A Chassidic Story (#12)
This is a difficult, perhaps bitter, notion for some of us. Namely, sometimes we’re just bit actors in our own lives. We are manipulated by persons or forces greater than we. As we’ll see from the story, this isn’t automatically negative. It can be a good thing.
The following story was told by Reb Yaakov, the head of the beis din (rabbinical court) in Smila, who heard it from his father, Reb Meir Charif.
I don’t remember if this took place in Nemerov or Sharagrod. The Baal Shem Tov had come to visit his disciple, Reb Yaakov Yosef [author of Toldos Yaakov Yosef, who had served as rabbi in each of the mentioned cities]. The Baal Shem Tov arrived early in the week. For the first few days he was there he didn’t eat anything. Reb Yaakov Yosef pressed the Baal Shem Tov to eat, but he refused.
“Don’t talk to me about eating. There are very great sparks of holiness here. It’s so difficult to give them a tikkun [spiritual fixing] that it’s dangerous. If I don’t give them a tikkun they’ll kill someone! That’s why I don’t want to eat.”
Friday morning, the Baal Shem Tov said he wanted to eat. After breakfast, he called to Reb Yaakov Yosef to come talk with, in private. “You should know, that Heaven revealed to me that in the nearby villages are two melamdim [Hebrew day-school teachers] who have a share in the sparks I need to fix. Heaven has arranged it that they should think they are sick. They will come to me to be healed.
“Have your servant wait by the city gate. When they arrive, he should bring them to you. Have pity on them and show them no honor whatsoever. Don’t even offer them anything to eat. Promise them that you’ll speak to me on their behalf, asking me to cure them.
“Convince them to go to the mikveh. Because they think they’re sick they won’t want to go. Tell them I like it when people come to me freshly purified from immersing in the mikveh. Because they’re poor, lend them proper clothes for Shabbos. Have them eat on Shabbos at some local house-holders, not with you.
“Finally, when they get to shul, even though I will be in the middle of the silent Shemoneh Esrei, whisper into my ear that they have come.” Reb Yaakov Yosef followed the Baal Shem Tov’s instructions.
After the Shabbos night meal and again after the Shabbos day meal, the melamdim came to Reb Yaakov Yosef’s home, but he didn’t even offer them a l’chaim. At Shalosh Seudos [seudah shelishis, the third meal], which the melamdim ate with the Baal Shem Tov and Reb Yaakov Yosef, they were given a l’chaim.
After Shabbos, the Baal Shem Tov was extremely happy. He took his pipe and went to his bedroom. Reb Yaakov Yosef started to follow. When the melamdim approached him and asked that he bring them along, he answered, “Come with me!”
The three entered and the Baal Shem Tov addressed Reb Yaakov Yosef. “Tell them they’re healthy, they don’t need any medicine. Give them the Shabbos clothes you lent them as a present, and may they go in peace.”
The melamdim never had a clue that they were beneficiaries of a tikkun.
May the merit of the Baal Shem Tov protect us and all Yisrael. Amen.
Rendered from Shivchei Baal Shem Tov #75
© Copyright 2011 O. Bergman
