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Weekly Chasidic Story #880 (s5775-03 / 12 Tishrei 5775) Engaging the Bungler
Engaging the Bungler
Upon reflection, Shmuel felt pleased with the Rebbe's reply, for he assumed that the Rebbe meant that there was nothing to worry about. However, when he continued to receive this same reply year after year, he began to feel ill at ease. One year, when his daughter was no longer a youngster, Shmuel asked the Rebbe why he kept brushing his request aside. Seeing his chasid's anxiety, the Rebbe said: "Shmuel, your daughter's mate does exist, and I even know his name. But what can I do if he doesn't want to get married now? He is one of the thirty-six hidden saints for whose sake the world is maintained, and prefers to abstain from worldly pleasures. But don't worry. I'll yet persuade him to take a wife. It is forbidden for a Jew to live alone, especially when his mate is standing in the doorway waiting for him." Shmuel heaved a sigh of relief. However, when he pressed the Rebbe for further information, the Rebbe reprimanded him, saying: "Be patient. I told you." Obediently, Shmuel suppressed his curiosity and waited to see what the future would bring. When Shmuel came to Chernobyl for Rosh HaShana, the Rebbe said to him even before he could ask, "Prepare for a trip. You and your daughter will go to the village of C. after Yom Kippur. You'll be staying there for Sukkot, so prepare yourself accordingly. You will build a sukka there and invite Yosseleh to dine with you. Everyone in the village knows him. He is your future son-in-law. Over the holiday he will soften his position, and by the end of the festival, your daughter will be a kalla (bride-to-be), G-d willing of course." The arrival of Reb Shmuel and his daughter in C. aroused the curiosity of the townsfolk, for no Jew settles in a new town on the eve of a major holiday without an urgent reason. Assuming correctly that Shmuel had come to find a match for his daughter, all the local marriage brokers began pounding on his door. However, he dismissed them all, saying that he was looking for Reb Yosseleh. Strangely, no one in town knew of a Reb Yossel. There were many ordinary Yossels around, but no Reb ('Mr.') Yosseleh. However, Shmuel did not despair, and began to look up every Yossel in town: Yossel the grocer, Yossel the driver, Yossel the water carrier. But all those Yossels were happily married. The only eligible Yossel in town was the shammes' (shul caretaker's) assistant - Yossel the shlemiel (bungler). Shmuel met Yossel in shul where Yossel was busy sweeping the floor. When he finished, he disappeared. Reb Shmuel began to investigate Yossel's habits, and learnt that Yossel slept under the bench in the Beit HaMidrash (Torah Study Hall). No one knew what he did in his spare time. Sometimes he was seen leaning over a book. But it was said that a glance over Yossel's shoulder at such times would reveal that the book was upside down. No one ever saw him davven (pray) properly, and some said that he could not pronounce the words of the prayers. Hearing these reports, Shmuel was so downcast that if it hadn't been Sukkot, he would have gone home. He was sure that he had misunderstood the Rebbe's directions, and had gone to the wrong village. The Rebbe could not possibly have been referring to Yossel the shlemiel! Shmuel built himself a sukka, and he and his daughter did their best to decorate it. Recalling that the Rebbe had instructed him to invite Yosseleh to the holiday meal, he said: "If we can't invite the Yosseleh, at least let us invite a Yosseleh. Poor shlemiel. He 's probably sleeping under a bench right now. I'll go to shul and wake him up." Reb Shmuel tiptoed into the shul which was dimly lit by a few memorial candles. Although the service had ended long ago, someone stood in the corner davvening fervently in a sweet voice. Only a tzadik (perfectly righteous) could pray like that! Curious to discover the identity of the worshipper, Reb Shmuel crept up behind him. To his amazement, he realized that the solitary worshipper was Yossel, the shammes' assistant. The shlemiel? When Yossel finished praying, he left the shul, Reb Shmuel at his heels. Soon Reb Shmuel found himself in a dense forest. Hiding behind a tree, Shmuel watched Yossel's every move. Out of the darkness, a sukka suddenly appeared. Yosseleh entered the sukka and began to chant the Order of the Ushpizin (the 7 Heavenly Guests) in a voice that was sweet beyond description. Shmuel crept over to the sukka and peeked inside. What he saw nearly caused him to faint, for at the table were seated seven tzadikim whose faces shone like the noonday sun. The next morning, Reb Shmuel bought maftir (the right to read the final section of the weekly portion of the Torah), and invited Yossel to recite the blessings. At first Yossel declined the honor, saying that he did not know how to read. However, Reb Shmuel grabbed him by the arm and said: "Yosseleh. The truth is out. There's nothing you can do about it." Accepting that he had no choice, that Jewish Law bound him to accept the invitation, Yossel ascended the bima (podium). At first, he tried to stutter. However, he soon abandoned his guise, and began to recite the blessings with such fervor, that the entire congregation was overwhelmed. Shmuel invited Yossel to dine the festive holiday meal in his sukka, and Yossel accepted the invitation. After the meal, Reb Shmuel said to Yossel: "According to the Rebbe of Chernobel, you are my daughter's match. Have you any comment to make?" "The Rebbe only states truth" was the quiet response. On the night after the holiday's conclusion, Reb Shmuel's daughter happily became a betrothed kalla.
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.