Inspired by the Cobbler

by Dovid Zaklikowski for Hasidic Archives

Rabbi Yechezkel “Reb Chatche” Feigin, a mentor at the Lubavitch yeshivah in Poltava, Ukraine, demanded much from his students, but even more from himself. His Chassidic gatherings were known not for wondrous tales or profound ideas, but for inspiring his students to action. As one student put it, the goal was that the following day should be different from the day before.

Under the pressure of the times, a simple cobbler opened his shop on Shabbos. Every Shabbos morning, Reb Chatche would walk past the shop and become deeply distressed.

“I feel as if a dagger is being thrust into my chest,” Reb Chatche told his students at a Chassidic gathering.

The students expected him to speak about how painful it was that a fellow Jew was desecrating the holy day, but he turned the matter around. “Does the cobbler truly understand what Shabbos is? Does he know the deeper significance of the holy day? Did he ever properly study its traditions?”

Reb Chatche said that he did not believe the man had ever received such an education. “We, however, know what Shabbos is,” the mentor continued. “We have learned about this special day. We understand the importance of utilizing every moment of Shabbos in the service of G-d.”

If even a few minutes pass without being utilized properly, he said, bursting into tears, “we are not giving the day its proper honor.”

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