Story of the week (By Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
The Rebbe of Berzan makes a Shidduch and teaches a fantastic lesson
HaRav Hatzaddik Reb Mechel Halperin was the Rav in the city Berzhan. Berezhany is a city in the Ternopil region of western Ukraine. He was the son of Reb Leibish, author of Sefer Imrei Yehuda, the son of Reb Feivish, author of Sefas Emes, and a Talmid of the Chozeh of Lublin. Rav Mechel was a great scholar in Torah and Kabbalah, and he gave lectures in Kabalah and difficult Gemaros every day to his well-trained students.
Hertz, was his Chosid, who was very talented and had a sharp mind. His talent was that when he touched a horse, he would know if it was healthy and how strong it was. This made him a very wealthy, as until then, the Gypsies would fool the people and cosmetically make the horses look good and strong, when in reality the horses were sick and weak. The dealers were devastated by the deals and lost a significant amount of money. With Hertz, there was no nonsense. On the spot, he noticed everything about the horse. He would charge a nice fee for inspecting horses. His name leaped by far, and in a short time, Dukes and Ministers paid him enormous fees to inspect horses for them.
He also dealt in selling horses, and everyone knew Hertz was honest and an expert and would pay a premium to purchase from him, and he became very wealthy from his talent. But he was getting older and wanted to get married, and being a strictly G-d fearing boy and good natured, he aspired to marry a fine girl who was his type too. He went to the Rebbe for a bracha. The Rebbe thought and came up with an idea.
In Berzan, there was a Torah scholar named Reb Shlome who unfortunately lost all his money due to some bad business dealings. He had a skilled daughter who resembled Hertz, and she was also getting older due to the father's inability to afford a dowry. The Rebbe said, “I think it can work out; I know the father well and would speak the Shidduch, since I know you too, and that you will pay the dowry and all expenses relating to the wedding, clothing, furniture, the meal, etc.” Hertz answered, “If the Rebbe feels it can work, then he should speak it.”.
The Rebbe summoned Reb Shlome and proposed the Shidduch. He vouched that he knows Hertz personally to be a very fine boy. He was very wealthy too and would cover all the expenses for a wedding. Reb Shlome was thankful to the Rebbe for having him in mind and said, “I have to ask my daughter, and if she consents, we can make the engagement.”.
Reb Shlome left and told his daughter that the Rebbe proposed a Shidduch for her, a wealthy bachur who the Rebbe knew personally. His daughter was excited and after meeting Hertz the Shidduch and Lechaim was made at the Rebbes' house. Hertz provided all the arrangements for the wedding. Hertz kept his daily Shiurim and then went to his business dealings. He became very active in the community and supported many needy causes. He was well liked, and he was elected to be one the Rosh Hakahal / leader of the city.
Wealth can lead to arrogance, and Hertz aspired to attend the Rebbe's Shiur, believing that he was at a level to understand the lessons. He didn't understand much, so he would ask someone to review with him after the lesson. Reb Mechel informed Hertz to come to his office once he found out.
The Rebbe said: I want to tell you a story. There was a Poritz who had a good heart and loved to help underprivileged people. While at a bar, Poritz observed a person who was wearing torn clothing, with long, unkempt hair, and was deeply asleep after drinking. The drunkard was brought to the palace by Poritz's servants in a wagon. At the palace, he was bathed and given new clothing. They put him in a room where the Poritz was able to see the reaction of the poor person when he wakes up. When he woke up, he looked around and saw that he was in a palace. He saw his new clothing and his haircut and said out loud, I was a drunkard with torn clothing, and now that I am in a rich palace, is it possible that I was dreaming? Of course not! I was always rich and a respectable. Then the door opened up, and the Poritz greeted him and told him: You are the same pauper as before. You are only wearing new clothes and received a haircut. The poor person told the Poritz to prove it. The Poritz took out some books and requested that he read them, but he was not literate. He recognized that he was still the same person he was before. He was instructed by the Poritz to start some businesses and be productive in life after receiving a large sum of money.
Hertz understood the powerful lesson from the story and said: “Rebbe I will stick to my daily Shiurim in the easier topics.” My wealth didn’t bring me more knowledge of Torah, and he thanked the Rebbe. Hertz was content with his situation and created a lovely Torah family. He was a remarkable Baal Tzeddaka with a heart of gold.
