283rd yahrtzeit: 15 Tammuz
BURIED: Jerusalem
Story
The Ohr HaChaim earned his parnassah by making women’s shoes. When the king of Morocco was preparing for his daughter’s wedding, he sent servants to order shoes from the Ohr HaChaim. They asked him to make forty pairs. The Ohr HaChaim replied that he only made one pair of shoes each week, and he could not make 40 pairs in the timeframe they needed.
The servants were surprised that he was refusing more business and asked why he worked so little. The Ohr HaChaim answered, “I am busy working for the greatest King in the world. Since one pair of shoes provides all the money I need for the week, I spend the rest of my time serving Him.” The servants asked who could possibly be greater than the king of Morocco. “The king of Morocco is also a servant of that King,” replied the Ohr HaChaim. The servants did not appreciate his answer, and reported to the king that this person was refusing to do the work he needed.
The king became angry and ordered that the Ohr HaChaim be thrown into a lions’ den. At the end of the day, the king sent soldiers to retrieve his remains so they could be returned to his family for burial. But when they looked into the den, they were shocked. The Ohr HaChaim was sitting peacefully and learning Torah, while the lions stayed far away from him.
The soldiers quickly ran to tell the king. The king came himself and saw the miracle with his own eyes. He immediately ordered that the Ohr HaChaim be taken out of the den and begged him for forgiveness. From then on, he treated the Ohr HaChaim with great respect.
Fun Facts
When the Ohr HaChaim lived in Morocco, he told the local Yidden that instead of working all week, they should work only three days a week. The rest of the week should be spent davening and learning Torah. He promised them that their income would not decrease.
And that is exactly what happened. For many years, the work week consisted of only three days. Later, after the Ohr HaChaim moved to Eretz Yisroel, people slowly returned to working six days a week. However, when they eventually compared their earnings, they discovered that they were not making any more money than before!
During the years when the Arabs controlled the Old City of Yerushalayim, they tried to destroy parts of Har HaZeisim. When they reached the area near the tziyon of the Ohr HaChaim, the tractor suddenly tipped over, killing the driver. The next day, they tried again, and the same thing happened. After that, they left the area around his tziyon alone and never returned.
I Wanna Be Like…
The Ohr HaChaim
Let us remember that our most important job in this world is serving Hashem. Even when we are busy with other things, we should always remember who the true King and Boss of the world is!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 87.