What Lies Behind the Letter of Rabbi Shimon Shapira zt”l, Written Two Weeks Before his Passing

Chasidut Breslov was struck with shock with the passing of the Tzaddik Rabbi Shimon Shapira ztvk”l on Monday this week.  Last night, a handwritten letter from Rabbi Shimon Shapira to Moreinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit”a was made public.

In an interview to the Kav HaMeda (Breslov Information Line), his firstborn son, Rabbi Nachman Dan Shapira shlit”a, shares for the first time what lies behind the historic letter:

Baruch Hashem, I have had the merit for decades of learning every week with my father Chumash with Rashi on the weekly Torah portion.  For all the years of the controversy about Moreinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit”a, my father never spoke a word to me against the Rav shlit”a.  I would always go by him on Shabbat evening to say “Gut Shabbos”, and he would ask how Moreinu HaRav shlit”a feels. For years, people in the yeshiva and also outside would say to me, “You are his son.  You need to speak to your father.”  I said to them, “I don’t intervene with my father in anything in life.”  I pray to the Kadosh Baruch Hu; every person has his choice.  He knows what the truth is.  A number of weeks ago, one of the great tzaddikim of Jerusalem – not from Chasidut Breslov – came to me.  He said to me, “You have an obligation; you are his son.  Speak with him.”  I said to him, “You want [this]; you go and speak to him.  I won’t speak to him in any way whatsoever.  I don’t intervene with anyone in life, and certainly not with my father.” Now, a number of weeks ago, I came, like on every week, to learn with him.  Before the learning, he said to me, “After the learning, I want to write a letter for you.”  We learned for around an hour the entire Chumash with Rashi on that parashah.  After the learning, he said to me, “Wait, I want to write a letter.”  He sat down at the table in the living room with the greatest composure.  For something like ten minutes, he sat.  After he wrote, he said to me, “I want for you to go and give the letter in person to Rabbi Lazer, and don’t show this to anyone, not to gabbaim (assistants).  You in person, and not by way of the gabbaim, not by way of anyone.”  He also said to me, “If you pass on the letter, take an envelope and close it.”  I went specially to my store to take an envelope to close it.  It took him some ten minutes to write.  He appeared very, very focused on what he wanted to write.  I put the slip of paper into the envelope without looking, without anything.  I closed it.  After I passed it on, I returned to my father and said to him that that was it – I had fulfilled his charge.  He was very happy.

Content of the handwritten letter of Rabbi Shimon Shapira ztvk”l:

BS”D  5 Cheshvan 5785

To the honorable Rav

Rabbi Eliezer shlit”a

I ask for forgiveness

for all the years and may you pray

for me, and Bezrat Hashem, I will also

pray for you

Shimon Yisrael

ben Freida

Shapira

 

This article was prepared through the courtesy of the Kav HaMeda (Breslov Information Line) *9148