By R’ Yaakov Klein, Matzav.com
During recent renovations on the Ohel of Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev zy”a in Ukraine, it was revealed that the matzeivah on which Jews have been davening since the post-Holocaust era is in a completely different place than the actual graves of the tzaddik and his three sons. The tzaddik’s true burial spot was revealed to be directly below the center of the Ohel, a section upon which thousands of Jews (myself included) have walked and sat for over half a century.
I initially had mixed feelings over this discovery. On the one hand, I was saddened at the thought of the unfortunate (unintentional) disrespect of the tzaddik’s kever. On the other hand, I felt like if there was one tzaddik who could turn this into a positive thing; one tzaddik who knew how to love even those that stepped all over him; one tzaddik whose position directly underneath souls so broken they didn’t even know the proper place to daven allowed him to hold them up and embrace them with the greatest respect and adoration, it was Rav Levi Yitzchak zy”a.
Soon after seeing this story, I received a call from a Rav who is a renowned gaon in nigleh and nistar as well as a direct descendant of Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchov. He told me he had seen the news story and wanted to share the following anecdote with me. (He gave me permission to publicize as long as I omitted his name.)
Seven years ago, this Rav traveled to Ukraine to daven at the kivrei tzaddikim. Although he couldn’t quite pinpoint why, when he arrived at the Ohel, the Rav felt that he couldn’t bring himself to go in. He walked around the side and davened. For reasons he did not divulge to me, the Rav spent the night in the Beis HaChayim. At some point he fell asleep, and he had a dream.
In his dream, the visage of his grandfather, Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchov zy”a, appeared to him. The tzaddik’s face was shining and he was dancing joyously.
“My child,” the tzaddik called out, “Why don’t you come into the Ohel?”
“Zeide, I can’t bring myself to come in! I feel that you are not buried where they say you are!”
Rav Levi Yitzchak drew close and said: “I want you to know that it is true. I am not buried where they say I am. I am buried directly underneath the center of the Ohel. My child, all the yidden walk over me. I love it, my child! I love it more than anything in the world! Yidden are coming to visit me, precious Yidden! And I have the opportunity to hold them up! Look how many Yidden I am holding up! Please bring more! Bring more and more and more…!”
The words “more and more” echoed louder and louder and the tzaddik danced away.
The Rav awoke from his dream in the darkness of the Berditchover Beis HaChayim, shaken.
For the past seven years, he wondered about that dream.
Until today.
R’ Yaakov Klein is the author of “Sparks from Berditchov” and the founder and director of the Lost Princess Initiative.
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Amazing.
Wonder how it came about though, that it was built the way it was.
Thanks for sharing!
it would be worth while to see the book captive child printed by shaar press pages 194-195 that discuses the finding of the actual tombstone and inscription
please let me know if this information was helpful thanks
Can you tell us what it says for those who do not have the book?
it would be worth while to see the book captive child printed by shaar press pages 194-195 that discuses tfe finding of the actual tombstone and inscription
please let me know if this information was helpful thanks
Nonsense!!! This the 3rd time “they” say they found the real kever. 1. where we have been prating 2. behind the current structure – where there is extensive archeologic digging and a large tomb stone attributed to the berdichever and now 3. In ” the middle of the previous steucture” They should use an Ultrasound to confirm tombs and perhaps we will discover that his body is still fresh and while as he was a Tzaddik Tamid. I wonder which one Rav Gabai thinks is the real one??? Either was all of the clal’s Tefillos where heard in the vicinity of the Tzaddik.
I spoke earlier in the week to a Berdichever einikel, a choshuve Rov whom I personally know and he filled me on on some details about this exciting discovery. This Rov was involved 2 yrs ago in a sophisticated scanning project of the internal and external sections of several cemeteries in Ukraine, including the Berdichever cemetery. The Berdichever project was funded and led by Rabbi Moshe Thaler, the local Shliach Chabad, who made this most recent excavation and the latest discovery and has been upgrading and upkeeping the entire cemetery and the Ohel.
At that time Rabbi Thaler had discovered the foundations of what seemed to be an ohel and he thought that this was the “true” ohel of Rav Levi Yitzchak in the area outside of the current Ohel. He publicized his discovery at that time in the chareidi news outlets (https://hamodia.com/2017/08/02/discovery-raises-questions-location-kedushas-levis-kever/). He then tried to verify his theory by bringing European scanning experts and see what their equipement would reveal, prior to doing any invasive excavation work. Rabbi Thaler also felt that the current Ohel was built on kevorim (which is now confirmed to be true by the most recent digging) and wanted to confirm that as well.
During that scanning project, the scans could not confirm or disprove Rabbi Thaler’s theory of the outside ohel, however it did show that there exists a cement square-shaped box underneath the existing Ohel. That Rav was convinced that this box was the actual burial place of the Berdichever and not outside where Rabbi Thaler believed it to be. However they would not be able to verify and determine who was right until they opened the floor and excavated the existing Ohel. If the box didn’t show anything by default Rabbi Thaler’s outside Ohel would have more credence. Rabbi Thaler was waiting for an oppurtune time when traffic would be low and the excavations can begin. That oppurtunity presented itself when Covid-19 paralyzed the global traveling industry and thus the traffic came to a halt and the excavations began. Lo and behold the original Kevorim where discovered intact exactly where that square box was indicated on the scan and the original tiled floor of the original Ohel was intact as well. This is a great archeological discovery and Rabbi Thaler deserves a tremendous thanks from all of us for his efforts and financial costs that this project took.
The local Bardichever Jews always shared a tradition that they had that their grandparents covered the kevorim of Reb Levi Yitzchak and his sons with cement and earth and then poured a block of cement on the entire area of the Ohel in order to protect it from the Nazis and the Soviets. This was actually confirmed to be true now. This is very exciting news as most Kevorim in Eastern Europe are unfortunately not totally accurate. This should hopefully answer your question. Yes, this is the confirmed resting place of the Heiliger Bardichever Rov and his sons. Zechuso Yagein Aleinu.
The article forgets to mention that it was local Chabad Shluchim that discovered the new Kever during renovations.