I’ll tell you a maiseh. One of the great Chassidic Rebbes was the holy Kotzker Rebbe. The Kotzker generally did not accept any donations from his Chassidim. On the rare occasion that he would accept money, the Chassidim understood that this meant the Chassid who gave the money was considered very worthy in the Rebbe’s eyes, and his money was deemed “kosher” for the Rebbe to accept. Therefore, being allowed to support the Kotzker was considered an incredible honor.
There was one particular Chassid who had the zechus to support the Kotzker. This was a huge honor for him, and he knew this meant the Rebbe approved of him. One day, he sent the Rebbe some money, and to his dismay, the Rebbe sent the money back to him, refusing to accept it. The Chassid became very nervous, understanding that this was not a good sign at all. He quickly ran to the Rebbe to ask what he did wrong and how he could correct it.
The Rebbe replied that he had nothing to worry about; it wasn’t something he did that made the Rebbe reject the donation. The Rebbe explained: “When a person has parnassah, the true source of that parnassah is always Hashem. But there are intermediaries — an employer, a business deal, a client. These are all just the in-betweens. Sometimes a person gets so caught up in the intermediaries that he forgets the real source. So what does Hashem do? He may close off the parnassah for a time, just to remind the person where it truly comes from.
“Now,” said the Kotzker, “you’re the one who supports me. You’re my intermediary. If Hashem ever needs to test me — to remind me that He, and not you, is my source of sustenance — then that test would have to come through you. It would mean your parnassah would be stopped so that I could be tested. I don’t want that to happen to you. So I’d rather not take your money.”
The Chassid refused to accept this. On the contrary, he replied, if I can be part of the Rebbe’s nisayon because of my connection to the Rebbe, I would accept such a holy role with joy, even if it means my parnassah is tested! The Kotzker was satisfied with this answer and agreed to continue to accept his support.
Sure enough, a few months later, the Chassid’s business started to slide, as deal after deal fell through, until he had practically lost all of his parnassah. He met with the Rebbe, who reminded him of the conversation they had a few months prior. “Do you regret your decision?” the Rebbe asked. “Absolutely not!” came the reply. “If my loss of parnassah is due to my strong connection with the Rebbe, I accept it with joy!”
“If that’s the case,” the Kotzker replied, “I give you a bracha that Hashem should send you parnassah b’shefa, more than you even had in the past.” And sure enough, shortly thereafter things turned around, and the Chassid’s business exploded more than it ever had before.
Take It To Go!
This is how it is with every Jew. We are deeply attached to Hashem. If that connection means we will sometimes be tested, we accept that with simcha! It is well worthwhile to handle some tests since those tests are a sign of our attachment to the Ribono Shel Olam!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 57.