Israel Friedman of Ruzhyn - Regal Court

Regal Court

The Ruzhiner Rebbe was a charismatic leader known for his aristocratic demeanor and Torah scholarship. He set a regal tone for his court, living in a palatial home with splendid furnishings; riding in a silver-handled carriage drawn by four white horses; being accompanied by an entourage of attendants; and wearing a golden yarmulke and stylish clothing with solid-gold buttons. His children, too, dressed like nobility and were attended by servants in livery.

Although this type of grandeur and opulence was highly unusual for Hasidic leaders, the Rebbe was accepted by the leading rabbis and rebbes of his time, who understood he was comporting himself in a way that would elevate God's glory through His representative, the tzadik. In fact, the Ruzhiner Rebbe constantly humbled himself before God and afflicted his body with fasts and other afflictions. One winter night, after standing outdoors to sanctify the New Moon wearing his solid-gold boots studded with diamonds, his Hasidim noticed blood on the snow where he had been standing. They discovered that the extravagant boots had no sole, and thus, when the Rebbe walked outside, he was essentially walking barefoot. After that, people understood that the Rebbe's style of living was meant solely for the sake of Heaven.

The Rebbe related just as well to the poor and downtrodden as to the famous rebbes and Hasidim who flocked to his court. He also gained the respect of the Russian upper class.