#926 (s5775-49 / 9 Elul 5775)

Suffering in Silence

Rabbi Moshe-Leib of Sassov claimed that he learned from a robber how to cope with the sufferings of the long Jewish exile.

Connection: Weekly Reading-a positive lesson from lashes.


Suffering in Silence

Rabbi Moshe-Leib of Sassov liked to learn something about serving G-d from everyone. He once claimed that he learned from a robber how to cope with the sufferings of exile. This is the story he told:

Rabbi Moshe Leib was walking from town to town collecting money for the wedding expenses of needy brides. He was taken by surprise when a band of robbers attacked him in the woods. The robbers surrounded him on all sides and were about to kill him, when their leader suddenly recognized R. Moshe Leib.

"This is the holy Rebbe from Sassov!" he exclaimed. "I won't let anyone harm him!"

That same robber had once been a beggar. Together with a group of other poor men, he had come one day to the marketplace in the city of Brod. He was very hungry but had no idea how to find something to eat. Then one of his companions told him that R. Moshe Leib gave out bread and borscht for free. The entire group went to the Rebbe's house, and R. Moshe Leib lovingly doled out food and drink to each one, offering words of comfort to the poor people and refusing to take a penny from them

The one who later "rose" to become leader of a band of robbers remembered R. Moshe Leib and the good deed he had done.

The robbers behaved respectfully toward the Sassover. "We have a Jewish boy with us who once learned Torah but is now a member of our gang," they told him. "Test him and see whether he remembers what he learned."

R' Moshe Leib asked the youth a question of Talmud, but the young robber could not answer. Then the Rebbe asked a question on Chumash (the Five Books of Moses), but he could not answer that, either. When the robbers saw that their companion was failing his test, they condemned him to a hundred lashes "just for fun."

R' Moshe Leib saw that the beating was nearly killing the silent youth. He begged the robbers to have mercy. The lashes stopped.

The robbers agreed to let the youth accompany R' Moshe Leib to the next town. As they walked, R' Moshe Leib tried to persuade the young man to turn his life around, and he succeeded in convincing him.

"Tell me," asked R' Moshe Leib after a while; "how did you bear all those lashings without saying a word? Where did you find the strength to bear such suffering in silence?"

The young man answered, "We robbers are used to this. We beat each other cruelly in order to build up our strength so that, if we are ever caught by the police and tortured to reveal our secrets, we will be able to endure the pain in silence."

"And where does this strength come from?" R. Moshe Leib persisted.

"I keep thinking that each lash is the last, and that after it will come relief. After all, a beating doesn't last forever."

Later, when Jews would come to the Sassover Rebbe pouring out their troubles, he would tell them, "Just imagine that your portion of suffering is full, and that tomorrow you will be free of it. After all, a beating doesn't last forever!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from "Stories My Grandfather Told Me" (Mesorah-vol.5, p174) by Zev Greenwald.

Biographic note:
Rabbi Moshe-Leib of Sassov (1745 - 4 Shvat 1807) was the leading disciple of Reb Shmelke of Nicholsburg. He also received from the Maggid of Mezritch and from Rabbi Elimelech of Lyzhinsk. Subsequently a Rebbe in his own right with many followers, he was famous primarily for his love of his fellow Jews and his creative musical talent. His teachings are contained in the books, Likutei RaMal, Toras ReMaL Hashalem, and Chidushei RaMal.

Connection: Weekly Reading-a positive lesson from lashes.



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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