Kuzmir Rebbe Prays Through the Night for Loyal Aide Hospitalized After Stroke in Meron
Rebbe marks 20th yahrzeit of his father with grand tish attended by leading admorim • Ascends to Mount of Olives at dawn to pray for longtime gabbai who suffered stroke in Meron | 'He needs great mercy from Heaven' (Haredim)
The Kuzmir Hasidic court marked a solemn milestone last week as the Rebbe commemorated the twentieth yahrzeit of his father, Rabbi Dan of Modzitz, author of the Nachlat Dan responsa, with a grand tish that drew a distinguished gallery of rabbinic leaders to the Bnei Brak beit midrash on Rashi Street.
Among those who came to honor the memory of the late Rebbe were the Admorim of Shevet HaLevi and Temeshvar, alongside Rabbi Aharon Shapira, chief rabbi of Pardes Katz. Particularly notable was the attendance of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, a member of the Council of Torah Sages and rosh yeshiva of Maor HaTalmud in Rehovot, whose presence signaled the breadth of respect commanded by the Kozmir dynasty across the haredi world.
But the evening's most dramatic moment came not during the tish itself, but in the small hours that followed, when the Rebbe ascended to the Mount of Olives cemetery with a delegation of followers to pray at his father's grave, and to plead for the recovery of a loyal aide whose condition has cast a shadow over the court for weeks.
A Gabbai's Collapse in Meron
At the center of the Rebbe's tearful midnight prayers was Rabbi Binyamin Dov Schreiber, the Kuzmir court's longtime mashbak (chief gabbai) and one of the Rebbe's most trusted confidants. Sources confirmed that Rabbi Schreiber suffered a severe stroke several weeks ago while in Meron on the Shabbat preceding Lag BaOmer, a time when thousands of Hasidim traditionally gather at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
The medical crisis struck suddenly, and Rabbi Schreiber was rushed to hospital where he has remained hospitalized ever since. According to individuals close to the court, his condition has not improved significantly, and he requires "great mercy from Heaven" to return to health and resume his duties in the holy service of the Rebbe's court.
The Kuzmir Hasidim have been urged to continue praying for his complete recovery, with study sessions and prayer gatherings dedicated to his healing. The Rebbe's decision to make Rabbi Schreiber the focal point of his prayers at his father's grave underscored the depth of concern within the court and the personal bond between the Rebbe and his faithful aide.
A Dynasty's Legacy
The yahrzeit commemoration itself reflected the enduring influence of the Modzitz-Kozmir dynasty, which has maintained its distinctive musical and spiritual traditions across generations. The late Rabbi Dan of Modzitz, whose Nachlat Dan remains a widely consulted halachic work, passed away two decades ago, leaving his son to carry forward a legacy rooted in both rigorous Torah scholarship and the mystical fervor of Hasidic practice.
The presence of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook at the tish was particularly significant given his stature within the broader Lithuanian yeshiva world, illustrating the respect the Kuzmir court commands beyond strictly Hasidic circles. His attendance, alongside the Admorim of Shevet HaLevi and Temeshvar, demonstrated the cross-communal reverence for the Modzitz tradition and its current leader.
Please daven that Rabbi Schreiber has a refuah shleimah.