-Rubin)

See there for their issue.

Source

The Unbroken Chain - Neil Rosenstein (1990) Volume 1, Chapter iv, page 490, G 19.2

GEDCOM Note

NM 2-3