Rabbi Natan Nota Shapira and the Repentant Butcher

Rabbi Natan Nota Shapira zt"l

Rabbi in Krakow
Author: Megale Amukos
13 Av 5393 (1633)

Part 2

I remembered the parchment scroll given to me by the Megale Amukos and I quickly placed it on the table. Then I heard a voice say: "What sort of words are these of the Baal Megale Amukos, that he should decide to excuse this soul from all punishment? He does not have so much authority as to give us instructions to accept the Teshuva of this sinner that caused others to sin, who fed non-Kosher food to a complete city of Jews for decades just for the lust of money."

Very quickly there appeared a large group of angles that came to speak on my behalf. "Why do you still scorn this soul? Is all the suffering endured during his lifetime not enough? With such strength he revealed his sins in public and accepted shame and punishment! He threw away all his money and the entire honor he collected during his lifetime. He gave up all earthly pleasures and endured three years of exile and excommunication and indescribable earthly tortures. He accepted it all with love and humility. If you were clothed with human bodies you wouldn't be able to endure such pains! You would be broken immediately and would cease to do Teshuva! Now you want to throw him into the fires of Gehinom? The holy Rav Baal Megale Amukos has stated that he has endured all the pain and tears and has emerged pure and clean without any traces of dirt. Now you want to call him wicked?"

But the accusing angels screamed back with a voice that shook worlds, "Let us all see what a catastrophe this soul caused with all his sins!” Within seconds from all sides emerged thousands of souls, wailing, crying and screaming: "He caused us to die by plague because of his sins!"

"I died in my youth because this wicked man fed thousands with non-Kosher meat.”

"We were children in Yeshiva and had no taste of sin, we could have been great Torah sages but because of this wicked man we died young!"

"We were young women. We gave birth to children in holiness and purity; we hoped to raise them to Torah, marriage, and good deeds. Yet we died when we gave birth or shortly after and our children were left orphans without the love and care of a mother. We have no rest in the grave; the cries of our babies' mouth torture us! We constantly hover over them and when we see the harsh treatment they receive from nurses we burn inside, for us there is no need for Gehinom! We have longed for the day when this wicked soul would come here and we will vengefully witness how he will languish in Gehinom, and now you say to let him free? No way!"

While these women were still pouring out their bitterness into the hall, there streamed lines of cattle and sheep and goats all wailing loudly!

We were reincarnates awaiting our final Tikkun in the lower world. We could receive our eternal rest only if we would be slaughtered by a G-d fearing holy Jew who would slaughter us with a fitting blessing. All the time we worried that we would be killed by a non-Jew without a proper Shechita (slaughtering), and when eventually a Jewish butcher bought us we longed for the moment of Tikkun. But he took us to a secret cellar and killed us with an ax over our head, like they do to pigs! Now we still roam the world awaiting our Tikkun!"

I remained totally silent unable to utter anything in my defense. But when the Chief Defending Angel saw that the scales started to tip towards the side of guilty, he took the scroll and said to me, "Do not be afraid, wait for me here!"

He then flew upwards and after a short time returned with a multitude of silver-winged angels, ready with new words of defense.

"It's true that the defendant did all these terrible sins, more abundant than the hair on his head, but no one can deny that he was left an orphan at a tender age and was brought up under terrible conditions by a gross and brazen uncle. He worked him like a slave and taught him no wisdom nor any religion or any fear of Heaven. He therefore fell prey to lust in worldly desires and was engrossed in sin without even realizing his evil deeds."

"Also no one can deny that as soon as he realized the gravity of his deeds, he immediately admitted them and regretted them and immediately did Teshuva. For years he endured all the pain with love. Indescribable pangs of hunger, cold, illness, shame and disgrace. In every town he came during years of wandering he called out, 'I am a sinner. Please disgrace and shame me and trample me underfoot!'"

"And all this is because he realized the gravity of his sin and undertook to repent fully according to the instructions of the Beis Din of Krakow. Here is the scroll from the Baal Megale Amukos who testifies that he fully repented during his final days on earth!"

They continued: "Behold, the judgment is explicit in the Gemara. Since he already willingly accepted his punishment, he is totally free of any taint of sins!"

The words of these angels left a strong impression and the Beis Din Shel Maala started again debating the case, and it continued for a long time.

Then finally came the decree: "Just as he has been found in the lower court, so will he be found in the higher court! The verdict of the Baal Megale Amukos is final. The repentant butcher is free of all sin! "

Along with this verdict came out another verdict, "All the souls and reincarnations that were waiting for their Tikkun will now be perfected and are welcomed to enter Gan Eden."

Immediately multitudes of angels began to descend and to carry each soul individually to its place in Gan Eden - each one according to the good deeds it had done. Some of these souls immediately began to shine with a light that is impossible to describe to a human being. When they finished carrying all the souls into Gan Eden, they took me and placed me on a platform encircled by a group of angels shining like the heavens - all singing out loud, "Ploni ben ploni is innocent."

Then the Heavens opened and revealed a sight that is incomprehensible to man. From all around came the singing of the angels: "Zakai hu, ba’al tzaddik gamur hu - He is innocent, he is a complete Tzaddik.'' Everyone sang shira including the Sefer Torah with its glowing letters seemingly whispering the words, 'He is innocent, and he is Tzaddik.' Then I was surrounded by this light thousands times brighter than the sun at midday, giving me pleasure of infinite magnitude. Each second streamed towards me more and more angels and pure Tzaddikim who came out of Gan Eden to meet and honor me. The heads of all the Tzaddikim were adorned with crowns and precious stones that beamed out sparks of fire and colors.

Six fiery angels appeared carrying a splendid canopy with poles made of cedar and the covering of fine gold. In the center it read, "Ki Lashem Hamelucha - For sovereignty is Hashem’s." Together with this appeared a complete legion of musical angels playing with an uncountable number of instruments.

All this entourage arrived at my feet and then the angels carried me on their wings and placed me under the gold canopy. Immediately the musicians began playing and singing. The spiritual splendor experienced by listening to these songs is indescribable. A human who would hear this is liable to die the Kiss of Death from the intensity of its sweetness.

And so they began to escort me to my place in Gan Eden.

He continued to describe all the glory and splendor with which he was escorted. The greatest honor that a man can receive in this world is like a garlic peel compared to one second of Gan Eden and from who did I receive this entire honor? From holy and pure Tzaddikim whose faces shone like the heavens and whose heads were crowned with the crown of Torah.

Then two angels, whose splendor shone from their faces in a fine light that went for miles, came near to me with a crown studded with precious stones - on it hovered the words Baal Teshuva Gamur - One who has done complete repentance. They placed this crown on my head with great ceremony that cannot be described to man and all the Tzaddikim escorted me to the palace of the Baalei Teshuva. As they departed they called out to me, "Fortunate that you merited."

The departed butcher instructed his friend in the dream, "continue as before with all your hardships and don't think for a moment to slacken. It is better to withstand the most extreme torture in this world than to endure one moment of pain in Gehenom. The life of man eventually comes to an end but the life in the next world lasts for eternity."

"Go to the Baal Megale Amukos and tell him all I have told you. Even though he knows this better than I, tell him and ask him to tell this story throughout the world and they should print this story for the masses, so that all should know the following:

1. How much man must distance himself from sin.
2. To what tremendous heights a Tzaddik can reach through his actions in this world;
3. How great is the power of Teshuva which reaches the glorious throne itself, in the place where someone repents even a totally righteous person cannot stand.
4. All shall know that reward for Mitzvos is indescribable and immeasurable, no human eye has ever seen it!