The following story took place around two hundred years ago.
A group of Chassidim planned to travel to their Rebbi, Rabbi Mordechai Twerski the Chernobyler Maggid. They asked one of the local wagon drivers to take them.
“Where will I stay over Shabbos,” asked the driver?
“Don’t worry,” replied the Chassidim, “we will arrange a place for you to sleep.”
“And what about meals,” he asked?
“You will eat with us together,” they replied.
The driver agreed and they headed out to Chernobyl.
For the wagon driver everything was new. He had never traveled to a Rebbe before. The enthusiastic prayers, the Rebbe’s Tisch (leading the Shabbos meals), The Shaleshudos in the dark and the slow tunes, were all something he had never seen.
After Havdalah he told his passengers that he was ready to leave. But they weren’t ready. They explained to the driver that they were all going into the Rebbe one at a time to say goodbye and receive his blessings. They added that if he is already waiting why doesn’t he also go into the Rebbe for a Beracha. He agreed and joined them in the line.
After they all entered to the Rebbe and received his blessings they started their journey back home.
During the ride the Chassidim were busy recalling the different highlights of the Shabbos. One repeated the Torah the Rebbe said and they all discussed and added their understanding, another recalled a new tune and they all hummed along. Another one repeated what the Rebbe told him privately and they all listened carefully.
Suddenly the drivers voice interrupted them, “Chassidim what I received here, none of you did.” And the driver started telling his story.
When I entered the Rebbe’s study I told him that I am not a Chossid, I’m just the driver.
“That’s fine,” replied the Rebbe. “But tell me what is your daily schedule?”
“When I have a ride or when I don’t have a ride,” I asked?
“When you don’t have a ride,” replied the Rebbe.
“When I don’t have work I go to Shul to daven with a Minyan and stay after prayers are over to say some Tehillim and learn a little Mishnayos. Then I go home, eat breakfast and I head out to the market place to see if I can get a short ride. If yes, great, otherwise I go to Shul for Mincha, Maariv and a Shiur. Then I go home, eat dinner and go to bed.”
“And what is your schedule when you do have a long ride,” asked the Rebbe?
“Then my day goes completely different. I get up before dawn to oil the wheels of my wagon, prepare food for the journey for me and fodder the horses. As soon as there is a bit of light I go to my passenger, pick him up and start our journey. When I stop to feed the horses, I quickly daven something and I daven Mincha on the way. When I arrive home at night I daven Maariv, eat and go to bed.”
“And what about Mode Ani in the morning and washing your hands,” asked the Rebbe?
“Sure,” I replied.
“And what about Kriyas Shema and Hamalach before you go to sleep,”
“Sure,” I replied.
The Rebbe proceeded to tell me a story.
There was a poor man who just about managed to provide a bit of food for his large family. His oldest daughter reached marriageable age but he had no means to marry her off. He brought up the topic to his wife and she asked him, “Are you trying to add salt to out wounds?”
“Not at all, in fact just the opposite. I have an idea. I will go around the surrounding towns and villages and asked our brethren to contribute generously for Hachnasas Kallah. Bit by bit the money will add up.”
“No way,” she replied, “I can’t be by myself so long.”
He promised his wife to be back within the year. Without much of a choice she agreed.
He went round from door to door, village to village, town to town and slowly but surely the money started adding up. After about ten months he counted and saw he had a very reasonable dowry for his daughter and started his way back home.
It was Friday when he arrived in a town and needed somewhere to stay. He inquired where he could stay and everyone gave him the same answer, “go to Reb Yankel the Gvir (the wealthy man) he is the one that welcomes all the guests into his house.”
So off he went to Reb Yankel’s house. He was greeted very warmly and shown his bedroom.
As Shabbos approached he became concerned where to leave his money. Who knows who could come into his room and steal ten months of hard work.
He asked his host Reb Yankel to look after his money. Reb Yankel put the money in his safe and shortly afterwards they headed off to Shul.
Reb Yankel’s face was glowing with happiness, he had guests again for Shabbos. But his guest felt uneasy. Maybe Reb Yankel was happy for a different reason. How could he have been so stupid and given all his money to some stranger he had never met before and not requested a receipt. Of course Reb Yankel was happy, who wouldn’t be receiving such a treasure.
The guest couldn’t concentrate any more on his prayers, he could barely daven. The meals were no better, he couldn’t enjoy the delicious food, he was far too nervous.
The minute Maariv was over after Shabbos he immediately ran to his host and asked him for his money.
“Relax,” the host replied, “we’ll go home, make Havdalah, eat Melave Malka and I will gladly give you back your money.”
The guest couldn’t even eat Melave Malka, he nearly choked on the food.
After Bircas Hamazon the guest asked his host for the money.
“Sure,” replied Reb Yankel. “One moment let me bring it.”
He came back a few minutes later with his bags of money. The guest calmed down, he had his money back finally. But one moment, maybe the host had taken some?
He opened bag after bag. The gold coins were in one bag, the silver in the next and the coppers in the third just like he had arranged them.
But the guest wasn’t convinced. Of course his host couldn’t deny all the money, he would have made an uproar. But maybe he had taken a few coins from the bags.
But the guest knew how much was in every bag and he couldn’t be fooled.
Without thinking, the guest took the bag of gold coins and emptied them on the table in front of his host and started counting them. Amazingly enough everything was there. Then he took the bag of silver coins, emptied them out on the table while the host was coins, emptied them out on the table while the host was still watching and started counting them. Surely enough everything was there. Then he took the bag of coppers and was about to empty them out on the table when a hand stopped him.
His host held his hand and said, “Reb Yid, enough is enough.”
“I am not a fool and watched your strange behavior the whole Shabbos. You didn’t daven properly, you couldn’t eat properly and as soon as Shabbos was out you were desperate for your money. Only one reason can answer everything, you suspected that maybe I stole your money. To be honest, I don’t blame you. You’ve never met me before and you don’t know me so why should you trust me. So when you counted the golden coins in front of me, even after treating you so nicely over Shabbos, I understood you and I wasn’t offended. Even when you counted the silver coins I understood you. But after seeing that nothing was missing to go and count the coppers is offensive. What do you think, me Reb Yankel the gvir, didn’t steal any gold or silver coins but you suspect me of stealing a few coppers?”
“And what do you think,” the Rebbe asked the wagon driver, “is the host correct for being offended?”
“Sure, after proving he was honest with everything else, the guest went over the top.”
“So let us see,” said the Rebbe. “Every night you go to sleep and you return your Neshama to Hashem. In the morning Hashem gives you your Neshama back and you thank Him and say Mode Ani. The gold coins were returned and nothing is missing. Then you count the silver coins and make your blessings thanking for your healthy eyesight, you can stand straight, walk properly and everything else that is ok and you see that all the silver coins are there. But when it comes to the coppers, your livelihood suddenly, then you don’t rely on Hashem. You have no time to daven and you run to work. Don’t you think that He who gave you your Neshama, your life, your health, your family can’t provide you with Parnassa? Do you not trust Hashem that you can’t afford to spend the few minutes every day davening in Shul?”
“And I promised the Rebbe that from now on I will daven every day with a Minyan in Shul.”
In this week’s Parsha we have Bircas Kohanim, the blessings that the Kohen gives to us. We have to remember ‘Yevarechecha Hashem, Yaer Hashem, Yisa Hashem’; that it is Hashem that gives us everything and that ‘Va’ani avarachem’ that Hashem is the one blessing us and providing us with everything. And if Hashem is the one that gives us everything then we can rely on him completely. So Hashem can still provide us with Parnassa and everything else we need even if we daven properly and stay till the end of davening and even if we have a Shiur Torah. That can’t make us lose out.
