Weekly Chasidic Story#1451 (5785-02) 7 Tishrei 5786 (Sep. 28, 2025)

"The Prayer of the Barren Tree"

They eagerly awaited the inaugural sermon of their new rabbi, anticipating strong words of inspiration. But the first Shabbat passed, yet Rabbi Yechiel of Alexander still refrained from preaching publicly.

Why this week? Wednesday night begins the holy day of Yom Kippur.

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The Prayer of the Barren Tree

Great joy filled the Jewish community of the small Polish town of Piltz, Poland, upon the appointment of their new rabbi-Rabbi Yechiel Danziger, who would later become widely known as the first Rebbe of Alexander.[1] Rabbi Yechiel relocated from the town of Groitz (Gritza), where he had served as rabbi and spiritual guide, following in the footsteps of his father, Rabbi Shraga-Feivel.

The members of the community welcomed their new rabbi with great honor and high hopes. As his appointment came just a few weeks before the High Holidays, they eagerly awaited his inaugural sermon, anticipating that the new rabbi would deliver strong words of inspiration.

However, the first Shabbat came and went, yet Rabbi Yechiel refrained from preaching publicly. The many worshippers who had packed the synagogue left puzzled, and a little disappointed. This soon gave way to hope that on Shabbat Selichot, the last Shabbat before Rosh Hashana, the rabbi would surely offer stirring words.

But, again, their hopes were dashed; their new spiritual leader maintained his silence.

The community's thirst only grew as Rosh Hashana approached. Everyone was convinced that before the sounding of the shofar, the rabbi would finally provide long-awaited words of needed inspiration and guidance.

But the two days of Rosh Hashana passed with nary a word, and Shabbat Shuvah as well. The congregation began to accept the reality that their rabbi was choosing silence-for undecipherable reasons of his own.

Yom Kippur night arrived. A spirit of elevation and purity filled the shul. Worshippers gathered, solemn expressions on their faces, burying themselves in their prayer books, preparing for the stirring Kol Nidrei opening prayer.

Suddenly, the rabbi entered, wrapped in his tallit, which draped from his head down over his face and upper body. Wordlessly, he strode to the Ark. In a sudden motion, he flung open the curtain, threw wide the doors-and broke into sobs, a weeping that lasted for a long time.

A hush fell over the synagogue. All eyes were fixed in reverent awe on the stirring scene. Suddenly, the rabbi cried out, his voice booming and raw:

"King David says in Psalms [102:18]: 'He turned to the prayer of the 'ar'ar (barren tree), and did not despise their prayer.' G-D listens to the prayer of the ar'ar, the barren, desolate tree! A prayer without beauty, without merit."

His words pierced the hearts of the worshippers. Many began to cry along with the rabbi. The silence of weeks had shattered. Thus began the holy day.

* * *

Years later, Rabbi Yehuda-Moshe Tyberg-Danziger, the 3rd Alexander Rebbe, in his book Emunat Moshe, shares the deeper meaning behind that powerful moment, based on a story once told by the Baal Shem Tov.

One year, the Baal Shem Tov greatly prolonged the Yom Kippur evening prayer. His disciples noted that his prayers were marked by an extraordinary level of spiritual attachment. At the meal after the fast, his disciples asked him about the reason behind this.

The Baal Shem Tov told them the following:

In a distant town lived a Jew who, sadly, had long since turned away from Judaism. Instead, he chose a sinful life of rebellion, totally abandoning his people, the Torah and his God. He moved to a non-Jewish area and assimilated entirely into their way of life. For thirty years, not a single prayer had escaped his lips-not even on Yom Kippur.

However, on the eve of Yom Kippur that year, he happened to pass through the Jewish market. At first, the sights seemed foreign, but memories from his repressed past began to surface. He watched his fellow Jews scurrying about, immersed in preparations for the sacred day. The sight struck him deeply. His heart stirred as his soul began to thaw. The walls of alienation he had built over decades began to crumble.

There he stood in the center of the market, overwhelmed by powerful emotions, soaking in the atmosphere of Yom Kippur Eve that he had long forgotten.

Hours passed. He remained motionless, gripped by an inner storm. The sun set; the growing darkness of the empty market awakened him from his thoughts. A spirit of teshuvah (repentance) stirred within him. His legs-almost against his will-carried him to the synagogue.

He slipped inside just as Kol Nidrei began. The thunderous voices of the congregation masked his entrance. He tucked himself into a corner, unnoticed. Without a prayer book, unable to remember any words of the High Holiday prayers, it was as if he was invisible.

Only after the last worshipper had left did he emerge from his corner. With trembling hands, he took a Yom Kippur prayer book from a shelf and began to read aloud with great fervor. Page after page he devoured with thirst, crying and beating his chest [during the "Al Heit" alphabetical confessions] in heartfelt remorse.

During his extended prayer, he suddenly cried out bitterly: "Master of the Universe! I know there is no sinner in the world as wicked as I am. My sins outweigh even those of the greatest evildoer!" He then began confessing his many sins in painful detail. And so he poured his soul into that night. When dawn broke, he left-unknown, unseen, but transformed.

At sunrise, the new penitent left the synagogue and went on his way.

The Baal Shem Tov continued: "A great commotion arose in the heavens because of this pure repentance. His prayer was so deeply honest and beloved that it swept upward with it prayers that had been waiting centuries to ascend to the Throne of Glory.

"And that," concluded the Baal Shem Tov, "is why I delayed my own prayer,". "I wanted to pray alongside that penitent-the ar'ar-whose prayer G-D specifically turns to."

And that, the Rebbe of Alexander explained, is why the verse begins in the singular-"the prayer of the ar'ar"-but ends in the plural-"and He did not despise their prayer." For thanks to the prayer of that lone ar'ar, the prayers of all of Israel rose to the heavens.
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Source: Heavily revised and then adapted and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles from a 'GPTchat' basic translation of an article in Sichat HaShavua #1758 based on the book, Emunat Moshe.

Biographical note:
Rabbi Yechiel Danziger [1828 - 14 Shvat 1894], succeeded his father, Rabbi Shraga-Feivel, as the Rebbe of Gritza. Previously, he had been a leading disciple of the Vorka and Biala Rebbes. In 1878, after accepting the invitation to be the chief rabbi of Aleksandrów (near Lodz, Poland), he became the founding Rebbe of the Alexander dynasty. Under the leadership of his son and successor, Rabbi Yerachmiel-Yisrael-Yitzchak Danziger, (1853-1910), the number of Alezander chasidim increased exponentially. (Translated & adapted from the album, HaChasidus, by R. Yitzchak Alfasi)

Footnotes:
[1]Alexander [Aleksandrów] is the name of a town near Lodz, Poland.
[2] 1892-1973. The son-in-law of Rebbe Betzalel-Yair [one of Rebbe Yechiel's sons] and grandfather of the current Alexander Rebbe. He became the 3rd Rebbe immediately after the Holocaust.

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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