Chaim requested to speak to him. The villager, honored by the invitation, accompanied the Rav to his home. During their conversation, Rav Chaim told the man an extraordinary story, urging him to listen closely and draw a meaningful lesson from it.
Rav Chaim of Volozhin began his story: “In my youth, there was a baal koreh in our town who was an unlearned man, a simple Jew with little knowledge of Torah or even basic halachah. Yet, he cherished his role as a baal koreh and devoted himself to it with great enthusiasm.
While he didn’t understand much of what he was reading—being a complete ignoramus—he knew the trop (cantillation notes) perfectly and practiced diligently each week. His love for the task and his meticulous preparation resulted in a reading that was exemplary. The entire kehillah praised and admired his Torah reading.
Privately, I often wondered: What would become of this baal koreh after his passing? On the one hand, he had little Torah knowledge and was likely guilty of numerous halachic violations. Yet, on the other hand, his Torah reading was filled with love and sweetness, a melody of devotion to Hashem.
When his time came, he passed away and ascended to the World of Truth. Shortly thereafter, I had a dream where I saw this baal koreh running frantically, trying to escape from terrifying destructive angels chasing after him. These angels—created by his sins—were far faster than him and soon surrounded him, roaring with dreadful voices, ready to devour him.
But just as they closed in, a miraculous sight appeared: a bimah of fire descended from Heaven, landing between the baal koreh and the angels. The moment the angels saw the fiery bimah, they fled in all directions, leaving him unharmed.
From this dream, I understood the profound teaching of Chazal (Sotah 21a), that Torah protects and saves—both in this world and the next. The Gemara states:
“Rav Menachem bar Yossi expounded, כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר - For the commandment is a lamp, and the Torah is light (Mishlei 6:23). The pasuk compares a mitzvah to a lamp and the Torah to light. Just as a lamp provides temporary protection, so too, a mitzvah only protects temporarily. But just as light provides constant illumination, so too, the Torah offers eternal protection. As the previous pasuk says (ibid. 22), בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ תַּנְחֶה אֹתָךְ בְּשָׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ וַהֲקִיצוֹתָ הִיא תְשִׂיחֶךָ - When you walk, it shall guide you in this world; when you lie down, it shall guard you in death; and when you awaken, it shall speak with you in the World to Come.
“This is like a man walking in darkness, fearing thorns, pits, wild beasts, and robbers, unsure of his path. He came across a torch of fire and was saved from the thorns and pits, but he was still afraid of beasts or robbers and did not know which way to go. When dawn breaks, he is saved from beasts and robbers but still does not know which way to go. Upon reaching a crossroads, he is saved from them all.”
Thus, Torah is a light that shields and saves a person at every stage of life and even after death. The dream revealed that the unlearned baal koreh, despite creating countless destructive angels through his sins, was ultimately shielded and saved by the Torah that he lovingly read every Shabbos in the shul. His huge dedication and great love for Torah reading earned him this protection.
This story moved the reluctant man deeply. Upon returning to his town, he joyfully informed the gabba’im that he had decided to accept the honored position of baal koreh and served faithfully in this role for many years.”
