them. He even gave Reuven a copy of his new will.
A number of years passed and Levi passed away. A few weeks later, Shimon told Reuven that he had taken possession of everything Levi had left behind, in accordance with his will. Apparently, he had completely forgotten about the new will – which divided the possessions evenly between Reuven and Shimon, and only remember the old will – which gave everything to Shimon.
Reuven didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, he had a copy of the most current will, and he could rightfully claim half of the inheritance. On the other hand, if he pulled out his copy of the new will, everyone would think that Shimon had tried to cheat him out of his portion of the estate. This could cause a big machlokes, and could have long-term ramifications for Shimon’s parnassah and potential shidduchim for his children.
Reuven’s claim to the estate was an astronomical amount - $7 million! He was at a loss and had no idea what he should do.
He decided to travel to Eretz Yisroel to consult with the Posek Hador, Rav Shmuel Wosner zt”l, and he committed to follow his advice. He told Rav Shmuel everything and showed him his copy of the will, and then he asked the Gadol how he should proceed.
Rav Shmuel told him, “Since you have clear proof, you would win in a din Torah. Any beis din would grant you half of the inheritance. However, since this might cause a fight to break out, I would advise you to keep in mind that no one ever lost out from being mevater. You will only gain from giving in and not demanding your share.”
Upon hearing this, Reuven immediately decided to forgo his claim. In order to remove all temptation, he grabbed his copy of the will and ripped it up right then and there. Rav Shmuel was extremely impressed and he said, “Since you are so willing to be mevater for the sake of peace, there is no doubt that you will experience great things!”
A short while later, Shimon approached Reuven and asked him to sell him his share in their business. He offered him a tidy sum, and Reuven agreed. He realized it was time to move on, and he didn’t want to be reminded about the will anymore.
He opened his own business and saw much success. Just two years later, he had increased his worth tenfold. He made a lot more money from his new business than he would have received from Levi’s inheritance
He once traveled to a vacation town, where he met Rav Shmuel Wosner. Rav Shmuel was very happy to see him and he asked, “Nu, tell me how you’ve been since we last spoke.”
Reuven told the Gaon that he not only hadn’t he lost anything from listening to the Rov, he had gained a lot more than he would have made from the will.
This is the power of being mevater. No one ever loses by giving in. However, it is important to remember that one also must be on a high level of bitachon. One must fully believe that everything is from Hashem and only He decides how much or how little one will have.
Rav Boruch of Kossov zy”a (Sefer Amud Ha’avodah, Drush Habitachon, Os 13) writes that every Jew, even the simplest and smallest person, has his livelihood predetermined each year between Rosh Hashanah on Yom Kippur. At that time, it is decreed how much money he will make that year, and he cannot make one penny more or less than that amount.
This means that no one can ever “lose out” on money that is supposed to be theirs. Even if it looks like someone made a bad deal and lost money, he shouldn’t think that he lost anything. Even if someone had $1,000 and it was all stolen from him, he shouldn’t be concerned. He should recognize that either Hashem didn’t want him to have his money and it was not destined for him, or, if it is destined for him, He will find a way to get it back to him.
If everyone would believe this, we wouldn’t even need batei din. There never would be monetary disputes between two people because they would both know that Hashem gives everyone exactly what he is supposed to have. Therefore, no one would ever claim that his friend took anything away from him.
No one would ever take anything that isn’t theirs because they would know that if it isn’t meant for them, they will end up losing it in some other way. And no one would ever have a reason to call his friend to a din Torah, as there be no suspicion that anyone was cheating or stealing from anyone else. Therefore, all the batei din could close their doors and cease to exist.
However, the Torah recognizes that due to their yeitzer hara people do take money that isn’t meant for them and people do have such complaints. Therefore, it established the rules of how batei din operate.
We see that one can never gain or lose one penny more than Hashem decrees for him. Therefore, there is nothing to lose by being mevater. Even if someone steals from you, you must recognize that Hashem sent the thief to take what he took and He has many ways to return the money if He so desires.
וַאֲבָרֲכָה מְ בָרְ כֶיךָ וּמְ קַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר וְנִבְרְ כוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִ שְ ׁפְ ּחֹת וגו' (יב, ג)
And those who bless you will be blessed and those who curse you will be cursed, and they will bless with you all families... (12:3)
Even Those Who Cursed Him Wanted Their Sons to be Like Him:
Sefer Likutei Yehuda quotes his grandfather, the Imrei Emes zy”a, as saying that when his brother, Rav Nechemiah zt”l, was three-years-old, he asked their father, the Sefas Emes zy”a, how the pasuk could first say speak about “those who curse you” and then say that “all families” will bless with you. If “all” families bless Avrohom, who are the one who curse him?
The Sefas Emes answered, “There are people who curse the Rov of their city, but everyone still blesses their son to grow up to like the Rov. So too, even though some people cursed Avrohom, everyone wanted their children to be like him!”
She Merited Prophecy in the Zechus of Sarah:
Sefer Sifsei Tzadik quotes his grandfather, the Sefas Emes zy”a, as explaining this pasuk as follows:
Lavan told Yaakov (Bereishis 31:29): “I have the power to inflict harm upon you, but the G-d of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Beware of speaking with Yaakov either good or bad.’” Rav Bunim of Peshischa zy”a asks why Lavan told Yaakov that Hashem did not permit him to harm him. He answers that Lavan only merited prophecy one time, and he couldn’t hold himself back from bragging about it.
The Imrei Emes says that a similar thing can be said about Hagar. The first time she saw angels, she felt very proud. She thought that they had come for her, as a sign that she had reached a lofty spiritual level. Therefore, her mistress, Sarah, became unimportant in her eyes.
For this reason, the malach called her “Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant.” He was telling her that she only reached whatever levels she reached in the merit of being part of Sarah’s household. She then realized the truth and said that she was fleeing from “Sarah, my mistress”. In this way, she corrected her mistake.
Hagar’s Mistake:
Sefer M’Deshen Baysecha explains the dispute between Sarah and Hagar with the following story:
וַיָּבֹא אֶל הָגָר וַתַ ּהַר וַתֵ ּרֶ א וגו' וַתֵ ּקַל גְּבִרְ תָ ּהּ בְ ּעֵינֶיהָ (טז, ד)
And he came to Hagar and she conceived and she saw that became pregnant... and her mistress became unimportant in her eyes. (16:4)
A wealthy man once had to travel to Prague for business, and he hired a wagon driver to take him there. On the way, night fell and they stopped at an inn to sleep.
In the early morning hours, while the wealthy man was still asleep, the wagon driver put on the rich man’s clothes and claimed to be him. He ordered the rich man to take the reigns of the horses, saying that he was the wagon driver.
When they got to Prague, the wealthy man, who was now dressed like a wagon driver, ran to the Rov of the city, the Nodah B’Yehuda, and told him what the real wagon driver had done to him. The wagon driver, on the other hand, insisted that he was really the boss and the other man was lying.
The Nodah B’Yehuda told them to come back in the morning. He told his gabbai that when the two men came back, he should instruct them to wait in the waiting room, and to make them stay there for a while. The Rov left the men sitting there for hours before he suddenly stuck his head into the waiting room and said, “Wagon driver come here!”
Immediately, the real wagon driver stood up without thinking. He realized his mistake and tried to sit back down but by that point, it was obvious who he really was.
Similarly, Hagar claimed that she was no longer Sarah’s servant. She said that since she was married to Avrohom, she no longer had to work for her. Sarah countered that Hagar still belonged to her, and Avrohom ruled that Sarah was correct. Therefore, Hagar fled. The angel then came to her and called out, “Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant”.
When she immediately said “here I am”, it became obvious that she really still was Sarah’s servant.
Resurrecting the Dead:
While he was still a child, the Me’or Einayim zy”a was already recognized for his greatness.
It is related that when he was a boy, he saw in the writing of Rav Odom Baal Shem a holy name of Hashem that could be used to resurrect the dead. The shamash of the shul, with whom he had been very close, had recently died, and this pained him very much. He said the holy name, and the shamash came back to life.
When the residents of the city saw the dead man walking, they panicked. They didn’t know how to respond to this crazy sight and asked the ghost how he had returned to life. He told them that someone had resurrected him by saying a holy name, and they told him that it would be best if he went back to his final resting place.
He said, “I can’t do that. Only the one who brought me back to earth can send me back to the grave.”
They asked who it was who had said the name and he told them that it was the young boy named Nochum. They ran to the boy and asked, “What have you done?”
11 Cheshvon
Yahrzeit of Rav Menachem Nochum ben R’ Tzvi
The Me’or Einayim of Chernobyl Zy”a
He said, “I didn’t mean anything. I saw in a sefer that this name can bring back the dead and I wanted to see my friend again, so I said it.”
They asked him to say another name in order to let the dead man go, and he did.
Pidyon Shevuyim:
The Me’or Einayim was involved with the mitzvah of pidyon shevuyim. He would travel from place to place to collect money for this mitzvah. At one point, someone informed on him that he was bribing officials to let prisoners go free. He was arrested and placed in a prison in the city of Zhitomir.
Rav Wolf of Zhitomir zy”a (author of Ohr Hameir) received permission to care for the Rebbe in prison. Rav Wolf was once sitting with the Me’or Einayim in prison when a woman entered. She asked, “What does Rashi mean when he says that Avrohom was told to go ‘for his pleasure and his benefit.’ What pleasure and benefit could he derive from wandering around in exile?”
The Me’or Einayim remained silent, recognizing that the woman had an answer that she wanted to say.
She said, “The meaning of Rashi’s words is that Avrohom Avinu was a great machnis orchim. His home was open to all. It even had four doors, one in each direction, so that every guest should find a way in, no matter where he was coming from. Still and all, he had not yet reached a level of perfection in this mitzvah. Hashem told him to go into exile and said that it would be for his pleasure and benefit because it would allow him to feel the pain of someone who needs a place to stay and has no home. Once he knew what they felt like, he would be able to perform this mitzvah to perfection.”
She continued, “So too, the Rebbe is always busy with the mitzvah of pidyon shevuyim but because he had never been in jail, he couldn’t truly feel the pain of the imprisoned and he could not fulfill the mitzvah to perfection. That’s why Hashem caused him to be thrown into jail – so that he could understand exactly how a prisoner feels and fulfill the mitzvah perfectly.”
After the woman left, the Me’or Einayim told Rav Wolf, “That woman was Sarah Imeinu. She came to tell me why I was locked up in prison. Now that I know the reason, I can be released.”
And so it was. He was freed that day.
Traveling With the Baal Shem Tov:
Sefer Kerem Yisroel relates that when the Me’or Einayim was learning under his mentor, the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, he once saw him preparing for a journey. He very much wanted to come along, so he stood next to the horse and waited for him to board.
When the Baal Shem Tov saw his student waiting, he said to him, “Young man, if you can tell me the difference between the tikkun made by Leah and the tikkun made by Rochel, you can come with me.”
The Me’or Einayim replied, “The difference is that what Leah accomplished with her tears, Rochel accomplished with simcha.”
The Baal Shem Tov immediately told him to board the wagon and travel with him.
Olam Haba in Exchange for a Mikvah:
Sefer Otzar Yisroel relates that the Me’or Einayim once came to a certain city and discovered that there was no local mikvah. When he asked why the town had no mikvah, he was told that it was because the city was located on top of a hill and they would have to dig very deep to find water. The residents of the city were very poor, and they couldn’t afford to pay for such an operation.
The Me’or Einayim wouldn’t accept this excuse. He kept asking how it could be possible to raise the money to make a mikvah. Finally, he was told that there was one rich man who lived in that city. This man had the ability to pay for the entire mikvah but he refused to do so.
The Me’or Einayim went to see the man and asked him to pay for a mikvah. The man said, “If you would give me your share in Olam Haba in exchange for the money, I will pay for the mikvah.”
The Me’or Einayim said, “Every day, I recite Kriyas Shema and promise to serve Hashem ‘b’chol m’odecha’, with all of my resources. What resources do I have? All I have is my portion in Olam Haba! I must be willing to give it up to build a mikvah.”
And the mikvah was built.
Doing Good for Good and Bad People:
A poor Lithuanian Jew once came to see the Me’or Einayim. He cried to him that his children had reached marriageable age but he had no money to marry them off. In fact, he didn’t even have any money for his daily living expenses.
The Rebbe was happy to help this poor man. He gave him the large sum of 50 silver coins, and he even gave him his own overcoat.
This man was an alcoholic and as soon as he had this money in his hand, he hurried over to a bar and got drunk. When those close to the Me’or Einayim saw this, they took away the rest of the money from him, took off the overcoat, and brought those things back to the Rebbe. They told him that the man was wasting money on whiskey, so they took the rest back.
The Rebbe told them, “I heard a proclamation in the Upper worlds saying: ‘Nochum of Chernobyl possesses Hashem’s middah of ‘hatov v’hameitiv l’ra’im u’’tovim’ – helping both bad and good people. Do you really want to take that away from me?”
He told them to quickly return the money and coat to the man, and they did.
Moshiach Will Arrive in His Great-Grandchildren’s Days:
Rav Nochum of Rachmastrivka zy”a related that the Me’or Einayim once had no money to make Pesach. He didn’t have a penny to buy the yomtov necessities.
Suddenly, a man named R’ Moshe, who the Rebbe did not know, came to his house with a wagon full of food for yomtov, and he gave it to the Rebbe. As a sign of gratitude for the chesed he did for him, the Rebbe told R’ Moshe that he could ask him for anything he desired.
R’ Moshe said that he had sufficient livelihood and nachas from his children. All he wanted was for the Rebbe to tell him when Moshiach was coming.
The Me’or Einayim said, “Since I told you that you could ask whatever you want, I have no choice but to answer you. He will not come in my lifetime, nor in my children’s lifetimes. He also will not come in grandchildren’s lifetimes. Perhaps he will come in my great-grandchildren’s lifetimes.”
Rav Nochum of Rachmastrivke concluded, “I am his great-grandson. Moshiach can come now! However, we will need a forehead of copper and eyes of glass and a heart of iron to endure the time that will be before the coming of Moshiach!”
Chadeish Yameinu:
The Me’or Einayim was the sandik at the bris of his grandson, Rav Aharon of Chernobyl zy”a. He gave the baby a blessing that “he should see the coming of Moshiach.”
When Rav Aharon was in his 80s, he began to look young again. He even grew new teeth. He sent a minyan to the gravesite of the Me’or Einayim and told them to say on his behalf, “Grandfather, you blessed me to live to see Moshiach. Chazal say (Bava Basra 49B) that if someone says ‘I can’t keep this type of decree of the Chochomim, we listen to him.’ I am mevater on the bracha.”
Our Eyes Are Uplifted to You:
Rav Yoel Ashkenazi zt”l of Tiveria related that he once heard the Me’or Einayim davening Shemonah Esrei and he heard him say, “Ribono Shel Olam, I ask you to please get the cleaning lady to come back.”
He repeated this twice and those who heard him say these words asked him why he was davening foe this. He answered that his cleaning lady had left and he was asking Hashem to send her back. They asked him, “Should one bother Hashem with such trivial requests?”
He replied, “Big things come from Hashem and small things come from Hashem. Do I have anyone else to ask for help besides Him?”
The Peddler Who Sold Children, Life and Sustenance:
The Me’or Einayim once told his chasidim, “I am a peddler. I have all types of merchandise to sell – bani, chayi and mezoni (children, life and livelihood). All you have to do in return is to serve Hashem.”
May the memory of the tzadik be a blessing for Klal Yisroel.
