Let me tell you a maaseh. There was once a Yid named Avremele, whose son became very sick. Avremele was a Chassid of the Baal HaTanya, so he brought his son to the Rebbe, seeking a brachah. The Baal HaTanya looked at the name on the kvittel and gave him a brachah. Then he said, “If you truly want a quick and complete refuah sheleimah for your son, I have advice for you.” Avremele was ready to do anything it took! The Baal HaTanya instructed him to go to a certain town, where he would find a Yid who could help. “When you arrive,” he said, “you’ll see hills and mountains. On top of one hill, there will be a large house. You’ll understand when you get there. Go stay with the Yid who lives in that house. Avremele asked the Baal Hatanya what he should do in the city, to which he responded that he can visit the shuk, the local marketplace.
So, Avremele packed his bag and set out with his son. They found the hillside as described and knocked on the door of the large house. They told the Yid who lived there that they had just traveled a long journey, and asked if he could host them while they were in town. The homeowner welcomed them, and they rested from their journey. The next day, they went straight to the marketplace. For hours, they wandered, unsure of what they were looking for, waiting for the Baal HaTanya’s promise of a yeshuah. After a long day with no breakthrough, they returned to their host’s home for dinner and rest. The host asked them what they did that day, and Avremele replied that they spent the day checking out the local shuk. They went to sleep for the night.
The same routine continued the next day. They walked the marketplace for hours, still unsure of what or who they were even looking for, and came back to the house at the end of the long day.
After the third day, the host was confused. “What’s going on with this father and son?” he wondered.
“They asked for a place to stay, and I’m happy to host them, but it doesn’t seem like they’re doing anything. They just hang out in the marketplace from morning until night!” Finally, he couldn’t control his curiosity anymore and asked his guest why they were in town and what they were trying to accomplish by hanging out in the marketplace all day.
So Avremele answered honestly. He told him about how his son was sick, and he went to the Baal HaTanya, who told him to come to this town, described how to get to his house, and told them to just kind of hang around in the town and marketplace.
The host was very surprised by this because he didn’t consider himself to be a big Tzadik or someone who could bring yeshuos. But then it hit him! Maybe the Rebbe didn’t mean that he would bring the yeshuah for their son, but rather that he knew someone who would. Perhaps the Rebbe wanted him to bring them to his son-in-law.
“What’s special about your son-in-law?” Avremele asked.
The host tells the story:
Many years ago, I went into the shul one day and noticed a bochur learning in the back. He was a new face in town, and I understood after watching the way he davened and learned that he was a very sincere, G-d-fearing bochur. So I befriended him, and once in a while, I would give him some work to do to help him earn some money. In general, I made sure he had a place to live and food to eat.
At some point, I hired him for a few weeks to be a watchman for one of my properties during the night. One night, I couldn’t fall asleep, so I went out for a walk and passed by the property he was watching. As I approached the guardhouse where this boy was, I started to hear the most beautiful sounds coming from it. As I came closer to investigate, I saw what seemed like a glowing light radiating out of the guard booth. I peeked inside and saw the most enchanting sight I’ve ever seen – this young man learning Torah. As I stood there, glued to the window, I realized that this was no ordinary yeshiva student. This young man must be one of the hidden Tzadikim of our generation.
I knew I needed to take him as my son-in-law, so I suggested the shidduch for my daughter. As we were almost ready to close the shidduch and make the L’chaim, I happened to make an off-the-cuff remark to him, which made him understand that I knew who he really was, a real Tzadik. When my future son-in-law heard that, he became very nervous, as he had invested great effort to hide his greatness from the world, to the point that he was hesitant about whether he should move forward with the shidduch. Finally, we made a deal: we would proceed with the shidduch, but I would commit to never revealing to anyone that my son-in-law was a hidden Tzadik.
The host continued: “But if the great Baal HaTanya sent you to me to get a refuah for your son, it must be a message to me to bring you to my son-in-law.”
So they traveled to the other side of the city and knocked on the door of his home. The son-in-law opened the door, and his father-in-law asked if they could come inside, then proceeded to tell him the entire story, ending off by hoping he could give the young boy a brachah.
Finally, the son-in-law spoke. “I give you a brachah that your son should become healthy and live a long and fruitful life. But the one thing I cannot wrap my mind around,” he said, “is the fact that the Baal HaTanya found me, even here! I spent many years doing everything I could to avoid becoming known, and just like that, the Baal HaTanya sent someone to come and find me!”
Rav Yussie Zakutinsky adds:
To me, when I hear that story, I hear the lesson that the great Tzadik of the generation, the Baal HaTanya, was teaching to this young Tzadik. He was teaching him that the definition of a Tzadik is not all about their lofty spiritual levels of personal avodas Hashem. The true meaning of a Tzadik is someone who is willing to sacrifice some of their own heavenly space in order to descend and help other Yidden, to deal with a father and son who need help. The Tzadik Hador was able to find this younger Tzadik and convey this message: the holiest thing in the world is to help another Jew. We should all be zoche to use the strengths that Hashem has given us, not only to develop our own personal spirituality, but also to help other Yidden and uplift them as much as we can!”
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 40.
