Rebbe Yitzchak Eisik of Kaliv and the Cherries of the Dark Winter Night

In a bitter, icy Chanukka night, several young Yeshiva boys gathered together, and sat down at a wooden table and began to play cards (קארטן). The boys enveloped in warmth, were entirely consumed by the game. It was midnight when a sudden, sharp knock echoed at the door. The young men wondered: Who could possibly be wandering outside in such a freezing night? One of them rose, and opened the door. Standing there was an old Gentile stranger, his clothing dusted in white, holding in his hands a basket filled with ripe, red cherries קארשן. The old stranger looked at them with a strange glance and asked if they wished to buy his delicious cherries.

The young men replied, "Ah, we would love to buy these beautiful cherries from you! But we do not have a single coin left in our pockets. Every coin is tied up in our card game, and from that pot, not a single cent can be withdrawn."

The old man smiled and answered, "Do not let that trouble you at all! I will willingly give you all these cherries right now, and as for the money I will return tomorrow night at this exact same hour to collect my payment."

The men agreed, thanking the old man for his generous heart. With a nod, the stranger turned back into the darkness and disappeared into the raging snowstorm. The young men carried the basket over, set it upon the playing table, and immediately returned to their game. As the hours flew by, they played, continuously reaching into the basket, eating the sweet cherries, and spitting the pits onto the wooden floor.

So it continued until exhausted, they finally threw themselves onto their beds. A heavy sleep overtook them, that they overslept the entire morning, missing saying Shema and Shacharis. When they finally awoke late in the afternoon, they stepped out into the outer room where they had spent the night playing cards. There, scattered across the floor, lay hundreds of cherry pits. Suddenly, one of the young men spoke aloud:

"My brothers, a great wonder has occurred here. Who was that old Gentile who brought us fresh cherries in the middle of a winter blizzard? Where did he come from, and who sent him to our door in such freezing, terrible weather? But even more terrifying than that—where in the world did he find sweet, ripe cherries in the middle of the winter? Fresh fruit like this does not exist anywhere in our region during the winter months! And why would a total stranger trust us as if we were his lifelong friends? This is no ordinary occurrence!" The realization dawned upon them: A heavy fear fell over them as they remembered that in a few hours, the old man would return to demand his debt. Who knew what terrible retribution or dark power he might exact upon them?

Unanimously, they resolved that their only hope was to run straight to the Holy Rabbi of Kaliv. They would relate their foolishness, confess their sin, and recount the supernatural event, praying that the Rebbe extract Heaven's mercy to save them from the claws of the lurking enemy. When they stood before him and related everything that had transpired, the Rebbe's face burned like a fiery torch. He began to cry out at them in righteous rebuke, his voice like thunderous flames of fire:

"Woe unto you!" the Rebbe cried. "Know that this old Gentile was no human being! He was a manifestation of the Kelipah (Satan)! Through your deep immersion in that impure, unholy game, you aroused these dark forces! And when you accepted his fruit and ate from his basket, you walked directly into his net! You are now trapped in his evil web, and mortal danger hangs over your very souls!"

Heartbroken and shaken, they wept, regretting their foolish actions with all their hearts. They fell at the Rebbe's feet, weeping and pleading: "Rebbe, have mercy upon our souls! Carve out for us a pathway of Teshuvah!"

Seeing their genuine heartbreak, the Rebbe softened. He asked, "Do you accept upon yourselves, with a complete commitment and a whole heart, that from this day forward, you will never return to your folly? That you will never touch those cards again?" With tear-filled eyes, the young men swore with a complete and resolute heart that they would never return to such emptiness. The Rebbe instructed them: "Return to me exactly half an hour before the appointed midnight hour when the old man is scheduled to return. We shall see what Heaven will enable me to do."

When the designated hour arrived, they entered the Rebbe's holy chamber. The Tzaddik untied his gartel and handed it to them. "Hold tightly onto my gartel," the Rebbe commanded. "Every single one of you, grab hold, and do not let go until I tell you to loosen your grip!" The young men reached out, trembling, and held fast to the gartel of their Rebbe. Minutes passed in intense, terrifying silence. After some time had elapsed, the Rebbe turned to them with a smile and said, "It is done. You may let go of my gartel. Go in peace, and fear no more."