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Avraham ben Avraham was born at the beginning of the 18th century into one of the most prominent and wealthy Polish families in the Kingdom of Poland under the name Valentin Potocki. His parents were devout Catholics, so it is not surprising that at the age of 16, Potocki entered a Catholic seminary in Paris. There he met Zaremba, a young man from a family of modest Žemaitian nobles, who became his study partner and close friend. Both young men were quite educated and at some point decided to begin a deeper study of the "Jewish Bible" – the Old Testament.
One day they saw an old Jew sitting with a large volume of the Torah and asked if he could study with them. Tradition says that this Jew was Rabbi Menachem Man ben Aryeh Lev of Visun, and his lessons, during which he explained the essence of the Torah to the youths, left an indelible impression on them. They convinced the elder to start teaching them Hebrew so they could delve deeper into the holy texts. After six months, Potocki and Zaremba acquired a good level of Hebrew and a firm belief in the truth of the Jewish religion.
At that moment, the friends told Rabbi Man that they wanted to convert to Judaism. This was a dangerous decision for Polish youths because at that time conversion to Judaism in their homeland was punishable by death (until this law was repealed by the Polish Sejm in 1768). Rabbi Man, understanding the seriousness of their intentions, suggested they go to Amsterdam to undergo conversion there, as Amsterdam was considered a more open and tolerant place towards Jews.
Potocki decided to first go to Rome to confirm the correctness of his decision. There he finally realized that he could no longer remain a Catholic. From there, Valentin secretly moved to Amsterdam, where he converted to Judaism fully in accordance with Jewish law and received the name Avraham ben Avraham. After some time, Zaremba, who by then had married, also became a ger. He received the name Baruch ben Avraham and moved with his wife to live in the Holy Land.
Having become a Jew, Avraham left Amsterdam and moved to Vilna, which at that time was under Polish rule. He returned to his homeland despite the great danger he exposed himself to – for if people found out who he was, he would be sentenced to death for converting to Judaism.
At that time, Avraham's parents had almost given up searching for their missing son. They sent messengers to different countries from where Avraham wrote to them during his travels but could not find any information about his current whereabouts.
Knowing the danger he would face if found, Avraham sought advice from the Vilna Gaon, one of the greatest sages of Judaism. He suggested that Avraham leave the large city of Vilna and move to a less populated place where he would be unlikely to be found. Following the sage's advice, Avraham moved to a small town called Ilia. There he spent whole days sitting in the synagogue, dressed as a devout Jew should be, dedicating all his time to studying the Torah. His zeal for study was supported by the righteous women of the town who brought him food so that he would not suffer from hunger.
One of the congregants of this community was a Jewish tailor who sewed uniforms for Polish officials. He occasionally overheard his clients discussing a suddenly missing seminary student of noble origin, distinguished by extraordinary intellect. After some thought, the tailor concluded that the stranger who had effectively settled in their synagogue was the very person the Poles were discussing. The tailor’s son had a bad habit of disturbing men who studied Torah in the synagogue, and one day Avraham ben Avraham reproached the boy. In a fit of anger, the tailor immediately reported him to the bishop of Vilna. Avraham was identified and arrested. Avraham’s parents visited their son in prison and begged him to publicly renounce Judaism. They promised to build him a castle where he could secretly observe all Jewish laws. According to Rabbi Ben-Tzion Alfes, a maggid from Vilna, Avraham then refused his mother, saying: “I love you very much, but I love the truth even more.”
After a short imprisonment and trial for heresy, Avraham was sentenced to death and was burned alive at the stake. Shortly before this, still in prison, Avraham shared his sorrow with the Vilna Gaon. The Gaon expressed surprise: “But you are going to give your life for the sanctification of the Name of the Almighty, for Heaven’s sake, why do you weep? Are you not glad of your decision? Was it not sincere?”
However, the righteous ger explained that he was not troubled by the thought of the impending execution. He was more tormented because he would have no continuation in the Jewish people. “I have no Jewish father and no sons or brothers among the children of Israel,” he said.
The Vilna Gaon replied with a quote from the prophet Yeshayahu (44:6): “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides Me there is no God.” The Midrash explains: “I am the first” – I have no father, “I am the last” – I have no son.”
Then the Gaon explained this Midrash: “The words ‘I am the first’ – I have no father” mean “I (God) am a Father to those who have no father,” and the words “I am the last – I have no son” mean “I (God) am better than ten sons.”
On the appointed day of execution, the residents of Vilna, glad about the impending torment of a traitor who had converted to a foreign faith, helped bring the firewood on which he was to be burned. Then they gathered in the square in anticipation of the spectacle. It was the second day of the holiday of Shavuot, which fell on May 23, 1749.
Avraham ben Avraham appeared before the people joyful and enlightened, fully confident in the truth of his actions. When the fire began to engulf his body, Avraham recited the blessing Mekadesh et Shmo be-rabim (Blessed are You, Lord, who sanctifies His Name among the congregation) and the prayer Shema Yisrael. He fervently prayed until his soul left his body.
Contrary to the authorities’ order that no one should collect Avraham’s ashes for burial, the Vilna Gaon sent Rabbi Leizer Shiskes, a local beardless Jew who resembled a Christian, to try to obtain the remains of the deceased. Shiskes bribed the guard and managed to take the ashes, as well as two fingers of the deceased that had not burned in the fire. All these remains were placed in a clay vessel and buried in the Vilna cemetery. It is said that the witnesses of the execution, who had gladly brought the firewood for the stake and then watched the martyrdom of Avraham ben Avraham, soon perished, and a certain woman who laughed at the suffering of the condemned became mute.
When the Vilna Gaon died, he was buried in a section of the cemetery adjacent to Avraham’s grave, which became known among the people as Ger Tzedek – the righteous proselyte.
In 1927, the Vilna community erected a monument to Avraham in memory of those events, along with a memorial plaque inscribed: “The grave of the Ger Tzedek, a man with a precious and amazingly pure soul, the righteous Avraham ben Avraham, blessed be his memory, who publicly sanctified the Name of the Almighty on the second day of the holiday of Shavuot in the year 5509.”
Moreover, every year on the second day of Shavuot, the Jews of Vilna remembered this story and told it to those who came to the community for the first time. It was also customary that in every synagogue in the city on that day the Kel Maleh Rachamim – a prayer for the soul of the deceased – was recited.
In the world-famous Volozhin Yeshiva (and in many other yeshivas to this day), it is customary to sing a song written by Avraham ben Avraham as he walked through the city to his execution. Part of its words are taken from the beginning of the morning prayer service: “Aval anachnu amcha, bnei britcha, bnei Avraham ohavcha shenishbata lo be-har ha-Moria” – “We are Your people, with whom You made a covenant, descendants of Your beloved Avraham, to whom You swore on Mount Moriah; descendants of Yitzchak, his only son, who was bound and laid on the altar… Blessed are You, Lord, who sanctifies His Name among the congregation.”
Born Count Valentin Potocki, who began a new life under the name Avraham ben Avraham, was one of those souls who demonstrated complete faith in the One God. His story is a testimony to the highest spiritual level that a proselyte can reach, so high that he was even buried next to one of the greatest Torah sages of his time. May his life path inspire us to spiritual elevation.
There are some non-Jewish historians who claim that Avraham’s story is fictional because there are no external primary sources, and we know all this only thanks to the accounts of Vilna residents.
Nevertheless, there is a written mention of Avraham recorded in 1755, just six years after his execution, by the great Rabbi Yaakov Emden. In his book, Rabbi Emden wrote:
“Several years ago, a count from the house of Potocki converted to Judaism. He was caught, imprisoned, and urged to return to the faith of his ancestors… However, he was not afraid of death… He accepted and endured all that happened to him, experiencing a strong love for the Almighty, and died sanctifying the Name of God. May he rest in peace.”
In addition, there are many oral mentions, as well as several Jewish and non-Jewish sources from the 19th century, including the famous Polish writer Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, which confirm this story. Printed versions of it, which could be found in various Jewish communities over the last 270 years, describe the events exactly the same way.
A logical explanation for why there are fewer historical proofs than there might have been is an obvious reason – the influential Potocki family was not pleased with this story and therefore tried to suppress it as much as possible and prevent its spread. There are descriptions of the Ger Tzedek that contain obvious inaccuracies or exaggerations. Therefore, this article was written after long research based on the most well-known version of this incredible story.
Sources:
https://www.lzb.lt/ru/2022/06/02/невероятная-история-графа-потоцкого/
https://toldot.com/history/GrafPotockij.html
