A Pinch of Snuff

The Tzaddik, Reb Avraham Mordechai of Pinchov, related the

following tale:
It was Rosh HaShana, and all the Chassidim of the Baal Shem Tov
were engrossed in fervent prayer together in the Beis Medresh of
their Holy Rebbe. In the midst of the services, a snuffbox fell to
the ground. Reb Reuven bent down to pick it up, and helped
himself to a pinch of its contents. Reb Shimon noticed this and
rebuked his fellow Chassid for this distraction from his prayers.
The Baal Shem Tov, with his head enwrapped in his Tallis, was
praying at the front of the room. With his holy vision, the Baal
Shem suddenly became aware that Reb Shimon's rebuke had been
translated into a heavenly decree that Reb Reuven was to die that
coming year.
The Baal Shen Tov sent his soul soaring to Shamayim to intercede
on his Talmid's behalf, but to no avail. He continued to plead for
his student's life until the eve of Hoshana Rabah, when he was
informed that Reb Reuven still had a chance. If the rebuking Reb
Shimon were to discover, of his own accord, a favorable
interpretation of the snuffbox incident, then the death sentence
would be repealed.
Upon entering the Beis Medresh, the Baal Shem Tov found Reb
Shimon reviewing the Tikkin, the service for Hoshana Rabah
night. With his amazing power, the Baal Shem was able to rob his
Talmid of his power of concentration. Reb Shimon began pacing
the floor, trying to arouse himself to lofty thought of G-d's imperial
greatness. Suddenly, a thought entered his mind:
"Why has this generation adopted the practice of taking snuff?" he
wondered, "It must be that there are certain precious souls that
require the ephemeral aid of aroma to envelope themselves in
holiness, like it says, "A sacrifice of sweet smelling fragrance to

Hashem." It must be this fragrance that assists them in

transcending their mortal bonds."
Upon arriving at this conclusion, the Chassid was immediately
struck with remorse for having rebuked Reb Reuven. It now
occurred to him that it was very possible that Reb Reuven's whiff
of snuff had helped to elevate a precious prayer.
It was the Baal Shem Tov's custom on the day of Hoshana Rabah
to answer any difficult questions that his Talmidim might have,
since at that perticular time, his mind was exceptionally lucid, and
capable of seeing from one end of the world to the other. Every
student prepared some question to ask his Rebbe.
When Reb Shimon's turn came, he asked the Baal Shem Tov about
the purpose of snuff.
"You tell me..." countered the Baal Shem.
The Talmid proceeded to relate the thought that had occurred to
him the previous night. "Continue; what further thoughts struck
you in this regard?" Urged the Rebbe. Reb Shimon went on to say
that he felt it was to Reb Reuven's merit that he helped himself to a
pinch of snuff in the midst of the Rosh HaShana prayers.
At that moment, the death sentence on Reb Reuven was lifted. The
Baal Shem Tov then revealed to the man before him what he had
caused by his initial rebuke. He then warned him to carefully
consider in the future whatever he says, and to judge others
favorably.

A Matter of Mesirus Nefesh

The son of the Rizhner Rebbe, R' Avraham Yaacov of Sadigora
once told this story. One Erev Shabbos the Baal Shem Tov
appeared in a town unexpectedly. Declining invitations from all the
locals, he elected to remain alone in the Shul after Shabbos evening

davening. The wonder of the residents turned to alarm when they

saw his fervent Tefilla and Tehillim continue the whole night long.
Something was surely the matter. But in the morning the Baal
Shem Tov was relaxed and joyful, and he accepted the invitation of
one of the locals for the morning Shabbos meal.
Naturally, all of the townspeople crowded into the house of the
host to see the Holy Baal Shem Tov. As they were sitting at the
table, a local peasant came around looking for a drink of vodka.
They were about to drive him away when the Baal Shem Tov
called out that he should be brought in, and provided with a
generous glass of vodka. He asked him to tell what he had seen in
the mansion of the Poritz (wealthy Polish estate owner) the
previous night. The peasant's tongue, loosened by the vodka,
related that the Poritz, believing that he had been cheated in a
business deal by a Jewish merchant, assembled his peasants and
armed them with knives and hatchets telling them to be on the
ready to avenge themselves on the Jews at his command. They
would then all be able to liberate their stolen riches from the Jews.
"The whole night we waited for the command, he continued, "But
the Poritz had closeted himself in his office with an unexpected
visitor, an old friend that he hadn't seen for 40 years! Finally, he
emerged and told us all to go home, that the Jews were upright and
honest people and nobody should dare lay a hand on them. We all
went home and that's the whole story!"
"This old friend", explained the Sadigorer Rebbe, "Had been dead
for decades. The Baal Shem Tov had dragged him from the grave
to influence his friend the Poritz."
"But I always wondered," queried the Rebbe, "Why did the Baal
Shem Tov have to travel all the way to that town for Shabbos to
avert the decree? Couldn't he just as well have remained in his
hometown of Medzibuz?"

"But I understand now. The Baal Shem Tov said to himself, if I can
succeed in saving the town, fine...but if not, then I will perish
together with them!"

All Yisroel Together

The stature of the leader is the measure of the people. Without a
unified nation, there is no King.
Once the Holy Ba'al Shem Tov was praying with a minyan of his
closest disciples. The Ba'al Shem Tov used to pray at great length
with intense dvekus, longing and yearning for his Creator. His
disciple would finish their prayers much earlier and then wait,
sometimes for hours, for the Rebbe to finish.
Once the Ba'al Shem Tov extended his prayers even longer than
usual and the disciples grew weary of waiting. They decided each
one to attend to whatever he had to do and then to gather again in
the Shul an hour later. After an hour, they had all returned and they
waited some more until the Ba'al Shem Tov had finished his
prayer.
He then turned to them and accused, "You've created a great
disunification in that you went out to attend to your private needs
and left me here alone!" Then he told them the following parable.
It is know that the nature of birds is to migrate to the warm
countries during the winter months. Once, the inhabitants of one of
those countries spotted an unusually beautiful and unusual bird
with feathers of every color in the universe, and he was perched at
the crest of a very high and mighty tree that was impossible to
climb. When the King of the land heard about the bird, he decided
that he must capture it. He ordered many, many people to be
brought to the forest where the tree was located. One was to stand
on the shoulders of the other until they were able to reach the perch

of the beautiful bird, and then to bring it to the King.

The procedure of reaching the heights of the tree was very arduous
and time consuming. Some of those at the bottom of the human
ladder lost sight of the task at hand. Weary and disgruntled with the
amount of time it was taking, they began to disperse. It goes
without saying that the whole ladder toppled to the ground,
injuring those on the highest sections. The King wanted that his
people should be banded together with a common purpose, but this
time nothing was gained.
"It was good", concluded the Ba'al Shem Tov, "when you were
bound together with me in my prayer. But when you disbanded,
each going his own his own separate way, everything fell. What I
had hoped to achieve, was lost."

The Faith of the Ba'al Shem Tov

Once, the Ba'al Shem Tov was thinking about how great his faith
in Hashem was. A heavenly voice called out, "Reb Yisroel, don't
become proud. Yankel the Innkeper has more faith than you."
The Ba'al Shem Tov decided to go to visit Yankel the Innkeper. He
stayed there several weeks but there didn't seem to be anything
special about Yankel. . .until one Shabbos.
In the middle the evening meal, a local peasant came in and
banged three times on the table with his stick, and then left. Reb
Yankel explained that it is a sign that he must soon pay the rent;
5000 rubles and Reb Yankel admitted that he doesn't have the
money, nor is he planning on borrowing any. Hashem will help, as
He always has.
The next Shabbos, the peasant returned issueing the same warning.
Reb Yankel yelled at him, "Don't come back until tomorrow." The
peasant yelled back, "Jew, if you don't get the money, we are going

to feed you to the dogs!"

The next day, Reb Yankel went about his business. In the morning,
three businessmen came by and asked him if he could act as their
agent to buy wheat for them for the Czar, and they will pay him
2000 rubles for the effort. Yankel demanded 5000 rubles. They
offered 2500, then 3000, but Yankel refused. They didn't come to
an agreement, and the men left.
Around 2:00 in the same afternoon, the peasant came back. He
banged on the door and screamed, "Jew, pay up!" "Get out, cried
Yankel", I have until nightfall".
A half hour before nightfall, the peasant returned. He just opened
the door and walked right in. Reb Yankel is completely
unperturbed. He says, "Just a minute", takes his hat and walking
stick and walks out to the road. At that moment, the three wheat
merchants came riding over the hill. They agreed to his price, and
they all went inside and closed the deal.
That, the Ba'al Shem Tov later remarked, is true Faith in Hashem.

The Soul of the Ba'al Shem Tov

In the city of Tzfas in Eretz Yisroel, once lived a simple Jew who
only knew how to pray. Nevertheless he was extremely modest and
straight-forward. One night, as he was saying the Tikun Chatzos,
(the midnight lamentation over the destruction of the Holy
Temple), there was a knock at the door. A man entered and
introduced himself as Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet). He
came to reveal to this simple Jew when the Moshiach (messiah)
will come. But first, the man must reveal to him what he did on the
day of his bar-mitzvah earned him the privilege of receiving this
information. The man declined to tell. Even though it was Eliyahu
HaNavi asking, what he did was completely l'shem shamayim, (for
the sake of Hashem alone), and therefore a secret between him and

the creator. Then he agreed not to receieve the information.

Eliyahu HaNavi went back up to heaven where there was a
tremendous tumult over this man's purity. They ordered Eliyahu to
return and to teach this man deep secrets of Torah. The man
became a great tzaddik nistar (hidden righteous man). When he
died, the Heavenly Court decided that his reward would be to
return to earth and reveal a new path in Torah that would renew
souls, purify the world and hasten the redemption. This was the
soul of the Baal Shem Tov.

The Service of the Ba'al Shem Tov

Trembling in the Divine Presence
Once, the Maggid of Mezeritch, the main disciple and the
successor to the Baal Shem Tov, related how once the Baal Shem
Tov was leading the prayers on the first day of Pesach. The Baal
Shem Tov was praying with great desire and fervor and his voice
was booming like thunder.
Just before the Mussaf service which include the sublime prayer
for dew, the Maggid stepped out to seclude himself in meditation
for a few moments in a side room. Without notice Baal Shem Tov
came in to the room to put on his Kittel (special white robe prayer
robe) for the Mussaf sevice.
The Maggid observed that the Divine Presence of Hashem had
descended upon his master, and he did not seem to be at all in this
world. The Baal Shem Tov put his Kittel on, and the Maggid saw
that it was wrinkled on the shoulder. He put out his hand to smooth

the wrinkle and the moment it touched the shoulder of the Baal
Shem Tov, his whole body began to tremble. (The Baal Shem Tov
was already trembling due to the Divine prescence resting on him).
Even after the Baal Shem Tov had left his presence, the Maggid
continued to tremble uncontrollably until he beseeched Hashem in
prayer to stop it since was clearly not yet prepared to have such an
experience of the Divine Presence.

Torah from Another World

R' Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Baal HaTanya related that he
heard from his master, the Great Maggid of Mezeritch, that once
the Baal ShemTov was teaching a group of his close disciples. He
began to reveal to them secrets and hidden mysteries of the Torah
that had never before been heard by human ears. One must keep in
mind as well, said the Baal HaTanya, that the Maggid, even
before he met the Baal ShemTov was a tremendous sage in his
own right. He was a master of Halacha and Talmud and there was
not a tome of Jewish mysticism that he had not learned at least 101
times!
Yet, the Maggid was incredulous, how could a man born of
woman could actually be privy to such esoteric wisdom. He was
sure that the soul of the Baal ShemTov had broken loose from its
moorings in his body and it alone was now expounding to them the
secrets of the Torah.
Finally, with great trepidation and wonderment, two of the
disciples approached the Baal ShemTov and began to pat him on
the arms and shoulder in utter disbelief to find that a flesh and
blood man was standing before them.

To Pray or Not To Pray

Reb Aharon of Karlin was once in Mezhibuzh, the town where the
Baal ShemTov lived and is buried. He wanted to go to the
gravesite of the Baal ShemTov to pray.
He turned to his attendant, questioning, "Nu, was sogst du? (What
do you say?) How can we go to the Baal ShemTov empty-handed?
We haven't got mitzvos to our credit, nor good deeds. We can
hardly learn properly, much less daven!"
For some 20 minutes Reb Aharon stalled, lost in thought, searching
for a strategy that would allow him to approach the Holy resting
site of the Baal ShemTov.
Finally he exclaimed, "Is it not true that simple people, unlearned
women and children come here to pour out their hearts? If so, then
we also shall go and pour out our hearts like them."

A Slow Wagon to Shabbos

Once the two Tzaddikim, R' Yaacov Yosef of Polonye, the
"Toldos", and Reb Nachman of Horodenka, were travelling to
Mezhibuzh to spend Shabbos with their Rebbe, the Ba'al ShemTov.
It was Friday, and they set out from Polnoye with their horse and
wagon in time to arrive in Mezhibuzh by midday.
They hadn't even travelled half the distance, when they saw ahead
of them a broad regal carriage, trimmed with gold and ivory, and
drawn by four white horses. Obviously it was the carriage a
wealthy and important individual. It was making its way along the
road leisurely, as if Shabbos wasn't to be expected later in the day.
Passing was impossible at this time of year due to the mountainous
snowdrifts piled high along the both sides of the road. They had no
choice but to slow down and to follow along behind.

The "Toldos" became very agitated and began to bewail the

situation, predicting that they would surely have to profane the
Shabbos if they wanted to spend Shabbos in Mezhibuzh. Reb
Nachman however, kept calm, reminding his companion that
everything would be okay, that all that Hashem does is for the best.
Moreover, as disciples of the Baal ShemTov, they had learned that
Hashem guides everything that occurs in the world, and therefore
their situation was certainly Hashem's hand at work.
Less than an hour passed before they had to come to a complete
halt. Spread out on the road ahead as far as the eye could see was a
company of Russian soldiers, and they were marching at pace that
confirmed that their job this morning was to compact the mud of
the road with their feet.
Now the "Toldos" became doubly agitated, not knowing who to
lash out against first. But Reb Nachman assured him that
everything in Hashem's plans are for the ultimate good.
The commander of the company, seeing the regal looking coach
coming his way, obviously recognized that a personage of some
importance was inside and gave orders for the entire company to
thin out and make passage for the dignitary and his "entourage". In
moments the two Tzaddikim, following close behind the carriage of
the dignitary, were beyond the sea of soldiers, continuing on the
road to Mezhibuzh.
Not more than a few more minutes passed until they came to a fork
in the road. The dignitary in his coach went one direction, the
Toldos and Reb Nachman the other. Regaining speed, they arrived
in Mezhibuzh with ample time to prepare for Shabbos.

Tzaddik Talk

R' Pinchas of Koretz once compared himself to R' Yaacov Yosef

of Polnoye, the "Toldos". "The Toldos loves "truth"", he said. "In
fact he loves it so much that he speaks great quantities of truth
everyday. And if a little bit of falsehood should creep in, it would
be worth it for the great amount of truth that would have been
spoken." "I on the other hand abhor falsehood." "Therefore I barely
speak at all lest I utter a bit of falsehood." Here is a story about the
power of words.
Part One
Reb Moshe was the son of the contemporary/disciple of the Baal
ShemTov, Reb Pinchas of Koretz. Reb Moshe was a very talented
individual. Reb Moshe especially was very artistically inclined,
and in his younger years learned the scribal arts. Later he turned
his attention to the printing industry and even developed a new
type of printing process.
When he founded his own printing press, his work soon became
the industry standard for accuracy, quality and beauty. Even today,
books from the famous Slovita press are sought after by book
lovers and collectors. A set of the Talmud from the Slovita press
will bring its seller tens of thousands of dollars.
Reb Moshe became very wealthy from the printing business. The
business later was turned over to his two sons, Reb Pinchas and
Reb Avraham Abba, and it continued to thrive.
The Slovita Shas became the finest in the industry. Nevertheless at
the same time, there was a printing of the Shas in Vilna, and the
competiton for what was a very limited market became heated.
Vilna, was the home of the Misnagdim, the opponents of the new
Chassidic path. There were those in Vilna who used the
competition as an opportunity to fan the flames of contention.
There was at this time a man who worked for the two brothers who

was an alcoholic and a wife beater. She complained regularly to

Reb Pinchas and Reb Avraham Abba and they reprimand him with
threats of terminating his employment. Once, in a drunken stupor
he had an accident in the press and struck his head so hard on a
piece of machinery that he died. He was found by some of the
workers and they, fearing what the local police might conclude, hid
his body until they could bury him secretly, but the plan was found
out.
A man called Shimshon Finkelman used this opportunity to vent
his hatred against the Chassidim and reported to the authorities that
the Slovita Press was involved in anti-government activities and
about to print literature for a mass anti-government campaign. He
claimed that this worker knew about it and had decided to report
the information to the proper authorities. When the brothers found
out about it, they decided to have him killed.
An investigator was appointed to find out what had happened. The
brothers, knowing what kind of anti-semitism was prevelant in the
country, reasoned that a handsome bribe would close the matter
and terminate the frivolous charges against them.
The investigator however, took the money and understanding it to
be further evidence of the guilt of the brothers, turned it over to the
authorities.
The two brothers were immediately arrested and sentenced to
receive 1500 blows in the gauntlet. The gauntlet was made up of
two long rows of brutal soldiers holding a club in each hand. The
victim would have to pass between the two rows absorbing the
brutal blows as he struggled to reach the end. One in a thousand
survived. Most barely made it a third of the way through.
Surviving was not necessarily desirable since the survivor would
be sent to Siberia. The two brothers actually made it through, but
they were disfigured and mutilated in the process.

It is told of the legendary Yiras Shamayim of Reb Pinchas. As he

was passing through, one of the blows sent his yarmulke flying.
Not wanting to go on without it, he backtracked to retrieve it
absorbing many extra blows as a result.
They survived and were sent to Siberia. They got only as far as
Moscow and were not able to travel any further because of their
injuries. They were admitted to a goverment hospital where they
stayed for a number of months until the Czar died and they were
granted pardons.
They returned to Slovita as heroes, mutilated in body but elevated
in spirit. Many Jews were drawn to them and they acquired large
followings of Chassidim inspired by the Yiras Shamayim of Reb
Pinchas and Reb Avraham Abba.
Part Two
This a story that was first told by R' Yisrael of Ruzhin. The
comments of the Rizhiner are crucial to the understanding of the
events.
Reb Aryeh Leib was known as the Shpoler Zeide (grandfather)
since he emulated the ways of our grandfather, Avraham Avinu.
His home was always open to guests and he loved his fellow Jew
with a genuine and encompassing love. In fact, within a short time
after he arrived in Shpole, every Jew in town had become a
dedicated and pious individual.
The Shpoler Zeide had a chassid who was very devoted. Tragically,
this individual was married for many years and still had not been
blessed with children. On numerous ocassions he came to beseech
his Rebbe (who was quite fond of him), for a blessing for
offspring, yet the Shpoler Zeide rejected his requst every time.

One day, the Chassid and his wife decided that enough was
enough. They decided that he would go to beseech the Rebbe once
more. This time he resolved that no matter what, he would not take
no for an answer.
He arrived in Shpole and found the Rebbe absorbed in a private
tefillah. He interrupted the Zeide gently and told him the reason for
his appearance. The Shploer Zeide told him that he was involved in
a matter of great importance having to do with the welfare of the
entire Jewish people, and now was not the time to accept
individual petitions.
When the Chassid realized the his Rebbe might actually be
speaking to the Almighty face to face, he understood that this was
an auspicious moment and he redoubled his efforts to gain a
blessing from the Shpoler Zeide. He was so relentless that finally,
with more than a trace of aggravation in his voice, the Zeide turned
on the Chassid with the full force of his presence and assured him
that he would never merit to have a child.
Broken, and distressed over his tragic mistake, he went on his way.
If there was even a minute chance that he might have a child
before, there was certainly no chance now. He absorbed himself in
his business and his travel to forget his anguish.
One day he came to the town of Koretz, where Reb Pinchas was
still a young man hiding himself in the Beis HaMedrash engaged
solely in his Avodas Hashem. The Chassid had spent enough time
in Shpole to recognize a person of exemplary qualities when he
saw him, so he decided to get to know Reb Pinchas a bit. His
further research only confirmed his notion that Reb Pinchas was a
man of great spiritual stature. The Chassid, with the hope that
maybe one day Reb Pinchas could reverse the curse of the Shpoler
Ziede, made a point of visiting Koretz whenever his business took
him in the general area.

Once, he arrived in Koretz a few days before Pesach. Reb Pinchas

was sitting in the Beis HaMedrash learning and praying, and as
usual was destitute. Neverthless, even the approaching holiday did
not cause him to waver from his studies.
The wealthy Chassid went to the Rebbitzen and inquired whether
or not they had the means with which to celebrate the upcoming
Pesach. The Rebbitzen informed him that they had neither meat
nor chicken nor fish. Not wine, not candles, not even Matzoh, and
no prospects were in sight for obtaining the items. The Chassid
turned to the Rebbitzen and offered, "I will provide all the needs
for the entire holiday if you will let me be at the seder." The
Rebitzen readily agreed.
When Reb Pinchas left his house the morning before Pesach, he
knew that there were none of the provisions needed for the
Holiday. He went to his Avodah like on any other day.
As soon as Reb Pinchas left, the Chassid and the Rebitzen went to
work. The previously ordered supplies began to arrive. When
darkness fell over Koretz and the candles were lit, the home of Reb
Pinchas was prepared for royalty. There were meat and fish and
chicken. There was Shmura Matzoh and there were wines of every
type. Fresh fruits from all over the world were piled high in
baskets. All the furniture in the house was replaced. The table was
decked with a new snowy white cloth, new porcelain dishes,
gleaming silverware, Kiddush cups and a tall candelabra. The
children and the Rebbitzen had new outfits, and a white silk Kittel
was draped over the back of Reb Pinchas' chair. The family
anxiously awaited the arrival of Reb Pinchas.
But he, knowing that there was nothing to come home to, stayed on
at the Beis Medrash for a while after the davening before he finally
turned for home. When he walked in the door and saw all that was
before him, he was speechless. He immediately, donned the silk
Kittel and with great exultation began to make Kiddush and to
recite the Haggadah. Reb Pinchas's exuberance was infectious and

the family sang and chanted and discussed the Exodus from Egypt
with great passion until they reached Shulchan Orech, the seder
meal.
Reb Pinchas turned to the Rebbitzen and asked for an explanation.
She motioned to the guest indicating that he had wanted to spend
Pesach with them and had provided the bounty.
Reb Pinchas, still in a rapturous state turned to the chassid and
asked him if there was anything that he could do for him. The
chassid realizing that his chance at last had come, broke down and
told the whole story of how he had been a Chassid of the Shpoler
Zeide and how he and his wife had been childless for so many
years, and how he never merited a blessing from his Rebbe until he
bothered him when he shouldn't have and received a curse instead
of a blessing.
Reb Pinchas, being in the exalted state that he was and very moved
by the man's story replied, "If I have any Zechus in the Heavens at
all, it is my oath that this year you will be blessed with a son!"
The Rizhiner related that the moment that Reb Pinchas made his
oath, a great tumult erupted in the Heavens. Here were two
promises, made by two great Rebbes and they contradicted one
another. Whose would be upheld? The Heavenly Court finally
decided to examine the chronicles of the lives of each Rebbe to see
if one of them had been so cautious as to have never before made
an oath or promise. Only Reb Pinchas had been so circumspect in
his speech that he had never made an unqualified promise or oath.
Therefore the Chassid and his wife were indeed blessed with a
child within the year. The reknown of Reb Pinchas began to
spread.
The Rizhiner concluding his story saying, "Despite the fact that
Reb Pinchas' blessing was upheld, one must nevertheless learn
from this an important lesson that one ought not go against the

words of another Tzaddik. The grandson of that Chassid was

Shimshon Finkelman, the Misnaged who brought about so much
trouble for the grandsons of Reb Pinchas.

FIT TO BE TRIED
The famine in Russia that year was worse that anybody could ever
remember. Slowly but surely the markets became bare and soon
there was only a meager selection of vegetables and the barest
amount of groat bread and margarine for sale.
Letters from all over Russia began to arrive in Shpole. These
emergency messages were addressed to the Tzaddik, the Shpoler
Zayde, for he had always been able provide for the poor and
downtrodden of his people. He was called the Zayde, (grandfather)
on account of his great spiritual and practical benevolence. He
himself was in such anguish over the famine that he could only
partake of a few bites of bread and some tea for weeks on end.
Who could beseech Hashem that the decree be rescinded. Even the
Gentiles looked to the Jews for help them, and the Jews looked to
the Shpoler Zayde. Still, Hashem wasn't answering prayers for
food. The famine spread.
The Shpoler Zayde decided on a bold course of action. He
requested 10 of the generation's most venerated Tzaddikim
including, Reb Zusha of Anipoli, Reb Shimshon of Shipitovka
and Reb Wolf of Zhitomir, to meet with him in Shpole.
When they had all finally arrived a few days later, he seated them
around a long and broad table then arose to address them. "My
Masters', I have decide to press charges and to take the Almighty to
court. While according to the law of the Torah, the plaintiff must
take his case to the place where the defendant is located,

nevertheless Hashem is called Makom (the place) and there is no

place devoid of His presence. Not only this, but as we all know, a
place where there is a gathering of 10 men is considered a dwelling
place of the Shechinah. (divine presence) Therefore, the court case
will conducted here in this chamber". The attendant then
announced, "Reb Aryeh Leib ben Rachel hereby summons the
Almighty to a lawsuit in this location three days from now."
For the next three days the Tzaddikim fasted and prayed, allowing
no one to interrupt them. On the fourth day, wrapped in his Tallis
and crowned in his Tefillin, the Shpoler Zayde instructed his
attendant to call the court to order.
The Shpoler Zayde presented his case. "In the name of all of the
men, women and children in Russia, I come to claim that the
defendant, The Almighty, is failing to live up to His obligation to
His People. Instead of sustaining them as is written, "He opens up
His hand and satisfies every living thing with His favor" (Psalms
145), he is allowing them to perish from hunger." "Does not the
Torah itself state, 'For the Children of Israel are bondsmen to me,
they are my bondsmen . . .'? (Lev. 25:55) They belong to the
Almighty for eternity. And doesn't the Law as stated in the
Mechilta and the Talmud require the master to provide for the wife
and children of the bondsman? How can the Almighty disregard
His own Torah?
Now I can imagine that some prosecuting angel might argue in the
defense of the Almighty that these servants do not serve the Master
properly as they should. 'Nevertheless', I would answer him,
'Where is written that if the servant is lazy and unfaithful therefore
his wife and children should suffer? Furthermore, it is all the fault
of the Master Himself. For He burdened His servants with a Yezter
Hara (base inclination), which constantly tries his loyalty. I am
confident that were it not for this Yezter Hara, they would provide
the Almighty with the most praiseworthy service."

With that, the Shpoler Zayde fell silent. He slumped into his chair,
exhausted from the ordeal of bringing a lawsuit against the
Almighty. Clutching his head in his hands, he awaited the verdict.
The judges huddled, discussing the case amongst themselves for
some time in hushed, solemn tones. Finally, Reb Zusha rose to his
feet to announce the verdict.
"The court finds", he declared, "that justice is with Reb Aryeh Leib
ben Rochel. The Almighty is therefore obligated to find whatever
means He deems appropriate to provide for His people. It is our
prayer that the Heavenly Court concur with the decision of this
court."
Then all the Tzaddikim rose to their feet, and declared the verdict
aloud three times in unison, sealing the outcome.
The Shpoler Zayde jumped to his feet with great joy, and called for
refreshments to be served. The food restored their strength a bit
and they bouyantly drank L'Chayim together, celebrating the
victory. Then each Tzaddik left to return to his home town in
expectation of the salvation to come.
It was only five days later that the Russian government announced
that they would soon be bringing inexpensive wheat and other
grains from Siberia over a previously inaccessible route. The price
of available grain plunged, as merchants scrambled to cash in
before the arrival of the new stock.
Within the month, new supplies were on the market. That whole
year, even the family with the most humble of means had plenty to
eat.

Proper Vision

R' Yosef Yitzchok of Lubavitch once related the following story.

When I was four years old, I asked my father: "Why did G-d make
people with two eyes? Why not with one eye, just as we have been
given a single nose and a single mouth?"
"Do you know the Alef-Beis?" asked father. "Yes", I replied.
"Then you know that there are two very similar Hebrew letters, the
Shin and the Sin. Can you tell the difference between them?"
"The Shin has a dot on its right side, the Sin on its left," I
answered.
"Well done", exclaimed father. "From this we learn that there are
things which one must look upon with his right eye, with affection
and empathy, and there are things which are to be looked upon
with the left eye, with indifference and detachment."
"Upon a Siddur or on another Jew, one should look with the right
eye. Upon a candy or toy, one should look with the left eye."

You Are Not Who You Think You Are

Once, when Rabbi DovBer of Lubavitch, the son of Rabbi
Schneur Zalman of Liadi, was a young man, he was visiting with
his father-in-law in Yanovitch. There he met with one of his
father's chassidim. The chassid noticed that the young rebbe's son
was all too aware of his achievements in scholarship and
meditative prayer and felt that some cutting down to size was in
order.
Said the chassid to Rabbi DovBer, "Considering who you are and
how you've lived, what's the big deal? Your father - well, we all
know who your father is. You were certainly conceived under the
holiest of circumstances, and I'm sure that your father secured a
most lofty soul to bring down into the world. Then you were raised
in a rebbe's home and great care was taken to mold your character

and safeguard you from any negative influences. All your life
you've been exposed to scholarship and sanctity and to this very
day you're preoccupied only with the study of Torah and the
teachings of Chassidism. So you've amassed a certain amount of
knowledge and you pray with fervor and devotion. Big
deal!""Now, take me for example. My father was a simple man,
and we can well imagine what was on his mind when he scraped
out some dreg of a soul out the bottom of the barrel. My
upbringing? I was raised as a goat and basically left to my own
devices.
And do you know what I do with my life? Let me tell you how I
earn my living. I loan money to the peasants during the planting
season and then, during the winter months, I make my rounds of
their villages and farms to collect the debts before they have a
chance to squander their entire harvest on vodka. This means
setting out several hours before sunrise, well before the permissible
time for prayer, equipped with a flask, for without a drink one
cannot begin to talk business with a peasant. After drinking to his
health, one must share a `l'chayim' with the woman in the house as
well, otherwise she can ruin the whole deal for you. Only then can
you sit down to settle part of the account." "After three or four
such stops I make my way home, immerse myself in the mikveh
and prepare for prayer. But after such preliminaries, what sort of
prayer would you expect...?"
The words of this chassid, who was, in truth, renowned for his
refined nature and soulful prayers, made a deep impression on
Rabbi DovBer. The young man immediately travelled home to his
father and poured out his heart. He bewailed his spiritual state,
saying that his service of G-d is worthless, falling so short of what
is expected from him.
The next time the chassid from Yanovitch came to Rabbi Schneur
Zalman,the Rebbe said to him: "I am most grateful to you - you
have made a chassid out of my Berel."

Teshuva, Don't Leave the World Without It

Once a Chassid from a neighboring town came to Reb Hirsh
Riminover and begged him to somehow intercede so that his
father-in-law would die. "What!" exclaimed Reb Hirsh, "What are
you talking about."
"Well, my father-in-law is very old, already more than 100 years"
explained the chassid, "And he has to be watched over all the time.
He can't really do much for himself, and he is miserable most of
the time." "He doesn't learn and doesn't daven any more. He has
had enough of life already, but he just keeps hanging on day after
day, week after week, year after year."
R' Hirsh didn't really know what to say, but he reasoned that a Yid
who lived to such an age must have some kind of merit. He
commanded the chassid to bring in the old man to speak with him.
The chassid protested saying that his father was too old and too
feeble, but R' Hirsh wouldn't relent. "Bring him in anyway as I
have requested," he ordered.
So they picked up the old man and brought him to Riminov. They
carried him in on a bed and placed him in front of R' Hirsh. R'
Hirsh began to ask him questions.. He soon found out that the old
man had been a simple, boorish Jew. He had been a Ba'al
HaAgaloh (wagon driver) all of his life. He davened in the
morning, but his real interest was to get to breakfast. He went to
Shul on Shabbos, but the cholent (Sabbath stew) was his goal.
R' Hirsh peppered him with more questions to find out of the old
Jew could remember any reason that might account for his many
years. Maybe there was some special mitzvah that he did once or
some experience, maybe he had been to a Tzaddik on some special
occasion.

Then the old Jew recalled once some Avrechim had asked him to
take them for Shabbos to a town about a half a days journey away
called Lizhensk. The pleaded with me but I didn't want to go. I
told them that I like Shabbos at home with my bed and my cholent.
But they promised me a good wage and the same food that I would
eat at home and then some. So I finally agreed and we set off. We
got there not long before Shabbos and they set me up in a nice
hotel".
"Sure enough, right after the davening, they showed up with a
great meal, everything, just as I like it. They came back a little
while later and they asked me I wanted to go with to some kind of
gathering, but I told them that I didn't come for that kind of thing,
and they should let me sleep. So, being decent guys they did."
"In the morning after the davening, they again brought me a good
meal with a cholent even better than what I would have gotten at
home. I ate my fill and went to sleep."
"When I got up from my nap it was close to dark and nobody was
around. I waited awhile but none of my passengers showed their
faces. So I went to look for them. I came to the Shul and I heard
the loudest singing and wildest dancing you can imagine. It
sounded like they were all shikker (plastered). I peeked inside and
there were empty bottles on the table and these guys were singing
and dancing like anything. When I went in I saw that they were in
a circle and they were all dancing around with one of them in the
middle. He must have been the chief shikker or something because
he was tall and his face was red like fire and he was dancing with
his eyes closed and they were all singing and dancing around him."
At this point R' Hirsh stopped the old man exclaiming that now he
understood everything. The tall one in the middle with a face red
like fire was none other the Rebbe R' Elimelech of Lizhensk. He
explained that there it is well known that anybody whoever saw the

even just glimpsed the face of R' Elimelech would not be able to
leave the world until he had done Teshuva.
Then R' Hirsh turned towards the old man and started to explain to
him in a gentle fatherly way how Hashem created the world, and
how everything in it was put there for our benefit. He described the
beauty of the creation, how every aspect of it is perfect, existing
together in total harmony.
Then he began to explain the nature of the Jewish soul. He
described how every Jew is like one Neshama, we are only
separated by the physical bodies that we bear. Later, he gave us the
Torah and its Mitzvos, specific instruction for serving Hashem and
understanding His will. The old Jew sat and listened but didn't
utter a sound.
So R' Hirsh continued. He began to describe how we were given
the Shabbos to further bring ourselves closer to Hashem. We
welcome the Shabbos, and Hashem comes to us and so to speak,
sits at our table with us sharing our food and company.
At this point the old Jew turned his head and stared dreamily out
the window. A moment passed and he let out a deep sigh. R' Hirsh
(who was a Cohen) quickly ordered all of the Cohanim to
immediately leave the room (Cohanim even today are forbidden
contact with the dead). The old Jew, heaved one more sigh of
remorseful repentance, and left this world for the world to come.

From Inspiration to Action

R' Eliezer Lippa was a simple but devout Jew who lived in the
town of Taranow in Galicia. He was not well versed and didn't
know the meaning of most of his daily prayers, but he always
davened with the minyan and he was scrupulous to say Amen, after
every blessing of the Chazzan, and to respond Amen, Yehey Shemi

Rabboh in the Kaddish, and to respond to the Borchu. He never

conversed about worldly matters in the Shul and he accorded the
sages and Rabbi their due honor.
R' Eliezer Lippa was a laborer who knew many trades, but he is
most well know to us as a water carrier. He worked hard, and
managed to make a decent living, as he had four steady customers,
who were well-to-do merchants and paid him above the average
rate for his services.
Once, the Baal ShemTov, before he had revealed himself to he
world, arrived in Taranow. For all practical purposes he was as he
appeared, a simple itinerant, but with a gift for telling stories. He
used to congregate with the other laborers and tell them stories
from the Talmud and he also related to them how much Hashem
was pleased with the sincere prayers and straightforward faith of
ordinary Jews.
One day, R' Eliezer Lippa was guiding his wagon with its full
barrel of water through the center of town when he spotted his
friend and fellow water carrier R' Zalman Dov along with some
other men, gathered around a ragged itinerant (the Baal ShemTov)
and listening intently with heads inclined to catch his every word.
R' Eliezer Lippa, his interest sparked, went over to join the circle
of listeners. The Baal ShemTov was telling the story of a wealthy
man who lived in the days when the Holy Temple in Jerusalem still
stood.
"The wealthy man was taking a fattened ox to the Temple for a
sacrifice. It was a massive beast, and when it decided, for reasons
of its own, to stop still in its tracks, nobody was able to convince it
to walk further towards their destination. No amount of pushing
and whipping could make that animal budge"
"A poor man, who was on his way home was watching the scene.

In his hand was a bunch of freshly pulled up carrots, with the green
stalks still attached to the bright orange roots. Wanting to be of
help to the hapless ox owner, he held to carrots to the muzzle of the
ox and when it began to nibble, he pulled them away and thereby
led to animal to their destination at the Holy Temple."
"That night the owner of the ox had a dream. In his dream he heard
a voice which called out, 'The sacrifice of the poor man, who gave
up the carrots which he was bringing to his impoverished family,
was a more desirable sacrifice than your fattened ox.'"
"The wealthy man brought a large fattened ox for a burnt offering.
He was so joyful at being able to bring such an animal that he also
brought a sheep for a peace offering an made a huge feast for him
family and friends. He also distributing the proper gifts from his
sacrifices to the priests. His joy was so intense that he held back
nothing."
"The poor man on the other hand, in his poverty had only a few
carrots to bring home for his family. What were his carrots
compared to the fatted animal of the wealthy man?"
"Nevertheless", said the Baal ShemTov, "Hashem desires the heart.
Any Mitzvoh a person may do, whether great or small, simple or
difficult, is judged by how it is performed. A Mitzvoh done for
Hashem's sake, with great simchah and purity of heart, is very
precious to the Creator. Hashem cries out to the angels, 'Look at
the mitzvoh my son/daughter has done!' Hashem, from his place in
the heavens saw that although the wealthy man had offered much,
the poor man had offered much more."
R' Eliezer Lippa's mind knew no rest. How he longed to be able to
do a mitzvoh like the poor man in the story; with pure intention
and a joyful overflowing heart. The weeks passed and still R'
Eliezer Lippa knew no peace for the desire to be able to do such a
mitzvah tortured his heart.

One day, as R' Eliezer Lippa was delivering water to one of his
wealthy customers, he had an idea, an idea so perfect, so that his
whole being became flushed with a great sense of pleasure and
relief. R' Eliezer Lippa's four wealthy customers provided him with
half of his livelihood since they paid him far more than the going
rate for a barrel of water. On the other hand, his friend R' Zalman
Dov supplied the town's four shuls which paid him half price for
their water. "I can switch four of my customers for four of his",
thought R' Eliezer Lippa. "Four wealthy homes for four
synagogues." He was anxious to serve Hashem by providing the
water for that the congregants would wash their hands with.
Certainly the mitzvoh was of more value than the profits he would
give up.
He went home and told his wife about the story of the Baal
ShemTov, and how doing a mitzvoh with joy is like bringing a
sacrifice in the Holy Temple even though it no longer stands. His
wife readily agreed to the idea, as did R' Zalman Dov who sorely
nethe extra income. The deal was stuck and the transfer of
customers was made. No one but R' Eliezer Lippa and his wife
knew what had happened and they were overjoyed at the prospects
for their new "business". There were days when even R' Eliezer
Lippa's wife went to the river to participate in the mitzvoh of
"drawing the water for the synagogues".
The whole while they would concentrate on the mitzvoh of
preparing the water for the congregants to wash their hands with
before prayers, and their joy was boundless. For they understood
that Hashem desires the heart.
According to some, the story continues. In the merit of the mitzvoh
which R' Eliezer Lippa and his wife performed, they were blessed
with children, for she had formerly been barren. Those children
grew to be luminaries who lit up the Jewish world and inspired
tens of thousand to return to Hashem in Teshuva and to serve Him

with joy.
Those two sons were R' Elimelech of Lizhensk and R' Zusha of
Anipoli, two of the principal students of the Baal Shem Tov's
successor, the Maggid of Mezeritch.

GREAT IDEAS IN THE MINDS OF MEN

R' Zusha of Anipoli again found himself in debt with the
repayment date the next morning, and the resources with which to
repay nowhere in sight.
R' Zusha however, was a Tzaddik of perfect faith. Long ago he had
placed himself totally in the hands of the Creater of the World, and
he had no need to be concerned.
So R' Zusha, wanting to further demonstrate to his Creator how
perfect his fath and trust were, sat down with a piece of paper. On
it he recorded 25 different scenarios in which the money needed to
pay back the debt comes his way. The rest of the evening passed,
and R' Zusha gave the situation no further thought.
The morning came, and no sooner did R' Zusha finish his morning
prayers, than did the required sum manifest itself. But the money
came to R' Zusha, in a 26th way, according to a scenario that he
didn't think to record.
"Oy yoy, oy yoy", he moaned, thoroughly disappointed with
himself. "Is the Creator of the World limited to the feeble ideas of
R' Zusha!?"

Living by Faith

It was the custom of R' Zusha of Anipoli, to recite his morning

prayers at length. After he concluded, he would retire to his room
next to the Shul. Once there, he would open the window and lifting
his eyes to the heavens call out, "Master of the World, Zusha (he
always referred to himself in the third person) is very hungry and
desires to eat something!"
Every morning, his attendant would wait until he heard R' Zusha's
appeal, then he would bring in R' Zusha's morning meal of cake
with a little schnapps.
One morning the attendant thought to himself, "Why doesn't R'
Zusha ask me directly for his meal. In fact, who does he think he is
fooling by calling out to Hashem like that. He knows full well that
I bring him his food everyday." So on the spot he decided that the
next morning he would not bring R' Zusha's meal when he called
out. He would just wait to see what would happen and where R'
Zusha's would look for his meal.
The next morning, R' Zusha awoke as usual, well before the light
of day. As he did every morning, he first went to the town Mikveh
to immerse himself in preparation for the day's holy work. The
night had been a rainy one in Anipoli, and the streets of the town
had already turned to rivers of mud. In order to get from one side
of the street to another, one had to cross on narrow planks that
were laid across the flowing mud. As R' Zusha was crossing in the
direction of the Mikveh, a man whom he didn't recognize, a guest
in town, was coming towards R' Zusha from the other side. When
he saw R' Zusha, gaunt, almost emaciated, dressed in rags without
a tooth in his mouth, the stranger yelled out, "Itinerant!", and with
a hearty laugh jumped up and down on the plank causing R' Zusha
to tumble into the mud.
R' Zusha didn't say a word. He calmly picked himself out of the
mud and continued on his way to the Mikveh, while the stranger
sauntered off into the distance, chuckling merrily the whole way as

he re-enacted his great prank over and over in his mind. When he
arrived back at the inn where he was staying, he couldn't help but
brag to the innkeeper about his good prank. The innkeeper didn't
laugh so quickly. He asked the guest to describe the "itinerant"
whom he had catapulted into the mud. He suddenly clapped his
hands to his head and cried out in anguish, "Oy VaVoy, Oy Oy, do
you know what you did!? That was not just some itinerant, that
was the Rebbe R' Zusha!"
Now it was the turn of the guest to cry out "Oy VaVoy". R' Zusha
was known to all as a holy man and a Tzaddik. Trembling, the
guest cried out, "Oy Vey, Oy Vey! What am I going to do now?
What am I going to do now?!"
"Don't worry", exclaimed the innkeeper regaining his composure,
"Listen to me, I know what you should do. R' Zusha spends many
hours every morning in prayer. When he is finished he goes into
his private room next to the Shul. There he opens the window, and
anybody can see how he leans out and lifting his eyes to heaven
calls out, 'Master of the World, Zusha is very hungry and desires to
eat something!' I'll prepare some cakes and some schnapps for you
to take to him. When you hear him call out to the Creator, you go
in immediately with this gift, and offer it to him and beg his
forgiveness. I'm certain that he will forgive you whole-heartedly."
That morning, like every morning, after the prayers, R' Zusha went
into his room, opened the window and called o, "Master of the
World, Zusha is very hungry and desires to eat something!" The
attendant, upon hearing R' Zusha, held his ground and clasped his
folded arms together even tighter, waiting to see what the outcome
would be. "Let Hashem bring him his cake this morning", he
huffed to himself.
Suddenly the door to the Shul opened and a man, holding a large
plate of cakes and a bottle of schnapps came in and made his way
to the room of R' Zusha. He went straight in, put the cakes on the

table, then fell to the floor in grief, begging the Tzaddik for his
forgiveness (which he was certainly granted).
Let it be known, that the attendant came to understand that it really
was the Master of the World who brought R' Zusha his breakfast
every morning.

R' ZUSIA AND THE RAV

In the town of Anipoli there were two Rabbis, R' Zusha the
Chassid and the town Rav, a Misnagged. R' Zusha was always
happy despite the fact that he had nothing but troubles; poverty and
ill-health. The Rav on the other hand, despite his honorable
position in the community was always unhappy, depressed, bitter
and angry. He couldn't bear others, nor even himself.
One night, bitter and frustrated he went to ask R' Zusha for help.
He sneaked out of his house at an hour when nobody would see
him and secretly made his way to the hovel which R' Zusha called
home. When he arrived the lamps were still burning, so he
knocked hesitantly. Almost immediately R' Zusha appeared at the
door with a smile and an invitation to enter.
"How is it that you are so happy and content and I am always
angry and cursing everybody", asked the bewildered Rav?
"Let me give you an example", offered R' Zusha. "Take the
wedding of R' Moshe's daughter. When Reb Moshe, the local
philanthropist, made a wedding for his daughter recently, he
dispatched a messenger to personally invite the special citizens of
Anipoli. When the messenger came to your house, you demanded
to see the guest list. You saw that you were 14th on the list".
"'Chutzpah!', you shrieked, and decided that you would attend, but
come late. When you arrived, all the guests were sitting at the

tables already and eating the festive meal. When you arrived, there
were no empty places to be found."
"Soon, Reb Moshe the philanthropist saw you looking for a place
to sit. 'Rabbi', he called out, 'where have you been?' They brought
you to the head table, but there were no more empty places. They
brought you a chair, but you sat behind somebody else. You were
furious, looking for somebody to lash out at, but nobody was really
paying any attention to you. The waiter didn't even see you. By the
time the host noticed that you weren't eating, all the food was
gone."
"R' Moshe went into the kitchen to find something, but it was not a
portion befitting the Rav of Anipoli. Everything had already been
picked through. By this time you were cursing the host and the
waiters and the guests and even the bride and groom themselves.
When it came time for the bentching (Grace after Meals) and the
Sheva Brochos (seven blessing said after the festive meals in the
presence of the bride and groom), you had been all but forgotten.
You went home broken, angry and bitter, cursing the Master of the
World Himself."
"When the messenger came to the house of R' Zusha, (he always
referred to himself in the 3rd person), Zusha was taken aback.
What a kind gesture! Reb Moshe is inviting Zusha to the wedding
of his daughter?! What has Zusha ever done to deserve an
invitation to their wedding?!
So Zusha went two hours early to the wedding. Zusha asked what
he could do to help set up. Zusha officiated at the ceremony. Zusha
ate a full meal. Zusha was honored with bentching and Zusha
recited the Sheva Brochos."
"You see", R' Zusha continued his explanation to the Rav of
Anipoli, "You wanted everything, but you ended up with nothing.
Zusha didn't ask for anything, but he got it all!"

From Awe to Awesome Love

It is brought down that the month of Elul, Rosh HaShanah and Yom
Kippur are designated for doing Teshuva. A Jew is inspired and
cajoled into teshuva as he comtemplates the awesomeness of the
Creator and how we are obligated to Him. It is a teshuva based on
fear and awe.
When Sukkos, the season of our rejoicing comes, the process of
teshuva takes a new course. In this Festive time the teshuva is
based on love.
In the poem "Yedid Nefesh" which is sung on Shabbos at night and
at the third meal (many Chassidim also recite it everyday as a
prelude to the morning prayers), we find an allusion to this idea.
The second verse says, "Glorious, resplendent One, Light of the
world, my soul is lovesick for you; I beseech you, Oh G-d, pray
heal it by showing it the sweetness of your splendor. At that
moment it (the soul) will be strengthened and healed and will
experience everlasting joy".
The Belzer Rav, R' Aharon zt"l commented, that the operative
factor here is, that at the moment when one has an exalted spiritual
experience, he must hold fast to the essence of it and learn from it.
The result is everlasting joy. That is what is expressed here. "I
beseech you, Oh G-d, pray heal it by showing it the sweetness of
your splendor". This is the moment when G-d reveals Himself in a
special way to a person. If he grabs hold of the moment and
internalizes its essence, then, "At that moment it (the soul) will be
strengthened and healed and will experience everlasting joy". If
one lets it go, and relates to the moment as just another "high",
then the experience is squandered.

I have heard the above idea applied to Yom Kippur. If one grabs
hold of the spiritual awakening, inspiration and resolve
experienced on Yom Kippur and brings it into the following days,
then he will certainly fully experience the joy of the Sukkos season.
This is the transition from Teshuva with awe to Teshuva with love.
Once, on the eve of Yom Kippur, a young Torah scholar (avrech)
arrived in the town of Yaroslav. It was just before the start of Kol
Nidre and suddenly the young avrech appeared in the Shul.
Without any words or introductions he went up to the reader's
stand and began to chant the Kol Nidre prayer in frightening and
hauntingly beautiful melody. Not one of the members present in
the Shul could identify the stranger or explain his behavior, but
since he was clearly a person of considerable spiritual stature, they
allowed him to continue uninterrupted.
After the Maariv prayer the avrech chanted all of the Shirei Yichud
(Songs of Unity) and then began to recite Tehillim (Psalms) all the
while standing. When the members of the shul arrived back in the
morning, they found the arech still standing on his feet absorbed in
prayer. As soon as a minyan assembled he began with Adon Olam
and continued to lead Shacharis prayer. He himself read from the
Torah and chanted the Haftorah. He said Yizhkor and then began
the arduous Mussaf prayer. At this point the members were
suspicious if he was indeed a mortal human being or some kind of
angel that had descended on this awesome day; for his voice and
his stamina were other worldly. Then there were times when the
avrech was silent and the congregation sang. They themselves
reached such heights of exultation that they were sure that he was
indeed a mortal and they were his equals. But as the Neilah prayer
drew to a close, the congregation, thoroughly swept up by his
singing and roaring as he stormed the gates of prayer to bring in
Klal Yisrael in Teshuva, felt certain that he could indeed be only an
angel.

One of those present that special Yom Kippur, was R' Yaakov
Meshullam Orenstein, the author of the work Yeshuos Yaacov. It
from him that we know of this whole story. R' Yaacov Meshullam
decided to follow the young man after the completion of the
services. He went after him to his lodgings to see if he would eat
now or not. He saw how he heard the havdalah ceremony from
others and then asked his host for some kvickenish (a tasty morsel)
to refresh his soul since he was hungry.
They immediately brought him some cake and fruit, but he
thundered, "No this is not what I need, bring me a volume of (the
Talmudic) tractate Sukkah. With that he retired to his room
claiming that he wanted to rest. R' Yaacov Meshullam peeked in
the key hole and saw that he opened up his book and started to
learn with extraordinary exuberance, not pausing for a minute. R'
Yaacov Meshullam could already not stay awake himself, so he left
to break his fast and to rest. In the early morning he returned to
find that the avrech was still learning and about to complete the
final page of the tractate. Only after that did he proffer a sheepish
request for a glass of coffee and a bit of cake.
This young avrech was none other than R' Levi Yitzchok of
Berditchev, the Kedushas Levi. He is the same R' Levi Yitzchok
whose son writes about him in the introduction to his own book
Keser Torah, that ". . . he raised up thousands upon thousands of
disciples . . . and ignited within them a passion for learning Torah
and serving the Creator with love. His own divine service was such
that even the angels above were envious of him!"

TORAH FROM THE HEART

A family in White Russia were once having trouble with their
young son, Mordechai. He never wanted to study, only to play
outside. He also had a tendency to get into mischief. It caused the
parents tremendous anxiety.

One day they heard that the great R' Aharon of Karlin would be
coming to their town. So they brought their son to meet the Rebbe.
He listened to the parents story and responded to them very
roughly. "I'll have a few words with him and set him straight.
Leave him to me. I'll teach how to behave." The parents, taken
aback by his stern demeanor, yet assured by his confidence, let him
take their son into his private room.
The Rebbe leaned back on his couch and gently called the boy to
come over. He held out his arms and motioned for Mordechai to
come nearer. Then he pulled him close and held him against his
heart for a long time. They then went out together. Not revealing
his special method of persuasion, Reb Aharon of Karlin again
spoke roughly to the parents. "I had a word with him. He'll shape
up now!"
The boy did indeed change and became a well-known tzaddik, R'
Mordechai of Lecovitz, the father of the Slonim dynasty. He
always told his chassidim that he first learned Torah from R'
Aharon of Karlin, who taught him Torah from the heart.
Counting the Minutes
The great Chassidic Rebbe, Reb Dov Ber of Radoshitz, was
traveling across the Polish countryside. Night fell, the roads would
soon be unsafe, and so he directed his wagon driver to stop at the
first Jewish inn that they could find.
In a short while, they had pulled up in front of a small Jewish
tavern. The owner welcomed them in warmly, helped them with
their bags, fed and watered their horse, and prepared for Reb Dov
Ber a special room reserved for traveling rabbis and noblemen.
After praying the evening prayer, Reb Dov Ber retired to his
chambers and to bed, tired after the long day's journey.

Soon the house was quiet, the fields outside still. Only the
occasional barking of a lone farm dog broke the silence of the
night. And yet . . . the clock on the wall -- it was ticking in the
most amazing way; it wouldn't let Reb Dov Ber sleep. He tossed
and turned in his bed. He got up and started pacing the room.
Verses from the Books of the Prophets flooded his mind, songs of
deliverance and hope. He tried to lie down again, but the clock
kept ticking, until he was forced to rise from bed once more. Thus
he spent the night, pacing the room in anxious anticipation.
In the morning, the tired but exhilarated rabbi approached the innkeeper. "Where did you get that clock in the room?" he asked.
"That clock? Well, several years ago another rabbi stayed in the
room, Reb Yosef of Turchin, the son of that tzaddik, the Seer of
Lublin. He came for only one night, but the weather turned bad
and he was forced to stay for several days. In the end, he found that
he did not have enough money to pay the bill, so he covered the
difference by giving me that clock. He said that he had inherited it
from his father."
"Now I understand why I couldn't sleep," said Reb Dov Ber. "Most
clocks in the world only cause depression, for they count the hours
that have passed -- another day lost, another opportunity gone by.
But the clock of the holy Seer of Lublin counts the time that is
coming - - another minute closer to the final redemption, another
second nearer the age of universal peace."

A Source Of Hope
In the Beis Medrash (Study Hall) of R' Chaim of Sanz, it was the
custom to study late into the night. In fact, it was something that
the Rebbe expected of his closest students since there is no time
more conducive for productive Torah learning than the night.
One late night, after many consecutive hours of uniterrupted study,
the students became weary. They began to shmooze (converse)

amongst themselves. When Torah scholars start shmoozing they

don't talk about just anything! What do they talk about? Stories of
the Tzaddikim, the holy and righteous Rebbes who founded and
fostered the Chassidic movement.
Then, suddenly R' Chaim walked into the study hall. Immediately
he perceived that the students had already left off studying. "And
what is this shmoozing about", he encountered them. Embarrased
as they were, they had no choice but to 'confess'. The oldest of the
the group found to the courage to stammer, "We..we..we..were
tr...tr..trading stories of Tza..tza..addikim". "Is that so...", demured
the Rebbe, "then I also have a story to share."
"There once was, maybe there still is, a huge bird who lived on a
desert isle and his name is the "Fah". The Fah was afflicted with
painful and unseemly sores all over his legs. Sometimes he would
look at his legs and sink into utter desparation because of the
terrible sores and he would contemplate hurling himself in the sea.
Finally he decides, he takes off into flight and prepares hinself for
his last moments before hurtling into the depths. As his last
moment of life approaches, he all of a sudden catches a glimpse of
his outstreched wings, skillfully manuevering the air currents, their
multicolored feathers glistening and glimmering in the sunlight. He
feels unexpectedly revived, his desire for life surges through him
and the Fah changes course, now soaring higher and higher into the
skies with renewed enthusiasm and joy."
"So it is with us", R' Chaim reflected. "When we look at ourselves
and our deeds we can easily come to despair. How small and
insignifigant we are. How much potential have we wasted, how
many precious hours and minutes have we let slip through our
fingers with nothing accomplished. But when we tell stories of our
tzadikkim and reflect on their lives and deeds, we become
refreshed, we are reminded just what a Jew can become. We once
again have hope!"

A REAL JEWISH MOTHER

This story was told to me by a friend, Reb A.N. Brizel, a 5th
generation Yerushalmi who heard it as a child. It took place about
90 - 100 years ago.
A renowned personage of the old Jewish settlement in Jerusalem
was the holy R' Dovid Biederman, a scion of Rabbinic and
Chassidic lineage. He was known as a Tzaddik among Tzaddikim.
His only concern in life was whether or not he was living up to the
expectations of his Creator.
Once, R' Dovid decided to undertake the arduous, almost day-long
trek on donkey from Jerusalem to the gravesite of Rachel Imainu.
He set out early in the morning, right after the conclusion of the
sunrise minyan. The entire way he contemplated and organized the
prayers he would say there. He wanted to be sure not to forget
anything, since it was only infrequently that he had the opportunity
to make the journey.
When he finally arrived he saw that was not alone. A woman with
a number of small children had arrived previously and was making
herself at home in the monument's domed chamber. She had
already spread out a blanket and laid the youngest child down to
sleep. When R' Dovid arrived she was busy preparing the evening
meal.
R' Dovid was incredulous. Did she have no regard for the sanctity
of the site? Didn't she realize where she was? How could this
woman busy herself with such mundane matters in such a Holy
place?
R' Dovid approached the woman and in a less than friendly tone
demanded an explanation.

The weary woman looked up at R' Dovid from her seat on the floor
and replied softly, "I would think that our Mother Rachel would be
pleased that we are eating and resting here."
R' Dovid felt suddenly faint and uneasy. He realized that he had
been making the journey to Rachel's Tomb for decades and had not
even begun to understand what it represented. Here was a simple
unlearned woman, yet she possessed a profound grasp of the true
holiness of Rachel's Tomb. What had been be doing here all those
years!? He now understood that Rachel was the mother who wept
and prayed for her children. Her desire is only that we should have
some relief, some comfort in life, some peace of mind in order to
better serve Hashem.
From that day on, whenever R' Dovid travelled to the Tomb of
Rachel, he made sure to bring with him a meal which he would
share with all the others who came to entreat our mother Rachel to
intercede for them and bring their prayers on high.

Straight from the Heart

R' Yisroel of Ruzhin zt"l once stayed in a town called Sanek
during one of his travels. Of course, everybody came out to greet
him since the reputation of the Tzaddik preceded him everywhere
he went. Among those who came to greet Reb Yisrael were some
Jews who were not adherents of the Chassidic path. These
Misnaggdim decided to vent their hostility on Reb Yisrael.
"Tell us", they challenged, "it is very difficult for us to understand.
Our custom is to arise well before the break of dawn, to pray the
morning prayer at sunrise according the custom of the Vasikin.
After we finish praying, we remain for some time in the Shul, still
wrapped in Tallis and Tefilin and we learn Chumash and Mishna
before we leave. Even as we put away the Tallis and Tefillin we
learn chapters by memory from the Tanach. The rest of the day, we
maintain fixed times when we gather for additional study in the

Shul. For this behavior we are labeled Misnaggdim?! (opposers).

You, (the Chassidim) your way is to pray the morning prayer long
after the prescribed time for doing so, and immediately after the
prayer, instead of dedicating time for study, you race to set the
table. You bring out cake and brandy, and you sit together drinking,
eating and singing. For this you are called Chassidim?! (pious) It
seems to me to be quite the opposite."
Reb Leib, the attendant of the Rizhiner after hearing these
accusations could not hold himself in. "I'm not surprised," he
imputed. "Your whole service is performed with so little heart, in
such a calculated, chilly and lifeless manner, it is no wonder that
you learn Mishnayos afterwards, for that is what one learns in
memory of the dead! (Mishna has the same letters as the word
neshama, N*Sh*M*H) Not so the service of the Chassidim.
Whatever we do, no matter how much, or how little, wedo with
devotion, warmth and vitality. A living man needs a drink of
brandy once in a while."
But before he could go on, the Rizhiner interrupted him. "You
should realize that he is just joking. I will tell you the real reason
for our way of praying and the secret of L'Chayim.
It is well know that since the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash
our prayer takes the place of the sacrifices which were offered
there. As it is written, (Hosea 14:3), "The prayer of our lips shall
replace the oxen of the sacrifice." Our three daily prayers
correspond to the daily burnt offerings. Just as a sacrifice was
rendered invalid by undirected thoughts, so too is our prayer.
When a man stands in prayer before his Creator, the Yetzer Hara
wants nothing more than to confuse him and introduce all manner
of strange thoughts into his head. How is it possible to stand in
prayer in face of that? In the end, we are not successful in
replacing the oxen of the sacrifices with our prayers. What did the

Chassidim find to remedy the problem, and with which to battle

against the tricks of the Yetzer Hara?
After the Prayer, the Chassidim sit together, raising their glasses in
L'Chayim, and pouring their hearts in blessing. "Yankel, you
should find a proper shidduch for your daughter," exclaims one.
"Beryl, your business should have have customers like the eyes on
a potato," exclaims another.
The Yetzer Hara, regales in his victory over having confounded the
prayer of a congregation of Jews. Seeing them eating and drinking,
he concludes that their prayer is finished for the meantime, and he
retires for the morning.
Now, it is a Halacha in the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law),
that prayer can be said in any language that one understands.
(Orach Chaim 62:2) Therefore when Jews gather to say L'Chayim
and to bless one another from the depths of their hearts, it is the
real Tefilah, and it goes straight to the heart of the Master of the
World.

ABOUT FACE
In Navardok, the home of the famous Yeshiva of the same name,
there were no dormitory facilities, the young men had to rent
rooms in town. Most landlords were happy to have yeshiva boys as
tenants since they were clean and considerate. One woman, a
widow with a young son, had a large twenty room house. She was
very bitter, and made all sorts of trouble for the boys. She often
yelled at them and ridiculed them. On some Friday afternoons, she
turned off the water supply, so that there was no hot water for
bathing. Other times, she turned off the electricity for no apparent
reason. After a while all the boys moved out. Only Yosef Geffen
remained.

One morning, as Yosef was walking home, the woman saw him
coming and began to scream at him, "You must be crazy! How can
you still stay in my house? You see that all the others boys have
moved out -- why do you insist on staying? Why not get out like
they did?"
He paused and answered her gently. "I stay here for your sake. I
realize that you live alone and I fear that one night you might fall
or become ill and call out for help and there would be no one to
hear your cries. I understand that you are only yelling at us because
of your frustration at being widowed and because you struggle to
support yourself."
Her demeanor immediately changed. She turned pale. She had
expected a sharp remark. She fell to her knees and begged his
forgiveness. Afterwards, she never said anything but kind words to
the yeshiva boys. She was no longer mean and nasty, and the boys
started moved back in until the house was filled.
Yosef however, even though he continued to live there, always
sneaked himself in the side door. Whenever the landlady would see
him, she would begin to apologize profusely all over again.

Learning to Love Shabbos - A Modern Tale

I heard it from a man I met almost twenty years ago.
Some ten years before I met the man who told me his story, the
Ultra Orthodox were first attempting to close Meah Shearim Street
to traffic on Shabbos. There were trash bins set up across the street
and there was anger and indignation all around.
There was a committee formed to oppose the closure of the street,
called by a name which declared their opposition to "religious
coercion". They saw it as coercive against the secular that the Ultra

Orthodox wanted to close the street which runs through their

completely Orthodox neighborhood. This committee against
religious coercion used to bus ruffians into Jerusalem from
kibbutzim and other places, to attack and beat up Ultra Orthodox.
This man was one of those ruffians who went up to Jerusalem to
fight religious coercion by beating up the Ultra Orthodox in order
to force them to open the street in their neighborhood to traffic.
One Shabbos, he was in Jerusalem with his own automobile and
decided to show those Ultra Orthodox a thing or two. He drove his
car down Meah Shearim Street "like a Roman charioteer", as he
described it, with pedestrians scattering in panic; pregnant women
sprinting from the street, women with baby carriages bouncing
across the uneven pavement. All to show them that they can't
impose their "Shabbos" on him.
One man a local teacher had the presence of mind to memorize the
number of his license plate and look him up the next day at the
motor vehicle Licensing Bureau. Then he found the driver's
telephone number. Then he called the driver up and invited him
home for Shabbos, explaining that he wanted him to see what
Shabbos is and "why it means so much to us."
The driver declined, explaining that he would not want to spend
the whole of Shabbos. The teacher said "I am inviting you to be my
guest, not my prisoner. You are free to leave whenever you want.
Just do me the courtesy of parking your car outside the
neighborhood."
He could find no honorable way of refusing a challenge so
reasonably presented so he went Shabbos evening for Kiddush and
the meal. They talked somewhat and he left. When he left, his host
invited him to return another Shabbos and, to reinforce the
invitation, called him during the week.

Eventually, he came again for Shabbos. And again. And again.

Over the next year or so, he became first an occasional Shabbos
guest, then a frequent Shabbos guest and finally a regular Shabbos
guest. Over period of two to three years, he became a ba'al
teshuvah. (newly religious)
A motorcade of secular Jews driving down Bar Ilan Boulevard on
Shabbos is an opportunity to talk to them. They are in your
neighborhood on Shabbos. Invite them for Kiddush. They have
never seen you in a positive, sympathetic way before. Great good
can come of it. Amen.

ABSOLUTE FORGIVENESS
The Ra'shash, Rabbi Shmuel Strahsuhn, was one the leading
sages of Vilna and a wealthy man. He was reknowned for his keen
insights into the Talmud. He asked very tough questions on every
page in the Talmud. His famous commentary includes many of
these questions, some answered and some not. Scholars to this day
still wrestle with his questions. He became a partner in the printing
of the Vilna Shas, one of the first printed editions of the entire
Talmud. Since the Vilna edition included his commentary, it
became immensely popular and he subsequently became very
wealthy.
The Ra'shash maintained a special free loan fund which was
available to all the residents of Vilna. Once, a simple Jew, a baker,
who had borrowed money from the Ra'shash, arrived at his home
with the funds in hand to repay his loan. He was admitted into the
Ra'shash's study where the Rabbi was engrossed as usual in his
learning. He accepted the money from the baker, nodded his head
in recognition and placed the bills between the pages of the
Tractate that he was studying, without interrupting his learning.
Several months later, when the Ra'shash was reviewing the ledgers

of the Fund, he came across a delinquent loan; the baker's. He

called the baker in and requested payment of the loan, but the
baker demurred, insisting that the loan had been repaid months
before. But the Ra'shash, who was as meticulous a businessman as
he was a scholar, only saw that in his ledger the loan was still
outstanding. After several attempts to obtain repayment of the loan,
he finally brought the baker to a Beis Din (Rabbinic Tribunal) to
adjudicate the case. The baker, having no evidence of repayment,
and going against the reputation of the one of the greatest sages of
Vilna, was ordered to pay the amount of the loan to the Rabbi. The
humiliation he suffered was horrible. People stopped buying baked
goods in his bakery and he was soon forced to leave Vilna for a
distant town, hoping to rebuild his life. Even his son, a promising
young scholar in his own right, was forced to leave his studies in
Vilna, and found it all but impossible to find an appropriate wife.
Less than a year passed. The Ra'shash was reviewing the same
Tractate that he had been learning when the baker came to repay
his loan. As he turned the page, a packet of bills dropped down on
the table in front of his volume. It took only a moment for the
Ra'shash to realize what had happened, and what he had,
inadvertently, caused. Immediately he rose, and summoned his
coach to take him to the distant town where the baker now lived. It
was a full day's journey, but the Ra'shash was intent on righting his
misdeed. He urged the driver on, and finally they found the town
and the home of the exiled baker.
The baker's surprise at seeing the sage quickly turned to dismay as
the Ra'shash explained to him how he had found the money from
the loan and wished now to beg his forgiveness. "I would gladly
forgive you", sighed the baker, "but what good will it do me now?
I'm ruined, and I've lost everything. Not only my business, but also
my reputation in the community. No matter where I go, the I am
haunted by the fact that I dared to stand up to the Ra'shash in Beis
Din. How will it help me to forgive you?"

The Ra'shash, understanding the baker's position, countered with

another offer. "I can make a public apology. I will go before the
entire congregation of Vilna and admit my mistake. Thus you will
be exonerated!"
"No, that won't help either", insisted the baker. Everybody will just
think that the Ra'shash, with his tremendous piety, is forgiving me.
Nobody will really believe that it is true."
The Ra'shash realized that the baker was correct. What could he do
to right the misdeed he had done? How could he demonstrate
beyond any doubt, that he indeed wronged the baker and was doing
Teshuva for it? After a number of heart-aching minutes he knew
that he had found the solution.
"Sir", he said addressing the baker. "I propose the following. You
have a son, and I have a daughter. Let's unite them in marriage, and
I will cover all the costs. Let it be a sign that I was in the wrong
and that you were in no way deserving of the unmerciful treatment
you received!"
It took only moments for the two fathers to reach an agreement.
The wedding that was held later that month, was a celebration
which created peace and goodwill between all the citizens of Vilna.
It was long remembered as one of the most joyous celebrations that
the Jews of Vilna had ever experienced.