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Weekly Chasidic Story #731 (s5772-10 / 2 Kislev 5772) The Match In The Mirror The bride-to-be of the Divrei Chaim wept bitter tears; her father attempted to conciliate her and to encourage her with reassuring ideas. Connection: Weekly Torah - soulmates
The Match In The Mirror
The young Chaim expressed his willingness to consider such a match. Yehoshua-Heshel went immediately to his lodging place and dispatched an urgent letter to his father in Leipnick, announcing that he had found a suitable match for his sister, and that the prospective bridegroom was a paragon of Torah scholarship and religiosity, on the level of the greatest sages of previous centuries. This letter included all the details of the youth's identity and lineage. However, the writer held back one detail from his father: he gave no hint that the young man was lame. In the eyes of Rabbi Yehoshua-Heshel the extraordinary genius of the youth made the lameness seem insignificant, and he had a strong desire that this match should come to fruition. At that very time the father of young Chaim, Rabbi Aryeh-Leibush, a known scholar, was on a business trip in the city of Leipnick, where he decided to visit his friend, the author of Baruch Ta'am, in order to converse with him on Torah topics. And thus it transpired that at the moment when Yehoshua-Heshel's letter arrived, the two fathers were sitting together in Rabbi Baruch's house! Seeing that the letter had been sent from Tarnigrod, both men assumed that it was intended for Rabbi Leibush. However, since it was addressed to Rabbi Baruch, he quickly opened it. After perusing its contents he exclaimed, "Just see what an extraordinary thing has happened! This letter is from my son who is in Tarnigrod on business, and it proposes a match between your honor's son and my daughter!" He showed the letter to Rabbi Aryeh-Leibush, and after allowing him time to read it, asked him, "Nu, what is your opinion? Do you agree to this proposal?" The answer he received was, "This must be from G-d! I agree with all my heart." The path ahead, however, was not yet clear. Rabbi Baruch proceeded to inform his guest that for some months now he had been discussing a possible match between his daughter and the son of the wealthy and well-known rabbinical figure, Rabbi Zalman Margolis of Brod. Rabbi Baruch had set a final date, allowing Rabbi Margolies until the fifteenth of Shvat (Tu b'Shvat); if a letter or emissary did not arrive by that date, Rabbi Baruch would be free to arrange a different match for his daughter. "As today is already the fifteenth of Shvat," Rabbi Baruch continued, "I must request that you wait until this evening. If no message arrives from Rabbi Zalman by then, we two shall finalize the match between our children." Leibush readily agreed to wait, and set out to complete his business affairs in Leipnick. At that very hour, the emissary of Rabbi Margolies arrived in Leipnick, to the same hotel where Rabbi Aryeh-Leibush was staying! Weary from a hard journey, the man ordered a large meal accompanied by a quality, well-aged wine, which he ate and drank until his stomach was satisfied and his head a bit dizzy. He managed to pray the Minchah prayer, and then went to his hotel room, where he lay down for a short rest. There was still plenty of daylight left, and in half an hour he would no doubt be in the house of R' Baruch to finalize the match. That evening, Rabbi Aryeh-Leibush returned to the house of Rabbi Baruch, and asked if any word had come from Brod. His host replied that no message had arrived, which meant that the time-limit had expired, leaving him free to conclude the match they had discussed earlier that day. Thereupon the two fathers finalized the match and wrote out the tenna'im (conditions of contract), thus formalizing the engagement. And what of the emissary from R' Zalman Margolies? Fatigue, combined with his heavy meal and the effect of the wine, had caused him to doze off. His short rest turned into a long slumber. At the moment when the two Rabbis were signing their agreement, the emissary was still deep in sleep. When he finally awoke late that evening, it was already past normal visiting hours. So, he decided to put off the completion of his mission until the next morning. When morning came, and after the morning prayers were completed, the emissary from Brod appeared at Rabbi Baruch's house, well rested and prepared to fulfill his mission. He presented the power of attorney from Rabbi Zalman Margolis authorizing him to conclude the match for Rabbi Baruch's daughter. The latter replied: "The agreed time limit has already passed. I kept my word and waited until Tu b'Shvat, as stipulated in my letter to Rabbi Zalman. Then, last night, when I saw that there was still "no voice, nor anyone to answer," I wrote out and signed tenna'im with the esteemed Rabbi Aryeh Leibush of Tarnigrod." A shudder passed through the emissary when he heard these words. He revealed to Rabbi Baruch that he had already been present in the city the previous day, but that due to his great weariness he had delayed his appearance until this morning. He implored him to cancel the agreement with Rabbi Leibush. R' Baruch answered, "If he should wish to release me, I shall conclude an arrangement with R' Zalman." Rabbi Aryeh-Leibush was consulted, but he refused to annul the arrangement, instead continuing to insist, "This match has been decreed from above." The emissary had no choice but to return disappointed to Brod; and the contract with Chaim Halberstam's father remained in full force. This would seem to have removed the obstacles between the young genius and his future bride. In fact, it only set the stage for greater obstructions. The whole matter of the shiduch and the forthcoming marriage became known to the young scholars of R' Baruch's yeshivah. These young men were very surprised that their rav had concluded a match for his daughter without first seeing the prospective bridegroom face to face. They forthwith decided to choose two of their number and dispatch them to Tarnigrod to have a look at the bridegroom and thoroughly scrutinize his character. When these emissaries returned from their mission, the matter of the young prodigy's physical handicap became known. At first, the students did not wish to inform their teacher, for they did not want to be a source of distress to him. Nevertheless, the information reached the ears of Rachel-Feigeh, the bride-to-be, and she rushed to her father with the distressing news. When he heard the report from his daughter, R' Baruch expressed his wrath towards his son, who had held back this information. But what was to be done now? To cancel the shiduch was impossible, for undoubtedly the bridegroom's father would be unwilling to release him from their agreement. Rabbi Yehoshua-Heshel, who bore the main responsibility for this distressing state of affairs, attempted to console his father, and proposed that the prospective bridegroom be invited to Leipnick. Rabbi Baruch's eldest son was certain that once his father had seen the young prodigy with his own eyes and had tested his knowledge and character, he would be happy with him, and then he too would see the physical handicap as an insignificant detail. Moreover, Yehoshua-Heshel was equally sure that his sister Rachel-Feigeh would be pleased to marry such a great genius. Meanwhile, the whole city of Leipnick was in an uproar. This is the right match for their grand rabbi's daughter? - a cripple! In the house of the Rabbi too, all was confusion and turmoil reigned. The bride-to-be wept bitter tears; her father attempted to conciliate her and to encourage her with reassuring arguments. He promised her that if she still did not want the young man after having seen him, he would not force her into the marriage, but instead would offer the opportunity to her younger sister. So, preparations went forward to receive the special guest. Everyone waited anxiously to see what would happen when he arrived. The day came; the young scholar appeared in Leipnick and within minutes had discovered that his designated bride did not wish to go through with the marriage, because of his physical defect. His reaction was that he wished to speak a few words with the girl in private. At this point, those who recount the story admit, "What he said to her was never revealed." The results, however, are well known. Some say that when they were alone, Rabbi Chaim asked the young woman to look in the mirror. When she glanced in that direction, her face went pale; in the reflection of herself that she saw, she was crippled in one leg. Rabbi Chaim explained to her: "The truth is that it was you who were to have been born into the world with this defect. But I, as your destined husband, took upon myself to bear the handicap instead. Do you still wish to decline this match?" The young woman was quiet and left the room without saying a word. Later that evening she approached her father and said that she had changed her mind. It would be an honor, she declared, to marry Rabbi Chaim Halberstam. The two did indeed marry, and they had many children who followed faithfully in the footsteps of their father, who had become the famous "Sanzer Rav" - the "Divrei Chaim." His sons assumed their father's mantle of greatness, and their sons after that. An international rabbinic and chasidic dynasty was established that exists to this day. The father of the bride, Rabbi Baruch Teumim-Frenkel, was the most publically joyful after the wedding. Whether or not he knew what had been said between the young couple, of one thing he was certain. "It is true that the leg of my son-in-law is crooked," he declared; "but his brain is straight." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Connection: Weekly Torah Reading - soul mates Biographical note:
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Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.