Chassidic Story #205

(s5762-#?? / posted 3 Tishrei 5762)

PASSOVER ON ROSH HASHANAH

Rebbe Meir of Premishlan waxed eloquent in praise of the discourse which Rebbe Shalom of Belz had given.

Passover on Rosh Hashanah

Every Rosh HaShanah, in the dread moments before blowing the shofar, Rebbe Shalom of Belz would address words of instruction and exhortation to the assembled Chassidim in inspired ecstasy. On one such occasion, speaking of the miracles wrought for the Children of Israel before the Exodus, he quoted the verses which tell of how G-d sent Moshe Rabbeinu to bring them out of Egypt. In response to Pharaoh's question, "Who exactly will go?" - Moshe answers: "We will go with our young and with our old; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go." Pharaoh finally calls for Moshe, and says: "Go, serve G-d; only leave your flocks and herds behind. Your little ones also shall go with you." To this Moshe replies: "Our cattle too shall go with us; no hoof shall be left behind; for we will take some of them to serve G-d therewith."

Having quoted these verses, Reb Shalom recited the benediction which precedes the blasts of the shofar, performed the mitzvah, and went on directly to the Musaf prayer, as usual. The Chassidim were wonderstruck. No one understood the relevance of those verses to the moments before the blowing of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah, but they held their peace, thinking it unseemly to ask their rebbe for an explanation.

One of his Chassidim, Reb Elimelech of Tlust, was accustomed to journey to Belz every year for Rosh HaShanah, and then to proceed to visit Rebbe Meir of Premishlan. On this occasion, as soon as he stepped over the threshold of the tzaddik's room in Premishlan, Rebbe Meir said: "Elimelech! Please repeat for me the Torah discourse that the Belzer rebbe delivered this year before the shofar was blown."

The chassid told him what Rebbe Shalom of Belz had said, and added that all those who heard it were at a loss to see the connection between Rosh HaShanah and the dialogue that preceded the Exodus.

The Premishlanner at once waxed eloquent in praise of the discourse which the Belzer had given: in his profound insight he had penetrated through all the heavens, and had averted ominous decrees that had threatened Israel; through his words on Rosh HaShanah he had proved to the Almighty: "Father! In your own holy Torah it is written that no evil shall hold sway over Israel!"

Seeing that the dazed Elimelech had no conception of what he was talking about, Rebbe Meir added: "Let me explain to you what the intention of the holy Belzer was. You see, on Rosh HaShanah this year, when all of Creation was arraigned before the Heavenly Court, Satan, the Prosecuting Attorney, was most outspoken in his accusations of Israel. In fact, a decree was at the point of being promulgated which would have wrought havoc with the lives of little Jewish children. But the rebbe of Belz argued fervently that these children would grow up and serve their Maker. The next design was a decree of extermination to be issued against the cattle of Israel. The tzaddik of Belz did not let that pass, either, arguing that 'we will take some of them to serve G-d therewith.' And in this manner he mitigated the verdict, by quoting the verses which spell out the argument between Pharaoh, that is, Satan, and Moshe Rabbeinu, that is, the tzaddik of the generation. Thus the decree against the cattle of the Jews was also averted. However," concluded Rebbe Meir, "since the tzaddik of Belz made no mention of birds, this year will see an epidemic affecting them, because the decree hanging over them was not annulled."

And so it was. That year a contagious disease struck the domestic poultry of the Jews of those parts, but neither man nor beast was affected.

[Adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from A Treasury of Chassidic Tales (Artscroll), as translated by the incomparable Uri Kaploun.]

Biographical notes:
Rabbi Shalom of Belz [1779-27 Elul 1855] was the first of the Belz chassidic dynasty. He became the main rebbe of Galician jewry, and had tens of thousands of chassidim. His teachings are collected in Dover Shalom.

Rabbi Meir of Primishlan [?-29 Iyar 1850], lived in abject but patient poverty, yet exerted himself tirelessly for the needy and the suffering. His ruach hakodesh and his ready wit have become legendary. He wrote no works, but some of his teachings were collected and published by his Chassidim after his death.