Pinchas Landau saw one of the marginal notes of the Besht to the Zoref at Faygele’s: “Not to be published and not to be copied since he is one and there is no second. One and there is no second? How is this; is he not a man [Adam]?¹ Rather in the mystery of ‘And there was evening and there was morning, one day’ [Genesis 1:5]. And five are added to it      and Shabbat is equivalent to two.”

R. Aaron Chernobyler (d. 1871) asked R. Isaac of Skvira to allow him to copy it but he refused since the Besht did not allow it. R. Aaron answered him: “The Besht says though, ‘Rather in the mystery of And there was evening…’ If you count one and you add to it five you have six. Then…‘equal to two’ – we now have eight. This hints at the eight sons of R. Motel Chernobyler and therefore it is our right to be allowed a copy.” 

The Skverer replied: “I do not agree but you did say a good word (vort) so I will allow you to make a copy, but no more than this [i.e. no one else may copy it].” 

The copy was passed in inheritance from R. Aaron to his son R. Nahum, from him to R. Mordechai Liyever, and from him to R. Joshua Heschel Chidnover.

I.F.

Pinchas Landau

1. Perhaps an allusion to R. Adam Ba’al Shem.