Weekly Chasidic Story #903 (s5775-26 / 25 Adar 5775)

Customer Relations

"The next day I heard a rumor that those gentiles were after my life. I was terrified. In desperation I decided to go to the Rebbe Reshab in Lubavitch."

Connection: Seasonal -- 95th yahrzeit of the Rebbe Reshab

 

Customer Relations

Gavriel Kogan once visited Rabbi Dovid-Tzvi Chein, the chief rabbi of Chernigov (1846-1926), known as the Radatz, a legendary Lubavitcher chassid, renowned for his scholarship and piety, at his home. In the company of many others, the Radatz turned to him and suggested, "Why don't you tell us the story of those non-Jews and the Rebbe's promise?" Reb Gavriel agreed, and related the following story:

I live in the village of Dormilovka, near the city of Nezhin. Thank G-d, I manage to make a good living from my store. Years ago I had a terrible argument with some gentiles who lived in the area. They were so angry that they threatened to kill me. That night, after I closed the store, I was so afraid to go home that I went elsewhere to sleep. The next day I heard a rumor in town that I was a marked man, and that those gentiles were after my life. I was terrified. For the next few days I kept moving, sleeping in a different location each night. In desperation I decided to go to the Rebbe Reshab in Lubavitch. This would be my first visit.

When I got there, however, I realized that I was not the only one in town, for in those days Lubavitch was fairly inundated with guests. The Rebbe's gabbai, Reb Nachman, refused to let me in to speak with the Rebbe; there was a long list of people before me. The earliest I would be allowed to enter was several days hence.

Although I thought I knew no one in Lubavitch, all of a sudden I recognized Rabbi Menachem-Mendel Chein (the son of Rabbi Dovid-Tzvi), the chief rabbi of Nezhin. I ran over and told him my predicament, explaining that Reb Nachman would not let me in to speak to the Rebbe. Two seconds later Reb Menachem Mendel disappeared into a nearby room (I realized later it must have belonged to the Rebbe's wife, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah). The next thing I knew, Reb Nachman was calling out, "Where is the Jew from Dormilovka?" In a moment I was ushered in to the Rebbe himself.

After I had blurted out my story, the Rebbe gave me his blessing that no harm would befall me. But I was not satisfied. "Rebbe," I implored him. "I am afraid to go home! I want you to promise me that nothing bad will happen!"

With a smile on his face the Rebbe looked at me and asked, "What do you want - that all the non-Jews of the town should die?"

During the entire exchange Reb Nachman was doing his best to evict me from the Rebbe's room. Not only was he calling me to leave, but he was pulling on my arm. However, I was not ready to go. "Rebbe! Promise me!" I pleaded again. "I am afraid to return to my house!"

"And if I promise you, you won't be afraid?" asked the Rebbe.

"No!" I answered emphatically.

"In that case, I promise that you will not be bothered by these Gentiles."

The minute I heard the Rebbe's promise, stated in such clear and unambiguous terms, I was relieved. When I returned home I learned what had happened to my enemies during my absence: one of them, riding his horse on the banks of the river while in a drunken stupor, had fallen into the water and drowned. A second had been killed in another accident. The four others, who had been involved in a plot to set fire to the poritz's property, were arrested by the police and sentenced to Siberia for eight years. The Rebbe's promise was fulfilled. I was no longer in any danger.

Eight years later, when the four prisoners returned from Siberia, my fears returned briefly, but they proved to be unfounded. Not only were they quite friendly to me, but they became good customers of mine.
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Source: Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from the rendition of Basha Majerczyk in "Extraordinary Chassidic Tales" -- her translation of Shemuos v'Sipurim by Rabbi Rafael Nachman Kahn, volume 1.]

Biographical note:
Rabbi Sholom Dov-ber Schneersohn [of blessed memory: 20 Cheshvan 5621 - 2 Nissan 5610 (Oct. 1860 - April 1920)], known as the Rebbe Reshab, was the fifth Rebbe of the Lubavitcher dynasty. He is the author of hundreds of major tracts in the exposition of Chasidic thought. In 1897, he established the Tomchei Temimim yeshivah, the first institution of Jewish learning to combine the study of Talmudic and legal studies with the mystical teachings of Chasidism, from which emerged the army of learned, inspired and devoted chasidim who, in the decades to come, would literally give their lives to keep Judaism alive under Soviet rule.

Connection: The 20th of Cheshvan (2014: Nov.13) is the 154th anniversary of the birth of the Rebbe Reshab.
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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.

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