The Dybbuk answered, “I was a private teacher for this rich man’s father, tutoring him and his brother. One day, his father did a deal with a non-Jew and swindled 20,000 rubles from him. I signed on the deal and got a cut. Since I died, I have no peace because of this. Therefore, I decided to enter this man’s body, and pester the son of my former boss, until he will pay back the stolen money.”
Upon hearing this, the rich man jumped up and angrily cried out, “You scoundrel! As if your only sin was that you partnered with my father to rob a non-Jew?! I remember that you were barely religious and that you sinned constantly with impudence.”
The Dybbuk answered, “True. When you knew me, I was a real rasha (wicked person), but at the end of my life, I became a ba’al teshuva, repented for all my sins, and learned Torah every day for four hours...never missing a day. When I went up to Heaven, my teshuva was accepted and the Torah that I had learned saved me. All was forgiven, except for the money that I had stolen. That will not be wiped clean until the money is returned!”
Reprinted from the Parshas Devorim 5783 email of Torah Sweets.
