In the Swamp of Nothingness

by Dovid Zaklikowski for Hasidic Archives

If one saw him in the street, he seemed like a simple day laborer. Rabbi Noteh of Monastyryshche, Ukraine, had no ears and kept to himself. Yet he was the chassidic rabbi of the town and beloved by all its residents.

He had a deep conviction that before G-d, the world was truly nothing. For Reb Noteleh, as he was known, this was not a philosophy but a way of life: worldly matters held no place in his mind. Even while walking through the streets, he remained absorbed in the teachings he had recently studied. If he happened upon a written chassidic discourse, he would copy it down, tuck it into his pocket, and study it whenever he found a spare moment.

It is told that once, in the middle of winter, he wandered into a swamp. Unable to go further and unaware of where he was, he pulled out a handwritten discourse and began to study it. When he grew tired of standing, he simply sat down. That was how they found him, sitting in the swamp, studying.

At a gathering with Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, the Tzemach Tzedek, someone once poured the remnants of several different alcoholic beverages and wines into a single glass. No one wished to spill it out, but no one wanted to drink from such a mixture either.

“Nothingness,” said the Tzemach Tzedek, referring to the concept that the world is truly nothing before G-d, “can contain opposites. Therefore, give the glass to Noteleh to drink.” Without hesitation, Reb Noteleh took the glass and drank it.

Those present were deeply impressed that the Rebbe had acknowledged Reb Noteleh as one who genuinely lived with the feeling of “nothingness.”

Hearing their reaction, Reb Noteleh remarked, “What is there to be impressed about? Of course, I am nothing.”

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