The month of Av in Jewish history is marked by repetitive tragediest. The Ninth of Av /Tisha B Av is a solemn fast day marking the destruction of the first Temple in Jerusalem by the Bablyonians and the second by the Romans it is also considered the date of the signing of the decree of expulsion from Spain in 1492 and many other tragic events in more recent years.
FROM BELZ TO BRODY: The Remarkable Rabbi Eydel
Eydel Rokeach was one of seven children of Rebbetzin Malka of Belz and the great Belzer Rebbe. Her father was known as Talmudist, miracle worker and healer, as well as architect. Her mother, Rebbetezin Malka was celebrated as a holy woman who could travel through the many dimensions, and intercede in the decrees of heaven. Malka had such clarity of vision, that men and women came to her for advice, for healing, for prayers, for herbs. When she cooked, she could infuse the simple kasha of the kitchen( the buckwheat groats) with such "kedusha", such holiness, and healing power, that even ordinary people could understand that Belz was a Jewish Camelot.
And just as in other kingdoms, there was always the lingering question of which child (of the seven) would be favored. Some of that is reflected in a story that takes place when the children were still young. In this tale, Rebetzin Malka returned from the market where she went to purchase food; (telling us she also bought the food and cooked it or watched over the cooking.) At the market that day, a woman who was the equivalent of the synagogue president 's wife came over to her and began complaining about Malka and Sholem's children. The Rebbetzin came home and wept. The Rebbe saw her crying and asked her what was the matter. She replied, "this woman has been telling terrible stories about our children." And she said "I am not crying for myself but I'm crying for the children because they are such extraordinary and holy and wonderful and amazing children." And Reb Sholom said to her, "Don't cry because we are still going to have another child and that child will be so amazing. That child will enlighten the world from one end of the world to the other.
While he reassures her that another child is coming who will be like the redeemer; we don't know if he was referring to the birth of their youngest child, Yehoshua (who became the head of the dynasty) or to another child- perhaps their daughter Eydel. What was unusual in Belz was that the youngest son became the Rebbe after the Belzer Rebbe died in 1855. Apparently, Rabbi Yehoshua was drafted but as they were about to do the ceremony to invest him with the power, his oldest brother,still feeling angry, started to walk towards the Bimah to prevent the process. According to the story, as the eldest stood up to walk towards the Bimah, the spirit of his father appeared before him and blocked his way. He then realized that this was truly what his father wanted and withdrew.
I have wondered about this story because other stories about Eydele's childhood say that Reb Sholom would decorate her head with his "teffilin" and his "kipah." He is supposed to have said : "the light which was stored away to illuminate the whole world is stored away in my daughter Eydela. If she were male there would be no tsaddik as great as her. And she certainly would have brought the redemption." But he said "it was the work of Satan, the accusor, that she was not born a boy." After reading this story, I began to feel I was seeing the shadow of Rabbi Sholem Rokeach of Belz for the first time. I had read about his greatness, his powers of healing, his deep understanding of the Torah,and his profound intellectual capacities. I had read about his creativity as an architect and of his divine marriage to Malka. But this was sort of shocking and the question is: when did he say this? Was he saying this when she was a child? Did she grow up feeling this, knowing this, hearing this? Or was it something that came later? Another translated story, says that in truth Reb Sholom was troubled about this all of his life. And even on his death bed when his daughters were chased away from his bed so that their wailing would not disrupt his passing he said "Eydela will stay here because Eydele is not a daughter to me, she is a son to me".
At any rate, Eydel grew up and married Rabbi Isaac Rubin of Sokolow, (the town her mother came from) and eventually moved to Brody where she held court, giving advise, healing people and possibly leading prayers.* I have also wondered if Rebbetzin Malka trained her daugher Eydel to act like a Rebbe, since Malka too took "Kvitlach" (prayer notes) and counseled people. (A recently circulated story about Eydel's sister Fredel, who was married to Rabbi Henich of Olesko provides a view of another of Malka's daughters being regarded, by the Rhyziner Rebbe, as having the learning of a saintly rabbi.
For the most part, Rebbetzin Malka retained a traditional approach of being the woman behind the throne. In one story she says " I want my husband to be king, sit on the throne, surrounded by pearls and rubies". Malka's role, from the earliest stage of their relationship, was to make Sholom the Rebbe. The neighboring Rebbe Meir of Premishlan said " Malchi Sholom, melech tsedek"; that because Malcha was a Tsadeket, Reb Sholom could be the king. She assumed the role of the great provider,the great nurturer. She not only took care of her seven children, but supervised food for all the students, and visitors.
Many stories reflect Reb Sholem's profound respect and admiration for his wife's abilities as a seer, and a healer.They lived as a really sacred dyad but probably observing some of the constraints of their society. Sometimes they by passed those constraints by eating together and sitting at the same table with her serving the food which other Rebbes absolutely disapproved of. While Rebbetzin Malka had her own devotees in the Court, when it came to public prayers and other religious functions they probably followed orthodox conventions.
Until recently the stories I found about Eydel- in books about Jewish women- suggested that she functioned as Rebbe in place of her husband, Rabbi Yitzak Rubin because he was shy and retiring. These stories implied that he just liked to study and didn't enjoy dealing with people; and that she was charismatic and outgoing. (Similar to the description of the Baal Shem's daughter, also named Eydel). If this was accurate, she might have started doing her Rebbe work after she was married to him. Other narratives imply that her rebbe-ing may have taken place in her middle aged years.
According to a Yiddish memoir* (which does not reference her husband) she is reputed to have conducted a tish (Rebbes table) in the manner of great Hasidic Rebbes; including the distribution of shrayim"(eating and then distributing the food that she had tasted.) Her father Reb Sholem said of her "is felt ir nor a shpudik" the only thing she lacks is the Rabbi's great hat/ shtreimel. She also gave blessings and did healings. In fact, she was famous for her blessings, that bore fruit and her advise which brought lasting results.
It ís not clear whether "Rebbe Eydel" had male followers, or whether her she was rabbi-ing primarily to women. What we do know, was that her husband, Rabbi Yitzak Rubin was a Rabbi, first in Ratichov and then in Brody and that she had six children. Her three sons were Rabbi Naftoli Tzvi Rubin of Ratichov (so that he may have continued where his father had been.) Rabbi Shmolik Rubin of Yebraf, And Rabbi Elimelech Rubin of Yebraf. Rabbi Elimelelech is called Rebbe Melechel the Blind Rabbi and there are stories of how he would sit with his mother and they would both enjoy the music.
She also had three daughters: Rebbetzin Gena, the wife of Rabbi Mayor Moskowitz of Shotz, Rebbetzin Ella, the wife of Rabbi Chaim Mayor Yaheal Shapiro of Ratichov and Rebbetzin Hannah Rachel, (the same name as the Maid of Ludomir)the wife of Rabbi Shimon Yitzak Mayor Rokeach of Redem, the son of the second Belzer Rebbe. ( this last “shidach”/arrangement is interesting because Rebbe Shalom Rokeach and Malka were first cousins and here one of Eydel's daughters also marries her cousin, as did many of the Belz descendants, keeping the yichas is a fairly defined group.
One of the stories of her healing (which is also attributed to her father) involves a man who comes for advise who is very sick and is in danger of losing one of his lungs. He probably had tuberculosis and came with the question of whether he should go through an operation to have one of his lungs removed.
( it is important to remember that the Belzer were unlike earlier Hasidic dynasties in that they dealt with secular leader including doctors and other professionals. and were probably sophisticated regarding health issues. Also their following included upper class Jews and occasional Christians, including some members of the nobility.
For example, the Rebbe used to go to Marienbad for the healing waters and had contact with Jewish physicans there. There ís a story about how one of the medical doctors at Marienbad really didn't believe in miracle working rabbis. After the Belzer had been there for a while and was about to go home, this doctor came to him with the names of his children written out on a "kvitel" and asked if the Rebbe would give a blessing to his children. Of course the Rebbe did it. Later he commented on those who did not live as Jews but wanted the same privileges as Jews.
The man with the lung problem is of course terrified because he feels he ís going to die and Eydel says to him, "Well, who said that a human being has to have two lungs to live. I look at you and what I see is that the one who made you with two lungs will sustain you with one lung." The man goes home and has the surgery, and he lives and ís healthy fine. This is one of the stories thatís told about her. interestingly enough the same story is told about her father of reassuring somebody that they have God's protection and that they're going survive even in what may seem to be a very impaired capacity for somebody else.
One of the things that scholars have been looking at is if a story is told and it is attributed to both the man and the woman, usually the Rebbe, and/or his daughter or his wife. Some scholars believe that if it has lasted as a story and you see it attributed to a woman chances are it was hers, because there are so few stories about the women and it's unlikely the story would survive. So they feel it ís unlikely that a story that started with the Rebbe would be placed on his wife or his daughter. They think it ís more likely the other way around. At any rate the story tells us that she counseled men who would have known of her healing powers. At the same time, it is most likely that she taught and instructed a group of women who would have had easier access and regular contact with her for prayers and study.
The most interesting and complex story about Eydel is the story about her being overtaken by a “Dybbuk”/(a wandering malevolent earthbound spirit) which also reflects the tragedy of womens unfulfilled leadership. At the time she was living in Brody, possibly later in her life after her youngest brother had been Rebbe in Belz for some time. According to the stories, she criticized her brother and Court at Belz for spending too much money on luxuries rather than helping the poor and was consequently believed by her brothers to be posessed of a dybbuk. The story has it that they went in secret at night to a remote spot where they excorcised the dybbuk which then left her body thru her little toe!
Is this another way of cutting her down to size and preventing her from becoming a major player in their dynastic world, Or was she genuinely disturbed? Who brought her to the designated spot for the ritual? Did she or her husband or children agree with the diagnosis? These are the questions that would lend themselves to additional research or fictional speculation. Meanwhile she seems like the kind of heroine for us to meditate on for Tisha B'Av and other tragic holy days.
On the holy day of Tisha B Av -whether you fast from food or not, you might consider reflecting on those areas in your life (or your family or community) where something has been broken or destroyed that cannot be brought back in its original state. Consider how you can help to heal this loss - perhaps by acknowledging your grief, and then offering it up to the Divine.
Sources of information about Eydel of Brody
I am indebted to Rabbi Justin Lewish of Toronto for providing references from Israeli scholar David Assaf who directed him to Dov Sadan’s memoir “Mi Mechoz Ha Yaldut” Tel Aviv 1981 (first editions 1938) pp 256-264
From Rabbi Justin Lewis: “Many thanks to David Assaf for directing me to the material on Eydele of Brody in Dov Sadan's memoir, Mi-mechoz ha-yaldut. Her story as presented there is a tragic one. Sadan bases his account on family traditions and stories told in Brody, though what he gives us is shaped as a literary account by an author with psychological interests.”
As Sadan tells it,Eydele was the favourite child of Rebbe Sholom (Assaf calls him "RebSholom-tshe") of Belz, more beloved to him than his son, R' Yehoshua, who succeeded him as Rebbe.
Once a man was travelling from Belz to our town (Brody). R'Sholom-tshe said to him: "Here is a little bundle in which I have wrappeda silk sheet [or shawl or handkerchief, "mithpachath"] as a present for mydaughter." That man brought the bundle to Rebbetzin Eydele. She untied the bundle, and there was not a silk sheet but a silk parocheth [curtain for an Aron Kodesh].
When, later, that man went back to Belz, Eydele sent back the [empty] bundle with him to her father. The man came to the Rebbe and said "The holy Rebbe was in error; you spoke of a silk sheet in the bundle and there was a silk parocheth in the bundle." The Rebbe laughed and said, "Is that an error? Is not my Eydele a Sefer Torah?" (p. 258-259)
R' Sholom mourned that Eydele was not born male:
R' Sholom used to say: The light which was stored away, which was to illuminate the whole world, is stored away in my daughter Eydele; for if she were male, there would be no tsadik as great as her, and she would certainly have brought the redemption; but it was the work of Satan, the accuser, that she was not born male.
In truth, R' Sholom was troubled about this all his life, and even on his deathbed, when his daughters were chased away from his bed so that their wailing would not disrupt his passing, he said: Eydele will stay here, because Eydele is not a daughter to me, she is a son to me. (p. 258)
Eydele, according to Sadan, saw herself as the proper successor to her great father and criticized her brother, R' Yehoshua, his actual successor as Rebbe of Belz, with harsh criticisms, for conducting himself regally and not simply like R' Sholom, accusing him of living in luxury at the expense of poor followers. She settled in Brody, a town of misnagdim (those opposed to Chasidic thought ) and set up her own court:
The Chasidim who came to her “tish”/ceremonial table from all around were many;they praised the Torahs she said; they praised her responses to _kvitlekh_and her understanding. Most people called her "Eydele di Rebbetzin" [apparently "Rebbetzin" is not simply to be translated as "rabbi's wife"
in this context but expresses honour to her in her own right], and a few called her "Eydele der Rebbe"; you see how greatly she was honoured. (p.
260)
But her court remained small in comparison to her brother's increasingly grand court in Belz which attracted thousands of Chasidim. And, according to Sadan, all the admiration and adulation Eydele received was mixed with a condescending sense of novelty: a woman acting like a Rebbe -- just imagine!
Sadan writes: "A fearsome story circulated during my childhood, the story of the exorcism of the dybbuk which possessed Eydele the Rebbetzin." Sadan overlays what he tells us of the story with a lot of thoughts about it; as he sees it, Eydele's deep resentment of not being the recognized successor of her father because of not being male built up until it expressed itself in such a disturbing way that it was labelled as dybbuk possession. Eydele sank into melancholy and her harsh words about her brother's court were reduced to two which she repeated over and over again: "veberne hemder, veberne hemder" (woven shirts, woven shirts). Her brother, the Belzer Rebbe, R' Yehoshua, came to a nearby town (not into Brody itself, perhaps because of the likely hostility of the misnagdim and maskilim) to perform the exorcism. Eydele -- or the dybbuk within her -- cursed her brother violently in a rough, male voice "which had some of the music of her father, R' Sholom's, voice" (p. 261) R' Yehoshua responded by calling down anathemas on the dybbuk until, as the gathered crowd believed they saw it leave in the form of a misty cloud from her little finger, Eydele subsided, exhausted.
Sadan is rather vague and poetic about Eydele's life after her dybbuk was exorcised. The impression is that she was left quiet and melancholic. Every motzaei Shabbes(Saturday night after the Sabbath) two fiddlers, a father and son, would play for her and her son R' Melech'l, who was blind and a great rabbi. She would sing along with a melody called "Hirschenjagd", the deer hunt --identifying with the deer, Sadan feels. She would say nothing, although her son R' Melech'l would respond to the music with his favourite phrase of enthusiasm, "Gots vinder, Gots vinder" ("God's wonders!") Whether Chasidim still came to her, Sadan does not say. It is good to have more stories about Eydele (and Sadan's wholeaccount is worth reading; it includes versions of stories found elsewhere about R' Sholom and Rebbetzin Malka, and anecdotes about R' Melech'l, the blind rabbi). But I wonder about Sadan's interpretation of her. It matches the life story of Chana Rochl the Maid of Ludomir who is said to have claimed a male soul and to have been forced out of her Rebbe-like career by male Rebbes of her time.
But does either life story reflect the reality, or the attitudes of storytellers of the time, or the perspectives of the more secularized twentieth-century authors who retold the stories? If Eydele had a breakdown which expressed itself as dybbuk possession that would be like the episodes of breakdowns in the lives of various great male Rebbes. (Eli Wiesel explores some of these in "Four Hasidic Masters: Their Struggle With Melancholy".) But a breakdown wouldn't automatically end a Rebbe's career: the holy Berditshever apparently spent around a year in silent melancholy but then resumed his fiery devotions. It just seems to me that Sadan's tragic picture is shaped by his literary skill and modern sense of psychology; I wonder if there were other stories of Eydele which wouldn't fit his picture. The story of Eydele from _Dover Shalom_ (which I shared with this list before) does support Sadan's view that she saw herself as her father's successor, but it also refers to her as a famous holy woman without any hint that she was remembered as an aberration or failure. Also, there must have been more to the relationship between Rebbetzin Malka, known as a great holy woman, and her daughter Eydele, than any of these stories mention (since they don't mention the relationship at all!
Bibliography from David Assaf:
Rebetzen Eydele from Brody (daughter of the Belzer rebbe in Dov Sadan' memoir: Mi-mechoz ha-Yaldut, Tel Aviv 1981 (first edition: 1938), pp. 256-264
Also "Be-ohaley Tzaddikim", Jerusalem 1993 (published by Belz) there is alittle more information about Eydele (pp.62-67) and her husband R. Yitzchak Rubin.
Not a word about the dybbuk and her aspirations for leadership!
FROM BELZ TO BRODY: The Remarkable Rabbi Eydel
Eydel Rokeach was one of seven children of Rebbetzin Malka of Belz and the great Belzer Rebbe. Her father was known as Talmudist, miracle worker and healer, as well as architect. Her mother, Rebbetezin Malka was celebrated as a holy woman who could travel through the many dimensions, and intercede in the decrees of heaven. Malka had such clarity of vision, that men and women came to her for advice, for healing, for prayers, for herbs. When she cooked, she could infuse the simple kasha of the kitchen( the buckwheat groats) with such "kedusha", such holiness, and healing power, that even ordinary people could understand that Belz was a Jewish Camelot.
And just as in other kingdoms, there was always the lingering question of which child (of the seven) would be favored. Some of that is reflected in a story that takes place when the children were still young. In this tale, Rebetzin Malka returned from the market where she went to purchase food; (telling us she also bought the food and cooked it or watched over the cooking.) At the market that day, a woman who was the equivalent of the synagogue president 's wife came over to her and began complaining about Malka and Sholem's children. The Rebbetzin came home and wept. The Rebbe saw her crying and asked her what was the matter. She replied, "this woman has been telling terrible stories about our children." And she said "I am not crying for myself but I'm crying for the children because they are such extraordinary and holy and wonderful and amazing children." And Reb Sholom said to her, "Don't cry because we are still going to have another child and that child will be so amazing. That child will enlighten the world from one end of the world to the other.
While he reassures her that another child is coming who will be like the redeemer; we don't know if he was referring to the birth of their youngest child, Yehoshua (who became the head of the dynasty) or to another child- perhaps their daughter Eydel. What was unusual in Belz was that the youngest son became the Rebbe after the Belzer Rebbe died in 1855. Apparently, Rabbi Yehoshua was drafted but as they were about to do the ceremony to invest him with the power, his oldest brother,still feeling angry, started to walk towards the Bimah to prevent the process. According to the story, as the eldest stood up to walk towards the Bimah, the spirit of his father appeared before him and blocked his way. He then realized that this was truly what his father wanted and withdrew.
I have wondered about this story because other stories about Eydele's childhood say that Reb Sholom would decorate her head with his "teffilin" and his "kipah." He is supposed to have said : "the light which was stored away to illuminate the whole world is stored away in my daughter Eydela. If she were male there would be no tsaddik as great as her. And she certainly would have brought the redemption." But he said "it was the work of Satan, the accusor, that she was not born a boy." After reading this story, I began to feel I was seeing the shadow of Rabbi Sholem Rokeach of Belz for the first time. I had read about his greatness, his powers of healing, his deep understanding of the Torah,and his profound intellectual capacities. I had read about his creativity as an architect and of his divine marriage to Malka. But this was sort of shocking and the question is: when did he say this? Was he saying this when she was a child? Did she grow up feeling this, knowing this, hearing this? Or was it something that came later? Another translated story, says that in truth Reb Sholom was troubled about this all of his life. And even on his death bed when his daughters were chased away from his bed so that their wailing would not disrupt his passing he said "Eydela will stay here because Eydele is not a daughter to me, she is a son to me".
At any rate, Eydel grew up and married Rabbi Isaac Rubin of Sokolow, (the town her mother came from) and eventually moved to Brody where she held court, giving advise, healing people and possibly leading prayers.* I have also wondered if Rebbetzin Malka trained her daugher Eydel to act like a Rebbe, since Malka too took "Kvitlach" (prayer notes) and counseled people. (A recently circulated story about Eydel's sister Fredel, who was married to Rabbi Henich of Olesko provides a view of another of Malka's daughters being regarded, by the Rhyziner Rebbe, as having the learning of a saintly rabbi.
For the most part, Rebbetzin Malka retained a traditional approach of being the woman behind the throne. In one story she says " I want my husband to be king, sit on the throne, surrounded by pearls and rubies". Malka's role, from the earliest stage of their relationship, was to make Sholom the Rebbe. The neighboring Rebbe Meir of Premishlan said " Malchi Sholom, melech tsedek"; that because Malcha was a Tsadeket, Reb Sholom could be the king. She assumed the role of the great provider,the great nurturer. She not only took care of her seven children, but supervised food for all the students, and visitors.
Many stories reflect Reb Sholem's profound respect and admiration for his wife's abilities as a seer, and a healer.They lived as a really sacred dyad but probably observing some of the constraints of their society. Sometimes they by passed those constraints by eating together and sitting at the same table with her serving the food which other Rebbes absolutely disapproved of. While Rebbetzin Malka had her own devotees in the Court, when it came to public prayers and other religious functions they probably followed orthodox conventions.
Until recently the stories I found about Eydel- in books about Jewish women- suggested that she functioned as Rebbe in place of her husband, Rabbi Yitzak Rubin because he was shy and retiring. These stories implied that he just liked to study and didn't enjoy dealing with people; and that she was charismatic and outgoing. (Similar to the description of the Baal Shem's daughter, also named Eydel). If this was accurate, she might have started doing her Rebbe work after she was married to him. Other narratives imply that her rebbe-ing may have taken place in her middle aged years.
According to a Yiddish memoir* (which does not reference her husband) she is reputed to have conducted a tish (Rebbes table) in the manner of great Hasidic Rebbes; including the distribution of shrayim"(eating and then distributing the food that she had tasted.) Her father Reb Sholem said of her "is felt ir nor a shpudik" the only thing she lacks is the Rabbi's great hat/ shtreimel. She also gave blessings and did healings. In fact, she was famous for her blessings, that bore fruit and her advise which brought lasting results.
It ís not clear whether "Rebbe Eydel" had male followers, or whether her she was rabbi-ing primarily to women. What we do know, was that her husband, Rabbi Yitzak Rubin was a Rabbi, first in Ratichov and then in Brody and that she had six children. Her three sons were Rabbi Naftoli Tzvi Rubin of Ratichov (so that he may have continued where his father had been.) Rabbi Shmolik Rubin of Yebraf, And Rabbi Elimelech Rubin of Yebraf. Rabbi Elimelelech is called Rebbe Melechel the Blind Rabbi and there are stories of how he would sit with his mother and they would both enjoy the music.
She also had three daughters: Rebbetzin Gena, the wife of Rabbi Mayor Moskowitz of Shotz, Rebbetzin Ella, the wife of Rabbi Chaim Mayor Yaheal Shapiro of Ratichov and Rebbetzin Hannah Rachel, (the same name as the Maid of Ludomir)the wife of Rabbi Shimon Yitzak Mayor Rokeach of Redem, the son of the second Belzer Rebbe. ( this last “shidach”/arrangement is interesting because Rebbe Shalom Rokeach and Malka were first cousins and here one of Eydel's daughters also marries her cousin, as did many of the Belz descendants, keeping the yichas is a fairly defined group.
One of the stories of her healing (which is also attributed to her father) involves a man who comes for advise who is very sick and is in danger of losing one of his lungs. He probably had tuberculosis and came with the question of whether he should go through an operation to have one of his lungs removed.
( it is important to remember that the Belzer were unlike earlier Hasidic dynasties in that they dealt with secular leader including doctors and other professionals. and were probably sophisticated regarding health issues. Also their following included upper class Jews and occasional Christians, including some members of the nobility.
For example, the Rebbe used to go to Marienbad for the healing waters and had contact with Jewish physicans there. There ís a story about how one of the medical doctors at Marienbad really didn't believe in miracle working rabbis. After the Belzer had been there for a while and was about to go home, this doctor came to him with the names of his children written out on a "kvitel" and asked if the Rebbe would give a blessing to his children. Of course the Rebbe did it. Later he commented on those who did not live as Jews but wanted the same privileges as Jews.
The man with the lung problem is of course terrified because he feels he ís going to die and Eydel says to him, "Well, who said that a human being has to have two lungs to live. I look at you and what I see is that the one who made you with two lungs will sustain you with one lung." The man goes home and has the surgery, and he lives and ís healthy fine. This is one of the stories thatís told about her. interestingly enough the same story is told about her father of reassuring somebody that they have God's protection and that they're going survive even in what may seem to be a very impaired capacity for somebody else.
One of the things that scholars have been looking at is if a story is told and it is attributed to both the man and the woman, usually the Rebbe, and/or his daughter or his wife. Some scholars believe that if it has lasted as a story and you see it attributed to a woman chances are it was hers, because there are so few stories about the women and it's unlikely the story would survive. So they feel it ís unlikely that a story that started with the Rebbe would be placed on his wife or his daughter. They think it ís more likely the other way around. At any rate the story tells us that she counseled men who would have known of her healing powers. At the same time, it is most likely that she taught and instructed a group of women who would have had easier access and regular contact with her for prayers and study.
The most interesting and complex story about Eydel is the story about her being overtaken by a “Dybbuk”/(a wandering malevolent earthbound spirit) which also reflects the tragedy of womens unfulfilled leadership. At the time she was living in Brody, possibly later in her life after her youngest brother had been Rebbe in Belz for some time. According to the stories, she criticized her brother and Court at Belz for spending too much money on luxuries rather than helping the poor and was consequently believed by her brothers to be posessed of a dybbuk. The story has it that they went in secret at night to a remote spot where they excorcised the dybbuk which then left her body thru her little toe!
Is this another way of cutting her down to size and preventing her from becoming a major player in their dynastic world, Or was she genuinely disturbed? Who brought her to the designated spot for the ritual? Did she or her husband or children agree with the diagnosis? These are the questions that would lend themselves to additional research or fictional speculation. Meanwhile she seems like the kind of heroine for us to meditate on for Tisha B'Av and other tragic holy days.
On the holy day of Tisha B Av -whether you fast from food or not, you might consider reflecting on those areas in your life (or your family or community) where something has been broken or destroyed that cannot be brought back in its original state. Consider how you can help to heal this loss - perhaps by acknowledging your grief, and then offering it up to the Divine.
Sources of information about Eydel of Brody
I am indebted to Rabbi Justin Lewish of Toronto for providing references from Israeli scholar David Assaf who directed him to Dov Sadan’s memoir “Mi Mechoz Ha Yaldut” Tel Aviv 1981 (first editions 1938) pp 256-264
From Rabbi Justin Lewis: “Many thanks to David Assaf for directing me to the material on Eydele of Brody in Dov Sadan's memoir, Mi-mechoz ha-yaldut. Her story as presented there is a tragic one. Sadan bases his account on family traditions and stories told in Brody, though what he gives us is shaped as a literary account by an author with psychological interests.”
As Sadan tells it,Eydele was the favourite child of Rebbe Sholom (Assaf calls him "RebSholom-tshe") of Belz, more beloved to him than his son, R' Yehoshua, who succeeded him as Rebbe.
Once a man was travelling from Belz to our town (Brody). R'Sholom-tshe said to him: "Here is a little bundle in which I have wrappeda silk sheet [or shawl or handkerchief, "mithpachath"] as a present for mydaughter." That man brought the bundle to Rebbetzin Eydele. She untied the bundle, and there was not a silk sheet but a silk parocheth [curtain for an Aron Kodesh].
When, later, that man went back to Belz, Eydele sent back the [empty] bundle with him to her father. The man came to the Rebbe and said "The holy Rebbe was in error; you spoke of a silk sheet in the bundle and there was a silk parocheth in the bundle." The Rebbe laughed and said, "Is that an error? Is not my Eydele a Sefer Torah?" (p. 258-259)
R' Sholom mourned that Eydele was not born male:
R' Sholom used to say: The light which was stored away, which was to illuminate the whole world, is stored away in my daughter Eydele; for if she were male, there would be no tsadik as great as her, and she would certainly have brought the redemption; but it was the work of Satan, the accuser, that she was not born male.
In truth, R' Sholom was troubled about this all his life, and even on his deathbed, when his daughters were chased away from his bed so that their wailing would not disrupt his passing, he said: Eydele will stay here, because Eydele is not a daughter to me, she is a son to me. (p. 258)
Eydele, according to Sadan, saw herself as the proper successor to her great father and criticized her brother, R' Yehoshua, his actual successor as Rebbe of Belz, with harsh criticisms, for conducting himself regally and not simply like R' Sholom, accusing him of living in luxury at the expense of poor followers. She settled in Brody, a town of misnagdim (those opposed to Chasidic thought ) and set up her own court:
The Chasidim who came to her “tish”/ceremonial table from all around were many;they praised the Torahs she said; they praised her responses to _kvitlekh_and her understanding. Most people called her "Eydele di Rebbetzin" [apparently "Rebbetzin" is not simply to be translated as "rabbi's wife"
in this context but expresses honour to her in her own right], and a few called her "Eydele der Rebbe"; you see how greatly she was honoured. (p.
260)
But her court remained small in comparison to her brother's increasingly grand court in Belz which attracted thousands of Chasidim. And, according to Sadan, all the admiration and adulation Eydele received was mixed with a condescending sense of novelty: a woman acting like a Rebbe -- just imagine!
Sadan writes: "A fearsome story circulated during my childhood, the story of the exorcism of the dybbuk which possessed Eydele the Rebbetzin." Sadan overlays what he tells us of the story with a lot of thoughts about it; as he sees it, Eydele's deep resentment of not being the recognized successor of her father because of not being male built up until it expressed itself in such a disturbing way that it was labelled as dybbuk possession. Eydele sank into melancholy and her harsh words about her brother's court were reduced to two which she repeated over and over again: "veberne hemder, veberne hemder" (woven shirts, woven shirts). Her brother, the Belzer Rebbe, R' Yehoshua, came to a nearby town (not into Brody itself, perhaps because of the likely hostility of the misnagdim and maskilim) to perform the exorcism. Eydele -- or the dybbuk within her -- cursed her brother violently in a rough, male voice "which had some of the music of her father, R' Sholom's, voice" (p. 261) R' Yehoshua responded by calling down anathemas on the dybbuk until, as the gathered crowd believed they saw it leave in the form of a misty cloud from her little finger, Eydele subsided, exhausted.
Sadan is rather vague and poetic about Eydele's life after her dybbuk was exorcised. The impression is that she was left quiet and melancholic. Every motzaei Shabbes(Saturday night after the Sabbath) two fiddlers, a father and son, would play for her and her son R' Melech'l, who was blind and a great rabbi. She would sing along with a melody called "Hirschenjagd", the deer hunt --identifying with the deer, Sadan feels. She would say nothing, although her son R' Melech'l would respond to the music with his favourite phrase of enthusiasm, "Gots vinder, Gots vinder" ("God's wonders!") Whether Chasidim still came to her, Sadan does not say. It is good to have more stories about Eydele (and Sadan's wholeaccount is worth reading; it includes versions of stories found elsewhere about R' Sholom and Rebbetzin Malka, and anecdotes about R' Melech'l, the blind rabbi). But I wonder about Sadan's interpretation of her. It matches the life story of Chana Rochl the Maid of Ludomir who is said to have claimed a male soul and to have been forced out of her Rebbe-like career by male Rebbes of her time.
But does either life story reflect the reality, or the attitudes of storytellers of the time, or the perspectives of the more secularized twentieth-century authors who retold the stories? If Eydele had a breakdown which expressed itself as dybbuk possession that would be like the episodes of breakdowns in the lives of various great male Rebbes. (Eli Wiesel explores some of these in "Four Hasidic Masters: Their Struggle With Melancholy".) But a breakdown wouldn't automatically end a Rebbe's career: the holy Berditshever apparently spent around a year in silent melancholy but then resumed his fiery devotions. It just seems to me that Sadan's tragic picture is shaped by his literary skill and modern sense of psychology; I wonder if there were other stories of Eydele which wouldn't fit his picture. The story of Eydele from _Dover Shalom_ (which I shared with this list before) does support Sadan's view that she saw herself as her father's successor, but it also refers to her as a famous holy woman without any hint that she was remembered as an aberration or failure. Also, there must have been more to the relationship between Rebbetzin Malka, known as a great holy woman, and her daughter Eydele, than any of these stories mention (since they don't mention the relationship at all!
Bibliography from David Assaf:
Rebetzen Eydele from Brody (daughter of the Belzer rebbe in Dov Sadan' memoir: Mi-mechoz ha-Yaldut, Tel Aviv 1981 (first edition: 1938), pp. 256-264
Also "Be-ohaley Tzaddikim", Jerusalem 1993 (published by Belz) there is alittle more information about Eydele (pp.62-67) and her husband R. Yitzchak Rubin.
Not a word about the dybbuk and her aspirations for leadership!