Pure Simcha | Rabbi Aharon Weinberg

There is an amazing story brought down in the holy Sefer Imrei Pinchas from the holy R’ Pinchas’l Koritzer זכותו יגן עלינו. In the city of Koritz, there was a musician that they called him the Blinder Klezmer, the Blind Musician. He would play beautiful music at parties, at weddings, Simchas, but he was, nebech, blind. And he was a very simple poshiter Yid. He barely knew how to learn. He didn't know how to daven. When he turned old, he fell ill. A few months later, the blind musician, nebech, was Niftar, he passed away. When R’ Pinchas’l Koritzer heard that the Blind Klezmer passed away, he was so devastated, he was heartbroken. He told his Talmidim: I must take part, I'm going to be there at the funeral. It was a shock. Everybody was stunned. Why would he go to such a poshiter Yid? The word got out and there were masses that came running to the funeral. The holy R’ Pinchas’l Koritzer walked behind the coffin. He was burning. His face was aflame. It was clear to everyone that he's in different worlds. When he came back from the Levaya, from the funeral, the oldest of the Talmidim took guts and he asked the Rebbe, Rebbe, why would you take part in this funeral? He was a simple Jew. Was there something hidden that we didn't know about him? R’ Pinchas’l said, He had a secret that I'm going to reveal now. Everybody thought that he's blind. They called him the Blind Musician, but he was not blind. His profession was to play music. And in olden times, there were no sound systems, no mics, and he had to sit in the borderline, by the fence, by the Mechitzah between the men and the women, that the men and the women should be able to enjoy his music. And he was so challenged, it was such a struggle for him to guard his eyes, Shmiras Einayim, by weddings, by Simchas. And one night, he was so bitter about it, and he said: Ribono shel Olam, I cannot take this anymore. I cannot withstand this Nisayon. I want my eyes to be holy. And he decided he's going to close his eyes forever, and everybody thought that he was blind, but he really wasn't blind. He was able to see. And I want you to know, a minute before he left this world, he said, Ribono shel Olam, let me one more time have a glimpse and see Your world. And he opened his eyes. And at that moment, his Neshama left him. And therefore, I went to his funeral. And I want you to know, when I walked behind his coffin, I saw an עמודא דנורא, a pillar of fire, going from his coffin up to Shomayim, and that is the secret of the Blind Musician. Dear Yidden, This is a level that's above and beyond our comprehension. I just want to connect the Gemara in Kesubos 17, that the Gemara tells us that the Amora Rav Shmuel bar Yitzchak כי נח נפשיה, when he was Niftar, when he left the world, they saw in front of his coffin an עמודא דנורא, a pillar of fire. And the Gemara says גמירי, we have a tradition, that only one, or maybe sometimes two people in a generation, could merit such a level, to have this pillar of fire. Now, why was he Zoche to it, Rav Shmuel bar Yitzchak? Says the Gemara: Because he would dance and he would be Mesameach Choson and Kallah by weddings with Hadassim. And as Tosfos brings from the Medrash, that that's the reason he merited that pillar of fire, and it was in the shape of Hadassim. Maybe we could explain, We know Sukkos, we take the four species. Says the Medrash, Every one of them represents and symbolizes a different part of the body. The Hadassim stand for, they symbolize, the eyes, they’re in the shape of eyes. And maybe we could say, Rav Shmuel bar Yitzchak guarded his eyes by weddings. That's why he merited a pillar of fire. And that's exactly what that blind klezmer did. He guarded his eyes at Simchas. And maybe that's why Rav Shmuel bar Yitzchak would dance with Hadassim, to awaken himself and all the others surrounding him. At that moment that you guard your eyes, you're building an עמודא דנורא, a pillar of fire, to light up and shine the way for you and chase away all the ungood from you. Let's do it.