Reb Zusha had gone to visit his teacher, the great Maggid of Mezritch. After a fulfilling stay, drinking in his teacher’s wisdom, R’ Zusha prepared to take his leave. When he went into his rebbe’s study for a parting word, he mentioned that he was soon going to be marrying off his daughter. Knowing how poor R’ Zusha was, the Maggid immediately took a sum of 300 rubles and pressed it into his disciple’s hand, wishing him “Mazal tov,” and sending him happily on his way.
The trip home took R’ Zusha through many towns and villages, and as he passed through one tiny Jewish village he was startled by the sound of bitter weeping coming from a small hut. The other villagers were going about their business, and he stopped one and asked, “Who is that crying?” “That is a poor widow who was about to marry off her daughter. But on the way to the chupah she lost the entire dowry. Now, the wedding is off because the groom and his family refuse to go on with it without the dowry. How will she ever amass 300 rubles again?”
R’ Zusha’s tender soul was pained for the poor woman. Then he suddenly realized that 300 rubles was exactly what he had with him. He walked up to the door of the hut and knocked. “My good woman, I think I may have found your money!” Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Can you tell me if this money had any distinguishing marks?” asked R’ Zusha. “Why yes,” she replied. “The money was in a packet of two fifties, and ten twenties, and it was tied with a red string.” “Yes, that’s exactly what I found!” replied R’ Zusha. “I will go to the inn and get the money and bring it right back.”
Reb Zusha ran to the inn and changed his money for the denominations the widow had described. Then he tied the bills together with a red string and ran back to the widow’s hut. By the time he returned, the little village was buzzing with the good news. The girl had changed into her bridal dress, and the neighbors were bustling about, preparing the wedding feast. As Reb Zusha presented the widow with the money, he said, “I am keeping one twenty ruble note for my trouble.”
She looked at him as if he was speaking a foreign language. The others who had overheard the remark stood with their mouths open. “What!” screamed the widow, finding her tongue. “How can you rob a poor widow of twenty rubles! And after you have just performed a most wonderful and holy mitzvah!” The others converged around Reb Zusha screaming and yelling, “Thief! Stealing a widow’s money! For shame!” R’ Zusha, however, refused to budge. He clung to the twenty rubles as if to dear life. “This money is mine as a reward, and for my troubles!”
Relatives, friends and other townspeople berated R’ Zusha, and soon it seemed that they would tear him limb from limb to retrieve the money. Finally someone piped up: “Let’s go to the rabbi. He will be able to settle this once and for all!” Everyone agreed to follow the rabbi’s ruling and they all trailed along to the rabbi’s house. The rabbi listened to each side and then ruled: “Reb Zusha must give the widow the twenty rubles.” Still, Reb Zusha refused to give up the money. One young man put his hand into Zusha pocket and extracted the bill, Then Zusha was escorted to the edge of the village and unceremoniously kicked out.
Many months later the village rabbi happened to encounter Rabbi Dov Ber and related to him the incident with his disciple, Reb Zusha. The Maggid turned to the rabbi, “You must go to Reb Zusha and beg for forgiveness. That money didn’t belong to the widow. I myself gave it to Reb Zusha to marry off his own child! He demanded twenty rubles because he wanted to avoid honor at any cost. He wanted this great mitzvah to be completely pure.”
The rabbi was shocked and ashamed when he heard this. He went to Anipoli to beg Reb Zusha’s forgiveness. But Reb Zusha replied to him, “You don’t need my forgiveness because I never was angry. I do not hold my honor high, but I will forget about the incident completely if you promise never to reveal the truth to the widow. I never want her to suspect that the money wasn’t hers by right.” The rabbi, of course, agreed and the incident was never mentioned again.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 22.