Matzos by Reb Levik
At a gathering, the Rebbe described how his father's life exemplified the desire to make G-d his portion and his inheritance:
"Although the Russian government at that time pressured rabbis to issue proclamations declaring their support of the government and their willingness to accept its authority, my father conducted himself as a rav did in previous generations [and did not succumb to the pressure].
"Furthermore, he did this with mesirut nefesh -- self-sacrifice. In particular, this is reflected in his journey to the Russian capital to receive permission to bake matzot in a kosher manner. This journey was successful and they agreed to accept his rulings regarding the kashrut of these matzot. Although this caused financial loss to the government -- and that was considered a very serious matter at that time -- my father refused to authorize the use of any flour that was not supervised by his supervisors, supervisors who would not bend despite the pressure they were subjected to. The matzot which were baked under his supervision were then distributed throughout Russia.
"Although he knew of the possibility of severe punishment, he continued his efforts to spread Yiddishkeit, and furthermore, did so while in exile itself. Moreover, he was recognized for his wisdom by non-Jews, and when they asked him for advice, he also endeavored to influence them to fulfill their seven mitzvot, and to the extent possible at that time, he achieved this... My father's desire was to spread Judaism in his own community and throughout the entire Jewish people and to do so with mesirut nefesh."
May we truly learn from Reb Levi Yitzchak's mesirut nefesh and incorporate it into our daily lives until the revelation of our true and righteous Moshiach.
