The Source of It All

As I enter the waiting room of the Rebbe of Sanz-Klausenberg, I get my first signs that the inhabitant of this building has a very different currency, one far more eternal than the typical external trappings that convey power and influence

Moshe Goldstein, Mishpacha archives

The room is simply furnished, with a nondescript table and chairs — the kind usually included in a discount chassan-kallah package.

But the real surprise is the walls. The Sanzer Rebbe’s house in Netanya’s Kiryat Sanz neighborhood doesn’t have a single picture or portrait on the walls, not even of the Rebbe’s illustrious forebears. Instead, every inch is covered with framed certificates attesting to pledges of Torah learning made by the bochurim of the chassidus. The pledges, some of which are truly remarkable — tens of thousands of hours of learning — are presented to the Rebbe as a “doron drashah,” a gift at times of simchah.

I learn that each young bochur in the chassidus takes part in this communal campaign and contributes his share to the priceless gift presented to the Rebbe. Torah is clearly the most valuable commodity to this Rebbe, the only kind of gift he will truly treasure.

Ten minutes pass. The door opens. Two dignified gabbaim stand at the entrance.