# 364 (s5765-07/ 12 Mar-Cheshvan 5765)

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Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kosov recommended him to recount his woes to Rabbi Uri of Strelisk also.


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It was to be a special Shabbat in Kosov. The rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kosov, was to be visited by his brother-in-law, Reb Uri of Strelisk. Hundreds of chassidim from the area and further converged upon the town to partake of the light of this luminous encounter.

Among them was one Reb Moshe, an arendar [lessee] who had been wealthy and generous, but had now fallen from his fortunes to such an extent that his local squire was threatening him with imprisonment and other humiliations if he did not pay up the rent on his leased business.

When Shabbat was out the distracted debtor told his story to his rebbe, the Kosover, who recommended that he recount his woes to the Strelisker as well.

"I certainly feel sorry for you in your troubles," said the Strelisker, "I am now going to immerse myself in the mikvah for your sake, and the merit of the mikvah will no doubt stand you in good stead and protect you."

When the arendar reported this reply back to the Kosover, his rebbe advised: "Please go back to my learned brother-in-law, and tell him that you can't pay your creditors with a mikvah."

The Strelisker 's reply to this was: "Very well, my son. Then in addition I am prepared to give you the credit of an even greater mitzvah - the tefillin that I am about to don this morning."

When the Kosover was told of this answer, he said: "Now tell him, please, that you cannot placate your creditors with tefillin."

The arandar had no choice but to obey his rebbe. Once again he went off to the Strelisker, who listened, and then reassured him: "If that is the case, then you may have as well the merit of my prayers this morning. Without a doubt, the merit of all these three mitzvot together will bring about the salvation you require!"

This assurance, too, was relayed to the Kosover, but he remained unconvinced. "Go back and tell my brother-in-law," he said "that even with all these three mitzvot together you will not be able to pay a single debt."

The Strelisker realized that it was time to clarify what was going on. He went along himself, and asked his brother-in-law what he was driving at.

"All I am suggesting," said the Kosover, "is that you and I should spend the next few weeks traveling about the countryside, knocking on the doors of our brethren, collecting whatever amount the poor fellow needs. That we can fulfill a mitzvah which in written in the Torah: 'If your brother grows poor…then you shall support him' [Levit. 25:35]"

And so they did. Reb Moshe settled all his debts, and soon after the Al-mighty again gave him the means to become an open-handed philanthropist, just as he had always been in earlier times.


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[Selected and adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from the rendition in A Treasury of Chassidic Tales (Artscroll), as translated by our esteemed colleague Uri Kaploun from Sipurei Chasidim by Rabbi S. Y. Zevin.]

Biographical note:
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager of Kosov (1768 - 17 Cheshvan 1826) was the son of a close disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, and himself a disciple of R. Moshe Leib of Sasov. He conducted a modest business until persuaded by his contemporaries to become rav of Kosov, to which thousands of Jews then flocked. Both the Vizinitz and Kosov dynasties stem from him. His teachings are collected in Ahavas Shalom.

Rabbi Uri ("the Saraph") of Strelisk (? - 23 Elul 1826) was the disciple of Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin and of Rabbi Mordechai of Neshchiz, and the brother-in-law of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kosov. He was called "the Saraph" ["fiery angel"] due to the ecstatic fervor of his prayers. He authored Imrei Kadosh. His main disciple was Rabbi Yehudah Zvi Hirsch, the first of the Stretyn dynasty.



 

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.

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