The Sma”g writes that from the passuk, “Hishomer lecha pen tishkach es Hashem Elokecha” — “Guard yourself lest you forget Hashem your G-d” — we learn that it is a lav to be a baal gaavah. He adds that at first he did not count this as one of the mitzvos. Then he had a dream in which he was told, “You forgot the main lav, Hishomer lecha!”
The Yerushalmi learns from the passuk, “Baruch tihyeh mikol ha’amim” — “You shall be blessed above all the nations” — that if a goy gives you a bracha, you should answer Amein!
The passuk says that the Yidden’s clothes in the midbar did not get worn out or old for forty years. The Ramban explains that clothing usually gets ruined from a person’s sweat, but since the mon was a holy food, it did not make them sweat!
The holy Ruzhiner was traveling with his chassidim. They were looking for a place to rest when they came to an inn. The chassidim noticed a mezuzah on the door and were happy that they had found a Jewish-owned inn. Just as they were about to go inside, one of the chassidim said, “This inn belongs to a Yid who is a miser. He holds tightly onto his money and never gives any tzedakah.”
The Rebbe continued past the inn, but then suddenly turned around and said, “Let’s go inside.”
The Rebbe and his group entered the inn. The innkeeper knew he had to honor the Rebbe by offering him something, but he was so stingy that the best he could bring himself to give was a tiny glass of vodka. He brought it to the Rebbe, who drank it, said “L’chaim,” without even looking at the innkeeper, and then immediately left.
A short while later, the innkeeper came running after the Rebbe and begged him to return for a bris. The gabbai was confused. He had not seen any baby in the inn.
The man said, “I don’t mean that kind of bris. I mean the bris of ‘U’maltem es orlas levavchem’ — ‘You shall remove the blockage from your heart.’ Since the Rebbe came into my home, my heart has opened up. I want to give all my money to the Rebbe!”
The Rebbe refused to accept any money. From that day on, however, the innkeeper became a very generous baal tzedakah.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 92.