House of Love and Prayer
San Francisco, 5733.
Reprinted with the permission of the Holy Beggar's Gazette

A STORY FROM THE HOLY SAIDIGERER

               The Sadigerer, Reb Yaakov, used to tell this story on the night
before Pesach, at the time of the searching for leaven, Bedikas Chumetz.

      In a small village near the town of Kolvosov there lived a Jew who
was renting a tavern from the nobleman of that village. As it was,
business wasn't so great, and he couldn't meet the rent payments. In
those days, not paying the rent was a terrible crime, especially if a Jew
was involved.

          Many times the nobleman tried to collect the rent and each time
the little Yiddele was unable to pay it. Even threats of violence failed to
move the Yiddele to pay, he simply didn't  the money. Finally the nobleman
sent his henchmen over to tear up the tavern to show this little Yiddele
that he meant business. So what did they do? Well, they poured out all the
whiskey onto the floor, ripped apart all the tables and chairs and literally
destroyed everything they could get their hands on.

When the Yiddele and his family returned to what was left of their house,
they were so dismayed, and full of despair and fear, the only thing that
the little Yiddele could do, he decided, was to go to Kolvosov to hear the
Rebbe's talk. For you see all this took place on Shabbos haGaddol, the
Shabbos before Pesach, which is called the "Great Shabbos"

At that time the Rebbe of Kolvosov was Reb Heschle, who later became
the Apter Rov. The shul was jam packed, for when Reb Heschele
spoke on Shabbos haGadol, it was as if Moishe Rabeinu were talking to
the Yiddelach in Egypt telling them that they were about to be redeemed
from slavery. Coming into his Rebbe's Beis Medresh in the middle of the
speech, the poor Yiddele had to squeeze himself into a corner near the
door. This is what the Rebbe happened to be saying as the Yiddele entered:

          "There are two kinds of blessings involving the redemption of Israel
One we say before the Amidah (the daily silent prayer); it is in the past
tense: "He who 'redeemed' Israel". The other is one of the eighteen blessings
said during the Amidah itself and it is in the present tense, "He who is
'redeeming' Israel".The first blessing refers to the redemption from Egypt
and that is why it is in the past tense. The second blessing, however, is in
the present tense because it refers to the redemption that is going on right
now, this very moment, even to a little Yiddele who can't pay his rent, and
the owner has the place destroyed because of it. Even to this person, I tell
you that HaShem will show him the way out of his misery and will redeem
him from his afflictions."

               Well, you can imagine the joy these words brought to the little
Yiddele. And so when he returned home, he was so filled with joy, that he
started to dance, and while he was dancing he shouted out, "The Rebbe says,
'He who is redeeming Israel now!' The Rebbe says, 'He who is redeeming
Israel now!' "Unbelievable! His house and business a ruin and his family
destitute, but there he is, this little Yiddele, jumping up and down, and
shouting, "The Rebbe says, 'He who is redeeming Israel now!'" What a scene!!

               Meanwhile, the nobleman of the village wanted to know how the
Yiddele was taking all his misfortunes, so be sent over his henchmen to
check up on him. When they discover that the little Yiddele is dancing and
shouting for joy, they don't know what to make of it. They go back and tell
the nobleman that the Yiddele has most likely cracked under the strain of
his troubles.

          That night the nobleman has the little Yiddele sent for. At first the
Yiddele is afraid to go, but then he remembers the words of Reb Heschele,
that HaShem is redeeming Israel all the time, so he goes.

          When the Yiddele arrives, the nobleman asked him, "Hey Moishke -
(you know in Russia every Jew was supposed to have the same name-
Moishe, which in Russian came out as Moishke) - what's going to happen to
you now! You know, it's your own fault that you're penniless, and I don't
have any money to give to you.

     "Well what can I do?" replied the Yiddele.

     "Okay, Moishke", the nobleman answered, "I'll tell you what I'll do for
you. Take this credit slip and bring it to the distillery in Kolvosov, and
they will give you some whiskey. With this whiskey you can realize a
small profit. With the profit, you can pay the rent you owe me, and also
buy for your family. You can get on credit as much whiskey as you need."

               So the little Yiddele did this, and in the few days, between
Shabbos and Erev Pesach he sold so much whiskey that he was able, not
only to pay the rent he owed the nobleman, and to buy for his family all
that was necessary for the holiday, but to have some money left over also.
Now what do you think the little Yiddele did with this money? He tied it up
in a handkerchief and brought it to Kolvosov, to Rob Heschele, and said, "This
money belongs to 'He who is redeeming Israel now!'"

