When the Cohen Rebbe looked from vehicle roof to tomb of 'Yanuka'

In recent days, groups from Karlin Stolin and Pinsk Karlin went up to the tomb of the holy Renne Yisroel called the 'Yanuka' of Stolin zt"l, in the ancient cemetery in Frankfurt, Germany.

The 'Yanuka'' was four and a half only, when his father, the holy Rebbe Asher of Stolin zt"l passed away. Despite his young age, his Hassidim marked him as one designated to lead the community. But the letter of appointment was actually presented to him at his bar mitzvah ceremony on 10th Kislev 5642, by the elder Hassidim including R' Dovid Tzvi Shlomo Biderman zt"l of Lelov and other rabbis. The Rebbe, who remained with the nickname 'Yanuka' even as an old man, passed away while recuperating in Badnoheim, Germany, on the second day of Rosh Hashanah 5682, and was buried in Frankfurt.

The city has two cemeteries: in the old cemetery were buried Hagaon R' Yaakov Yehoshua Falk zt"l, the Pnei Yehoshua, the Rebbetzin Rizla Sofer a"h, mother of the Chasam Sofer zt"l, Hagaon R' Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz zt"l the "Ba'al Hafloa" and R' Tzvi Hirsh Halevi Horowitz z"l the Machane Efraim. The Yanuka was buried in the new cemetery, in which Rabbi Simshon Rephael Hirsch zt"l and his wife the Rebbetzin are buried.

In past year , the Karliner Rebbe used to often arrive in Frankfurt close to Rosh Hashanah to attend the tziun for the yahrtzeit. An avrech by the name of Rabbi Avigdor Stern, the son of Hagaon Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Stern, who once lived in the city and now often comes to help the Rav of the kehilla Rabbi Menachem Klein in kashrus, and to manage the synagogue he heads, took care of logistics of the tomb. Since the Rebbe is a Cohen, Stern set up a small stage erected outside the cemetery, on which the Rebbe stood and could view the tziun. The hassidim who accompanied him, frequented the grave and davened near it, but it was a long distance between the main gate to the grave.

This year, it was decided that the arrival to Frankfurt will be on the Fast of Gedaliah, which fell on Sunday. The Rebbe went to Germany with about half of minyan of his followers. Another group of Hassidim who left from Antwerp to Frankfurt, joined them. On the flight there was another group of businessmen, who went to Germany for other purposes. Those headed for the grave of the holy Baal Shem in Michelstadt. The Hassidim of Pinsk Karlin offered them to join them and they responded willingly. And so an enlarged entourage went to the cemetery in Frankfurt, on the Fast of Gedaliah in the afternoon.

While in the past, the Rebbe had to stay at a considerable distance from the grave, Rabbi Avigdor - who is currently in place on the occasion of the holiday season, checked and found that there is a side gate through which one can get closer to the tombs, without failing, G-d forbid, with tumas kohanim. Stern got the key and thus paved the way for entrance through that gate.

The group came up to the tomb and began praying. Later they sang old tunes from Karlin, sung on the occasion of the event. The Rebbe, who wanted to see the tziun and take part in prayers and songs performed from far, managed to do so through the window of Stern's convertible car, which was a relatively good vantage point for him, compared to the past. Thus the need to erect a stage and bring a ladder was spared.

Towards evening, the Rebbe and his entourage came to the Great Synagogue of Rabbi Klein where they davened Mincha and Ma'ariv, broke the fast, and then held a 'Lechayim Tisch', in honor of the hillula. The group spent the night at one of the hostels made available in the city.

The next day, a group of Karlin Stolin came to Frankfurt, consisting of about twenty men, led by a son of the Rebbe of Karlin Stolin, and davened on the tomb.

The Rebbe himself did not visit other tombs in the city or the country. However, the group of businessmen, managed to visit Michelstadt too - the original purpose of their visit - and come back to the planned flight, along with the Rebbe 's entourage. Upon landing in Israel, the Rebbe said that one feels unusually inspired at the tomb, and "it's as if I came from somewhere else."

Photo: Avigdor Stern

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!