Weekly Chasidic Story #1445 (5785-47) 24 Menachem Av 5785 (Aug.18, 2025)

"Creative Compassion"

When the Tosher Rebbe, Rabbi Meshulam-Feivish Segal-Lowy, heard about his chasid’s intention to move away from the chasidic community in Montreal to an remote part of Canada, he tried hard to understand his reasons for such a drastic decision.

Why This Week: Wednesday night-Thursday, 27th day of the Jewish month of Menachem-Av (2025: Aug21), is the tenth yahrzeit of the Tosher Rebbe.

Story in PDF format for more convenient printing

Creative Compassion

A man named Chaim lived in Montreal, Canada. Chaim was facing great financial difficulty, and after much consideration, in 1995 he decided to move to an unknown part of Canada, where he thought opportunities would be better financially for him and his family. When the Tosher Rebbe, Rabbi Meshulam Feivish Segal-Lowy, heard about his acquaintance Chaim's intentions, he tried and understand his reasons for making such a drastic decision.

The Tosher Rebbe, who was known for his great compassion toward his fellow Jews, inquired about basic Jewish resources in this new location, such as a reliable minyan, a mikvah, and a cheder (Torah school for children). Regrettably, Chaim admitted that these essential aspects of Jewish life were not going to be available in his new town.

The Rebbe was bothered by this, and he tried to ascertain what he felt was the deeper reason Chaim had that was motivating his life-changing decision. With honesty and openness, Chaim confessed to the Rebbe about a heart-breaking incident that had destroyed his faith and trust in G-D and significantly affected his circumstances in life.

During a business trip to Antwerp, he was traveling with a substantial amount of money to close a cash deal already agreed upon that would yield him a hefty profit. Tragically, however, it never came to be; his money stash 'disappeared' at the airport. He searched everywhere but the pouch was nowhere to be found. Clearly, it had been stolen somehow, and it left him poverty-stricken. Overwhelmed by despair, he returned to Montreal burdened by the weight of his financial troubles.

The Tosher Rebbe was moved by Chaim's story, yet still continued his efforts to persuade Chaim from leaving. He also offered to assist him with his financial struggles, but Chaim was determined to relocate and start again, no matter what the Rebbe said or offered. Reluctantly, the Rebbe stood back as Chaim prepared to depart.

The next day, a stranger approached Chaim in the street. For some reason, this stranger seemed somewhat familiar, and Chaim said to him, "Do I know you from somewhere? You look familiar."

Chaim's heart fluttered when the stranger responded. "I have carried a burden of guilt ever since that day at the airport," the stranger confessed. Chaim was shocked. The man continued, "I couldn't live in peace knowing that I had taken your money. It has bothered me every day since then. Here, please accept it back." And with that, the stranger handed Chaim the exact sum of money that had been stolen years earlier!

Chaim was overwhelmed by disbelief and gratitude, and it made a profound impact on him. He abandoned his plan to move away, and Montreal once again became his home where he and his family continued to grow and thrive.

Twenty years later, the sad news spread that the Tosher Rebbe had passed away. At the funeral, as the people gathered around the Rebbe's gravesite, Chaim saw the stranger once again. Chaim remarked, "I suppose this is our third time meeting."

However, the stranger smilingly corrected him and said, "No, it's not our third; it is only our second encounter! The truth is that although I told you I stole your money, I actually did not take it. The Tosher Rebbe felt terrible that you were ready to abandon living a Jewish lifestyle, and in his holiness, he gave me this money and asked me to return it to you, in a manner as if I was the one who stole it."

Tears flowed from Chaim's eyes as he realized the depth of the Tosher Rebbe's wisdom, and his extraordinary act of love!

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Source: Modified and expanded by Yerachmiel Tilles from the Parshas Pinchas 5784 email of Torah U' Tefilah, as posted on ShabbosStories.com.

Why this week: Thursday, the 27th of Menachem-Av (2025: Aug. 21) is the 10th yahrzeit of the Tosher Rebbe.

Biographic note:
Rabbi Meshulem-Feivish HaLevi Segal-Lowy, the fourth Tosher Rebbe, born in Hungary [3 Nissan 5681 - 27 Menachem-Av (April 1921 -August 2015)], was a Holocaust survivor who had served in the Hungarian Labor Service before being liberated by the Red Army in 1944. Already known for his aura of holiness and magnetic personality, the Rebbe was proclaimed the new Tosher Rebbe by his father's surviving Chassidim after the war. He is reputed to be able to trace his patrilineal ancestry all the way back to Rashi.
The Tosher was famous throughout the world for the salvations and miracles that followed upon his blessings, and for his infinite compassion towards his fellow Jews. His guidance was sought by thousands, particularly by Holocaust survivors. Today there are Tosh communities and Tosh institutions in many cities throughout the Jewish world. (Based on a eulogy in the Jewish Press, Aug. 13, 2015)

Testimonial: Excerpted from Rabbi Yisroel Besser's introduction to his 328-page biography, "The Tosher Rebbe" (Artscroll):
The Tosher Rebbe was known as a person whose blessings could work miracles. But his greatest miracle was not the flow of salvation that came from his room, it was the constant miracle of the way he was ready to give all of himself for a Jew in need.
For the next fifty years [after his founding Kiryat Tosh], the Tosher Rebbe would stand as a pillar of prayer, a fountain of inspiration and encouragement for his talmidim and chassidim and to Jews all over the globe. He conducted a global network of chessed, raising millions of dollars for those in need.
The Tosher Rebbe spawned healing and hope, but most of all, in his proximity, the people felt the reality of Hakadosh Boruch Hu's presence. The stream of visitors - at times, hundreds in a single day- could sense the Divine current that hovered over the small room as they gazed at the holy glow that radiated from the Rebbe's face and heard the cry of faith that laced his every word. They would come into the room weighed down by heartache and leave with spirits restored, touched by the tzaddik's delight, enthused by his blessing, uplifted by the clarity of his emunah.
In this book the reader can feel the intensity, the passion, the perfect joy one felt near the Rebbe, the tzaddik of Tosh: in this book, the ahavas Yisroel, the sacrifice, the Torah and tefillah of the Rebbe come alive once again, a ray of light showing us the way forward.

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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