Rebbe Yankele of Pshevorsk zt'l told the following story: In the city of Sanz lived a young widow with fourteen young children. One day, she became ill and was near death, r'l. The chevrah kadisha was already put on notice... At that time, a shaliach came to the Divrei Chaim of Sanz zt'l, to ask him to daven for this woman. The Divrei Chaim became very afraid. [He once said about himself that he isn't afraid of malachim, but he is afraid of the tears of an almanah and of yesomim.] He stormed into the beis medresh and shouted, 'Ribono Shel Olam, Father and King, we can't tolerate this. When a tzaddik decrees, Hakadosh Baruch Hu keeps. Therefore, I decree that You send a refuah sheleimah to plonis bas plonis.' Needless to say, his tefillos were answered, and the widow became well. The Divrei Chaim's son, Rebbe Boruch of Gorlitz zt'l came to his father and said, 'Teach us, my father. A few days ago, I heard you say that you are embarrassed to enter the beis medresh because you feel so low due to your aveiros, r'l. And now you claim that you are a tzaddik, a tzaddik who can make decrees that heaven must obey and abide by!'
The Divrei Chaim replied, 'Why is this a contradiction? That is the way of a Yid. Yesterday, he can be at the lowest level, and today he is a tzaddik gozer [a tzaddik who can decree in heaven].'
The Sanzer Rav's "low levels" are way above our highest levels. But the lesson is important and applicable to all. People change. The way he is one day can be totally different than how he was the day before.
From time to time, the Beis Yisrael of Gur zt'l would go to the village Shmaryahu (during the weekdays). Once, he met with a twelve-year-old boy there, and he understood with his holy sense that he could help this boy come close to Yiddishkeit. He asked someone to call the boy to him. When the lad arrived, the Beis Yisrael spoke with him about several topics: what he does, and where he learns. In this conversation, the boy told the Beis Yisrael that he has a great interest in sports. He is an expert in all the soccer teams, and he always checks the news to hear who won, and the like. The Beis Yisrael explained to him that this isn't good for him. 'What will you gain from knowing these matters? Furthermore, next year, you will be going to yeshiva. The yeshiva won't accept you if they know that you are so interested in sports.' Before the conversation ended, the Beis Yisrael asked the boy to give him his word that he won't follow the sports anymore. The boy said he will try, but he can't promise. The rebbe wasn't satisfied. He wanted the child to give him his word that he won't follow the sports anymore. The conversation went back and forth until the boy agreed, and he gave his word that for the rest of his life, he would no longer watch sports.
When this child had his bar mitzvah, he entered a yeshiva, and he excelled in Torah and yiras Shamayim. He kept his word, and he didn’t follow or watch sports. When he reached the age of shidduchim, he found his shidduch from a family in America, and he built a home there, built on the principles of Torah and yiras Shamayim. But years passed, and they still didn't have children. He had already heard from doctors that, naturally, they couldn't have children.
Sometime afterwards, he came to Eretz Yisrael to daven at the holy sites. Perhaps Hashem will have compassion on them, perhaps they will have their salvation. When he came to Yerushalayim, he went to speak with the Beis Yisrael. He brought along a kvittel, which stated what he needed, but he didn't write that he was the child the Beis Yisrael had met in the village Shmaryahu, years before. Also, when he spoke with the Beis Yisrael, he just expressed his distress that he didn't have children, and the doctors lost hope, but he didn't tell them who he was. The Beis Yisrael had compassion on him and gave him a brachah. The man said, 'Holy rebbe! A brachah isn't enough for me. I need a guarantee, a promise, that I will very soon bear a child.'
The Beis Yisrael replied, 'How can I promise such a thing? I can't promise. All I can do is give a brachah and to daven for you.'
But the man repeated that he wants a promise, a הבטחה that he will bear a child. The Beis Yisrael refused to grant it.
The man said, 'Why then, twenty years ago, did you make me promise, and you weren't satisfied when I said I would try?'
The Beis Yisrael immediately recognized the person who stood before him. He asked, 'Did you keep your promise?' The man replied that he did. The rebbe said, 'If so, I am מבטיח, I give you my word, that you will very soon have your salvation.' Less than a year later, he had his first son (despite the doctors' opinion that he wouldn't ever bear a child).
We learn from this that when a person goes beyond his nature to abandon his foolish ways, he will merit salvation middah k’neged middah. He will merit miracles beyond nature.
