Raphaelwilmowsky: Created page with "The presumed resting place of R' Leib Soroh's, as identified in recent years. The inscription (added recently) reads: '''Here lies the portion of the hidden lawgiver, the holy Rabbi Leib son of Soroh, may his merit protect us, Amen.''' Rabbi '''Leib Soroh's''' (17 Tammuz 5490 – 4 Adar 5551) was a hidden tzaddik who wandered through various cities of Russia, known as a miracle worker and redeemer of captiv..."

2026-06-16T23:56:07Z

Created page with "thumb|250px|The presumed resting place of R' Leib Soroh's, as identified in recent years. The inscription (added recently) reads: '''Here lies the portion of the hidden lawgiver, the holy Rabbi Leib son of Soroh, may his merit protect us, Amen.''' Rabbi '''Leib Soroh's''' (17 Tammuz 5490 – 4 Adar 5551) was a hidden tzaddik who wandered through various cities of Russia, known as a miracle worker and redeemer of captiv..."

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[[File:לייב שרה'ס.jpg|thumb|250px|The presumed resting place of R' Leib Soroh's, as identified in recent years. The inscription (added recently) reads: '''Here lies the portion of the hidden lawgiver, the holy Rabbi Leib son of Soroh, may his merit protect us, Amen.''']]

Rabbi '''Leib Soroh's''' ([[17 Tammuz]] [[5490]] – [[4 Adar]] [[5551]]) was a hidden tzaddik who wandered through various cities of [[Russia]], known as a miracle worker and redeemer of captives.

The book ''Raziel HaMalach'' contains a prayer that someone should be granted an "opening of the mind" (''pesichas hamochin''); the [[Rebbe]] ruled that this prayer undoubtedly refers to Rabbi Leib — despite the fact that the book was written before he was born.<ref>''Sichos Kodesh'' 5730, vol. 2, [http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=4602&st=%d7%94%d7%a1%d7%91%d7%90&pgnum=78 p. 58].</ref>

== Biography ==

=== His Parents ===
Rabbi Leib never knew his father, who passed away when he was a young child. It is traditionally held that his father was one of the [[Lamed Vav Tzaddikim]] — the thirty-six hidden righteous ones.

=== Birth ===
He was born on the [[17th of Tammuz]], [[5490 (1730)]], in [[Rovno]].

When he reached the age of [[bar mitzvah]], his mother brought him to the [[Baal Shem Tov]], who said he would give him a very beautiful gift in honor of the occasion — though those present did not understand what the Maggid meant, as nothing tangible was placed in their hands. In later years, the tzaddikim explained that the gift was a portion of the soul-root of the holy [[Ohr HaChaim]], who had passed away on Shabbos Kodesh, the [[15th of Tammuz]], [[5503]] — the eve of the bar mitzvah.<ref>''Ohr Yekaros'', vol. 1, p. 361.</ref>

[[The Maggid of Mezeritch]] testified of him that "all his deeds are solely for G-d alone." He was considered extraordinary even by the standards of his generation: he saw and knew all that transpired, devoted himself greatly to redeeming captives and rectifying souls, and constantly strove to conceal his deeds and his righteousness.

His practice was to travel several times a year to [[Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz]]. In the year [[5551 (1791)]], he arrived in Koritz for [[Yom Kippur]]. At the conclusion of the fast, he went to receive a blessing for the new year from Rabbi Pinchas, who brought him into his room and closed the door behind them. After some time, the two tzaddikim emerged with tears in their eyes, and those present heard Rabbi Pinchas say to Rabbi Leib: "What can I do — it is your wish to go first." When, in the course of that year, both tzaddikim passed away — Rabbi Leib first, on [[the 4th of Adar]], [[5551]], in his city of Yaltushkov — the meaning of those holy words became clear.

=== His Identity ===
In one of his [[farbrengen|sichos]], the [[Rebbe]] addressed the possibility that [[the Grandfather of Shpole|the Zeide of Shpola]] and Rabbi Leib Soroh's were one and the same person:

{{quote|It seems straightforward to say that they are the same individual. Since regarding both the Zeide of Shpola and Rabbi Leib Soroh's, very little is known. And what is known about each of them is that all the events associated with both occurred at the same time; both were disciples of [[the Maggid of Mezeritch|the Maggid]]; both had a connection to the [[Baal Shem Tov]]; both shared the same name; both were associated with many miracles; and both were hidden figures. It therefore stands to reason that they were one and the same person.}}<ref>Shabbos, Parshas Acharei, 5730.</ref>

The Rebbe did not rule definitively that they were one person, but rather stated:

{{quote|Until someone comes and says he has seen two graves and two tombstones in two different places — and he is a trustworthy person — until then one may say that both were the same individual, and peace be upon Israel.}}<ref>[http://www.chabad.org.il/Magazines/Article.asp?CategoryID=671&ArticleID=1937 "Two Who Are One"], from an article by Rabbi [[Mordechai Menashe Laufer]] on the Tze'irei Chabad website.</ref>

Based on this assumption — that the Zeide of Shpola and Rabbi Leib were the same person — the Rebbe explained why the Zeide's niggun is sung on [[Shevi'i shel Pesach|the seventh day of Pesach]]. He added, however, that if it were to become clear that they were not the same person, it is possible the niggun was chosen for its content rather than its composer.<ref>''Sichos Kodesh'' 5730, vol. 2, [http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=4602&st=%d7%94%d7%a1%d7%91%d7%90&pgnum=120 p. 99].</ref>

Accordingly, there are those who maintain that Rabbi Leib Soroh's is not the Zeide of Shpola, pointing to multiple sources indicating the existence of two separate gravesites for the two tzaddikim.<ref>The Zeide is buried in Shpola. Regarding his gravesite, see ''Ish HaPele'' by Menashe Miller, vol. 1, p. 132. Rabbi Leib is buried in Yaltushkov.</ref>

Additionally, reliable sources report knowledge of the families of both tzaddikim, and it emerges that they belonged to the same family — but were in fact two distinct individuals who were cousins.<ref>In the journal ''Beis Aharon V'Yisrael'', issue 119, in the words of Rabbi Shaul Yissachar Bik, av beis din of Mezhybizh and Mohyliv, in the name of his father-in-law the holy Rabbi Shalom Perlov of Koidanov-Brahin, as cited in a letter of R' Chaim Golbsky.</ref> Furthermore, the fact that each tzaddik is claimed as an ancestor by different, unrelated families indicates that they were indeed two separate individuals.<ref>See research on this topic at the ''Toledos V'Shorashim'' website: http://toladot.blogspot.co.il/2010/08/blog-post_25.html</ref>

Chassidim have said that their souls certainly share a common root, and therefore the Rebbe said that from the perspective of the soul they are one — even if they may have been two separate people in body.<ref>Heard from R' [[Yoel Kahn]].</ref>

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Disciples of the Baal Shem Tov]]
[[Category:Disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch]]
[[he:לייב שרה'ס]]

Leib Soroh's - Revision history