Ripping up the Decree:
The Zemigrader Rebbe zy"a related that the Sanzer Rov zy"a once said the following during the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, "In days of old, there were tzadikim who could see all that was occurring in Shomayim and everything that took place throughout the year. Do you think that we don't also know this? We also know every step taken by every Jew. It would, in truth, be better if we didn't see all this, as Shlomo Hamelech says (Koheles 1:18): 'The more knowledge one has, the more pain he has."
The Sanzer Rov went on to relate the story of a big tzadik and talmid chochom named R' Dovid zt"l, who would sit and learn and serve Hashem all day and all night. He was also very wealthy and owned a successful business. He hired managers to run his business for him, as he stayed home all day learning and serving Hashem. He even had a mikvah in his home so that he never had to leave the house.
One time, his business suffered a large loss. The managers saw that there was a big problem. They brought the ledgers to R' Dovid's room to show him that he had lost a lot of money. He looked at the accounts and was shocked. He didn't know what to do. He got very upset and remained in a state of panic for the next eight days.
Afterwards, he calmed down somewhat and decided to go outside and see what people were saying about him. He went to the marketplace and heard someone whispering to his friend, "There must be something happening in R' Dovid's house. He actually even went outside!"
He went back home, but he still couldn't fully calm himself. He decided to go on Friday to the mikvah to hear what people were saying there.
In the mikvah, he heard one melamed telling another, "Did you hear about R' Dovid? He is drowning in debt! It's good that we are melamdim and not wealthy businessmen. We don't have to worry about having problems like he has."
The other melamed replied, "You are so silly. He might owe a lot of money, but he will still go home from the mikvah, eat a good piece of cake, and drink a big cup of schnapps. Don't be so foolish. A melamed will always be a melamed, and a businessman will always be a businessman."
These words revived R' Dovid's spirit and made him happy. He went home, ate a good piece of cake, drank a cup of schnapps, and was full of joy throughout Shabbos.
After Shabbos, he asked his wife to bring him the account books again. When he again saw that it looked like there was no way to save his business, he told his wife, "Why should we look at these numbers? Rip up these ledgers. A businessman will always be a businessman!"
When the Sanzer Rov related this story, he made a gesture with his hands as if he was ripping up a bundle of papers. Everyone could see that he was ripping up the harsh decrees against Klal Yisroel.