#486 (s5767-25) 24 Adar 5767

The Naked Squire

The priest told the Squire that the only possible solution was to banish Rabbi Elimelech from Lyzhinsk.

The Naked Squire

In the vicinity of Lyzhinsk in Galicia lived a number of Jews who made their living from orchards, taverns and inns that they rented from the local Polish Squire.
Every year, when the Jews came to renew their leases, the Squire demanded higher rents. But the poor Jews pleaded with him and the Squire would soften. Some times he even reduced the rent and gave them more time to pay their debts.

Each time this happened, the Squire felt miserable. Why did he become such a softie when it came to the Jews? He decided to ask his priest. The priest told him: "It is because of their rebbe, Rabbi Elimelech of Lyzhinsk. The Jews always go to him before they are to appear before you and ask him to pray for them."

The priest explained that this was why even the stony heart of the Squire melted like wax in his dealings with the Jews. "The only thing to do, "the priest told the Squire, "is to banish Rabbi Elimelech from Lyzhinsk. The Jews will no longer be able to turn to him for help and you will be free to do as your heart desires."

The Squire liked this advice and sent word to Rabbi Elimelech that he must be out of the province in 30 days. The Squire was very pleased with himself and celebrated by going on a wild boar hunt in his forests. For hours, he and his entourage rode deeper into the forest.
When the Squire grew tired, he stopped at a river, threw off his clothes and plunged into the cool, refreshing water.

Upon reaching the other side, he lay down and fell asleep in the warm sun. When he woke up, he swam back. But, when he reached the shore he saw that his servants and horses were nowhere to be found. Even his clothes were gone.

The Squire had no choice but to make his way back to his castle on foot. It wasn't until he reached a small hamlet and the children stood laughing at him that he realized his true predicament. No one would believe that he was the squire. Why, he was only wearing his undergarments, he wasn't even wearing any clothes! Someone had pity on him and gave him some old rough clothing. He walked and begged his way back to his town.

The Squire arrived on Sunday and went immediately to the church. There, he was amazed to see that one of his servants had put on his clothes that had been by the river, and was now pretending to be the Squire. The situation was even worse than he had thought.

Suddenly, the Squire remembered that his trouble started right after he had ordered the holy Rebbe out of Lyzhinsk. He decided to go to Rabbi Elimelech and ask for forgiveness. He vowed that he would always be good to the Jews if the Rebbe would restore him to his former state.

After the Squire finished telling the Rebbe what had transpired, the Rebbe took a significant amount of money from his desk drawer and handed it to the Squire.
"I'm loaning you this money. Go to your Jewish tailor who made your Sunday clothes and have him make an exact copy by the end of the week. Next Sunday, you will walk over to your coach, which waits behind the church, and drive back to your castle. After that, you will know what to do," Rabbi Elimelech told the Squire.

The Squire did exactly as the Rebbe advised. When the imposter arrived on foot at the mansion, puzzled why the coachman had not waited for him, the real Squire had him seized and punished.

Now, the Squire was once again the old squire. But, having lived through the experiences of the past few days, he was not his old self anymore. After experiencing the pain of hunger, ridicule and helplessness, he could better understand his Jewish subjects. He became very friendly toward them, and especially their saintly Rebbe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Adapted by Yrachmiel Tilles from the rendition on www.lchaimweekly.org (#910), with permission.]

Biographical note:
Rabbi Elimelech of Lyzhinsk (1717 - 21 Adar 1787), was a major disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch, successor to the Baal Shem Tov, and the leading Rebbe of the subsequent generation in Poland-Galitzia. Most of the great Chassidic dynasties stem from his disciples. His book, Noam Elimelech, is one of the most popular of all Chassidic works.

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.