Weekly Chasidic Story #1334 (5783-41) 14 Tammuz 5783 (July 3, 2023)

"A Mitzvah Path to Protection"

Baba Sali's face shown with light! He instructed his attendant to set the table with many pastries, fruits and drinks. "Eat something and don't worry," he told them. "Everything will be all right."

Connection: The Thirteen Attributes of Divine Mercy are recited several times in the special fast day prayers.

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A Mitzvah Path to Protection

"Rabbeinu, please help us! Our brother is a soldier in the army and he suddenly went missing!"

Baba Sali listened carefully as the soldier's distraught family poured out the story to him.

"The army sent out search parties for him, but they haven't found anything. And now so much time has gone by, the army generals are talking about stopping the search. We suspect that our brother was kidnapped by terrorists, and that maybe…maybe he's not alive anymore!" They broke down in tears.

To everyone's surprise, Baba Sali did not look saddened. To the contrary, his face shown with light! He signaled to his attendant, and then instructed him to please set the table with all kinds of pastries, fruits and drinks.

"Come, eat something," he told the family members. "And don't worry. Everything will be all right with HaShem's help."

Having no choice, the family joined Baba Sali at the table and took something to eat. Just as they were beginning to relax, a strange thing happened, Baba Sali raised the cup in this hand and announced loudly, "'V'nakei loyinakei!' G-d 'will cleanse' [those who do teshuva (repentance)] 'and will not cleanse' [those who do not do teshuva]." (the 13th of the Thirteen Attributes of Divine Mercy - see Ex. 34:7)

The family looked at each other in puzzlement. What did Baba Sali mean? What was this all about?
No one dared asked the question aloud.

After a while, Baba Sali turned to them. "You can go back home, l'chaim tovim u'l'shalom ('to a good life and peace'). With HaShem's help you will see salvation." Then he repeated the same words as before: loudly "V'nakei loyinakei! HaShem will cleanse [who do teshuva] and will not cleanse [those who don't do teshuva]!"
With lighter hearts they returned home, waiting to hear good news.

Two weeks passed, two weeks of tension and fear. Then one morning they received the joyous news from the army, their brother was alive! He indeed was kidnapped by terrorists and held captive in a secret hideout, but he managed to escape. He was currently being checked out by a doctor and debriefed. After that, he would return to his family.

The same day he came home, the family, together with their newly-found brother, came to Baba Sali's home for an emotional seudat hoda'ah (meal of thanksgiving).

"My son," Baba Sali said to the soldier, "tell us about the good deed that you do in secret, which no other person knows about."

At first the soldier tried to avoid answering, but when Baba Sali continued to urge him to tell, he revealed that every Erev Shabbat (Friday afternoon), he would clean the shul (synagogue) in Petach Tikvah where he lived, without anyone knowing about it.

Baba Sali's face lit up. "You should know, it was this mitzvah that protected you," he told the soldier. "V'nakei lo yinakei! In the merit of your cleansing the shul, you were watched over!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from one of the English Baba Sali books, which is not in my possession at this moment.

Connection: The Thirteen Attributes of Divine Mercy are recited several times in the special fast day prayers.

Biographical note:
Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira [1890 - 4 Shvat 1984] known as Baba Sali, was born in Tafilalet Morocco, to one of Jewry's most illustrious families. From a young age he was renowned as a sage, miracle maker and master kabbalist. In 1964 he moved to Eretz Yisrael, eventually settling in 1970 in the Southern development town he made famous, Netivot, and where, since 1984, his tomb has become one of Israel's most visited pilgrimage sites. A number of collections of stories featuring him have been published, including at least two in English.

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.

To receive the Story by e-mail every Wednesday--sign up here!

"Festivals of the Full Moon"
("Under the Full Moon" vol 2 - holiday stories)
is now available for purchase from ASCENT
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Book 1 of Yerachmiel Tilles's 3-volume set, "Saturday Night, Full Moon",
is also available for purchase on our KabbalaOnline-shop site.

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.

To receive the Story by e-mail every Wednesday--sign up here!

"Festivals of the Full Moon"
("Under the Full Moon" vol 2 - holiday stories)
is now available for purchase from ASCENT
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Book 1 of Yerachmiel Tilles's 3-volume set, "Saturday Night, Full Moon",
is also available for purchase on our KabbalaOnline-shop site.