Rav Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl was a master at the mitzvah of Pidyon Shevuyim, redeeming captives. He would journey from town to town to collect money to redeem Jews who had by some misfortune, found their way into the deep and dank dungeons of the Poritz, the local landowner.
Once, while he was in Zhitomir, the local gentiles found a way to slander the Rebbe and have him thrown into jail. While incarcerated, he was visited by one of the local rabbis who came to cheer him up and uplift his spirit by offering him words of chizuk and inspiration.
“Rav Nuchem!” the Rabbi said. “We know that Avraham Avinu excelled at Hachnosas Orchim, the mitzvah of receiving and welcoming guests. This is precisely why Hashem told him, “Lech Lecha, exile yourself from your land,” in order for Avraham Avinu himself to become a traveler. This way, he could learn and experience firsthand what a guest requires from his host. By traveling, he would become familiar with the needs of a traveler and would subsequently be able to fulfill the mitzvah of Hachnosas Orchim to the fullest.”
“Rav Nuchem!” the Rabbi concluded. “Hashem knows that you excel in the mitzvah of Pidyon Shevuyim. However, Hashem wanted you to succeed even more. Therefore, He orchestrated for you to be jailed so you could learn, through personal experience, what a prisoner feels like and to know how great a mitzvah you do!”
