#483 (s5767-22 / 3 Adar 5767)

Sarah's Sacrifice

The young squire told his father that he intended to marry the Jewish innkeeper's beautiful daughter.

Sarah's Sacrifice


In a village not far from Kovna, there lived a G-d-fearing Jewish innkeeper. He had a daughter, Sarah, who was a strikingly attractive girl. However, Sarah did not let her beauty turn her head, she remained a modest, G-d-fearing young girl, obedient to her father, a right hand to her mother.

One day, the young son of the country squire chanced to stop in. The moment his eyes fell on Sarah, he was attracted to the beautiful young woman. He called on her to serve him one drink after another, and the more he drank, the more he liked her. When he was pretty well drunk, he asked her, "Will you marry me?"

Sarah ignored his marriage proposal, but when he kept on telling her that he was serious, she told him, politely but firmly, that she was Jewish and would never marry out of her faith. For his part, the young squire said that he would return and insisted that he would definitely marry her.

When the young squire returned home and told his father that he intended to marry the innkeeper's daughter, a Jewess, the old nobleman could not believe his ears. Though the father tried to dissuade his son, the young man remained adamant. The elderly nobleman, who had pampered his spoiled son all his life and catered to all his whims, once more gave in. But on one condition: the girl had to convert.

Happily, the young squire raced back to the inn and told Sarah the "good" news that his father had consented to the marriage. There was, of course, the small matter of conversion, but once done, she would live a life of luxury.

Sarah was horrified. She told the young squire that she would never marry him under any circumstances and ran from the room. She decided not to say anything to her father in the hope that this was a passing whim.

The young squire was used to getting what he wanted. And his father, even though he was originally opposed, his pride was also hurt to think that a poor Jewish girl was turning down the marriage proposal of an elegant and handsome nobleman! The old nobleman sat down at his desk to write a letter to the innkeeper.

In the letter, the squire stated that his son had graciously consented to marry the innkeeper's daughter. If the innkeeper refused, the lease on his inn would be revoked, all rent owed would be due, and the innkeeper and his family would be driven off the estates forever. He would give him three days to submit his acceptance.

The innkeeper turned to his family with desperation in his heart. How could he break the news to his good, pious daughter? He was sure she would rather die than marry a gentile. The family gathered together to devise some way out of their predicament. It was Sarah who came up with the final plan.

"What about Rabbi Yosef the tutor, father?" she asked. This was an old man whom the innkeeper had hired to teach his young sons. The man had been with the family for the past several years.

"What about him?" the father asked in confusion.

"Why don't I marry him?" was Sarah's surprising answer. "We will then run away from here and hopefully the landowner will feel it pointless to do anything. Besides, the young squire will surely not be interested in me after I have already married an old man!"

The innkeeper did not wish to see his lovely young daughter married to a man so much older than her -- why, the tutor was even older than he himself was. But he could see no better way out. In the end, the old man was summoned. He raised no objections to marrying the lovely Sarah, even though he might be risking his life thereby. The couple was married quickly and quietly. Then they left for a different village.

Three days later the landowner came for a reply. He was shocked to learn what Sarah had done just to escape marrying his son. He decided not to pursue the matter any further, especially after making his own inquiries and learning that the marriage had been her own initiative. It was difficult for him to believe, however, that a young, beautiful girl should prefer an old man to a young, wealthy and handsome nobleman.

It turns out that the old man who was Sarah's husband was one of the "hidden righteous," and had known all along that his employer's lovely daughter was destined to be his
wife. He had come to that particular village seeking work as a teacher, while waiting for events to unfold. He had had his doubts about the matter and fears that her beauty might lead Sarah astray. But in the end it had turned out for the best.

Right after the wedding, the husband took his young bride aside and promised her, "Since you had the moral strength to choose an old man instead of a young duke who would have given you a life of luxury and ease, you will be blessed and your name will spread all over the country. I promise you that you will bear a child whose light will shine far and wide, who will commemorate your name all his days."

The child that was born to them in the following year was named Arye. As he grew up, it was apparent that he was destined for greatness. Arye's father did not live long to enjoy his young treasure and it was Sarah who brought up the child. She was the one who educated him in good deeds, made sure that he studied Torah. In adulthood became famous as a great tzadik and wonderworker, and until the end of his days he was known as Rabbi Leib Sarahs, so called in honor of his pious mother Sarah.
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[Adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from the renditions on www.nehora.com and www.lchaimweekly.org (#431).]

Editor's note:
In other versions, the old man she married was previously unknown to them, the first Jew to pass their door during their frantic haste. And in some versions he even offered to divorce her.

Biographic Note:
Rabbi Leib Sarahs (1730 - 4 Adar 1796) was held in high esteem by the Baal Shem Tov. One of the "hidden righteous," he spent his life wandering from place to place to raise money for the ransoming of imprisoned Jews and the support of other hidden tzadikim.

Editors note on the above biographic note and the above story:
The Lubavitcher Rebbe stated the possibility that Rabbi Leib Sarahs and Rabbi Leib, the Shpoler Zeide, are the same person. There is a different, equally remarkable, known story about the birth of the Zeide, which involves the Baal Shem Tov. There are also differing traditional yahrzeit dates. However, the Rebbe never clarified his statement as to which Rabbi Leib's dates and stories should be given precedence.



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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