What was the Rivnitzer Rebbe known for?
By Rabbi Shalom Landau.
Rabbi Landau explains that his Rebbe, the Rivnitzer Rebbe, “was famously known with his love to every Jew.” There is a picture of the Rebbe, already an elderly man in his 80s, on a swing with two boys who were “not the best boys,” playing with them.
Why would he spend his time that way? “Just to bring them to something good,” Rabbi Landau says. “Keep Shabbos, learn, pray a little bit. Like, let me bring you closer to Hashem.” He loved them exactly as they were and met them where they were.
That is the path Rabbi Landau and Rivnitz try to continue today: to reach the heart of every Jewish person and inspire them to rise higher, going “in the way that I saw by my Rebbe.”
Related concepts: The yahrzeit of the Ribnitzer Rebbe
Going deeper: Rabbi Landau's teaching, level by level
Surface claim
The Rivnitzer Rebbe was known for his love for every Jew.
Underlying need or longing
The Rebbe met the boys where they were, so that they would come closer to Shabbos, to learning, to prayer, and to Hashem.
Deepest human truth
Love comes first. Rabbi Landau's work is to reach the heart of every Jew in the way he saw by his Rebbe.
More answers: Faith, Providence, and the Jewish Destiny · All questions · Questions about Rabbi Landau and Rivnitz