Weekly Chasidic Story #755 (s5772-34 / 23 Iyar 5772)

More than Eighty Thousand Welcoming Souls

"Deliver my message to Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin in Sadigora," stated Rebbe Meir of Premishlan, "and you will not need to give me that sum of redemption money."

Connection:Seasonal - The 162nd yahrzeit of Rebbe Meir of Premishlan

More than Eighty Thousand Welcoming Souls

One day in 1850 a chasid called on Rebbe Meir of Premishlan and, as often before, handed him a kvitl note. The tzadik took the note on which the man's requests were noted, leaned his head on his arms, and was soon deep in thought.

Then he said: "You should know that you stand in serious danger, and are in need of the mercies of heaven. But I have a way in which you may be saved. Every year I send to our needy brethren in the Holy Land 702 rubles - the numerical value of the letters that make up the word Shabbat. Half of this sum I send before Pesach, and half before Rosh HaShana. Now Pesach is already approaching, and I haven't a single penny. Provide me with the 351 gold rubles that are needed now, and you will be spared from all evil."

The man trembled in awe.

"Rebbe, of course I want to fulfill your wish," he said, "but I haven't got that amount with me. Let me therefore journey to Lvov to borrow the sum, and I will bring it to you."

"If you haven't got the money," replied the tzadik, "then your redemption will come through another means. Take a message from me to the Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin, who lives in Sadigora, and you will have no need to give me that sum of money."

The chasid agreed at once. In fact he was quite delighted with the opportunity of not only visiting the tzadik of Ruzhin, but of passing on to him a message from his own rebbe as well.

[In fact, Reb Meir of Premishlan and Reb Yisrael of Ruzhin were dear friends, although they lived shockingly different lifestyles. The Premishlaner's household, furniture and all, was a picture of dire poverty. No penny was ever allowed to spend the night in his tumbledown cottage: all the large sums that people used to give him he would immediately give away in charity. The Ruzhiner household, on the other hand, was conducted in a manner befitting royalty.

Reb Meir used to make the following comment: "What is the difference between the tzadik of Ruzhin and me? To him one may apply the words of the Psalmist: 'Treasure and wealth are in his house; his righteousness (or charity) endures forever' [Psalms 112:3]. To me the other verse applies: 'He distributed alms freely to the poor; his righteousness (or charity) endures forever'[ibid. verse 9]."]

"Very well," said Reb Meir. "Travel straight from here to Sadigora. As soon as you arrive there go directly to the household of Reb Yisrael, and tell his attendants that you have a message from me. You will arrive there on Friday morning, and when you enter the tzadik's study you shall address him in these words: 'Meir has given you the following order. Our passports have already been signed, giving us free passage through all the borders. It is true that eighty thousand souls are waiting to welcome you, but for Meir many more are waiting - except that Meir's passport expires before yours.'"

The chasid went pale with terror. He begged to be excused, and tried to explain to his rebbe that he could not undertake a mission such as this. He would be prepared to contribute the sum needed for the poor folk in Israel - so long as he would be freed of this mission. Nothing helped. The tzadik entreated and directed him to carry out his mission in full.

Much against his will the chasid set out for Sadigora. When he arrived on Friday morning the attendant on duty refused him entry: this was not one of the times at which the tzadik received callers. But as soon as he said who had dispatched him, the attendant asked his rebbe, who asked that he be admitted at once.

The chasid approached the Ruzhiner with a kvitl in hand.

"This is not the time for receiving kvitlach," said the tzadik. "Tell me, therefore, what mission brings you here."

"Before I do that," said the chasid, "I would like to receive your blessing, for my holy master in Premishlan had told me that he sees ominous things destined for me. For this reason I would request you to accept my kvitl and to give me your blessing."

Rebbe Yisrael blessed him, and the chasid faithfully passed on Rebbe Meir's message, word for word. All this while the tzadik of Ruzhin sat motionless in his place, as if the message in question did not involve himself at all.

One Thursday some months later Rebbe Meir said to all the Chasidim who were with him: "Whoever does not want a disturbed Shabbat had better make the journey home."

Though no one understood what he could be alluding to, they all went home. One man only - a tzadik by the name of Reb Yisrael of Kalisz - requested the permission of Rebbe Meir to stay on for Shabbat.

"If you want to be here," answered the Rebbe, "you may do so. But just remember that Shabbat is - Shabbat."

And on that Shabbat he departed This World.

On Motzei Shabbat, when the Day of Rest was over, and Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin was sitting at his table on which stood two lighted candlesticks, one candle suddenly went out. Someone lit it again, but the other one went out.

"There is great darkness in the world," said the tzadik. And the next day the bitter tidings from Premishlan reached them.

Five months later Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin also passed away.

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Source: Adapted and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles from the rendition in A Treasury of Chassidic Tales (Artscroll), as translated by the esteemed Uri Kaploun from Sipurei Chasidim by Rabbi S. Y. Zevin.]

Biographic note:
Rabbi Meir of Primishlan [?-29 Iyar 1850], lived in abject but patient poverty, yet exerted himself tirelessly for the needy and the suffering. His divine inspiration 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.
Rabbi Yisrael Friedmann of Ruzhin [1797 - 3 Cheshvan 1850] was a great-grandson of the Maggid of Mezritch, at a young age was already a charismatic leader with an large following of chassidim. Greatly respected by the other rebbes and Jewish leaders of his generation, he was -and still is-referred to as "The Holy Ruzhiner." Six of his sons established Chassidic dynasties, several of which -Sadigora, Chortkov, etc- are still thriving today.

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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.

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