There was a servant in the house of the Tzaddik, Rabbi Mordechai (‘Motel’e’) of Chernobyl, who used to stoke the fire in the winter stove. He was afflicted with severe psoriasis, and was covered from head to toe with painful boils and other skin eruptions. It seemed like he was always bleeding, whether from the disease itself or from being unable to refrain from scratching at the relentless itching.
Whenever the Rebbe saw him, he never said a word to him, even though he undoubtedly noticed the young man’s terrible suffering. His household and his Chassidim were astonished, for the Rebbe’s tremendous empathy for Jews in pain of any form was well-known.
One day, upon rising early in the morning, the Chernobyler came upon the servant crying and groaning in pain, furiously scratching at his head and other parts of his body, with blood oozing down from all over. The Tzaddik lifted his eyes and said, "Master of the Universe, let it be enough already!"
That same day, the servant suddenly died.
Now the Rebbe’s household and the Chassidim were even more amazed. Realizing that the turn of events was certainly out of the ordinary, they pleaded with the Rebbe for an explanation. Finally, he told them the following story.
His father, the famous Tzaddik Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl, was desperately poor; the family was always on the brink of starvation. There was, however, a certain rich person in the town who loved the Tzaddik very much, and he used to provide the Rebbe with nearly all his household needs.
It came to pass that when this rich man realized how dear he was to the Rebbe, it went to his head and he proposed to Reb Nachum that the Tzaddik’s son marry his daughter. Of course, he would pay all the expenses of both sides as well as provide a handsome dowry, he confidently told the Rebbe.
The Rebbe turned him down.
The man continued to argue and plead his case, but the Rebbe was steadfast in his refusal. As a result, the man transformed from the Tzaddik’s biggest supporter into his fiercest enemy. Not only did he cease his financial aid, he actively sought to aggravate him, and was constantly inventing new plots to make the Chernobyler’s life even more difficult.
One time, he somehow found out that Rabbi Nachum’s married daughter was due to go out that night. His antagonism had so festered in him that he actually decided to hire some ruffians to pursue her through the streets on her way home afterwards. They did so in a brutal manner, and she was forced to flee with all her might through narrow side streets and filthy back alleys. Finally she reached the haven of her home exhausted and upset. She crossed the threshold, collapsed on the floor, and fainted.
As you can imagine, this caused a great commotion in the Rebbe’s home. It was only after immense effort that the household was able to bring her back to herself. When Rabbi Nachum found out that his daughter’s suffering was a result of the rich man’s evil plan, he was enraged.
Shortly thereafter, the rich man died.
When his case came before the Heavenly Court, the Judges were about to issue a harsh judgment against him because of his aggression towards a great Tzaddik and the suffering he caused him. But then a defending Malach - Angel arose and pointed out the rich man’s large number of good deeds, his accomplishments in Torah study, and how he had even generously supported the Rebbe and his household for many years.
The case went back and forth. Finally it was decreed that he would be given the chance to appease Rabbi Nachum. If he succeeded, he would be granted the rewards for the many good deeds he had accomplished in his lifetime.
He was assigned two Malachim who would escort him to Reb Nachum, and subsequently bring him back to the Heavenly Court.
The rich man’s soul came to the Chernobyler Maggid and begged forgiveness for all the pain and aggravation he had caused him while still alive in this world. The Rebbe told him to enumerate one by one each of the offenses he had committed. At each one the Tzaddik responded, "I forgive you with all my heart."
Finally, they reached the episode with Rabbi Nachum’s daughter. "NO!" cried out the Rebbe, "this I may not forgive. This was a crime against my holy ancestors and against Heaven; not just against my daughter and me."
Immediately the escorting angels took him and returned to the Heavenly Court, where a second decree was issued. He would be reincarnated again, and in his next lifetime would suffer from terrible physical afflictions.
After the Chernobyler passed away and his son Rabbi Mordechai succeeded him, Rabbi Nachum appeared to his son in a dream and asked him to take the youth with the skin diseases into his house. The second Chernobyler Rebbe did so. When he saw how much the man was suffering, he refrained from offering to help, because he knew it was atonement for the sins of the man’s previous life. Finally, however, Rabbi Mordechai could no longer hold back. He forgave the man for the abuse of his family; the soul’s spiritual rectification was completed. Then the man’s soul returned to heaven.
Velvel's Journey to the Maggid of Chernobyl
A young man named Velvel was once traveling home from the house of his father-in-law Reb Baruch, who lived near Chernobyl. Having heard so much about Rabbi Menachem Nachum, the Maggid of Chernobyl, Velvel decided to stop off there and see for himself the wonders which had earned the Maggid ("preacher") such a reputation.
Although he had arrived very skeptic, it did not take long for Velvel to be enchanted by the intense holiness that permeated Rabbi Nachum's Beis Hamidrash. It was the most exhilarating experience of his life. He found it difficult to tear himself away from the Maggid; his only consolation was that he could return upon his next visit to his father-in-law.
In a short time Velvel was back, and again was captivated. He was inspired by the prayers, stimulated by the Torah thoughts he heard. Velvel became an ardent Chassid of the Maggid of Chernobyl.
His father-in-law, however, was less than enthusiastic about Velvel's new-found mentor. "What is going on with you? Why are you becoming so involved with Rabbi Nachum?" he demanded. "I'm supporting you so that you should be able to use your days for studying Torah, and instead you are spending your time with the Maggid!"
Confidently, Velvel answered, "My dear father-in-law, there is only one answer I can give you. Come along with me the next time I go and experience yourself a Shabbos with the Maggid."
They arrived in Chernobyl right before Shabbos. After the Kabbalas Shabbos prayers, Velvel looked at his father-in-law expectantly for his reaction. Reb Baruch said, "I'm not impressed - I've heard similar praying before." Velvel was disappointed, but was sure his father-in-law would be persuaded after he heard the Maggid recite Kiddush over the wine before Friday night dinner.
Much to Velvel's dismay, Reb Baruch remained unimpressed, even after Kiddush. And neither the entrancing Shabbos songs nor the inspiring Torah words of the Rebbe which followed helped sway his opinion.
After Shabbos, Reb Baruch turned to his son-in-law and told him, "I am still unconvinced. I see no reason why I should be supporting you to learn when instead you spend your time here with the Maggid. In fact, I am going to the Maggid to tell him directly what I think!"
"I promised to support my son-in-law while he learns," Reb Baruch informed the Maggid, "but while I have kept my part of the deal, he has let me down. Instead of learning, he comes here to Chernobyl. I refuse to support him any longer if he continues in this way. Tell me," he asked Rabbi Nachum, "do you think it is right that so many young men whose parents are supporting them should spend their time here?"
Rabbi Nachum smiled at the father-in-law and said to him in response, "Let me tell you a story.”
The Story of the Man Who Never Visited Yerushalayim
During the time of the Beis Hamikdash, The Holy Temple, there lived a man who had never in his life been to Yerushalaim! He had always found some excuse not to go. He convinced himself that he could remain at home and still be a good Jew; it was unnecessary, to go there, he maintained; not even to fulfill the mitzvah to appear there on the Three Festivals: Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos.
Once, when he was already an elderly man, he inadvertently desecrated the Shabbos, for which one is required to offer a ‘Korban Chatos’ – ‘a sin-offering’. Now he had no choice but to go up to Yerushalaim to present his sacrifice. It was quite an experience for him. Since he had never been there, he did not know the way, and had to constantly inquire for directions. The people he asked were incredulous. "Do you mean you've never been to Yerushalayim? How could it be that a man your age has never been there?"
Finally he reached the city. His excitement grew as the moment approached when he would finally arrive at the Temple Mount and see the Holy Beis Hamikdash. But, again, he had no idea how to get there, and had to ask people how to proceed. Again he had to endure the astonishment of those from who he asked directions, who exclaimed, "You've never been to the Beis Hamikdash? At your age?!"
He arrived at the Beis Hamikdash, and entered the courtyard where the Kohanim were preparing the sacrifices. He was taken aback by the sight. Was this the beautiful Holy Beis Hamikdash he had heard so much about? It looked more like a kitchen! The Kohanim were hurrying about, there was blood dripping everywhere. He had no idea what to do in order to bring a sacrifice, and he was ashamed of his ignorance.
He asked to speak with the Kohen Gadol, and was led to a man dressed in beautiful, majestic clothing. He had expected to see a saintly old man, and was unimpressed by the youth standing before him. He still could not understand what was so special about the Holy Beis Hamikdash, and so he asked the Kohen Gadol "what makes this place unique? And what makes you more special than anyone else? Why do people flock to the Beis Hamikdash three times a year?"
The High Priest turned to the old man and asked him, "Why have you come?" He replied, "I sinned unintentionally."
The Kohen Gadol asked, "Is this the only time you sinned in all these years?"
"Yes, replied the man confidently.
(One of the priestly garments worn by the Kohen Gadol was the Choshen - a Breastplate with twelve precious stones upon which were engraved the names of the twelve tribes. Inserted in the Breastplate was the Urim VeTumim, a parchment upon which was written the Name of Hashem. It was this Name which caused letters on the stones to light up, which when arranged through Divine Inspiration, provided the answer to a question posed to the Kohen Gadol.)
Looking down at stones of his Chosen whose engraved letters were now illuminated, the Kohen Gadol said, "What about the time last year when you made a business deal and swore falsely?"
"Oh, yes," admitted the man, "I forgot about that."
Again examining the holy Choshen, the Kohen Gadol said, "and what about that time when you were alone and succumbed to temptation?"
The man now realized that the Kohen Gadol had the ability to recount all the sins he had committed in his lifetime. "Please, enough!" he begged. "Say no more! Now I understand why one has to come to the Beis Hamikdash three times a year! The holiness of the place elevates a person - had I come here all these years I would not have committed so many sins!"
When the Maggid completed his story, Reb Baruch was standing in openmouthed shock. The sins that the Maggid had related were, in fact, transgressions that he himself had committed! When he found his voice, he cried out, "Rebbe, Rebbe, don't say anymore! I understand now why my son-in-law and your other followers feel a need to come here!"
Reb Baruch became a loyal Chassid of the Maggid, and accompanied Velvel every time he went to Chernobyl.
