The chasidim regarded Reb Pesach of Malastovker with utmost respect. He was a noted scholar, a devout chasid, a master of nigunim [Chasidic melodies] and physically robust. He merited a long life and had the opportunity to establish a connection with the Alter Rebbe, the Mittler Rebbe, and the Tzemach Tzedek.
Once, he courageously warded off a group of hoodlums who attempted to attack a Jewish girl. The would-be attackers vowed to take revenge and chased Reb Pesach, who took refuge in a yard stocked with large barrels, hiding beneath one of the barrels where they could not spot him. Enraged at the loss of their prey, they slashed the barrels with their swords. Although they did not discover Reb Pesach, their slashes wounded his skull. Some time later, Reb Pesach visited the Alter Rebbe and related the incident, complaining that the wound caused him constant head pain. The Alter Rebbe grasped Reb Pesach’s head and the pain ceased.
After the Alter Rebbe passed away, Reb Pesach began to feel acute pain from the old wound. At his next meeting with the Mittler Rebbe, Reb Pesach told him of his agony. The Mittler Rebbe, too, grasped his head and the pain receded.
Upon the passing of the Mittler Rebbe, Reb Pesach again experienced intense pain. He traveled to the Tzemach Tzedek who relieved his agony, as his predecessors had done in the past.
