Once, after a week of continuous efforts, the Baal Shem Tov succeeded in collecting the amount necessary to redeem a family imprisoned by a stubborn poritz, who had refused to free them until he received every penny that they owed him. They were finally set free late on Friday, so the Baal Shem Tov invited them to stay with him for Shabbos, for they would not be able to make it back to their town in time. They willingly agreed. At the seudas Shabbos, the Baal Shem Tov turned to the Yid and asked, "So, what news have you heard today?"
Confused by the Baal Shem Tov’s Question
The Yid looked up in wonder: "But Rebbe, what news could have reached the dungeon in which we were imprisoned?"
"Then tell us something of your past," encouraged the Baal Shem Tov.
The Yid replied, "I can't think of anything worthy of telling about my life, but I just recalled a strange experience I had while I was imprisoned.
"In the same dungeon, at some distance from us, there was a group of people who cried and moaned all week long. It melted my heart. However, erev Shabbos after chatzos, they would begin to dance and laugh loudly, and I too would burst out laughing. This went on for weeks, but this week, the crying and screaming was louder than usual, as was the roaring laughter and the wild dancing which took its place.
During the entire time, I was too terrified to approach and speak to them and ask the reason for all this. We just huddled together in our corner. Yet, knowing that we were to be freed shortly, I gathered enough courage to shout a question in their direction, 'Who are you?'
The Kelipos Depend on the Sin of a Certain Tzaddik
"A voice from the far end of the pit responded, 'We are kelipos (the impurities) whose existence depends on the aveiros (sins) of a certain tzaddik. He doesn't eat all week long, breaking his fast only on erev Shabbos. He prepares a mug of milk in the morning, and puts it aside to drink when he finishes davening Shacharis.
“All week long, we are so overwhelmed by the power of his tzidkus that we cry. Every erev Shabbos, however, we cause someone in his family to accidentally spill the milk, causing him to become angry. From this anger, we receive our chayus (evil strength). This week he was determined to overcome his anger, because he realized that by getting angry, he could lose all of the ruchniusdike achievement that he had reached during the week. He therefore decided to lock the closet where he put the milk and not to give anyone the key. And that's why we were so upset this week,' the voice explained.
Offered the Wife a Cheap Bundle of Wood
'We didn't know how we would be able to make him angry, but we were not prepared to give up so easily. This morning, one of us appeared as a woodcutter, knocked on the tzaddik's door, and offered his wife a bundle of wood at a cheap price. Her purse was in the same closet as the milk, and she asked her husband for the key. Anxious not to keep the woodcutter waiting, she knocked over the milk jug. Sure enough, the tzaddik exploded into a rage, and that's why we had so much to celebrate about today.'"
All the chassidim at the Baal Shem Tov's seuda listened to this strange story in amazement. Suddenly, one of them fell down in a faint. He was known to fast the entire week.
Reprinted from the Parashat Kedoshim 5784 edition of the Weekly Farbrengen.
