Stories of Saba Yisroel and R' Yisroel Karduner as heard from Morris Sasson

HH

Last night by Rachel wife of Rabbi Akiva (or according to many it is just a money scam) we merited to make a huge barbecue - in honor of the hilula of R' Yisroel Karduner (/Czek-happy, Halpern, Breslover) with the Nanach, and Morris recounted many awesome things he heard and saw by Saba Yisroel.

Here I am jotting down from memory as fast as I can, and I do not claim complete accuracy.

Morris n"y who was married to the granddaughter of the Baba Sali, met Saba Yisroel right after Morris had visited a certain false messiah in the U.S.. Saba asked him why he went - and he told Saba that he believes there is a Tzadik Yesod Oalum and he is in search, so Saba asked him why he didn't settle for that fraud or his wife's grandfather, and he told Saba that they are cute and sweet, but he can't seem them as being the Tzaddik, and that they didn't effect any good change in him, and they had similar conversations, with Saba playing "dumb", and Saba also warned Meir Yimini not to let Morris hear from him any derogatory talk about the fraudulent rabbis, lest he get turned off. But eventually Morris did hear from Meir Yimini a very strong epithet against one of them (I think the false messiah...) and Morris was astounded and challenged him, and Meir defended himself saying that Saba himself had said this, so Morris confronted Saba, and Saba asked him where in the world he had heard such a thing, so M. told him that Meir had said it in Saba's name, so Saba said, nu, nu....

Morris said more of his story of how he got close to Saba, but I won't go there now.

Saba said that R' Yisroel Karduner was always praying, even when he was tying his shoes (-This is actually a praise give to Rabbainu, whose lips were always seen moving in prayer, in contradistinction to the Litvaks who would opt to always be saying Torah. Today obviously the highest would be, to be always be singing Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!).

He recounted the story of how R' Yisroel Karduner's prayers saved the son of Saba's fried who was shot by thieves and the bullet lodged in his brain, and the doctors (in Egypt I think he said they brought him, there were still no real hospitals in Israel then) obviously said there was no hope, and the guy lived for like forty years after, till he died of old age with the bullet in his brain....

Saba's wife got extremely sick (when he was in his early twenties) and she was already put in a ward of those dying, and besides for being very worried about losing her, he was petrified that he would lose R' Yisroel Karduner, who was adamant that one must be married in order to properly serve and be loyal to HY (may He have mercy on me ...), and without Saba's wife he would not be willing to serve HY with him. In any event, R' Yisroel told Saba to come with him to the hospital with a blanket, and he told Saba to wrap her up and hide her and steal her out, and so they spirited her out and away from Satan's death factory, and she recovered completely and lived a long life.

R' Mottelle Slunimer - the Da-yun (Judge) of Tiberius who later became the Admur of Slunim, and who was one of Saba's earlier mentors and supporters, once spoke strongly against R' Yisroel Karduner, and because of this one of his daughters ran away to Russia and married a leading communist, and I think she might have also converted... R' Mottel acknowledged this and had strong regrets - too little too late.

Saba heard the chevra (probably Meir Yimini, Patz, Sharon) talking about a certain false messiah, and he walked in and asked them who they were speaking about, and he told them that he never wants to hear that name - that person is responsible for the murder of 6 million Jews (-because he caused the concealment of Rabbainu).

Saba extolled R' Yisroel Karduner at great length. Morris once told Saba that he (M.) knows a tzaddik that merited to even much more than R' Yisroel Karduner, but couldn't say who, it is a very big secret but he is forbidden to divulge (-imitating what Saba would always tell them - for the sake of fun), so Saba told him, "Nu, I give you permission" so Morris said that it was Saba, who received double - "pey shna'yim" (as explained in Likutay Moharan that a disciple can merit to this), and after a little give and take, Saba admitted that he merited.

Morris told Saba that he has another very big secret, and Saba said, Nu, and Morris told Saba, that all the amazing things that Saba would recount of R' Yisroel Karduner, he was in reality talking of himself....

R' Yisroel Karduner would always tell Saba, wait here for a bit I need to go somewhere- do something - and he would disappear for even an hour or two. Finally Saba decided to see where R' Yisroel went - and he saw that R' Yisroel would be doing hisbodidus...

Morris once made a special unique Talis - ordering the actual cloth from (I forgot- some country in Europe) and the fringes from a different country, and tichailes, and went all out, it took like 8 months to make. And he brought the masterpiece as a gift to Saba, and Saba praised it and put it on, saying that even though he himself was accustomed to a thinner (-I think) Talis, it was really beautiful, and had obvious enjoyment. A few days later Morris discovered Lazer Lawrence (-of all people...) wrapped up praying in the Talis, and he was very upset at him, but Lazer said that Saba had given it to him. So M. confronted Saba, and Saba affirmed that he had given it to Lazer, so Morris asked him how could you... and Saba saw that it was a big thing, so Saba did his best to appease him, and he explained to him how Lazer was always saying how he had nothing etc. etc. and eventually Saba said he would make it up to him, and offered him him one of his bekishes (long jacket) - and Morris said that he had given the talis with no motive of getting anything in return, but Saba said even still, so Morris said that he doesn't wear a bekishe, but he could wear it on Shabbos, and Sabba said yes wear it for Shabbos.

Saba once saw a Sephardic Jew praying (maybe by Rashbi) intently with tears, without any prayerbook, so Saba gave him his own Likutay Tefilos that was a collectors item....

In America Saba told Morris to find a Jew named Berger, no more info, so there were three in the phonebook, Saba went with him to the house, he wasn't home, he was supposed to come in twenty minutes, Saba took him to hide on the side, and told Morris, that when he comes, jump him! Morris said, why not first talk.... Finally a guy came Morris asked him if he was Berger, when he said yes he called Saba out, and M. gripped Bergers hand, and Saba demanded from Berger to give him back the Legendary Tales which had been the personal copy of R' Yisroel Karduner, Berger claimed that he didn't have it anymore. Saba said that if he didn't get back in a few days, Berger and his wife would die before the weeks end. And so Berger and his wife came to Saba and returned the book.

Saba told M. to take the two strong guys with him to the elders of Breslov and beat them until they gave back the manuscripts that they had stolen and kept in their possession. They went, the elders denied having them, and they couldn't bring themselves to beat such old people.

Saba also wanted them to go to Berger and take back all that didn't belong to him. When Berger died a few years ago, he left the books to a library (i think), but the family didn't honor the will, and they held on to the Breslov books (-including Rabbi Naftoli's The Life of Rabbi Nachman), and today they let people see them - but they must swear with the name of G-d that they will not divulge what they see. The Israeli professor Tzvi Marks, might even have copies of the stuff, but since he took the oath he will not share the information.

That's most of what I remember in this sitting.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!