'Aish Kodesh': A Unique Kiddush Cup of the Admor of Piaseczno, Given to Him by his Outstanding Follower, R' Chaim ...

'Aish Kodesh': A Unique Kiddush Cup of the Admor of Piaseczno, Given to Him by his Outstanding Follower, R' Chaim Rodzhiner. Poland, 1897.

This kiddush cup was presented to the Rebbe of Piaseczno (near Warsaw), when he was stil young, and remained in his possession for many decades, including when he was in the Warsaw Ghetto.

The Admor of Piaseczno was one of the most important spiritual leaders of Warsaw during the time before and during the Holocaust. His famed sefer, 'Aish Kodesh, ' is comprised of drashot he delivered in the Warsaw Ghetto, which offered spiritual support to his community in this time of dire need. His unwavering commitment to the Jews of Warsaw is epitomized in his refusal to leave them:

"I have no intention of abandoning the front lines, and in particular I cannot say goodbye to Polish Jewry".

The Piaseczno Rebbe's father, Rabbi Elimelech Shapira of Grodzhisk, passed away in 1892. Five years after R' Elimelech's passing, the Polish Rabbi Chaim Rodzhiner, who was living in Safed, commissioned a special silver cup from the Safed artist Rabbi Yosef Hirsch Geiger, decorated in the traditional Safed style, to be given as a gift to R' Elimelech's son, whose greatness R' Chaim already recognized.

The cup is adorned with images of Holy Sites in Eretz Yisrael, and engraved with the dedication:

"A gift sent from Rabbi Chaim ben Rachel from the Holy City of Safed 5637 [1897]".

Despite the child's young age, R' Chaim Rodzhiner had already recognized the Rebbe of Piaseczno's greatness, and even saw in him the continuation of Kozhnitz Hasidism. It is for this reason that R' Chaim included his own mother's name in the dedicatory inscription, as one would do when presenting oneself to a Rebbe. Indeed, when the Rebbe of Piaseczno reached the age of 19, he crowned R' Chaim's son, R' Nathaniel Rodzhiner as a Rebbe.

Rabbi Chaim Rodzhiner - who prepared and sent the cup to the Rebbe of Piaseczno, was also in charge of managing the lands of the Rebbe of Piaseczno, as well as those of his father - Rabbi Elimelech of Grodzisk.

Many decades after receiving this cup, the Rebbe of Piaseczno asked his brother Rabbi Yeshaya Shapira (HaAdmor HaChalutz), to bring the cup with him to Safed, to give it back to the family of R' Chaim Rodzhiner – as a gift to his son, R' Yitzchak Gabriel Rodzhiner, in order to continue and strengthen the bond between them. Indeed, that bond continued even beyond the Rebbe's passing: every year, on the fourth day of Marcheshvan, Rabbi Nathaniel Rodzhiner would to hold a feast of Hillulla for his teacher and rabbi in the 'Aish Kodesh' hall, and he would recall with tears the glorious days of the Rebbe of Piaseczno, and his last moments before he was taken from this world. Many Admorim and Rabbis would honor this Hilulla with their presence.

The precious cup that R' Nathaniel received back from the Piaseczno Rebbe remained in the Rodzhiner family as a highly prized possession, and was used only on special occasions.

The Piaseczno Rebbe: Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira of Piaseczno

"I have no intention of abandoning the front lines, and in particular I cannot say goodbye to Polish Jewry" (The Piaseczno Rebbe, in response to attempts made to rescue him).

The Piaseczno Rebbe was one of the youngest and most important Admorim in Poland between the two Wars.

Rabbi Shapira was born on Shabbat morning, Parshat Pinchas, 14 of Tammuz 1889, July 13, 1889, to R' Elimelech Shapira, the Rebbe of Grodzhisk (1824-1892), and Rebbetzin Hana Bracha Sternfeld (1862-1939), daughter of the Admor Rebbe Chaim Shmuel of Hanchin. His father passed away before he was three years old, and at the age of fifteen he was taken under the tutelage of Rabbi Moshe Yerachmiel Hofstein - the Rebbe of Kuznitz (1860-1909). When R' Kalonymus was about sixteen years old he married R' Kuznitz' daughter Rachel Chaya Miriam, and became his Rebbe's son-in-law.

In 1909 R' Kalonymus was appointed rabbi of Piaseczno, near Warsaw, and subsequently attracted many hasidim. He was deeply focused on the education of children and young men, establishing the yeshiva Da'as Moshe in 1923, which became one of the largest hasidic yeshivot in Warsaw between the wars. Both of the sefarim he authored 'Chovat HaTalmidim' and 'Aish Kodesh' reflect his deep commitment to the Jews of Warsaw, their education and spiritual needs.

Rabbi Chaim Rodzhiner:

A follower and admirer of the Rebbe of Piaseczno, R' Chaim Rodzhiner was born in Poland in 1827, and moved to Safed. He was a student and friend of the Hassidic tzadikkim of his generation: the Rebbe of Kozhnitz , Rabbi Israel of Ruzhin , and Rabbi Dovid Moshe of Chortkov. He was one of the great followers of the Rebbe Rabbi Shlomo of Radomsk. In the book 'Sippurei Tifferet Shlomo' it is written that the Rebbe said that when he recited Psalms and came to the verse "I am a friend to all who will see you", he had in mind Rabbi Chaim ben R'Khal (an abbreviation of Rachel). R Rabbi Chaim was very prosperous. In the year 1873 he immigrated to Israel with a large fortune, and was a very important figure in Safed during that period. He greatly helped the many poor people who lived in Safed. He died at the age of eighty years old, on the 24th of Nisan 1806, and was buried near the grave of the Holy Ari. Accounts of his wonderful actions on behalf of the settlement of the Holy Land and the poor of the country are found in the Press of the time.

Rabbi Chaim recognized the Rebbe of Piaseczno as the continuation of the Kozhnitz Hasidism when the Rebbe was very young in age, and considered him to be his Rebbe.

Rabbi Yosef Hirsch (Zvi) Geiger:

A craftsman and decorator born in Safed, R' Geiger served as a scribe, secretary and supervisor of several Kollels in Safed. He was born to Todros Geiger and Chava, daughter of Rabbi Moshe Charag, who was a member of the Beit Din in Safed and director of the Austro-Hungarian Kollel in the city. As a child he studied Talmud Torah and later in Yeshivot in Safed. In 1888 he married Miriam, born Drohobych.

Geiger's work included a wide variety of art objects, including decorated documents for various institutions, decorations for the sukkah, and more. They combined calligraphy with painting, and were inspired by traditional Jewish folk painting. His best-known work "Purim Painting" (1893), which was made using the technique of painting on glass, is in the Feuchtwanger Collection at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Geiger's paintings decorated many houses in the city, and his sukkah decorations were very common in Safed. Some of his works remain today in the Beit Midrash of the Ari and in the Ashkenazi Synagogue of the Ari, as for example, handmade panels written and decorated with golden letters.

Interestingly enough, the cup that R' Geiger adorned for the young Piaseczno Rebbe itself was originally made in Poland in the middle of the 19th century. It was customary during this period for such cups to be brought to Safed, to be embellished there with traditional images of Holy Sites such as the Western Wall, the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the Tombs of the Kings, etc. Such cups are today known as "Safed Cups". Rabbi Yosef Hirsch (Zvi) Geiger was one of the most talented artists responsible for creating cups in the Safed style.

Provenance: Descendants (daughter) of Rabbi Chaim Rodzhiner, who have provided a letter of authenticity, and a complete essay written by the grandson of R' Chaim Rodzhiner that recounts the cup's history and ownership.

An extraordinary historical relic that survived the Warsaw Ghetto. 'Cup of Tzadikim'.