Excitement: the Rebbe lit the menorah of Rabbi Pinchas Koretz

Excitement at the Vizhnitz chassidus in Kiryat Vizhnitz, Bnei Brak: The Rebbe lit this year for the first time, the menorah handed down from his grandfather the Rebbe Rabbi Pinchas Koretz zy"a, inherited generation after generation, and is now in the possession of Rebbetzin Tzipora Friedman, daughter of the 'Imrei Chaim' zy"a, who until previously had given the menorah every year alternatively to her brother the 'Yeshuot Moshe' of Vizhnitz zt"l and her brother of Vizhnitz - Monsey.

In recent years, with the weakening of the Rebbe from Monsey, Rebbetzin Friedman decided that she is no longer interested to take a chance and send the precious menorah to the USA. Therefore, the menorah only reached the Rebbe in Bnei Brak. It should be noted that some chasidim sought to purchase the menorah, valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, but Rebbetzin Friedman would not sell the menorah for all the money in the world, because of its great importance.

On the famous trip of the 'Yeshuot Moshe' for Chanukka to London, in the year תשנ"ד he was instructed not to carry the ancient holy menorah abroad, and instead lit the Chanukkah menorah of his host and associate - Rabbi Chaim Moshe Feldman, who's menorah is also ancient.

His brother Rabbi Harm"m Vizhnitz, lit a new menorah this year, designed according to the model of the menorah of Rabbi Koretz zy"a. In addition, the design also incorporated his father's menorah motifs, the 'Yeshuot Moshe' zt"l, which he lit while serving as Av Beis Din Vizhnitz, during the leadership of his father, the Rebbe 'Imrei Chaim' zy"a.

Even the Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe, who is a pupil of the 'Imrei Chaim' of Vizhnitz, lights a silver menorah - also an accurate and complete copy of the menorah of Rebbe Koretz zy"a. Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe used to talk wistfully about the many virtues and the privilege to light it.

The model acquisition – restoring of the menorah, was taken on a few years ago, by one of his followers Rabbi Yehoshua Berkowitz, who lives in London. He contacted Rebbetzin Friedman and entrusted a lawyer with a quarter of a million dollars as bail, to borrow the menorah for a few days and break it into parts.

A well known goldsmith from Bnei Brak received the rare and precious object, weighed and photographed the parts, and for half a year worked on building a replica. In the restored menorah five and a half pounds of pure silver are incorporated, and another amount of gold. The total cost amounted to 30 thousand dollars, which was paid by the same wealthy man.

Rabbi Berkowitz takes the menorah with him every year after Chanukka to maintain in a safe in his home, where it is safe, and brings it back to Jerusalem in time for Chanukah.

What about the arrangements for Hagr"y Emden?

In light of the Chanukka menorahs: There is another item that once roamed from Bnei Brak to Monsey and back again, intermittently. This is a Beth Yaakov siddur written by Rabbi Yaakov Emden zt"l which the Rebbe the 'Ahavat Yisrael' from Vizhnitz zt"l would daven with.

This siddur was a possession of the 'Imrei Chaim', and after his death, this item for some reason, did not enter the lottery for the heirlooms. Therefore, its position was not clear until now, and the siddur - which was used by the 'Ahavat Yisrael', for the order of lighting the Chanukah candles - spent one year in Bnei Brak for the 'Yeshuot Moshe', and one year for his brother in Monsey.

Starting from the year the 'Yeshuot Moshe' was unwell, the siddur remained in Monsey. Recently, when his eyesight weakened, the Monsey Rebbe entrusted the Vizhnitz community head of Vizhnitz Borough Park, Rabbi Yaakov Feldman, son of Rabbi Chaim Moshe Feldman with the siddur, in order to return it to Bnei Brak.

On Erev Chanukka, it was decided to make a distribution of a number of items, not yet distributed among the Rebbe brothers of Bnei Brak, and among other things an arrangement was made concerning the Beth Yaakov siddur.

The 'Yeshuot Moshe' also had the Shelah siddur, attributed to his grandfather the Rebbe the 'Baal Hazemach' from Vizhnitz. Likewise he also had in his possession the chair on which the 'Ahvat Yisrael' sat. The 'Yeshuot Moshe' used to sit on it at specific times, such as on the Yomom Noroim, on Hoshana Rabba, and more. He also possessed many sefarim which once belonged to his great grandfather.

At the division, the Rebbe Harm"m Vizhnitz received the Shelah siddur, while the armchair and sefarim were given to his elder brother. Currently, the Beth Yaakov siddur is also in possession of the Rebbe and he used it yesterday whilst reciting the candle lighting brachos, just like his father and grandfather used to do.

Although the division has largely been carried out, there were still a number of items that have not yet ascertained the status, including the Sefer Torah attributed to the Baal Shem Tov zy"a, the Kital of the 'Ahavat Shalom' of Kassower head of the dynasty, and other individual items.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!