Looking for an elusive sefer leads the Tzaddik to two Hidden Tzaddikim
Reb Ezriel of Polotzk, Belarus, was a student of the Heilige Mezritcher Maggid. He happened to be in a shtetl near Lemberg, where he noticed a seforim vendor who spread out his seforim in the local shul. When he noticed a copy of the Sefer Karneim, a rare Sefer on Kaballah, he asked the price. When the vendor quoted a high price, Reb Ezriel tried to haggle, but the vendor stood firm. Reb Ezriel decided he would go around town and raise money from friends, and when he raised the money, he dashed back to the vendor in high spirits, bloating that he had the money for the sefer! But all of a sudden, his spirits fizzled, as the vendor had already sold the sefer.
The vendor felt bad for Reb Ezriel and said, “As soon as you left, a wagon driver came along, saw the sefer, and asked me the price, and he paid me. He drove off a happy man with the little sefer. I’m sorry!" This struck Rav Ezriel like a lightning bolt. He understood that a simple wagon driver would not purchase such a deep sefer on Kabbalah. He must be from the 36 Hidden Tzaddikim, and I want to meet him and learn with him. Reb Ezriel asked the vendor to describe the man exactly and in which direction he headed. The vendor did his best, and Reb Ezriel started doing detective work on pursuing the Tzaddik at all costs.
Eventually, after many inquiries, his work paid off, and he found out where the hidden tzaddik lived. Reb Ezriel made the trip to the house or a small shack, where he saw a person who fit the description that the vendor provided. Reb Ezriel walked over to the Yid and said, "I beg your pardon, Reb Yid, but I understand that you bought a sefer today, which I very much wanted to own. I'm prepared to buy it off of you and add a nice profit." The Yid answered nonchalantly: "A sefer, you say? How should I know anything about Seforim? They're all the same to me! Now please leave me alone, as I've had a hard day with the wagon and need to get some rest, and you're bothering me with something?" Reb Ezriel became agitated, and he requested again to buy the sefer. This time the Yid displayed his unwashed fist and said, threateningly, "Leave now or I'll give you a feel of my fist!"
Reb Ezriel wasn’t moved by the threat, as he thought to himself, "That is the nature of a hidden tzaddik." His goal is to conceal his greatness, so I shouldn't be disturbed. But he wasn’t going to take a chance.” Rav Ezriel had a plan: since he was close to the local Rav, he would ask him to accompany him back to the wagoner and to ask the Yid if he were unwilling to part with the sefer, to at least allow him to sit with him to study its contents.
The Rav agreed and said he would have liked to join in on the shiur! The pair proceeded to the house and found that it was empty. Suddenly, they stumbled upon a hidden staircase, covered by a carpet, leading to the cellar. They followed the stairs and noticed a table loaded with seforim, where the wagon driver surely sat, learning and teaching Hidden Wisdom with his circle of companions.
Reb Ezriel inquired about the wagoner by the neighbors and learned that he often traveled to Lemberg to visit a certain guest house. Reb Ezriel felt he was hot on the trail of the hidden Tzaddik, and he lost no time traveling to the guest house in Lemberg. He tried to blend in with the crowd of travelers usually found in public houses. One man in particular caught his eye: a lonesome wanderer sitting in a corner with his knapsack over his shoulder, clearly on the lookout for someone. Before long, in came the wagon driver, heading straight for that corner. The two men embraced and launched into an intense dialogue. Reb Ezriel could not overhear them at first but was convinced that he had happened upon a second Hidden Tzaddik. He was elated and moved closer to the pair to eavesdrop, thinking that for the sake of Torah, it would be permitted. He inched closer to the pair, keeping his face close to his plate so the teamster would not notice him.
This is what he overheard: "Where have you been lately, and where are you coming from now?" asked the wagon driver. "I'm coming from Anipoli, where I spent time close to Rebbe Reb Zishe." "What were you trying to find there?" "I wanted to get to know him and learn about authentic Yiras Shomayim/Fear of Heaven." "What did you witness, and did you succeed in attaining Yiras Shomayim?" "I derived entire courtyards-full of fear of heaven."
Reb Ezriel could only speculate on the hidden messages contained in this exchange. Suddenly, the wagoner caught a glimpse of Reb Ezriel's face and exclaimed to his partner, "Oy! I've got to get away from that man. He knows too much!" Hearing this, Reb Ezriel's head began spinning, and he fainted away onto the table. By the time the men in the guest house revived him, the pair had vanished. Reb Ezriel took the entire episode as a sign from heaven that he was not meant to share contact with the Hidden Tzaddikim, who took all measures not to allow themselves to be revealed, no matter to whom. He returned home to Polotzk, despondent, but relieved that he was able to see the faces of two Hidden Tzaddikim and glad that he escaped unharmed from the encounter with them.
