#495 (s5767-34) 28 Iyar 5767

Our Patriarch, Dr. Avraham

Rabbi Moshe of Kobrin was often a guest of the father-in-law of Rabbi Yosha Baer Soloveitchik in Volozhin

Our Patriarch, Dr. Avraham

Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna was on a long train trip with many of his pupils. The train made a stop in the city of Niridihous where they had to disembark, wait a while and then change trains for their intended destination. They had been standing at the station for several minutes when suddenly a young gentile woman began screaming and wailing.

At first she was the center of attraction. Police rushed to control the situation and a large crowd gathered around. But when everyone heard her tragic story (it seems that someone had stolen her wallet from her purse and now she was left without money or tickets) and there was nothing more to do, they turned back to their places, left her to her woes and got ready for the train which was approaching in the distance.

It was usually best for Jews to keep out of gentile affairs, especially here when the police were looking for a suspect. So it was surprising when Rabbi Mordechai turned to one of his younger chasidim and ordered him to run to the ticket office, buy a ticket for the woman, give her some traveling money as well and not to say a word about where it came from.

The chasid did as he was told and although he almost missed the train he ran, bought the ticket and gave it to the bewildered woman who was literally speechless with gratitude.

Fifteen years passed. The chasid married, had children, the holy Rebbe had passed away and the incident was completely forgotten. But the anti-Semitism didn't change.

The chasid, who had since become a successful businessman and even had gentile friends in high places. Early one morning he received a subpoena to appear in court; he was charged with cheating the government.

The charges were transparently false, the witnesses had obviously been paid; but it didn't matter. He ran from office to office and got the same empty sympathetic statements and excuses. It was soon clear to him that he didn't have any real friends after all and no one was willing to help him.

Finally he got himself a lawyer, prayed to G-d for a miracle, and went to the police station. The pre-trial hearing took less than an hour. He was found guilty of all charges, sentenced a million ruble fine, life imprisonment and incarceration until the trial.

He was desperate. He posted bail for himself and began searching for a good lawyer, but now no lawyer wanted to take his case; if he lost all his money, how would he pay?

He had no recourse than to travel to Budapest where the judge who was to preside at his trial lived and try to see him. Maybe he could convince him of his innocence … even if it meant "giving a present." Hastily he packed a bag, took a large sum of money and caught the next train out.

But in Budapest he was in for another bitter surprise. This particular judge happened to be a rabid Jew hater. There was no chance that he would even look at, no less talk to, and certainly not have mercy on any Jew in the world.

But our chasid did not lose heart; 'Everything G-d does is for the best' he said to himself, 'and no good can come from getting depressed'.

He next went around the city talking to people until he formulated a plan of action. He found out that the judge's wife, also no small anti-Semite, had a weakness for embroidered things, especially tablecloths. He would buy the most expensive tablecloth he could find and appear at her doorstep as a salesman. Then, if he could get her interested, he would offer it to her as a gift and beg her to try to influence her husband for him.

It was a dangerous plan, even a bit foolish. She could easily just take the tablecloth for herself and then report him to the police; she would have the tablecloth and he probably would not live out the night in the jail. But he could not think of any other possible solution.

He spent the entire next morning looking for the most expensive embroidery in Budapest and finally ended up spending a small fortune on a truly elegant masterpiece of a tablecloth with matching napkins. He walked quickly to the Judge's home trying to keep as calm as possible. A cold sweat covered his body as he finally reached his destination, walked up the stairs to the door, closed his eyes, said a prayer and knocked.

It opened. It was the judge's wife, who looked at him strangely. He tried his best to smile as he held out the tablecloth and tried to begin his sales pitch but the words simply didn't come out. He was too frightened. He stood there trembling, frozen with fear. Suddenly she let out a scream and fainted!

His first impulse was to run. If he just stood there they would certainly accuse him of something. But if he ran and they caught him it would certainly be worse; they would kill him on the spot. On the other hand if he tried to help her up it might appear as he was attacking her!

Meanwhile her husband, the judge, heard the commotion and came running. When he saw the chasid near his unconscious wife, it was hard to tell who was more astounded.

He sensed that the Jew was no threat so he bent down to his wife and began talking to her, "Are you all right Greta? What happened?"

She opened one eye, looked around and finally pointed at the Jew. 'Yorik, Yorik!' she said, and kept repeating her husband's name as she rose to her feet. "Look!

"Do you remember how I told you that about fifteen years ago at the train station in Niridihous I lost my tickets and money, and an angel came and saved me? Well, this Jew...he has a face just like the angel I saw! It's him!

When the Judge realized that this was the man who saved his wife his attitude changed completely. He invited the bewildered Jew into his home and offered him repayment and a reward. When he heard the reason for his visit he promised him not only a fair trial but that from now on his attitude toward Jews would be completely different.

Needless to say the chasid was acquitted of all charges.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from the rendition of his friend and colleague Rabbi Tuvia Bolton, the popular teacher, musician and storyteller, in his weekly email for the yeshiva which he heads, Ohr Tmimim (yeshiva@ohrtmimim.org ; www.ohrtmimim.org/torah)].

Biographical note:
Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna [?-15 Tishrei 1895], the great grandson of Rabbi Meir "The Great" of Premishlan, was orphaned early and raised by his uncle, the famous Rebbe, Meirl of Premishlan (see below). Chassidim from all over Rumania and Hungary streamed in to receive his blessings. An extraordinarily large number of his descendents became Chassidic leaders and Rebbes, including dozens in the world today. His teachings are collected in Gedulas Mordechai.

Editor's note:
One descendant of R. Mordechai was the beloved Nadvorna Rebbe of Tsfat, Rabbi Aharon Yechiel Leifer, of blessed memory. His seventh yahrzeit is this week on Rosh Chodesh Sivan.


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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