At one point, the community was having extreme financial difficulties. During his tish one week, the Magid stood up and declared, “Mashiv haruach. Ribono Shel Olam, You only want to ‘blow’ ruchnius on Your children. But we also need ‘Morid Hagashem.’ We also need gashmius to come down to us. Please provide generously for everyone and we then will able to speak about ruchnius.”
Constant Dveikus:
The gabbai once walked into the Magid’s room and saw him pacing back and forth in an agitated way. He asked, “Is the Rebbe feeling okay? Should I call a doctor?”
The Magid said that he didn’t need a doctor but the gabbai was still concerned. A short while later, he said, “The Rebbe looks like he isn’t feeling well. I will stay in the room because I don’t want to leave the Rebbe alone.”
When the Rebbe heard this, he banged on the table and yelled, “I am not alone. I have never been alone in my life. I don’t know what ‘alone’ is.”
No Need for Food:
Rav Boruch of Gorlitz zy”a said, “I learned from my father (the Sanzer Rov zy”a) that it is possible to live without sleep. And I learned from the Magid of Trisk that it is possible to live without food. The Magid only ate a bit of milk all week long and on Shabbos he ate a tiny amount of challah, the eye of a fish, and a little whiskey, and that was all.”
