In honor of the 166th yaartzeit of the Kotzker Rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel Morgenstern ZY”A, 22 Shvat
The Sfas Emes used to share the story of when his grandfather, the Chidushei Harim took him to Kotzk for the very first time. He recalled being very surprised by the “balagan” that he witnessed in Kotzk. There were all different kinds of people coming and going in a very chaotic way, far from the organized routine he was familiar with and that he imagined he would find in Kotzk as well.
There were also some sketchy characters around, to the extent that the Sfas Emes shared that if you put down your gartel in the Beis Medrash and took your eyes off it for a few moments, someone would walk off with it. While he was there, he overheard a conversation between the Kotzker Rebbe’s wife with the gabbai of the Beis Medrash. The Rebbitzen was complaining about the lack of order and the chaos and she complained that she had put down one of her things and a moment later it was gone: someone had stolen it!
The gabbai responded, respectfully, that that’s just the way it is, being that there is no one watching over things. They didn’t hire policemen here to offer protection, and all types are welcome in their open-door policy!
Meanwhile, the Kotzker Rebbe who was standing nearby overheard this conversation, He turned to them, and said “Policeman? Protection? What do you need this for? The Rebono Shel Olam said, “Lo signovu, do not steal!”
The Sfas Emes said that hearing these words from the holy mouth of the Kotzker Rebbe made such an impression on him, that for the rest of his life, he shuddered and was repulsed by even the thought of taking something that was not his. A single line uttered from the mouth of the Tzadik completely transformed the way he would ever look at the concept of stealing.
Take It To Go!:
Even though we aren’t able to hear the words of the Tzadikim directly, we can attach ourselves to the Tzadikim through stories of the things they did and the words they said. When you come across a quote from a Tzadik that resonates with you, try to imagine putting yourself into the scene where that Tzadik uttered these holy words, as if you heard it directly from him. Through this we can allow the Tzadikim of the past to encourage and uplift us.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 25.