When the Shefa Chaim chose the son of Rav Mordche of Zvhil as his first son-in-law, the fervor and fiery passion of Sanz merged with the pashtus, anonymity, and secrecy of Zvhil in these two prodigious scholars whose styles converged at the shtender. Today Rav Shlomo Goldman, the Zvhil-Sanz Rebbe of Union City, leads his kehillah with love, strength, and holy eyes that transcend sound
Imagine a rebbe who leads with silence, using it as a tool to draw forth, to demand, to teach, a silence that allows him to hear the dreams of those around him.
In a small gazebo, I found a quiet rebbe, leading a quiet chassidus in a way that calls to mind those paintings, the ones where the entire town of wooden huts is visible in the background, as a small huddle of Jews gather after Kiddush Levanah or Tashlich, their faces exhilarated, worn, alive.
The backdrop to the present scenic picture is the current of expectation that runs deep here. It’s the imprint and legacy of the community’s founder, the Shefa Chaim — Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam of Sanz-Klausenberg ztz”l, father-in-law of this rebbe of hushed tones: Rav Shlomo Goldman of Zvhil-Sanz.
The soundtrack at Machane Divrei Chaim in Kauneonga Lake, summer home of the Sanz-Zvhil community of Union City, New Jersey, is one of voices raised in learning in the Klausenberger style. The beis medrash and several adjoining rooms, the porches and picnic tables, are filled with shiurim and chavrusas on the Monday morning when I arrive.
Create a free account to keep reading.
