THE TWO STRANGERS WHO ARRIVED IN LIZENSK WITH NO GARMENTS
Rav Moshe Lelover and his nephew Rav Noson Dovid Shidlovitzer were fast friends. Each year they exchanged gifts for Pesach: Rav Moshe of Lelov sent Rav Nosson Dovid wine and brandy for Pesach and Rav Nosson Dovid sent back shemura matzos.
One year the shaliach arrived from Rav Moshe of Lelov with the customary gift and as the gabbai counted out the payment, the shaliach requested a higher sum. “Pay him as he asks,” answered Rav Nosson Dovid to the reluctant gabbai. After he was paid, the shaliach delivered the wine and brandy.
“The rebbe Reb Melech of Lizensk was sitting together with his circle followers, the chevrya kadisha, when two Jews appeared at the door of the beis medrash. Normally, guests were very welcome in Lizensk, but to the astonishment of the chevrya, their rebbe, the Noam Elimelech peered at the two guests and declared”:
‘Why look at that! Did you ever see such a peculiar sight? Two Jews with no garments whatsoever?!’
The talmidim were perplexed. What was the rebbe talking about? They scrutinized the visitors and try as they may, could not comprehend what their rebbe meant. As far as they could tell, the two strangers were dressed in typical garb just like anyone else.
But the rebbe calling out to the newcomers, ‘You two come here. Tell me how can it be that you have no garments?’
‘But rebbe,” protested one of the talmidim of the Rebbe Elimelech, ‘they are dressed just like all of us are.’
‘I see that you do not see what I see, answered the rebbe, ‘I do not refer to material clothes. No, my dear talmidim, these two Jews are lacking their spiritual garments. They are naked of all mitzvos!’
‘It’s true!’ cried the two guests in distress, “if the rebbe’s holy eyes can see it, then it is unfortunately true!’
‘Come now, explain what you could have done to divest yourselves from any spiritual garment whatsoever. What contemptible act could be the cause of your spiritual nakedness?’ the rebbe pressed.
‘Oh rebbe, it is due to our great sin,” they declared, “for we have wronged the holy Rebbe Rav Michel Zlotshuver!”
“Aha! So, I am correct,” continued the Rebbe Reb Melech. “Now explain yourselves; tell us what you have done to Rav Michel’eh Zlotshuver that could bring this kind of punishment?” This is what they told him:
‘We two were once business partners in Zlotshuv. We had vast wealth, a large two-family mansion by the fortified wall in the wealthier section of the city; we were well off in all respects. We had a bookkeeper who he kept all our accounts. He preserved all our records and handled all the contracts and paperwork behind our business deals. He was also our neighbor. He owned a fine home that bordered our own.
‘One day we set our sights on his house. We decided that we just had to buy it. That way, we could extend our living quarters and build a garden for our leisure and relaxation. We made him an offer and he flat out refused.
“Gentleman,” he responded emphatically, “the answer is no. My home is worth at least six hundred gold rubles and your offer, though generous, does not interest me in the least. I am well off and content and I like my estate. I have no desire to sell and you too should be ashamed of your greed!”
‘We were incensed. Who was he to tell us to be ashamed? Who was he to call us greedy? How dare he refuse our offer? We warned him that should he not agree we would terminate his employment and cease our business dealings with him.’
“That is blackmail! I will not cave in to extortion. Terminate my employment and I will open my own business; I have no fear of your threats!” This, we did; and so, he did. We fired him and he opened a shop selling goods from his home. But the wheel of fortune turned backwards on our former bookkeeper and his business failed. Soon he descended into great debt.
‘In order to pay off his debts and satisfy the creditors who kept calling to collect, he turned to friends and relatives for help. But soon his situation deteriorated even more and he was left utterly bankrupt .
‘He asked his relatives to intercede with us on his behalf, asking if we would perhaps kindly re-employ him as before when he was our faithful accountant. We greedily saw our chance. We agreed on two conditions. First, that he come back to work at one third his former salary, and second, that he sells us his home at a third of the fair market value. Having no alternative, he agreed. He wrote up the contract of sale and we got ourselves a bargain! Or so we thought.
‘He was clever; when he wrote out the contract, in place of the standard clause where it says:
“All this has been contracted willfully without duress,” he wrote instead:
“All this has been contracted against my will under coercion and duress.”
We didn’t bother reading the fine print. All we saw was that the price was as agreed. We signed the contract of sale which transferred ownership to our names.
