1. Who He Was:
Rabbi Avraham Dov ben Rabbi David of Avritch, the Bat Ayin, is buried in the ancient cemetery in Tzefat and is named for the sefer he wrote. This is one of the foundational works in Chassidus, filled with inspiring guidance in serving H'shem alongside brilliant Torah insights and explanations.
2. The Segulah of Making a Seudah:
There's a powerful segulah to make a seudah on the day the tzaddik passed away. It's brought down that whoever makes a seudah on this date merits open salvations, especially for shidduchim and having children. (Worth noting that the Bat Ayin himself didn't have children.) The day he passed away, 12 Kislev, falls this week - from Monday evening until sunset Tuesday.
Rav Elimelech Biderman explains that beyond the seudah made to elevate the tzaddik's soul, you should light a candle for him and learn his Torah. "The word 'hilula' means wedding celebration," Rav Biderman explains beautifully, "and just as at a wedding we give gifts, so too on this day H'shem gives a 'gift' to the 'chasan' - the tzaddik - and that gift is accepting his prayers on behalf of suffering Jews in this world. That's why we should draw close to the tzaddik - through a seudah, a l'chaim, visiting the grave, and especially learning from his ways and serving H'shem through them."
3. His Teachings on Humility:
In his sefer, the Rav speaks constantly about humility and staying far from any trace of arrogance and haughtiness. When he said goodbye to his community in Europe before sailing to Eretz Yisrael, they couldn't bear to part from him. The Bat Ayin told them: "Chazal explain the verse 'and to cleave to Him' - how can a person cleave to the Divine Presence? Rather, cleave to His ways: just as He is compassionate and gracious and does kindness, so too you should be compassionate and gracious and do kindness." From this we learn that when you cling to someone's character traits, it's like clinging to the person themselves. "So cling to my character traits that I've practiced since my youth until today, and you'll be truly connected to me. The traits I've been careful about since youth are: avoiding lashon hara, lies, and arrogance."
4. The Earthquake Miracle:
The Bat Ayin often said that through humility, you merit miracles from Heaven. Everyone knows the story of the earthquake in Tzefat in 1837, when masses were buried under rubble, and only a tenth of the city survived. When the earthquake hit, they were in the middle of davening Mincha in the Bat Ayin's beis medrash. The Rav immediately told everyone to gather around him, while he lay flat on the ground with his arms and legs spread out. Half the building collapsed and the roof caved in, but the other half - where everyone stood under the Bat Ayin's protection - remained standing. You can still see this miracle if you visit his beis medrash in Tzefat.
5. The Explanation:
After the miracle, the Bat Ayin explained why he prostrated himself: he saw this wasn't natural - the stones weren't falling normally downward, but were being thrown from south to north and north to south. He understood that the Satan was behind it, trying to destroy holy Tzefat. In such a case, the only answer is complete nullification. That's why he threw himself flat on the ground in total self-nullification, like Rabbi Acha bar Yaakov did when he fought the Satan, who appeared as a seven-headed snake. He destroyed the seven heads through bowing and prostrating (as brought in Kiddushin 29).
6. The Druze Attack:
During the Druze attack on Tzefat in 1838, they kidnapped him and threatened to kill him unless he paid a ransom. After he asked for water and made the bracha "shehakol," a stranger appeared and yelled at the kidnappers that if they harm this distinguished Jew, they'll meet a bitter end. They became terrified and released him.
7. The Plague:
When plague broke out in Tzefat in 1841, the Bat Ayin told the frightened residents that after he died, the plague would stop. And that's what happened. Rabbi Avraham Dov returned his soul to its Maker as the plague's last victim, and it stopped immediately. May his merit protect us.
May the Segulah be a zechut for anyone who learns from the Bat Ayin's midot, learns from his middos and teaching, makes a seudah, lights a candle, and spreads the Segulah
May they merit to see the yeshua immediately
translated from Hidabrut
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