#471 (s5767-10 / 8 Kislev 5767)

An Odd Stipulation

The Jews assured the young nobleman that the Rebbe's son and successor, Rabbi Dovber Shneuri, was also a holy person.

An Odd Stipulation

The poritz (nobleman) and his son were having a heated argument. The son, an only child, had asked his father for permission to go hunting with his friends in the dense forests around the city of Liozhna, in White Russia. The elderly father, concerned for his son's safety, had refused to grant it. The father's opposition to what he considered a dangerous venture seemed immovable.

At the height of the argument, however, the poritz had suddenly stopped speaking. For a few minutes he was silent, lost in thought. "I will let you go on one condition," he finally decided. And indeed, it was a very odd stipulation.

"In the city of Liadi there lives a famous Rabbi. He is the spiritual leader of all the Jews in this area, and every word he utters is considered holy. Go to this Rabbi and ask his blessing. If you promise to do this, I will let you go hunting." The son was very surprised, but gave his word. The next day he left on the expedition.

In those few moments of silence, the poritz's memory had carried him back to the time he had served as an interrogator in the main prison in Petersburg. Although he had interrogated hundreds if not thousands of prisoners in the course of his career, his experience with the Rabbi who had been charged with rebelling against the government was something he could never forget. His regal bearing, majestic long beard and deeply expressive eyes were permanently engraved on the nobleman's heart.

He could remember the Rabbi's answers to the interrogators' questions as if he had heard them just yesterday. The wisdom and truth they contained had been evident in every word, and the poritz had been extremely impressed by the Rabbi's character. In fact, the Rabbi's subsequent release from jail and the dropping of all charges against him were in large part due to the poritz's intervention.

The Rabbi, of course, was Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe and founder of the Chabad Chasidic movement, whose opponents had slandered and libeled him to the authorities. But despite the accusations, the young interrogator had been convinced that the Rabbi was a G-dly man. Now, decades later, the poritz felt that if his only child could see the holy Rabbi for himself, it would somehow set his own mind at ease.

As it turned out, the poritz's misgivings proved to be well founded. A few weeks into the expedition the hunting party had been halted by a blinding rainstorm. The son, who had wandered off from the rest of his friends, was alone in the middle of the forest. Seeking shelter under a tree, he had no choice but to wait for the storm to pass. But the weather did not improve, and only grew worse. It was several days until the storm abated.

Soaked to the bone, hungry and sick, the poritz's son despaired of ever leaving the forest. It was truly miraculous when he eventually found a path through the foliage and succeeded in dragging himself to an inn on the outskirts of Liozhna.

The next day, burning with fever, he suddenly remembered his promise to his father and resolved to fulfill it. With his last ounce of strength he arose from bed and set out for the city to find the famous Rabbi.

Once in town he soon learned that Rabbi Shneur Zalman had recently passed away. The poritz's son felt a pang of conscience until the Jews informed him that the Rabbi's successor, his son Rabbi Dovber (subsequently to be known in Chabad as the "Mitteler ['middle'] Rebbe"), was also a holy person. But the Mitteler Rebbe was no longer living in Liozhna, and now resided in Lubavitch.

There was no rational explanation for the urgency he felt to see the son of the famous Rabbi his father had praised so highly. Nonetheless, he hired a carriage and set out for Lubavitch, despite his weakness from his recent ordeal.

That night, when the poritz's son arrived in Lubavitch, he was disappointed to learn that the Rebbe was addressing his Chasidim and would not be receiving visitors. But the young nobleman would not be turned back. Undaunted, he insisted on being told the exact location where the Rebbe was speaking.

The study hall was packed to the rafters, so that no one noticed the stranger when he entered. In the front of the room the Mitteler Rebbe was seated at a table saying a Chasidic discourse. The poritz's son was astounded by the scene. Such a large crowd of people, yet everyone was silent and focused on the Rebbe. He found himself rooted to the spot.

About an hour later it occurred to him how odd it was that he was standing, given the state of his health. When he left the study hall he could actually feel his strength returning, which he had no doubt was in the merit of the holy Rabbi. He was also very grateful for having been able to fulfill his promise to his father.

[This story was related many decades later by the poritz's son - by then a nobleman in his own right - to a Chabad Chasid.]

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[Adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from the rendition on www.lchaimweekly.org (#648).]

Biographical note:
Rabbi DovBer Shneuri [9 Kislev 1773 - 9 Kislev 1827] was the eldest son and successor to Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of the Chabad movement. The author of numerous deep, mystical texts, he is known in Lubavitch circles as "the Mittler (Middle) Rebbe."


 


Yrachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and editor of Ascent Quarterly and the AscentOfSafed.com and KabbalaOnline.org websites. He has hundreds of published stories to his credit.

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