An appreciation of Rav Dovid Yitzchok Eizek of Skolya, Ztz”l, on his thirtieth yahrtzeit
When we were young, a favorite pastime was collecting and exchanging pictures of gedolim. The value of any given picture was defined primarily by beard color or length, or perhaps a colorful prop; we knew very little about the actual spiritual heights of the giants whose images we worked so hard to accumulate.
One picture came with a story too thrilling to be real; it was retold in reverential whispers. As I said, we were unable to see the Torah knowledge or fear of Heaven in these luminous faces, but the “shin” was something we could all see. Right there on the Rebbe’s forehead, clear as day, three vertical creases formed the letter “shin,” representing something surreal, sacred — some sort of Divine stamp.
That was my childish introduction to the saintly Rav Dovid Yitzchok Eizek, Rebbe of Skolya.
As we grew older, we began to hear the most fantastic tales about this angelic soul, stories more suited to Mezibuzh of 250 years ago than to the Brooklyn of this century. The Skolya Rebbe never really came to America at all, though he resided here for decades. He never founded mosdos or built a Chassidus; he worked in a hidden realm. In addition to being brilliant, he also a master of Kabbalah, inhabiting a secret, candlelit world of tikkun neshamos, giluyim, and Sheimos.
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