Many years ago in Dubrovno there was a boy named Feivish Henech, who was a G-d-fearing lad. Although he was not a great student, he nevertheless devoted practically all his time to reciting Psalms, and this he did in the sweetest voice imaginable.
Feivish Henech was a beautiful-looking boy and his voice was a pleasure to listen to. When he sang the Psalms of praise, his voice rang with joy, so that everyone listening to him felt their beings permeated with gladness. But when Feivish recited the Psalms which were outpourings of the soul to the Alm-ghty, beseeching Him to help His troubled people, Feivish Henech's voice assumed such depths of melancholy and distress, that everyone felt full of sorrow and sadness.
When he reached the age of sixteen, he suddenly took it into his head to live differently from everyone. He spent literally every moment of his life reciting the Psalms. And in order that no one should deter him from his purpose, he stopped up his ears so that no sound of the outside world should reach him. He covered up his eyes so that no sight should disturb him, as he could recite the Psalms and prayers by heart. He ate hardly anything, fasting all day and only partaking of a crust of bread and drink of water at night. On Shabbos or Yom Tov he ate white bread, instead of the darker bread, and in addition drank a glass of wine. One may have expected to see him become a physical wreck under the circumstances, but to everyone's surprise he became, if anything, even stronger and more handsome.
Naturally, he could not go unnoticed, and he was talked about all around the area of Dubrovno. When word of this strange Jewish hermit reached the ears of a certain anti-Semitic Polish squire, he decided he would have some sport with the Jew. He sent one of his servants to Dubrovno to bring Feivish back, but when the man heard that Feivish was a holy man whom it was impossible to approach, he fled in terror. When his master heard his story, he flew into a deadly rage and ordered the poor fellow to be publicly flogged. The usual penalty was fifteen lashes, after which the unfortunate victim had to crawl on all fours and kiss the feet of his tormentor, begging forgiveness. But when the lashes were administered to the back of the servant, nothing happened; there was no pain and no blood.
Everyone wondered what would happen now. It was known that the squire had sent other servants to fetch Feivish Henech the Hermit. The servants returned, but without Feivish. They related their story: "When we found the hermit, he was standing and praying. We called out to him, but he made no sign of having heard. I stepped up quite close to him and struck him with my whip, but it was as if it hadn't even touched him. Then I waited and tried to convince him to accompany us, but he refused to react and we had no choice, but to come without him."
The squire was in a frenzy of anger. "Saddle me a horse, and I myself will fetch this crazy Jew! Get the priest and he will accompany us." In the squire's heart was a creeping fear that the hermit might after all be a supernatural being. When the priest heard that the squire planned to use force against Feivish Henech, he begged him, "Please, Your Honor, do not do anything against Feivish Henech the Hermit. He is a holy man and you will be wiser to leave him alone. I, myself, will have nothing to do with this foolishness."
"Aren't you ashamed? I will show you that he is merely mentally unhinged!" exclaimed the squire.
When the squire entered the study hall he greeted the Rav and the other community notables in a friendly manner, but he let them know that he was there to prove that this particular hermit who refused to see, hear, or eat was just crazy, and had nothing supernatural about him.
"You are playing with fire," they warned him, but he refused to listen.
"I have driven sense into many obstinate persons with this whip and shall now drive the nonsense out of this individual also!" With that he walked up to Feivish Henech and struck him with his whip. The whip fell out of his grasp and his hand dropped helplessly to his side as excruciating pains shot through his arm.
There was a feeling of panic in the air. The Jews feared the squire's retaliation against the entire community, while the squire's men were terrified of the hermit. They bundled up their master and ran for their carriage. Feivish the Hermit took no notice of the entire proceeding and continue to fill the hall with his exquisite singing.
The squire's pain became unbearable. He wanted to return to the hermit and beg forgiveness, but he was told that no one could approach the holy man. The doctors said there was no hope, other than to remove the arm before it poisoned the entire body.
From this time on, people in trouble tried to do something for the hermit, so that they might be helped, as a result. So it was that all the childless wives of the town gathered together and raised funds to build a study hall with special accommodation for Feivish Henech the Hermit to be called by his name. It is an interesting fact that after this, all these childless wives bore children. Adapted from the Memoirs of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn.
