Once all the action died down, Baruch decided to take a stroll in the beautiful town of Netivot. Baruch walked through the cool night air. Ahh, there was nothing like the air of Eretz Yisrael!
Baruch walked for a while until he came to a street of stores and shops. They were all closed, but Baruch enjoyed looking in their windows just the same. Efraim’s Falafel, Le’Voosh Clothing store, Gad’s Antiques and Bookstore… The last store really caught his eye. Baruch leaned closer to the glass. Old odds and ends filled the small store. A doll of a man in a tallis, something that looked like an old pair of shoes, and a white, faded clock… Suddenly Baruch began to spin!
Faster and faster until he landed in the… snow? Baruch jumped up, startled. He hadn’t expected that! He was right outside an inn. The innkeeper was speaking to a man while cleaning his hands with a towel. “So how did you sleep?” He asked the man. The man looked exhausted, thought Baruch. “I didn’t,” said the man. “You didn’t?!” cried the innkeeper. “Oy, I’m so sorry! What was the matter? Was the bed okay?” “Yes, the bed was fine.” “Was it too cold?” asked the innkeeper. “No, it was the perfect temperature,” answered the man. “Then what kept you awake?” asked the innkeeper.
“The clock,” said the man. The innkeeper looked shocked, not exactly sure how to respond. “The clock?” he repeated. “Like the one that ticks and tocks?” “Where did you get that clock?!” interrupted the man. “I must know!” “Hmmm…” said the innkeeper. “I believe, actually, we got that clock from a guest, who said it had belonged to the Chozeh of Lublin. Why do you ask?” The man relaxed. “Well now it makes sense. You see, my Rebbe, the Chozeh had a different clock than anyone else. Most clocks tick and tock and tell you ‘there goes another second, another minute, another day,’ but my Rebbe’s clock was different. It would say, “One second closer to Moshaich, one minute closer to Moshaich, one day closer. Totally different! How was I supposed to sleep with a clock like that?” The innkeeper was taken aback. He had never noticed that. Baruch was taken aback too… because under the innkeeper’s foot, there was a piece of paper. Baruch reached for it. An ende Chuf… Was this some kind of code? If he cracked the code, would he finally get home? A beis, a reish, a daled, a lamed, a chuf, and now an ende chuf… Bardalichecha? Was that even a thing? The man was telling stories about his Rebbe, the Chozeh. They say that Rav Koppel, the Chozeh’s grandfather, was a big Tzadik as well. He had an inn and one year the poretz decreed that no one should buy Rav Koppel’s chometz, his beer and whiskey before Pesach. Rav Koppel then took all his whiskey and beer and put them by the riverside. He declared anyone could come and take it. After Yom Tov, the non-Jewish peasants were very upset. “Why did you say we could have your beer, and then you put vicious dogs to guard it?!” Shocked, Rav Koppel checked and sure enough! Hahem had protected his drinks with wild dogs…
Baruch began to spin. He had a sinking feeling about this one…
To be continued…
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 39.