Rabbi David Leikes was born around the year 5460 (1700) to his father Rabbi Yisrael — a descendant of the Maharal of Prague. He was among the most distinguished disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, who would regularly take him along on his many journeys and appointed him responsible for the melodies and dances during times of celebration. He served as a dayan (rabbinical judge) in the town of Bar, in the court of Rabbi Shimshon of Shpitovka, and after Rabbi Shimshon's passing, he assumed the role of head of the rabbinical court. Even in his most advanced old age, he was meticulous about participating in every case that came before the court, citing the words of the sages: "Any judge who renders a truly just verdict, even for a single hour, the Torah accounts it as though he became a partner with the Holy One, Blessed be He, in the act of Creation." At the moment of his passing, he declared: "I am now traveling from one court to another." He passed away on the 21st of Nisan, 5560 (1800), at the age of one hundred — and some say one hundred and thirteen.
The Simple Believer
During the period when the holy Rabbi of Shpitovka served as the head of the Rabbinical Court of Bar, a rumor spread that a regiment of soldiers would enter the city on Shabbat. Since such troops were notorious for their cruelty — plundering and harming every place they entered — Rabbi Yaakov Shimshon gathered his people and spent the entire Shabbat hidden in a cellar. Our master, Rabbi David Leikes, remained in his home and did not hide.
As evening approached, Rabbi Yaakov Shimshon instructed one of his followers to peer through the cracks of the cellar to see whether quiet had been restored to the city. He did so, and they understood that the danger had passed. Rabbi Yaakov Shimshon then sent a special messenger into the city to confirm the situation. In the meantime, they hurried to pray the evening prayers and to recite Havdalah. When the messenger returned, he brought the news: the army had bypassed the city entirely and had not entered at all.
Rabbi Yaakov Shimshon and his followers emerged and made their way to the home of our master — and found him still reclining with his chasidim at the third Shabbat meal.
Rabbi David Leikes turned to them and said:
"The Rav of Shpitovka! You are wise men, and you walk in the ways of wisdom and investigation — and so you hid in the cellar the entire Shabbat. And what did you gain by it? Not only did you miss the Torah reading, but you also missed portions of the Shabbat meals, and more besides… But I — I am a simple fool, and I believe!"
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The holy chasidic master Rabbi David Leikes was the father-in-law of the holy Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl — for Rabbi Mordechai’s second wife was the daughter of Rabbi David Leikes. Once, Rabbi David Leikes came to visit Chernobyl, having announced through a messenger in advance the specific day of his arrival. Before the appointed hour, the holy Rabbi Mordechai himself set out by carriage to meet him and honor him as befitting his stature. Before his departure, the chasidim went on foot to greet the guest — both in his honor and in honor of their own Rebbe.
They set out an hour or two early, to be standing in place when the moment of greeting arrived. After walking approximately a mile, they saw the Rabbi’s carriage approaching — and they stopped and stood still. When the holy Rabbi David Leikes saw them, he asked: "Who are you, and where are you from?"
They answered: "We are the chasidim of the holy Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl!"
He said to them: "Do you have faith in your Rebbe?"
They were silent. For who can truly say with certainty that he has faith?
He said: "Let me tell you what faith is."
"We were disciples of the Baal Shem Tov. Once, on a holy Shabbat, we were with the Baal Shem Tov at the third Shabbat meal, and the meal extended into the night by several hours. Afterward we recited the Grace after Meals, stood in our places and prayed the evening prayers, made Havdalah, and immediately sat down for the Melaveh Malkah meal. Now, we were poor and destitute — we did not have a single coin even on a weekday, and certainly not on Shabbat. And yet, after the Melaveh Malkah, the holy Baal Shem Tov — may his merit protect us — said to me in these words: 'Dovid! Give for mead!' And although I knew full well that I had nothing, because my Rebbe had told me to give — I had not a trace of doubt. I put my hand into my pocket and drew out a gold coin and gave it for the mead."
"This is faith. Faith is a drawing forth."
Rabbi David Leikes was renowned for his fierce faith and for his quality of joy — on account of which he was appointed "the one responsible for the dancing and singing" in the court of the Baal Shem Tov. Even when his daughter passed away, he would not allow those who came to comfort him to sink into sadness, and said: "This is not what I received from the Baal Shem Tov!"
Rabbi David would also say that it is not sufficient to say "Kol man de'avid Rachmana l'tav avid" — "All that the Merciful One does, He does for the good" — because the meaning of this expression is that there will be good outcomes for something that is not inherently positive in itself; nor is it even enough to say "Gam zu l'tovah" — "This too is for the good" — because this contains a sense of being impressed by the fact that "even this" is good and not bad. The expression one must adopt is simply: "Zu l'tovah!" — "This is good!" — without a trace of any other thought, or any reflection upon the manner in which God's goodness is revealed in the world.
The two formulations that Rabbi David Leikes "disqualifies" here are by no means trivial expressions. These are lofty levels that characterized Rabbi Akiva and his teacher Nachum Ish Gamzu. It is fitting, therefore, to incorporate all three expressions of trust into a single Chasidic-Kabbalistic structure, and to view them as a complete process of hachna'ah-havdalah-hamtakah — submission, separation, and sweetening — from the foundational teachings of the Baal Shem Tov:
"Kol man de'avid Rachmana l'tav avid" — "All that the Merciful One does, He does for the good" — is an expression of submission. In this perspective, the good is itself submissive and hidden beneath the veil of the world, and the person likewise humbly acknowledges the limitations of his own understanding. "Gam zu l'tovah" — "This too is for the good" — is an expression of separation, in which the person separates himself from external reality and succeeds in perceiving the good concealed within it. "Zu l'tovah" — "This is good" — is an expression of complete sweetening, in which the good is revealed and simple.
Rabbi David's absolute trust in the goodness of God, which gives birth to great joy in the soul, is also the root of the chasidic quality of un hit'pa'alut — being unmoved by external events. A similar example appeared on Purim 5680 (1920) — the last Purim in the life of the Rebbe Rashab: under Bolshevik rule, a long and illegal farbrengen took place, lasting twelve consecutive hours. In the midst of the gathering, secret policemen entered with drawn weapons — but the Rebbe Rashab was unmoved. "We will say Chasidus and they will be nullified," he said, and opened the discourse Reishit Goyim Amalek.
Indeed, this quality is discussed extensively in Chabad Chasidus as a subject in its own right. But from the stories of Rabbi David Leikes, it appears that the primary and original example of it is here — at the tranquil Shabbat meals of Rabbi David Leikes in the face of the threat of violent marauders.
