This took place many years after the passing of Rabbi Yisrael of Husiatyn. One night, thieves broke into his home in Tel Aviv (where he lived after immigrating to Israel in his later years).
At that time, his elderly granddaughter, Rebbetzin Miriam Bauminger, was living in the house. The thieves took all the silver objects they could find. Among them were antique pieces the Rebbe had inherited from his grandfather, Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhyn, and his father, Rabbi Mordechai Shrage of Husiatyn, as well as valuable silver items given to him by his chassidim and admirers.
The next morning, the granddaughter rose to assess the extent of the theft. With sadness, she discovered that the thieves had done a thorough job, leaving nothing behind.
Memories from 40 Years Ago
Carelessly, she lifted a towel from one of the armchairs in the living room and was overjoyed to find the magnificent Chanukah menorah and the beautiful etrog box underneath it. Only then did she remember that the day before, she had taken both out of the cabinet to clean them.
Since she hadn't had time to finish the job, they had remained on the armchair, covered by the towel she had used. This is how they were saved from the greedy hands of the thieves.
The woman returned the menorah to the cabinet and sat down on the armchair, holding the etrog box in her hand. The box was crafted from several types of silver and inlaid with precious stones.
As she gazed at the magnificent box, a story from about forty years earlier came to her mind, when she was a young woman in her grandfather's home in Vienna. This is what happened:
It was a Friday, one of the short winter days. One of the household members went to the silver cabinet to take out the Kiddush goblets and set them on the table. Suddenly, he noticed that the beautiful etrog box was missing. He began asking the household if anyone had taken it out of the cabinet or knew where it was. Everyone shook their heads in confusion and immediately joined the search for the missing box.
Police Investigation
On Sunday, after all the searches in the house came up empty, one of the family members went to the police station and reported the disappearance of the expensive etrog box. He expressed his suspicion that it had been stolen.
The police delved into the matter and conducted a thorough investigation. The trail led to a young Jewish girl of Hungarian descent named Judith.
The girl had worked at the Rebbe's house for some time and had recently quit her job on her own initiative. A search of her home by the police did indeed uncover the etrog box, and the girl was taken into custody.
The box was returned to its place, and the Rebbe asked his gabbai (attendant) to go to the police station and request the girl's release for a few hours, so she could come to him to clarify the matter and discuss what she had done.
The police agreed to the request, and the girl appeared before the Rebbe with trembling legs. It turned out that the girl was an immigrant from Hungary, from a poor and broken home.
Joy and Sadness
Her father was in poor health and addicted to alcohol. She, her mother, and her two sisters had to support themselves through various jobs. Seeing that her present was not bright and her future was uncertain, she decided to leave her family and seek her fortune elsewhere. Eventually, she made her way to Vienna.
To her delight, she soon found work in the Rebbe's house. At the same time, she also found a suitable match—a young man, also of Hungarian descent. However, her joy at the upcoming wedding, for which a date was set, was mixed with sadness.
While the groom would occasionally send her small gifts, she had nothing to give him in return. In her desperation, she decided to take the etrog box and send it to her groom. Her conscience tormented her greatly for the wicked deed, but she believed that one day, after she had established her home, she would reveal the source of the gift to her groom, and he would surely agree to her request and return the box to its owner.
In her mind, it was not theft but a loan without the owner's knowledge. However, now that she had been caught in her wrongdoing, she recognized her mistake and asked for forgiveness and pardon.
Throughout her account, tears streamed from her eyes. After she finished speaking and her crying subsided, the Rebbe instructed his gabbai to go back to the police and withdraw the complaint.
Then, he took an envelope with money from his desk drawer and placed it on the table. "This money is for you," he said, turning to the girl, "so you can buy your groom a beautiful etrog box. Do you hear? A magnificent box! And please, do not be stingy with the expense."
The girl, flustered, approached the table and, with a trembling hand, took the envelope. Before she left, the Rebbe instructed her to return to him the following day and show him the item she had purchased.
The next day, the girl returned with the etrog box she had bought at the Rebbe's command. The Rebbe looked at the item and examined it from all sides. As he was looking at the box, he turned to the girl again and asked her, "Why didn't you tell me you were about to get married and had no money for the expenses?"
As a Father for a Daughter
The girl was silent, and tears began to flow from her eyes once more. The Rebbe asked her for more details about the groom and the wedding date. After receiving the answers to his questions, he told the girl: "You will receive everything you need here. For any matter, turn to my gabbai, Reb David. He will stand by your side and even escort you to your wedding canopy, just as any father would with his daughter."
The girl's face lit up with joy, and her eyes were filled with gratitude. The Rebbe returned the etrog box to her and showered her with blessings for good fortune and for the building of a lasting home. It was this story that the granddaughter—who had witnessed every stage of the events—remembered as she held in her hands the beautiful and precious etrog box that had been saved from the act of plunder and remained in her possession.
(Tell Your Children and Shabbos Table translated from Sichat HaShevua)
