Stories of Tzadikim / 37 I Knew He Would Never Leave

Hold on to Shabbos with
Stories of Tzadikim
With Rav Yussie Zakutinsky

Apple Podcast  |  Spotify
Download [Audio]  |  Download [Video]

 

A gut voch everybody. I’ll tell you a maaseh. One of the great Rebbe’s was Reb Mendel Vorker. From him came many streams of chassidus probably the best known one is Amshinov. One of the lesser known streams is skerovich. 

 

The maaseh goes about Rav Dovid’l Skerovich about 150 years ago or so. He was known for his ahavas yisroel, he was sitting in his home one time, he heard a bang at the door and he saw that it’s Reb Moshe one of the chassidim and he comes in. He sits across the table from Reb Dovid’l, so the Rebbe says what’s wrong? 

 

It’s my daughter, one thing led to another she fell into a negative crowd and she fell for this guy. She fell in love with him and they claim they’re running off together. And that’s not the worst of it, he’s a goy. He’s an extremely devout Christian. My daughter ran away with him and she’s in the process of converting. What am I going to do?

 

Reb Dovid’l begins asking questions about what happened, where she is etc. Once he gets enough information, Reb Dovid’l says listen I’m going to do the best I can and Im yirtzeh Hashem, we should be matzliach. That night he takes his gabbai and he says we're going to the monastery where this girl is. She’s going through these classes, we’re going to go and try to rescue the girl. 

 

He doesn’t know exactly what the Rebbe has in mind but he says let’s go. He tells the gabbai to bring 2 chairs they go on the wagon and travel. They get to the monastery in the middle of the night, let’s go bring the 2 chairs and they set up in the middle of the courtyard. The Rebbe sits down, takes down a sefer and begins learning. The gabbai sits down too and they sit like this for a long time until the morning. 

 

The Rebbe takes his talis and tefillin and begins to daven there in the courtyard of the monastery. Slowly and surely people start coming to whatever program they’re having. And they notice 2 jews sitting there, that itself is a miracle that no one said anything, it’s not a safe place for a jew to be at that time. 

 

A few hours go by and Reb Dovid’l notices that there’s a goy who’s working as a gardener or something. The Rebbe asks excuse me, do you know about the Jewish girl? The gardener says yes, it’s the talk of the town. So reb Dovid’l says maybe you can do me a favor, I’m going to write down a note if you can bring it to the girl and offers some money and he does it happily. 

 

The Rebbe writes down the following message, this is Reb Dovid’l, she knew who he was her father’s Rebbe. He folds it up and gives it to the gardener who finds his way inside. The Rebbe sits back down, one day goes, two days go, three days and three nights no message back from the girl and Reb Dovid’l isn’t moving. Meanwhile the gabbai is going back and forth to bring kosher food.

 

 

Watch and listen to more stories >