#379 (s5765-22/ 30 Shvat 5765)
The Second and Third Round
Instead of cursing Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz as he
did the previous time, he greeted him with a smile.
The Second and
Third Round
Tuvia Bolton
In addition to having mastered all the works
of the great rabbis of all generations, including the mystical, Rabbi
Naftali of Ropshitz was a dedicated practitioner of the mitzvah
of tzedakah (charity).
Every morning when he would return home from prayer, he would put
down his tallit and tefillin and immediately leave his
home once again to go from door to door collecting money for the needy.
Only after distributing it to the poor people that gathered each day
at his house would he sit and have something to eat. It wasn't easy
work; the rich didn't easily part with their money and the less rich
didn't have much to part with. Still, he was happy that he could serve
G-d through this all-important commandment.
One day, after Rabbi Naftali finished his rounds, handed out the
money, and was just about to wash his hands to eat, he heard someone
knock. He turned around and saw that there was another poor man who
had pushed the door open a crack and was peeking through. The Rabbi
went to the door, opened it and said, "I'm sorry, you'll have
to return tomorrow, my friend, I have a lot of Torah study commitments
today, and anyway, I've just handed out all the money."
When the poor man's response was to stare at him silently in chagrin,
R. Naftali put down his towel and set out to collect money again.
This time, though, he experienced serious resistance. At each door
he got an angry glare and sometimes a few words to boot: "What,
all day you just wander around collecting money?" "You were
just here, did you forget?" "Tell me, are you going to other
houses or just to me?"
He collected only a fraction of what he usually got but he happily
returned home, gave the grateful man the money, bade him good day,
and again took the towel and went to the sink to wash for bread.
But just as he was about to pour the water on his hand he heard the
unmistakable sound of someone standing behind him loudly clearing
his throat.
He turned around and there was yet another man who had let himself
in, "I know, Rebbe, I know. I came late, right? Well, I know
you are busy; I don't want to bother you, G-d forbid. No, no, Rebbe,
I'll come back tomorrow. I only want someone to tell my problems to.
I won't take long. I promise."
When R. Naftali nodded in resigned acquiescence, the man quickly launched
into his tale of woe. "My wife is not in good health. The doctors
say that soon her life will be in danger. My daughter is getting older
and I have no money for her wedding. And on top of all that, my entire
house fell in yesterday."
At this point the man began weeping. After uttering a few words of
comfort that made not the slightest dent in the sobs, Rav Naftali
again put down the towel, told the man to sit down, put on his coat
and went again collecting.
But this time it was completely different. When the homeowner answered
the first door (for the third time that day), instead of cursing Rav
Naftali, he greeted him with a smile and open arms. "I'm so sorry
that I gave you that bitter look before." He apologized, "Now
I see that you must be a real tzaddik if you are willing to
visit me again after what I did to you, you must think only of the
poor and not of yourself at all! And instead of giving the usual ruble
I'm giving you ten rubles!"
And so it was at the next house and all the houses thereafter. But
this time when R. Naftali arrived home he wasn't so happy. He gave
the man the money and said with a bit of a frown, "Listen, my
friend, the money is yours, I'm not going to take it back, I promise.
But tell me the truth. You were lying weren't you? Your wife isn't
sick and that story about your daughter and your house falling in,
it's not true either, is it?"
The poor man hemmed and hawed and finally answered sheepishly. "Well,
I wasn't exactly lying, Rebbe. Maybe I exaggerated a little, but not
lying. I mean my wife is pregnant and it says in the law books that
when a woman goes to give birth her life is in danger and you can
even break the Shabbat."
"What about your daughter's wedding?" "Well, it's
true that now she is only five years old, but I always say, why wait
till the last minute, you never know what may happen, right Rebbe?
As for my house: well, to tell you the truth, not exactly the entire
house collapsed. But the rocking chair that I found in the garbage
last month broke completely, which made me feel just terrible!"
Then, with a perplexed look, the visitor hesitated for a second and
added, "Tell me Rabbi, How did you know? How did you know I wasn't
telling the truth. And if you did know, why did you go collecting
for me?"
Rabbi Naftali answered simply: "Every time I go collecting money
it is always with difficultly because there is always some obstacle
to holiness. But this time, when I collected for you everything went
so easy. In fact, too easy. I thought to myself: Something is wrong
here, somehow or other I must not be doing a true Mitzvah."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from the rendition of his
friend and colleague, Rabbi Tuvia Bolton, the popular teacher,
musician and storyteller, in his weekly email for the yeshiva which
he heads, Ohr Tmimim (yeshiva@OhrTmimim.org; www.OhrTmimim.org/torah),
as published on Chabad.org.]
Biographical note:
Rabbi Naftali of Rofshitz (6 Sivan 1760 [the same day as the
Besht's passing!] -11 Iyar 1827) became the rebbe of many thousands
of chassidim. He was noted for his sharp wit and humor and his elusive
shining aphorisms. Some of his teachings are collected in his works,
Zera Kodesh, Ayalah Sheluchah, and Imrei Shefer.
Many stories about him appear in the book, Ohel Naftoli.
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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