Sefer Ohel Yaakov – Shemot by Rabbi Yaakov Kranz, known as the Maggid of Dubno, the forefather of maggidim and leading preacher of his generation. The work was compiled by his student, Rabbi Avraham Berush Flam of Mezhirichi.
First Edition. Zholkva, 1837. Printed by Shaul Dov Meir Hafer.
An exceedingly rare sefer, recorded only once in a public auction.
The Holy Rebbe Eliezer Hager, author of Damesek Eliezer of Vizhnitz (1891-1946), was the son of Rebbe Yisrael, the Ahavas Yisrael of Vizhnitz, zt”l. Even as a child he displayed a sharp mind, an excellent memory and great depth in learning. He later received semichah from the Maharsham of Brezan. He founded the Beit Yisrael VeDamesek Eliezer Yeshiva, where hundreds of outstanding Torah scholars studied. His saintly father remarked, "When I ascend to heaven, I will say that I am the father of Eliezer…"
In 1907 he married Chava a”h, daughter of Rebbe Yitzchak Meir Heschel, the Kopyczynitzer Rebbe, zy”a. His Rebbetzin passed away without having borne him any children.
Prior to World War I, Vizhnitz, a small town in Bukovina, was a stronghold of Torah and Chassidus. Its population was mostly Jewish. Its mayor was Jewish and most of its stores and businesses were closed on Shabbos. During the war, the Russians captured Bukovina and wanted to imprison the Ahavas Yisrael, but he miraculously escaped and moved to Grossvardein, Transylvania. Meanwhile, his son, Rebbe Eliezer, went to Vienna to stay with his father-in-law. When the Russians retreated, the heads of the community asked the Ahavas Yisrael to return to his hometown. He declined, and instead sent his son, Rebbe Eliezer. Thus, in 1922 he was cast into the role of spiritual leader of the city of Vizhnitz, where he established a yeshivah, Beis Yisrael V’Damesek Eliezer, and later expanded the yeshivah by adding a modern dormitory and kitchen facilities.
He also reorganized the Talmud Torah, and concerned himself with the teachers’ salaries. He personally tested the talmidim, and set up a fund to provide them with clothing. He went on to establish a network of girls’ schools in Vizhnitz and in the surrounding neighborhoods, bringing in Bais Yaakov graduates from Germany to be the teachers. In 1936, after his father’s petirah, he established his own Chassidic court, as did his brothers, the Mekor Baruch and the Imrei Chaim. Miraculously, he escaped World War II when he traveled to Klausenburg to attend the wedding of one of his talmidim. He moved to Arad in Hungary and then to Temeshvar, where he lived for three years. The Damesek Eliezer, as he was called by then, immigrated to Eretz Yisrael and reestablished his yeshivah in Tel Aviv. (It had moved to Grossvardein with the onset of World War II.) A few months after he arrived in Eretz Yisrael, he fell ill with a grave stomach ailment to which he finally succumbed on his father’s birthday, 2 Elul 1946. He was buried on Har Hazeisim.
Stamps of Rabbi Yaakov Kahana, dayan and moreh tzedek of Chernivtsi and the surrounding region.
The author, Rabbi Yaakov Kranz (1741–1804), was a close associate of the Vilna Gaon (the Gra). Though the two were apart for an extended period, the Gra broke from his reclusive nature and sent Rabbi Kranz a letter urging him to visit Vilna to delight in his words of Torah and moral rebuke. It is recorded that:
"From time to time, the Gra would invite the Maggid of Dubno and implore him to rebuke him. From two letters sent by the Gra and his son, we learn of the Gra’s great yearning for the Maggid’s visit to hear his words of rebuke" (The Gaon and the Chassid of Vilna, p. 173).
Rabbi Yaakov Kranz, known as the Maggid of Dubno, was the most famous preacher of the past few centuries. His sermons, rooted in the explanations of rabbinic teachings and his sharp parables, earned him worldwide renown. He traveled extensively among Jewish communities, strengthening their hearts and bringing them closer to Torah observance. His Torah teachings and parables were widely disseminated orally for many years until his devoted student, Rabbi Avraham Berush Flam, compiled and published numerous works of his teachings and parables, many of which remain in print today. In one of his introductions, Rabbi Flam writes about the Gra’s esteem for Rabbi Kranz:
"Who is greater than our teacher, the pious Gaon, the leader of all Jewish communities in exile, our master Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, may his memory be blessed, who extolled his virtues to an extraordinary degree in his letters, which are still in my possession, urging him to visit Dubno to enjoy his companionship and rejoice in his love" (Introduction to the Gra’s commentary on Job, Warsaw, 1854).
Stamp in Latin: Ruchel Singer.
[1], 3-52, 48 Leaves. 26.3 Cm.
