His name was Rav Eliyahu Mannheimer, a remarkable Yid in his own right, who always had a trace of mystery about him

They came from various places around the world, some from Europe, others from Eastern nations — and each one had a “cover story” behind which he concealed himself. Rav Moshe Yaakov Ravikov, leader of this group of hidden mekubalim, was the Shoemaker; Rav Yehudah Patilon, the Painter; Rav Avraham Fisch, the Bricklayer; Rav Shlomo Green, the Tailor; Rav Chaim Ezra Hakohen Fatchia, the Milkman; and Rav Yosef Voltoch, the Streetsweeper.

They weren’t allowed to reveal their secret, although the gedolei Yisrael of the time — the Chazon Ish, the Beis Yisrael of Gur, the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz and others — spoke of them with admiration. One young man, however, succeeded in infiltrating the group. He became one of Rav Yossel Voltoch’s closest people, and the gates were then opened to him to more hidden tzaddikim.

His name was Rav Eliyahu Mannheimer, a remarkable Yid in his own right, who always had a trace of mystery about him. A few years ago, I had a fascinating conversation with him, in which he spoke of all kinds of “secret missions” — secret trips for tefillos that he was allowed to join, as well as open miracles that occurred in the presence of the tzaddikim that he was close to.

Reb Eliyahu was convinced that there are people like that in our generation as well. He never forgot the day that Rav Yosef Voltoch returned from a secret mission to Lebanon and whispered to him, “Now I saw the last of the lamed vav tzaddikim in the generation.” But Reb Yossel didn’t despair, because there would be more in the generation to come.

Last week, Reb Eliyahu was also taken from This World, yet his final request resonates: “People need to realize: You never know if the Yid next to you is not a hidden tzaddik upon whom the world stands.”

—Yisrael Groweiss

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 890)