Torn between Two Loves

The chassidim were perplexed. It was the second night of Pesach and they had all arrived at the Beis Midrash in high festive spirits; they were now expectantly waiting for their rebbe to lead them in the evening prayers. But when Rabbi Yitzchak Aizik of Zhidachov entered, they noted at once that he was wearing his weekday tallit.

It soon became clear that his prayers were not fired by the kind of enthusiasm to which they were accustomed. After the silent recitation of Shemoneh Esreh, instead of proceeding at once with the exultant praises of Hallel he paused awhile - again giving cause for wonderment. The anxious silence was broken at last as the rebbe's voice broke forth as always in the joyful rhythms and grateful psalms of Hallel.

At the festive meal that followed, the tzadik spoke to the chassidim who crowded around his long table: "During the Maariv prayers this evening I found myself utterly deprived of all spiritual sensitivity. Not only that, but they dressed me in the tallit that I normally wear only on weekdays. I could not understand what the Almighty had done to me - until it was revealed to me from Above that all this came about because I had decided to make the journey to Eretz Yisrael after Pesach and to settle there. The sanctity of the additional festive day of the Diaspora therefore applied to me no longer. And that is why the heightened sensitivity of Yom-Tov was taken away from me, and the tallit that came to hand was the weekday one.

"I then weighed which of the two situations was to be preferred, and concluded that it would be a pity to actively deprive myself of the sanctity of the Diaspora's additional day of Yom-Tov. I decided therefore not to go to Eretz Yisrael. The moment I made that decision, the spirituality of Yom Tov was restored to me - and that is when I said Hallel."

The tzadik then turned to his son and said: "Reb Eliyahu! Please put some wine on the table and we'll appease Eretz Yisrael."

[Selected by Yrachmiel Tilles from the rendition in A Treasury of Chassidic Tales (Artscroll), as translated by our esteemed colleague Uri Kaploun.]

Biographical note:
Rabbi Yitzchak Aizik of Zhidachov (1804-1872) was the nephew and successor Rabbi Zvi Hirsch of Zhidachov (see Story #282). He was a major scholar as well as a chassidic rebbe, who authored commentaries on Talmud, Midrash and Kabbala. His thousands of followers included some of the leading scholars and rabbis of the generation.

Yrachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and editor of Ascent Quarterly and the AscentOfSafed.com and KabbalaOnline.org websites. He has hundreds of published stories to his credit.