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Weekly Chasidic Story#1449 (5785-51) 22 Elul 5785 (Sep. 15, 2025) A Rosh Hashana Dream Once the Yeitev Lev Rebbe went over to a student in his yeshiva who wasn't doing very well, and whispered something into his ear. Everyone was so curious to find out what. Why this week? A week from tonight starts Rosh Hashana, year 5786. Story in PDF format for more convenient printng
A ROSH HASHANA DREAM
Once, during Chanukah in the middle 1800's, Rabbi Yekusiel-Yehuda Teitelbaum,[1] known as the Yeitev Lev [2] went over to a student in the yeshiva study hall who wasn't learning very well, and whispered something into his ear. The student immediately began to study with immense diligence and concentration. The other students of the yeshiva who witnessed the exchange were so curious. The anxiously waited for the first opportune time to ask him what the Rebbe said that inspired him so much. He told them this story: Every year, on Erev Rosh Hashana, the students of the Yeitev Leiv's yeshiva would go collect money to give to poor Jews for their holiday needs. They were busy with this mitzvah from the morning until late in the afternoon, which often caused some of the students to be quite distant from the yeshiva when Rosh Hashanah set in. Those students would davven Maariv [pray the Evening Service] in the neighborhood where they were, and sometimes they would eat the Festival meal at the home of one of the strictly observant families in that area, as well. That year, as Rosh Hashana was approaching, this student was on the other side of town, far away from the yeshiva, so he went to the local synagogue to study Torah and to pray. But being that he was tired from a long, exhausting day of collecting money, he fell asleep during Maariv. Everyone left the shul, the gabbai locked the doors; no one realized that the visiting yeshiva student was still there, sleeping. In his dream, he saw himself standing before the heavenly court (Rosh Hashana, the first day of the new Jewish year, is when everyone is judged as to what will be for them in the new year in matters of life, health, prosperity and children). His mitzvos and his sins were placed on a scale, and the scale weighed down on the side of sins. The court ruled that he must die. The student cried, "I am young. Give me another chance. I will improve my ways..." But the court didn't accept his promises. Suddenly, the Yeitev Lev came into the court, and asked the judges, "What do you want from this student of mine?" They told him about the court case and the verdict. The Yeitav Leiv said, "He will improve his ways, and I will be the guarantor." Out of respect for the tzadik, the court immediately granted the student another chance to live. The Yeitav Leiv took hold of the youth and pulled him away from the court. Right then, the student woke. He looked around the unfamiliar, dark shul. It took him a few moments before he remembered how he got there. The doors were locked, so he jumped out the window and rushed to his yeshiva, and to his dormitory to eat the festival meal. As he was rushing through the city streets, he thought about the dream. He decided that it was just a dream; it didn't really happen. The door of his dormitory was locked, since it was already late at night. He went to the Rebbe's shul where the Yeitev Lev was conducting his festival tish (open table), surrounded by his chasidim. The Rebbe saw him, and immediately passed him a cup. "You didn't make Kiddush yet," the Rebbe said. The student was startled. How did the Rebbe know that he hadn't yet made Kiddush? Perhaps the dream was true, and the Rebbe had just saved him from death. He decided to improve his ways, as he promised he would in his dream, just in case the dream was genuine. He kept his resolve for some time, but by the time Chanukah came around, eleven weeks after Rosh Hashana, he had already begun to forget about his promise, and again became lax in his Torah studies. That is when the Yeitev Lev whispered in his ear. What he said was: "Did I save your life so you can be like this?" The student concluded his report to his friends, "Now I am certain that the dream was true. Therefore, I will study with all my might, because that is the reason I was granted longer life, thanks to our Rebbe." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why this week? Tomorrow night starts Rosh Hashana, year 5786. Biographical note:
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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.