Story of the week (By Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
******Reb Hershele of Liska sent two angels to save his Chosid ******
R' Yaakov Yosef Lefkowitz was a devoted Chosid of the heilige tzaddik Reb Hershele of Liska. Before every business trip he travelled to Liska first, and whatever the tzaddik told him, he did. Once he came to the Rebbe before setting out for a big fair. He waited a long time for his turn, until the gabbai finally called his name and he went in. He handed the Rebbe his kvittel and pidyon. The Rebbe read it and sat lost in thought for a while. Then he began asking questions. Where was he travelling? How did his business work? Where did he get his money from? R' Yaakov Yosef explained that the big fair was in the town of Lanya. There was no bank in his own village, so first he would go to Beregszász and take his money out of the bank there. The Rebbe blessed him with success. Then he added: "I want you to promise me something. If anyone stops you on the road and asks you to take him up on your wagon, take him. Don't forget!" "Of course!" R' Yaakov Yosef answered.
R' Yaakov Yosef was on his way to Beregszász when he heard someone shouting at him to stop. Two Hungarian gendarmes- officers- stood in the road. They told him they had been walking for a long time and had no strength left to go on. For a moment he was badly frightened. His first thought was to refuse; he did not want to sit in his wagon with two gentiles. But in a flash the Rebbe's request came back to him: "If anyone stops you on the road, take him." So he pulled up and asked where they were going. They named the very town where R' Yaakov Yosef lived. He told them he would gladly take them there, but first he had to stop in Beregszász, and only then would he head home. "That suits us fine," they said. R' Yaakov Yosef trusted his Rebbe completely, and he stayed calm. When they reached Beregszász, the officers offered to watch the wagon. He went into the bank, took out his money, wrapped it up carefully, came back to the wagon, and they set off for home.
By the time they arrived it was late at night. The officers said they would have to sleep at his house, since they had nowhere else to go; in the morning they would find their way. R' Yaakov Yosef had no choice. He made up beds for them, and since they were hungry he prepared them something to eat. Then the officers went to sleep.
R' Yaakov Yosef finished his daily learning, said Krias Shema, and fell into a deep sleep. Suddenly he heard knocking at his window. At first he thought he was dreaming, but the knocking grew louder. He woke with a start and went to the window to see who it was. His heart turned cold. Outside stood a man wearing a mask, holding a gun. "Give me all your money!" the man demanded. R' Yaakov Yosef said he would go and fetch it. Instead he hurried to the room where the officers were sleeping, since they were armed, and tried to wake them to help him. But they were sleeping so deeply that they heard nothing. So he took a small bundle of money, brought it to the window, and said that this was all he had.
The robber would not accept it. He said he knew that R' Yaakov Yosef had been in Beregszász that very day, and knew exactly how much he had taken out of the bank. He wanted all of it! R' Yaakov Yosef felt faint. Once more he ran to wake the officers, and this time they got up. He told them what was happening and begged them to help. "Tell the robber that you hid the money and need a few minutes to bring it," they said. "Then go and bring him all of it. Meanwhile we'll wait for him on the other side and catch him." R' Yaakov Yosef did as they said and brought out the whole sum he had taken from the bank. The robber counted it, and when he saw it was all there, he turned to leave. But as he walked away, he found the two officers standing in front of him with their guns drawn. They seized him and put him in chains, and they kept him tied up until morning so they could hand him over to the police. One of them brought all the money back to R' Yaakov Yosef, who thanked them warmly.
By then it was growing light outside. The officers pulled off the robber's mask, and R' Yaakov Yosef saw that it was the banker himself, the very man who had given him the money at the bank. He had hoped to get rich at R' Yaakov Yosef's expense!
Soon the police arrived and arrested him. The officers thanked R' Yaakov Yosef for the ride and for his hospitality, and went off with the police in peace. R' Yaakov Yosef never heard from them again. He was certain, that the Rebbe had sent him these two angels to guard him the whole way. R' Yaakov Yosef went on to the fair and did very well there. Later he travelled to Liska, and told him everything that had happened with the gendarmes. But the Rebbe did not want to talk about it, and R' Yaakov Yosef went home in peace. In him the verse was fulfilled :Li«¤k ¨x §CÎl ¨k §A ÀL §x ¨n §W ¦¹l K®¨NÎd¤E ©v §i ei ¨k ¨` §l ©−n i´¦M "For He will command His angels for you, to guard you in all your ways." (Tehilim 91:12)