BRILLIANT CHASSID AND SIMPLE JEW

R’ Itche der Masmid said about Nachum Goldschmidt, “Founding Tomchei T’mimim was worthwhile just for Nachum’ke.” * He was an enormous maskil in Chassidus and he taught Chassidus to tens of thousands of people in shiurim, farbrengens and on the radio. He was very close to R’ Levik, the Rebbe’s father. He was a mashpia in Tomchei T’mimim and ran a Beis Yaakov, and despite all his accomplishments he was the epitome of modesty. * He passed away on 13 Shvat 5736/1976.

BACKGROUND

Rabbi Nachum Goldschmidt a”h was born on 8 Nissan 5665/1905 in Yekaterinoslav. His father was R’ Yitzchok, the town shochet.

Their family was very close with the rav of the city, R’ Levi Yitzchok Schneersohn, the Rebbe’s father. In his childhood, R’ Nachum learned by the Chassidishe melamed along with the Rebbe and his brother. He kept up his relationship with R’ Yisroel Aryeh Leib for years and would visit him at his place of work, the municipal library in Tel Aviv. They would talk for hours, with R’ Yisroel Aryeh Leib explaining deep concepts in Chassidus to him.

In 5683, he went to learn by the Rebbe Rayatz in Rostov and when he was in yeshiva he was given permission by the Rebbe Rayatz to review maamarei Chassidus according to the level of the listeners [this was revolutionary at the time since the tradition was to be particular about “osiyos HaRav,” reviewing the Rebbe’s teachings exactly as he said them – Ed.]. R’ Itche der Masmid once exclaimed that it was worth founding Tomchei T’mimim just for “Nachum’ke Goldschmidt.” When the Rebbe left Rostov, R’ Nachum went to learn in Charkov and Nevel. When he heard that the GPU was on his trail, he fled for Vitebsk where he was appointed mashpia for the youngest group.

In 5695/1935 he moved to Eretz Yisroel and settled in Tel Aviv. There too, he exerted himself to spread Chassidus. In 5698, he married Chaya Devorah, the daughter of the magnate, R’ Yechiel Tzvi Gurary. The wedding took place in Poland and is famous because the Rebbe Rayatz appeared unexpectedly at one of the sheva brachos meals and even said a maamer, “Asher Bara Sasson V’simcha.” That was the only time we merited a wedding maamer from one of the Rebbeim that was said not at a wedding of Beis Rebbi.

For 21 years, R’ Nachum and his wife ran a Beis Yaakov school. “The principal sat throughout the school day with s’farim in front of him. He studied them in depth, thirstily and with profound concentration,” said one of the teachers in the school. In his position as principal, he met with many of those in leadership positions within the religious world and he used these encounters to introduce them to Chassidus.

In addition to his wisdom and fine character, which became evident in his role of menahel of this mosad, R’ Nachum was also a mashpia and famous lecturer of Chassidus. He was known for his marvelous ability to explain even the most difficult concepts in Chassidus.

He was a member of the Vaad Agudas Chassidei Chabad, the Vaad of Ezras Achim and other organizations of the Rebbeim in Eretz Yisroel.

Despite his serious heart condition, he worked with mesirus nefesh to spread Chassidus and fought against the decree of Mihu Yehudi.

WITH THE REBBE’S FATHER

Because of the war that had broken out in his youth, he remained in Yekaterinoslav where he learned in the local yeshiva. He spent his free time developing a connection with the rav, R’ Levi Yitzchok. R’ Levi Yitzchok responded with love and would answer all his questions in Nigleh and Chassidus.

When R’ Levi Yitzchok would go to public events and wanted someone to accompany him, he had a problem. His oldest son was immersed in his learning and he did not want to interrupt him. His younger son was too young to take along. So R’ Nachum became R’ Levi Yitzchok’s escort on many occasions.

Once when he was 15 he walked home with the rav and carried his tallis and t’fillin bag. R’ Levik suddenly asked him, “Nachum, what do you think – the government asked me to sign a declaration that there is enough matza for all who want it. Can I sign to that? It’s far from the truth!”

The boy thought and then replied, “Who am I to respond to something so complicated? I am but a lad who has not reached the level of deciding halachic issues, but if the rav is asking my opinion, I think that the answer ought to be negative.”

R’ Levik smiled and said, “Yes, Nachum’ke, I also think it is forbidden to sign it and I won’t sign it.”

HAND ON THE SHOULDER

While learning in Vitebsk, R’ Nachum once felt a hand on his shoulder. At first he was frightened because he thought it was a police agent, but when he turned around he saw R’ Levik standing behind him and looking into the seifer he was learning from. When R’ Nachum asked him what he was doing there, R’ Levik said, “I had to come here to Vitebsk for a communal matter and I heard that you are sitting and learning in the beis midrash. I decided to come and see how you are and surely your parents will enjoy the regards that I give them from you.”

CHASSID – OVEID

When he moved to Eretz Yisroel, he slept the first night at his teacher, R’ Zalman Moshe HaYitzchaki. The very next day though, he looked for a room to rent and work to pay for the room. He wasn’t very choosy and he found a small, cheap room and backbreaking work in construction. It would happen in later years, as he walked in Tel Aviv, that he would proudly point at a building or road and say, “I built that” or “I paved that.” Despite the difficult labor, when he arrived after work he would go directly to the Chabad shul and learn Tanya with some older boys. Another shiur took place in those days in the home of R’ Shmuel Zalmanov which was well attended by bachurim and Anash.

For a while, he worked together with R’ Folye Kahn selling second-hand clothing. One day, while sorting the clothing, they found two liras in a pants’ pocket, a sum equal to the salary the two of them earned in a month. They immediately left the business and went to the beis midrash to learn. They did not work for a month; instead, they just sat and learned from morning to night.

GRANDSON OF THE REBBE

After his son Mordechai was born, his mother-in-law showed a picture of the child to the Rebbe Rayatz. The Rebbe looked at it and smiled and said, “Just as he is your physical grandson, he is my spiritual grandson.”

GADLUS OF A TAMIM

In 5701/1941 the Rebbe Rayatz agitated for the establishment of shiurim in Chassidus in every Jewish community. R’ Nachum immediately got involved. He would travel four times a week to yishuvim – in Petach Tikva, Rishon L’Tziyon, Bat Yam and other places. The bus he would take passed Arab villages and the Arab hoodlums would throw rocks, but he wasn’t scared. R’ Nachum was a master explicator and many people attended his shiurim.

R’ Yisroel Tzvi Heber related:

In those days, I lived with my family in Petach Tikva and I tried not to miss a single one of R’ Nachum’s shiurim. The night that R’ Nachum would come to give a shiur, the shul was full, more than on Shabbos. In one shiur, it seemed to me that the correct explanation was different than how R’ Nachum explained the Tanya. After the shiur I went over to him hesitantly and told him what I thought.

R’ Nachum stood patiently and listened quietly and attentively as I said my piece. When I finished, he thought and then said, “You might be right; we need to think about it.” I was amazed by this answer. There I was, a young fellow, and he conceded that I might be right! I learned from him what the gadlus (greatness) of a Tamim is.

FIVE SHIURIM ON SHABBOS

His dedication to teaching Chassidus was legendary. Aside from the four evenings a week that he traveled to give shiurim, and in those days, traveling by bus from Tel Aviv to Petach Tikva, for example, was not merely half an hour but much more, R’ Nachum would give five shiurim on Chassidus every Shabbos in shuls throughout Tel Aviv.

Yud-Tes Kislev was his Yom Tov. He would review Chassidus at several farbrengens in the big cities in the center of the country. These were maamarim that were listened to with great attention. In the Chabad publication of those early years, it always mentions that his reviewing of Chassidus was the highlight of the celebration. The maamarim which he reviewed were also listened to closely by people like President Shazar and Knesset members and ministers who would attend the main farbrengen in Kfar Chabad.

TANYA CLASSES ON THE RADIO

During the height of the inspiration roused by the Rebbe in the year 5720 which marked the 200^th year since the passing of the Baal Shem Tov, R’ Yona Eidelkop decided to go after the ultimate in large scale outreach. He approached the Israel Broadcast Authority and asked for air time for a Tanya shiur. Nobody dreamed that he would be given any, but in the end, he was allotted fifteen minutes once every two weeks. It was decided that R’ Nachum would give the shiur.

R’ Nachum would sit for five to ten hours and prepare for the fifteen minutes he would speak on the radio. The time and effort he invested were quickly seen to be worthwhile. Letters started arriving at the Tzach office in Kfar Chabad with requests for transcripts of the shiurim. The Broadcast Authority saw the tremendous interest in the shiurim and decided to grant more air time and the shiur became a weekly event.

When R’ Nachum was in yechidus in 5728, the Rebbe told him to print his shiurim. This did not happen in his lifetime. After he passed away, the Rebbe told his son-in-law, R’ Sholom Ber Lipschitz, that R’ Nachum’s son, R’ Mordechai, should print them. This book became one of the mainstays of explaining Chassidus in that era.

STILL A TAMIM

Although he gave shiurim in Chassidus on the radio for years, when he was asked to be interviewed for Israeli television he refused. He said, “Ich bin fort a Tamim” (after all, I am a Tamim) as though to say, there is a limit to compromise.

MEKUSHAR AND CONNECTING OTHERS

Although R’ Nachum was a gaon in Chassidus and he loved to delve into deep topics (in 5701 the Rebbe Rayatz wrote him that even though the main learning was in-depth study with the older students, he should not forget simple learning with balabatim), he taught Chassidus to women and girls. This was something the Rebbe told him to do after R’ Leibel Zalmanov asked him to teach Chassidus in Beis Rivka. He did this with simplicity and bittul and considered this a holy assignment even though he couldn’t delve into the haskala of Hemshech 5672 with them. Before he began teaching Tanya to girls he devoted considerable time to introducing them to the concept of hiskashrus. He did this by first teaching them the order and history of the Rebbeim.

HOURS ON THE BENCH

R’ Nachum was immersed in Chassidus to an astonishing extent. One summer day, he was seen sitting on a bench on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, one arm resting on the back of the bench, his other hand supporting his head, completely lost in thought. All around him cars zoomed by, horns honked, mothers chased after children, and dogs barked. He sat there for several hours. A Chassid passed by and was offended when R’ Nachum did not greet him. It was only when he got closer that he saw that R’ Nachum was immersed in something loftier and was oblivious to his surroundings.

JOVIAL FRIENDSHIP

R’ Nachum was known for his joie de vivre and his sense of humor, as well as his musical talent. He was the direct source for a number of the niggunim in Seifer HaNiggunim. His good friend was R’ Pinye Altheus and if you knew R’ Pinye, you understood why.

During the War of Independence, bombs fell on Tel Aviv. At one point, R’ Pinye and R’ Nachum found shelter under some tables and benches. While lying there, they competed as to who could do a better job with a “shtikel chazanus” for T’fillas Tal.