Rabbi Yisrael Friedman zt"l
Grand Rabbi of Ruzin
3 Cheshvan 5611
Once there was a Chassid of Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin that owned a large soap factory. He had many non-Jewish workers and always treated them fairly and kindly.
One of his workers was a fifteen-year-old boy that suffered terribly at home and was always miserable. This boy's father had died when he was a baby and his mother remarried a cruel drunkard of a man with four grown sons of his own. It wasn't long before this sadist began to order his sons to beat the poor boy while he sat back and enjoyed the spectacle. To make matters worse, the boy's heartbroken mother was helpless to stop the torture.
One night, insane with depression after an unusually long thrashing, he found a long piece of rope, limped to the factory, climbed up to one of the rafters above the huge vat where the soap was crushed and boiled, and hung himself.
Early next morning when the Chassid opened the door to his factory and was greeted by this gruesome sight, he understood that it could mean big trouble for him. If anyone found out about this he was sure to be accused by the anti-Semitic villagers of murder.
He had to act fast. Without giving it too much thought he took a knife, climbed up to the same rafter, cut the rope and watched as the body fell below him and melted into the boiling churning soap.
But the case was far from closed. It seems that one of the neighbors saw the lad enter the factory late the previous night, and because no one saw him leave, the Jew was suspected. Needless to say, the Bishop and the townsfolk began to demand justice.
The Chassid had no choice than to speed as fast as possible to his Rebbe, the Ruzhiner, for help.
The Rebbe listened, thought a bit, and finally assured the trembling man that everything would be all right. He added that he personally would defend him in court.
The day of the trial arrived and the courthouse was packed. The police had trouble keeping order; the only thing that quieted the crowd was their desire to hear the witnesses. They were almost in tears when the boy's stepfather and stepbrothers testified one after the other, how they loved the dear departed boy, and they hissed when they heard how the boy often cursed the evil Jew.
They seethed when they heard the testimony of the neighbor. But it was the Bishop's speech, a venomous assault on the Jews and their blood rituals, which began to drive the crowd to the point of frenzy.
He was just in the middle of a glorious sentence, when suddenly the courtroom door burst open, everyone turned to look, and in walked the dead boy himself!
Everyone froze in astonishment as the boy walked to the front of the courtroom faced the audience and shouted angrily, "What are you doing to this Jew! He was my only friend! Dead? I am not dead! I just ran away to escape their beatings! Your Honor!!" the boy looked up at the Judge pointing his finger at his 'brothers', "if anyone deserves punishment it is these evil snakes!"
The stepfather and his sons shot quick glances at each other. Then, blind with flaming rage, they suddenly jumped from their places and before the police could intervene, one grabbed the boy by the throat while the others beat and kicked him mercilessly until he died.
They were all arrested on the spot and charged with murder.
Later the Ruzhiner explained the miracle that he had accomplished by telling a story that involved the Baal Shem Tov bringing back a non-Jewish nobleman who had been dead for fifteen years.
"I am nothing compared to the Baal Shem Tov," concluded the Holy Ruziner; "nevertheless, if he could reconstruct a person a decade and a half after he died, I felt sure I could do the same thing with this boy who died only last week. That is how I knew I could help you."
The Elderly Stranger's Story
One winter day, an elderly stranger wearing a fur coat entered the court of the holy Ruzhiner. When he asked to be able to speak privately with the Rebbe for a few minutes, the Rebbe's attendant escorted him in without asking any questions.
"How can I help you, by dear fellow Jew?" inquired the Rebbe? Do you wish a blessing for prosperity? It does not seem so from your appearance."
"No thank you, your honor, I have more than enough."
"Perhaps a blessing for health? Or nachas from your children?"
"No, Rebbe," replied the visitor, "I am in excellent health, as are the other members of my family, and all my children are, thank G-d, doing well and are firm in their beliefs and practices."
"Then, as I said," smiled the Rebbe, "how can I help you?"
"Please, Rebbe, I apologize for taking so much of your valuable time, but may I tell the Rebbe an interesting story?"
The Rebbe nodded his assent.
"I am a prosperous businessman. I gained most of my wealth through buying and selling large amounts of merchandise at the annual fair at Leipzig. However, when I became older, the physical ordeals of the long journey each way took a large toll from me. I had a capable assistant who had worked for me for many years and had earned my complete faith in him, I decided to entrust him with the burden of conducting my annual affairs at Leipzig. Each year I gave him a significant sum of money to invest, merchandise to sell, and a list of detailed instructions.
For a number of years things went smoothly. Then, this year, my man did not return from Leipzig together with the other merchants of our town who had been there. They told me not to worry, for they had brought a message from him.
It turned out that he had been so successful that he finished all our affairs there two days early, so he decided to utilize the time to visit some relatives of his in the region. He told them to tell me that he would arrive in a few days.
I wasn't worried. I trusted him implicitly. Even when a few days went by and then a week, without a sign of him, I didn't waver, although I was aware that people in town were suggesting that he had absconded with the money.
But when a week turned into two, and then into a month, I could no longer keep myself from being disturbed and nervous. A few nights later, when my feelings had become even more acute, I had a dream. In it, my agent appeared to me and told me what had happened.
"When I went to visit my relatives I became seriously ill. The doctor's treatment did not help at all, and I realized my time had come. I requested that the Rabbi of the town be brought to me, and when he came I entrusted into his possession all of your money and gems and documents of sale and purchase that I was carrying. I described you to him and also told him other signs by which he may recognize you. I hope that now you will consider that my mission had been faithfully completed.'
'But, but,' I exclaimed frantically in my dream, for it seemed like he was starting to fade away. 'Where are you? Where are you telling me this from?'
His face took on a look of pain as he answered with a degree of reluctance. 'When I arrived at the Divine Court, I was deemed not yet pure enough to enter Gan Eden. I was assigned to the other place for a year. Time passed. Then, there was a surprising commotion. I asked what was going on. I was told that it was the 19th of Kislev, which is the yahrzeit of the Maggid of Mezritch, and that his soul has the merit to rescue from here all those souls that are connected to him. Not only that,' he added, 'but that I was among those souls that were designated to be released! "How can that be?" I addressed the Maggid. "I have no connection to you. I was only a child when you left the world." "You were born through my blessing," was his reply.
'But there is an impediment to my release,' he continued to relate in my dream. 'My business with you was considered unfinished, even though I did all that I possibly could, because you did not know what happened to me yet and were in considerable anxiety as a result. So I was given permission to appear to you and give you the information you need to recover your assets. Now I must hurry. I fear that I may miss my "ride."'
'Please,' I pleaded, 'just tell me one more thing. Is there any Tzaddik still on earth that has such a merit to be able to release souls connected to him from Gehinom?'
He said that he would inquire and soon provided the answer: 'I am told that there is such a Tzaddik called Rabbi Yisrael in Ruzin, the great-grandson of the Maggid.'"
The elderly Jew concluded his story by adding that he was just coming back from having collected all his property from the Rabbi of the town where his associate had died. He then said earnestly to the Ruziner, "the reason I am here is that I desire to be connected to you. Will you please accept me as your Chassid?"
