Stories of Tzadikim / Pockets full of faith
Hold on to Shabbos with
Stories of Tzadikim
With Rav Yussie Zakutinsky
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A Gut Voch Chevra, let me tell you a Maaiseh. The story goes, that the Baal Shem Tov once went to a number of his students in the bais medrash and he said, let’s go on a trip together. This is something he did very often; he would go on these mysterious trips and he would hand-pick particular chassidim for particular trips. One time he comes to a group of them and said we’re going on a trip together.
A Gut Voch everybody. There’s a story that the Mezrithcer Maggid, Rav Dov Ber of Mezritch who took over Chassidus after the Baal Shemn Tov passed away said the following Maiseh.
He was by the Baal Shem, it was mamash right after havdalah, there’s a knock on the door and it’s an old woman collecting money for tzedakah. Everyone is still wearing their Shabbos clothes and the Baal Shem Tov turns to his Chassidim and says this lady needs x amount of money.
Everyone reach into your pockets, pull out whatever you have and we’ll pool it together to see what we have. Everyone reached in and miraculously everyone had some money. When they counted it up it was exactly what this lady needed. This was the story the Mezritcher Maggid told the chassidim.
Now the Mezeritcher Maggid turned to the chassidim and asked What’s the Moifes, the miracle of this story? What’s the great lesson to learn from this story. One person said well, we see that the miracle was that they had money in their pockets even though it was just Shabbos. Another chassid said even more than that, not only did they have the money but it was exactly the amount this lady needed. The Mezritcher Maggid said it’s true these are miracles but there are countless stories of the Baal Shem that are miraculous like that. The chassidim told the Maggid, Rebbe, now you tell us what you think the amazing part of the story is.
The Mezritcher Maggid said I think it’s when the Baal Shem said to reach in your pockets to see how much money you have, without doubting at all they put their hands in. Even though they knew they doidn’t have their wallets on them it was just shabbos. Their Emunah in the tzaddik was so strong that without batting an eye they put their hands in. Of course miraculously there was money there but that’s not a chiddush. The chiddush is the faith of the students.
That’s what we have to learn from these stories, not just about how amazing the tzadikim are but to have faith in them. To believe in the teachings of tzadikim and their lessons. Emunas Chachomim is of vital importance for ourselves, for our generation, for our children. Hashem should bless us that this week should be filled with EMunah, emunah in Hashem, Emunah in ourselves, Emunas Chachomim, Emunah in ourselves, Emunah in Torah and in Yiddishekeit. We should be zocheh to have a Gitteh Vuch, a Lichtig Voch and a blessed Voch.