“What is bothering you?” the young husband asked the Arab. “You tell me, and then I'll tell you.”
The Arab told him the whole story—that yesterday he had kidnapped a Jewish woman, and she escaped, and he's not so sorry about her, but along with her the cloak in which he had hidden all his wealth, lots of gold and diamonds, had disappeared. A serious loss... The young husband understood what had happened, made an excuse and hurried home. When his wife had come home the night before, she had put the cloak under the stove and the husband noticed this. He immediately tore the garment and found the treasure, and they both rejoiced greatly. The joy of this young Jewish couple was boundless, and from this joy, a righteous son was born to them.
When Rabbi Shalom of Prohobisht finished telling the story, he said: Now the woman in labor has given birth, mazal tov. And then he promised that when this story would be told in the case of a woman having difficulty in childbirth, she too would give birth in an auspicious and successful time.
Rebbe Menachem Nachum passed away on the 11th of Cheshvan, the date traditionally identified as the day of passing of the matriarch Rachel. Rachel passed away during childbirth and is therefore a symbol of a woman having difficulty in labor. In Kabbalah, she represents the Divine Presence, i.e., the Shechinah, who suffers with the birth pangs of the Mashiach. Indeed, one of the issues that touched Rebbe Nachum of Chernobyl's soul more than anything was the plight of a woman struggling in childbirth. He performed many miracles in this matter and would even interrupt his Amidah to accept money given to tzedakah (a pidyon nefesh) when he knew a woman’s life depended on it.
Here, the Rebbe of Chernobyl entrusted this difficult case to his grandson-in-law. Although it was challenging for the young man to bring forth the salvation by himself, Rebbe Nachum did not give up, and gifted us with a beautiful story with its own inherent spiritual power.
What is the connection between the woman from Istanbul and the woman giving birth in Ukraine? In the story told by Rebbe Shalom Shachne, the self-sacrifice of the woman for her modesty is emphasized. The woman giving birth also consciously enters a dangerous situation, and although generally the matter ends well, this is not always the case. The matriarch Rachel attests to this. Nevertheless, her self-sacrifice is what paved the way for all Jewish women and annulled death during childbirth.
Just as the woman from Istanbul self-sacrifice overcame the impure Arab, so will Amalek fall at the hands of Rachel's children. In our generation too, self-sacrifice provides the strength to overcome the enemy, and for the birth of Mashiach with good mazal.
