Weekly Story: Bringing A Non-Jew Back to Life
Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon
A few people emailed me that they enjoyed the story of last week, as to what extent a tzaddik goes to do a Jew a favor. So I decided to continue with that theme for this week and I excerpted a story from my father’s sefer Sippure Meir, that is about to go to print, with the same concept.
As always your feedback is greatly appreciated.
The Ruzhiner had a chossid who owned a soap factory. The foreman of the factory was a Jew who was a misnaged. Additionally, a non-Jewish employee by the name of Ivan worked there as well. Ivan would work there from Monday through Friday. When the factory would close on Friday, he would go home for the weekend and return the following Monday.
One weekend, Ivan had a terrible argument with his father. In anger, he dashed out of the house and, having nowhere else to go, he returned to the factory. Somehow he managed to enter it, and out of distress, he hanged himself. The foreman entered the factory early Sunday morning and was horrified to find Ivan hanging from one of the rafters.
The foreman realized that notifying the authorities was not an option. If they would discover what had taken place, they would undoubtedly accuse him or the Jewish owner of killing a non-Jew. Acting quickly and decisively, he disposed of the body by placing it into the vat, where it became part of the solution used to form the soap. He decided it best to keep the matter to himself and not inform anyone, including the owner.
A few days passed, and seeing that Ivan had still not returned home, the father went to the factory to look for him. Unable to find him, he demanded from the owner to tell him where he was.
The owner was shocked at the question. “He hasn’t been here all week,” he replied firmly. “I thought he simply wasn’t feeling well and was at home!”
The father asked around town if anyone had seen his son Ivan, but the answers were negative. Finally, a few people mentioned that they had seen him walking towards the factory Saturday night.
This was enough evidence for the authorities to accuse the factory owner of killing a gentile. A date was set for the trial; however, since there was no solid evidence, he was not arrested and was free to go about as he pleased.
As a chossid of the holy Ruzhiner, the owner’s first step was to immediately travel to his Rebbe and pour out his heart to him. If the judges would believe these trumped-up charges, chas v’sholom, not only would his own life be in danger, but so would be the lives of every Jew in the area. This could possibly usher in a new batch of blood libels against all the Jews, chas v’sholom.
The Rebbe calmed him down and told him not to worry. “Ivan himself will come and prove your innocence,” he declared.
The day of the trial finally arrived. The police took the Jewish owner and escorted him to the courthouse, which was located in the city of Kiev. Ivan’s friends and family, accompanied by many other goyim, were there as well. They wanted to make sure that “justice” would be achieved, and they were anticipating hearing the guilty verdict and meting out justice against all the Jews on their own.
Seeing the large procession aroused people’s curiosity. Some of them stopped the group and asked them where they were going.
“This Jew has been accused of killing Ivan some months ago,” they replied. “His trial will be taking place today, and we are traveling with him to the courthouse in Kiev.”
The passersby burst out laughing. “We don’t care what happens to this Jew,” they said, “but don’t think that Ivan is really dead. In fact, he is presently assisting people cross a nearby river. For his services, he is demanding a sum of money. If anyone does not pay him his price, he refuses to help him cross.”
Hearing this, the police led the procession to the river to see if what they had just been told was indeed true. Was Ivan truly alive?! Upon approaching the river, to their astonishment, they saw that yes, it was true: There stood Ivan, helping people cross the river!
Ivan’s father was beside himself with rage. He had now been humiliated in public. No one would ever believe him again, and the judge might even punish him! Running over to his son, he began shouting: “How could you do this to me? Why did you run away? We accused your boss of killing you, and you were here the whole time?!” He then began hitting him with a vengeance.
Ivan was not about to accept these blows silently. “Is it not enough that you beat me mercilessly at home?” he said bitterly. “When I finally run away from you, you must chase after me and beat me here as well?! Such a life is not worth living!” Saying that, before anyone could stop him, he jumped into the fast-flowing river and drowned.
The police immediately released the owner and told him he was free to go home. There was no need for him to go to court, as they would inform the judges of what they had just witnessed.
Coming home, everyone rejoiced at the miraculous way in which his innocence had been proven. He informed all those present that his salvation had taken place exactly as the tzaddik had promised, and that it was all thanks to the tzaddik’s brachah. He concluded by saying that he would now be traveling to Ruzhin to thank his Rebbe.
Upon hearing this, the misnagdishe foreman asked if he could join him. The chossid happily agreed to take him along, hoping that maybe the foreman had finally been convinced of his Rebbe’s ruach hakodesh, and would perhaps even become a chossid.
Entering the Rebbe’s room, the owner gave praise to Hashem for miraculously sending Ivan to the correct place at the right time, enabling his innocence to be proven.
After the owner left the Rebbe’s room, the foreman said to the Ruzhiner:
“Ha! He doesn’t know what really happened. He actually thinks that Ivan ran away from his house and nothing more, so he thanks Hashem for causing him to meet Ivan one more time before he died.
“I, however, know what really happened. I know that Ivan hanged himself in the factory. Trying to prevent a blood libel from occurring I disposed of him myself. So how can it be that suddenly he was alive?! To me you can’t sell some made-up story!”
The Ruzhiner replied:
“Let me tell you a story that happened with an anonymous Baal Shem.[1]
“There was once a Jew who leased some property from a rich poritz (landowner). According to their arrangement, he would pay a certain amount of money at the end of each year. This continued for many years, until one year the Jew was unable to come up with the money.
“The poritz summoned the Jew and warned him: ‘I will give you a few extra weeks as an extension. However, if you do not pay by then, you will have to move out, and I will lease the property to someone else instead!’
“At loss at what to do, the Jew traveled to the Baal Shem and poured out his heart, relating his sorry situation to him.
“‘Tomorrow morning you are to go to the poritz’s house,’ replied the Baal Shem. ‘Ask him if he possesses the deed that shows that he is the owner of the region, and tell him that only then will you pay.’
“When he came home, his wife asked him, ‘So what are you going to do?’ ‘Everything is taken care of,’ he replied. She understood this to mean that the Rebbe had given her husband the money needed to cover the rent, and seeing that he did not wish to discuss further details, she did not ask.
“Early the next morning, the Jew made his way to the poritz, who was still in bed at the time. When the servants informed the poritz that the Jew had arrived, he assumed that he certainly had brought the money, for if not, why had he come at such an early hour? ‘Let the Jew enter!’ he told them.
“The poritz rose from his bed and asked the Jew if he had brought the money. ‘No, I didn’t bring anything,’ he replied.
“The poritz flew into a rage. ‘What audacity this Jew has!’ he said to himself. ‘Not only did he not bring the money, he has the nerve to wake me up early in the morning!’ He removed his pistol from under his pillow, intending to shoot the Jew.
“‘Excuse me, honored poritz,’ the Jew said calmly, ‘but do you have the deed that shows that this region belongs to you, and that it is to you that I owe the rent? When I see the deed, I will pay you!’
“Hearing this, the poritz’s anger left him as quickly as it had come. Instead, he was now overcome with fear, as his secret had been revealed. ‘How do you know that I don’t have the deed?’ he asked meekly. ‘This fact is unknown even to my own wife and children!’
“‘The truth is that I don’t know anything about your deed,’ the Jew answered. ‘However, since you warned me that I will be evicted if I don’t pay the rent, I went to my holy Rebbe for advice. He is the one who instructed me to ask you this question.’
“‘Listen closely,’ said the poritz. ‘The truth is that I am the genuine inheritor of the previous poritz. However, I have never received the deed and have no way to prove that I am the true inheritor. I have always dreaded the possibility of someone demanding that I display my documents proving my right to this land, as I don’t have any.
“‘Perhaps, just as your holy rabbi knows that I don’t have these documents, he also knows where they are to be found. I would like to go with you and visit your rabbi. In return, I will let you live on the property rent-free for the rest of your life.’
“‘I also believe that the Rebbe knows where the deed is located,’ replied the Jew. ‘Indeed, it would be my privilege to be accompanied by the honored poritz on my next visit to the Rebbe.’ They then arranged a date to visit the Baal Shem.
“The set day arrived, and the Jew traveled with the poritz to his Rebbe in the poritz’s private coach. Upon entering the Rebbe’s room, the Rebbe instructed them to travel to the capital city of Petersburg. ‘When you arrive there,’ he told them, ‘go to the area named such-and-such. You will find the person who has the deed, and he will be happy to give it to you.’
“The poritz immediately set out to Petersburg accompanied by the Jew, and they began searching for the designated area. However, the days turned to weeks and the person with the deed was still nowhere to be found. After searching for a few weeks, the poritz became discouraged and lost all hope of finding him.
‘It seems that we will never find the correct place,’ he said to the Jew. ‘I have decided to return home. After all, no one but you knows that I don’t have proof, and, as I promised, you can remain on the land rent-free for the rest of your life. The only thing I ask of you is to please refrain from revealing this to anyone.’
“‘Just as the Rebbe knew that you don’t have the deed, he certainly knows where it is to be found,’ replied the Jew confidently. ‘If he said the person is in Petersburg, we will surely find him here. Let us stay a little longer.’ The poritz agreed.
“One day, as they were searching around the city, they were caught in a drenching downpour. They quickly began searching for a place in which to take cover, but, to their luck, none of the taverns in that immediate area were open. Finally, they noticed a house in the distance and approached it.
“The Jew knocked on the door, and before long, the owner of the house appeared. ‘I am traveling with Mr. So-and-So, the honored poritz of my region,’ he said. ‘I humbly request that we be allowed to enter to dry up until the rain stops.’
“‘I only have one extra room,’ the owner replied, ‘and it is presently being occupied by another honored poritz. However, I will ask him if he doesn’t mind sharing the room with you.’
“The owner went back into the house and relayed their request to the second poritz. ‘Why, Mr. So-and-So is my dear relative whom I haven’t seen in many years,’ he replied. ‘Tell him it would be my greatest honor to share the room with him.’
“When they entered the room, they saw an elderly, distinguished-looking poritz who introduced himself as the first poritz’s relative.
“‘I am so glad we finally met,’ the older poritz said. ‘It’s been some time now that I’ve been looking for you, since I am in possession of the deed of your land. Since I am getting older, I was afraid I would pass away without having given it to you. Now that we have met, I can finally give you what is rightfully yours.’
“Saying this, he removed a piece of parchment from the inside pocket of his suit and handed it to the younger poritz.
“The younger poritz could not believe what had just transpired. The elusive deed was finally in his hands! After thanking him profusely, he asked, ‘Where have you been living all these years?’
“‘I live in Holland,’ replied the older poritz. ‘This is my address.’
“‘Can I perhaps accompany you home?’ asked the younger poritz. ‘You are old and might be in need of some assistance.’
“‘Thank you for your kind offer,’ replied the older poritz, ‘but may I suggest that you take care of the more important things first. Go home with your deed and record your properties under your name, so that everything will be proper and legal. Once everything is in order, you can come and visit me at my home in Holland.’
“Heeding his relative’s advice, the younger poritz traveled home and recorded his properties under his name. He then asked the Jew to accompany him on his visit to the older poritz.
“Upon arrival in the city he had mentioned, they began to search for the street where his home was located, but were unable to find it. They asked people for directions, but were told that there was no street with that name in the city.
“Finally, they found a few old-timers who told them: ‘Yes! Years ago there was such a street, and indeed an elderly person lived at this address. However, it is fifteen years since he has died, and the street name has since changed.’”
Concluding the story, the Ruzhiner turned to the foreman of the soap factory and said:
“We see that a poritz can be brought back to life fifteen years after he passed away just to help a single Jew financially. How much more so can a gentile who had just died be brought back to life in order to rescue an entire Jewish community from mortal danger!”
As the Ruzhiner concluded his narrative, one of his attendants remarked: “That story, as well, took place with the Rebbe!”
“So you should have related the story!” the Ruzhiner replied. (In other words, both goyim were brought back to life by the Ruzhiner.)[2]
[My father would continue:]
We see from this account that the Ruzhiner repeated a story whose protagonist was supposedly an anonymous Baal Shem, but in reality was himself. Perhaps we can connect this with an anecdote I once heard from Reb Nissan Nemenov:
The Baal Shem Tov once said that if Moshiach does not come within fifty years of his passing, his neshamah will have to descend to this world once again, fusing with the neshamah of one of the tzaddikim of that time.
Fifty years after the Baal Shem Tov’s passing, there were three tzaddikim who maintained that their neshamah was the neshamah of the Baal Shem Tov: the Mitteler Rebbe, the tzaddik Rav Yisroel of Ruzhin,[3] and the tzaddik Rav Mordechai of Chernobyl.
The Mitteler Rebbe once remarked:
“The tzaddik Rav Mordechai certainly does not have the neshamah of the Baal Shem Tov. Although the Ruzhiner brings proof from the fact that he has the same name as the Baal Shem Tov (Yisroel), this, too, can be refuted. We know that Moshe Rabbeinu’s neshamah came down to this world again, in the Rashbi, the Arizal, and others, although their names were not Moshe.”
Concerning himself, the Mitteler Rebbe said: “The Baal Shem Tov’s essence was to reveal the wellsprings of Chassidus, and that is what I am doing.”
Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com
[1] The term Baal Shem, which means “Master of the Name,” is a title reserved for great tzaddikim with unusual miraculous powers.
[2] Oros Ba’afeilah,pp. 132–136.
Author’s note: I heard this story from Reb Menachem Mendel Yanovsky.
(See below, the section on the Rebbe, “His Chassunah,” for a story that took place with Reb Menachem Mendel Yanovsky.)
[3] And since the Ruzhiner felt that he had the neshamah of the Baal Shem Tov, when repeating a story of himself anonymously, he chose to say that it took place with a Baal Shem.
