Many years ago there lived a Chasid of the Baal Shem Tov who was very poor. When someone suggested that he rent a certain tavern and become its manager, he took the advice and went to find the owner of the establishment. As the tavern was located in a very desolate spot, far off the beaten path, the owner didn’t even ask how much he was willing to pay, and immediately agreed.
The Chasid then borrowed money to buy provisions, and moved into the inn with his family. Although the Chasid was no longer starving, the inn provided a very meager source of income. One time, the Baal Shem Tov was passing through the region and stopped at the inn, much to the Chasid’s joy. The Baal Shem Tov asked him to prepare a fine meal for himself and his attendant, but before they could eat he called the Chasid over and told him that he had lost his valuable snuffbox.
The Baal Shem Tov asked the Chasid to take his horse and search through the surrounding forest until he found it. The Chasid immediately complied, although it was the middle of the night. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling from the distance. “Someone help! Please save me!” Going over to investigate he discovered that the carriage of a wealthy nobleman had fallen into a ditch and was stuck in the mud. The Chasid was able to extricate the carriage and the nobleman, who introduced himself as Prince so-and-so, was extremely grateful.
As the Prince was soaking wet and trembling from the cold, the Chasid invited him back to the inn to warm up. The Baal Shem Tov then insisted that the meal that had been prepared for him be served to the nobleman instead.
The next morning, the Baal Shem Tov told the Chasid that if the nobleman wanted to offer him money, he was to refuse it. Indeed, before the Prince’s departure he offered the Jew 2000 rubles as payment for his kindness, but he refused to accept it. “Perhaps you’d like more,” the nobleman then pressed him. “Here is 10,000 rubles.” Again the Chasid refused. When the Prince offered him the staggering sum of 100,000 rubles, he ran back to the Baal Shem Tov to ask if he was permitted to accept it. “I’ve told you not to accept even a penny!” the Baal Shem Tov replied. The Chasid returned to the nobleman and declared, “I will not take any of your money. I did not help you in order to receive a reward.” The Prince then offered him a treasure in gold coins in addition to the rubles, but the Chasid stood firm.
When the Prince saw that it was impossible to change the Chasid’s mind, he asked him for his name so he could at least record it for posterity. The Prince then went on his way. Before the Baal Shem Tov departed, he asked the Chasid if he wished to give him a few cents for a pidyon (as is customary among Chasidim when asking for a blessing). The Chasid gave him his last few coins, and the Baal Shem Tov blessed him with good fortune. After the Baal Shem Tov left the Chasid’s wife let out a huge sigh. Not only had they refused a great fortune, but now they were completely penniless! At that moment there was a knock on the door. Someone was requesting a glass of whiskey.
The Chasid told his wife to pour water into the empty whiskey barrel; maybe the water would somehow acquire the taste of whiskey from the few drops left at the bottom. Surprisingly, the customer reported that the whiskey was delicious and unusually strong. The process was repeated, and again the water was miraculously transformed. Over the next few years the Chasid and his wife made a fine living selling this whiskey. They eventually bought the inn and became very wealthy. Sometime later, two gentile businessmen lodged at the inn. In the middle of the night they had a violent argument, and one of them murdered the other. The next morning the guilty party accused the Jewish innkeeper of the crime (supposedly to rob the businessman), and the Chasid was hauled off to jail. The case was tried, and the Chasid was found guilty and sentenced to death. In the meantime, the Prince who had once been helped by the Chasid had become King. As supreme monarch of the land, all executions had to be personally approved by him before they could be carried out. When the case came before the King, he recognized the name at once. He insisted that he would not sign the decree until he had spoken to the accused. The prisoner was summoned to the palace. When the King saw the Chasid he thought to himself, “Surely, someone who refused 100,000 rubles when he was on the edge of starvation would not commit murder to steal money as a wealthy man.” Further inquiries were made, and the real murderer was arrested and hanged. And the treasure the Chasid had refused years before was finally bestowed on him, together with several valuable properties.
