Everyone in the town of Sassov knew that, for some reason, the great Tzadik Reb Moshe Leib Sassover never showed up to shul for Selichos. He always came later on for Sacharis, but he never seemed to be able to make it on time for Selichos. Where was the Rebbe during Selichos? There were two explanations for this in town. The Chassidim would say he was busy with avodos in Shamayim. The Misnagdim, however, would say that he was simply sleeping in bed.
Two Misnagdim once decided they needed to get to the bottom of this mystery. They woke up very early one Selichos morning and hid outside Reb Moshe Leib’s house. Sure enough, at some point before dawn, they saw movement inside. A few minutes later, the door opened and Reb Moshe Leib stepped out, wearing a peasant’s jacket and cap, carrying a sack over his shoulder and an axe in his hand. The two men, puzzled and curious, followed him at a distance as he walked out of the village and into the forest. There they watched as he began chopping trees, cutting them into pieces until he was able to fill his sack with firewood.
Pull quote: THEY WATCHED FROM A DISTANCE AS REB MOSHE LEIB SASSOVER BEGAN CHOPPING TREES, CUTTING THEM INTO PIECES UNTIL HE WAS ABLE TO FILL HIS SACK WITH FIREWOOD.
They followed him back into the village and saw him approach a broken-down shack on the edge of town. He knocked, and an elderly widow answered the door. He told her he was selling firewood and asked if she needed any for her stove. She admitted that she did, but explained she had no money and simply could not pay for it. The “firewood salesman” shrugged off her concern, reassuring her that she could pay another time and should not worry about it at all.
The widow was very appreciative, but then told him she did not even have the strength to carry the wood inside the house or set up the fire. Without hesitation, he offered to bring it in and prepare it himself. She protested again, saying he deserved extra payment for his trouble, but he shrugged it off once more, insisting she could repay him whenever she was able.
And so it was, that Rav Moshe Leib Sassover carried the wood inside, and bent down to set it up and light the fire. The two Misnagdim, watching with amazement through the window, suddenly heard him begin reciting Selichos by heart: L’cha Hashem hatzedakah, v’lanu boshes hapanim…
They hurried back to shul, where the Chassidim, who knew of their plan, were waiting to hear what they had discovered. “Nu?” they asked, “is it true that the Rebbe goes up to Shamayim?” In awe, the Misnagdim replied, “The Rebbe does not go to Shamayim before Selichos. The Rebbe goes even higher than Shamayim!”
Pull quote: WHEN WE SHOW HASHEM THAT WE ARE WILLING TO SACRIFICE NOT ONLY OUR GASHMIUS, BUT EVEN OUR RUCHNIYUS, FOR THE SAKE OF ANOTHER JEW, THEN WE ARE TRULY READY FOR ROSH HASHANAH.
Take It To Go!
It is not possible for a Yid to come into the Yomim Noraim by himself. With all the zechusim we may have, we cannot go in alone. The only way is to enter together with other Yidden. When we bring chessed and mesirus nefesh, when we show Hashem that we are willing to sacrifice not only our gashmius, our possessions and money, but even our ruchniyus, giving up spiritual opportunities for the sake of another Jew, then we are truly ready to approach Rosh Hashanah. Reb Moshe Leib understood that the greatest thing he could do was to give up Selichos in shul in order to help an elderly widow in need.
Hashem should help us connect to that place which is higher than Shamayim. We should be zocheh to enter the Aseres Yemei Teshuva with the willingness to give anything we can for another Yid. In that merit, we will not enter the Yom HaDin alone, but together with our fellow Jews, certain that Hashem will perform miracles for us, granting each of us the salvations we need as individuals, and granting us all the salvation we need as a nation, with the coming of the Go’el Tzedek, b’rochamim, bimheira b’yameinu, amen.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 53 Rosh Hashana.