Who Was the Bas Ayin?

Tuesday, the 12th of Kislev, marks the 185th yahrtzeit of one of the greatest Chassidish Rebbes, Harav Avraham Dov Ber of Ovritch zt”l, known to the world as the “Bas Ayin,” a sefer he wrote on Chumash.

A talmid of the Meor Einayim and the Kedushas Levi, he served as the Rav of Ovritch for nearly forty years before journeying to Eretz Yisrael at the advanced age of 70.

While his life in Europe was distinguished, it was his leadership in the holy city of Tzfas that cemented his legacy as a guardian of the Jewish people.

The Bas Ayin arrived in Tzfas during a tumultuous era, becoming the leader of the Chassidic community while living in peace with the Perushim (disciples of the Vilna Gaon), and their leader, Harav Yisrael of Shklov zt”l.

His koach ha’tefilah was displayed during the Great Earthquake of 1837.

On that devastating day, tremors began to rock the mountainside city just as the community was gathered for Mincha. As panic set in and congregants rushed for the exits, the Bas Ayin shouted above the din: “Come to the Aron Kodesh if you wish to be saved!”

The mispalelim gathered at the Aron and the Rebbe threw himself on the floor in weeping tefilah. In an open neis, while the majority of the synagogue’s structure collapsed into rubble, the area surrounding the Aron Kodesh remained perfectly intact. To this day, visitors to the reconstructed shul in Tzfas can see the visible line distinguishing the original surviving wall from the rebuilt sections, a witness to the miracle that saved dozens of lives while 5,000 others in the region tragically were killed.

Three years later, in 1840 (5601), a terrible plague ravaged the community of Tzfas. As the death toll mounted, the Bas Ayin made a selfless promise: he would be the plague’s final victim.

On the 12th of Kislev, the holy Rebbe returned his soul to his Creator. True to his word, the plague stopped immediately upon his passing. He was laid to rest in the ancient cemetery of Tzfas, in a ma’arah alongside the Arvei Nachal, and near the resting places of the Beis Yosef and the Alshich Hakodesh.

The Bas Ayin left behind no biological children. He famously stated that his sefer, the Bas Ayin, was his child, and he promised to intercede on behalf of those who study it or help in its publication.

In this monumental work, he offers a profound insight into the episode of May Merivah (The Waters of Strife), where Moshe Rabbeinu struck the rock instead of speaking to it as he had been commanded by Hashem. The Torah tells us Hashem decreed Moshe would not enter Eretz Yisrael because “You did not believe in Me to sanctify My name.”

The Bas Ayin asks the obvious question: How can Hashem accuse Moshe Rabbeinu, the man who spoke to Hashem face-to-face, of a lack of faith?

The Rebbe explains that the “lack of faith” was not in Hashem’s power, but in the power of his own Teshuvah. When the people complained, Moshe initially slipped by calling them “rebels.” He immediately regretted this harshness and did Teshuvah. However, when commanded to speak to the rock, Moshe hesitated. He feared that his mouth, having just been used to speak negatively about Bnei Yisrael, was spiritually damaged. He worried that if he used a “tainted” mouth to command the rock, the rock would not listen, leading to a massive Chillul Hashem. Therefore, he chose to strike the rock, a method that had worked previously.

Hashem’s critique, the Bas Ayin explains, was this: “You did not believe in Me,” meaning, you did not have enough faith in the power of the Teshuvah I gave you, that when one does Teshuva he isn’t the same person who sinned, and the parts of his body that he used the wrong way are recreated – the mouth that uttered the wrong words is not the same mouth after Teshuva. Had Moshe fully believed that his repentance had completely recreated his mouth, he would have known he was worthy to speak to the rock and bring forth water through words alone.

Jewish communities across the world mark the yahrtzeit with seudos l’ilui nishmaso; a minhag first popularized first in Eretz Yisrael by noted mashpia Harav Elimelech Biderman shlita.

For 185 years, the Bas Ayin has remained a powerful advocate for Klal Yisrael. His kever in Tzfas attracts thousands of petitioners annually, and stories abound of yeshuos found by those who connect to his Torah. As he viewed his writings as his progeny, the study of his teachings on this day is considered a powerful merit.

Zechuso yagen aleinu.