Rav Shimon Finkelman relates a great story. When the Chofetz Chaim was fifteen years old, he went to the town of Horodna so that he could learn from a Tzadik known as Reb Nachum’ke of Horodna. The Chofetz Chaim later considered Reb Nachum’ke his main Rebbe.
After spending a little time diligently observing Reb Nachum’ke’s ways and learning a lot from him, he came to realize that Reb Nachum’ke carefully concealed many of his great deeds so that others would not recognize his full greatness. The Chofetz Chaim understood that although Reb Nachum’ke was acclaimed as one of the greatest Tzadikim of that time, people were unaware of his true greatness.
Reb Nachum’ke was the Shamash of the Chevrah HaShas Shul in Horodna, and he considered it an honor to care for the needs of a place that was dedicated to Tefilah and learning Torah. The Chofetz Chaim noticed an interesting practice of Reb Nachum’ke. Every night after everyone had left the Shul after Ma’ariv, Reb Nachum’ke would lock the Shul’s door from the inside, shutter all the windows, and remain in the Shul for quite some time.
A Mystery to the Chofetz Chaim
What Reb Nachum’ke did during this time was a mystery that the Chofetz Chaim wanted to solve, because he desired very much to learn from the Tzadik’s ways so that he could improve his own Avodas Hashem. One night, after Ma’ariv, as the people filed out of Shul, the Chofetz Chaim quietly hid behind a bench in the back of the Shul, being careful not to make any noise. He could hear Reb Nachum’ke bolt the door, and shuttering the windows, as Reb Nachum’ke went about his nightly chores in the Bais Medrash, getting it ready for the next morning.
Seemingly Nothing Out of the Ordinary
It seemed that he was doing nothing out of the ordinary, but Chofetz Chaim was sure that if Reb Nachum’ke saw it necessary to lock the Shul during these hours, there must be a good reason for it, so he continued to hide quietly behind the bench. At midnight, Reb Nachum’ke walked over to the Bimah in the center of the Shul, and reached into its bottom compartment.
The Chofetz Chaim watched as Reb Nachum’ke pulled out a box, and from the bottom of it, he removed a Sefer on Kabalah. He then lit a candle and began to learn. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared. A fire had broken out! Bright orange flames danced about in the center of the shul, but Reb Nachum’ke, engrossed in his Sefer, did not seem to notice them.
A Frightening Fire
It seemed to the Chofetz Chaim that Reb Nachum’ke would be engulfed in fire at any second! The Chofetz Chaim opened his mouth to shout a warning to Reb Nachum’ke, when he realized that Reb Nachum’ke was not actually in any danger. The Chofetz Chaim comprehended that this was not a fire that consumed. It was not an ordinary earthly fire. It was a Heavenly fire, created by Reb Nachum’ke’s learning!
The Chofetz Chaim remained in his hiding place and watched this amazing sight. When Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz, the Rosh Yeshivah of Kamenitz, heard this story, he said that he was amazed that the Chofetz Chaim, at such a young age, was able to distinguish between an ordinary fire and a fire from Shamayim, and this was more surprising to him than the fact that Reb Nachum’ke’s Torah learning could even cause such a fire to appear!
The person who told this story over to Rav Baruch Ber said he heard it directly from the Chofetz Chaim, but he added that he had more to tell. After hearing this story from the mouth of the Chofetz Chaim, this very student said to his Rebbi, the Chofetz Chaim, “Now that I have been privileged to hear this story from the Rebbi, I would like to relate a similar story in which I was involved.”
Went Off Alone into the Forest
He went on to explain that those who were privileged to be close to the Chofetz Chaim knew that from time to time he went off alone into the forest, and what he did there, no one ever knew. He described that he recently followed the Chofetz Chaim on one of his visits to the forest, and he explained to his Rebbi that his intentions in doing this were proper, just as his were when he hid behind the bench in Reb Nachum’ke’s Shul, and he only desired to absorb whatever he could from his teacher. He said that he followed the Chofetz Chaim into the woods, and he watched as the Chofetz Chaim stopped at a clearing in the woods, picked up a stick, and drew a circle in the dirt.
The Chofetz Chaim then stepped into the circle, looked up toward Shamayim, and said, “Ribono Shel Olam! I come before You today with an urgent request, a valid and important request, which must be granted in full. Hashem, I will not leave this circle until my Tefilah has been accepted and my request is fulfilled!”
Left the Circle and Returned Home
After a few moments, the Chofetz Chaim left the circle and returned home. The student said to the Chofetz Chaim, “Rebbi, I did not see any fire descend from Shamayim, or any other sign that the request had been granted. But if the Rebbi went home, that means that the Rebbi somehow knew that his request had been granted. How did the Rebbe know?” The Chofetz Chaim did not reply.
Rav Shimon Finkelman writes that when we speak of a hidden Tzadik, we usually refer to a Jew who appears to be quite ordinary, but, unknown to most people, he serves Hashem in a very special way. The Navi tells us (Michah 6:8) that one who truly desires to be close to Hashem will excel in the Middah of Hatznei’a Leches, serving Hashem simply for Hashem’s sake, without fanfare, and without a desire for honor. He will seek to disguise and conceal his great deeds to the best of his ability, so that they will be known only to Hashem.
The Chofetz Chaim was a Tzadik who was known around the world, yet, there were deeds that he concealed during his lifetime from everyone. We can be sure that there were other deeds which he concealed from everyone, and Reb Nachum’ke did this as well, and these are actions that will never be revealed, and will remain hidden forever, and this is the most desirable form of Avodas Hashem
Reprinted from the Parshas Re’eh 5782 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefilah.
