In a village, not far from Kovna, there lived a G-d-fearing, Jewish innkeeper. He would have been quite happy, except that his daughter Sarah was of marriageable age, and the chances of trust in G-d.
Sarah, who was very attractive, helped her parents at the inn. One day, the young son of the country squire chanced to pass by the inn. The moment his eyes fell on Sarah, he liked her. He called on her to serve him one drink after another, and the more he drank, the more he liked her. When he was pretty well drunk, he said to her, “Will you marry me?”
Sarah ignored his marriage proposal. But when he kept on telling her that he was serious, she decided to trust in G-d and not respond. The young squire returned home and told his father that he intended to marry the innkeeper’s daughter. The old nobleman could not believe his ears. Though the father tried to dissuade his son, the young man remained adamant. The squire, who had pampered his spoiled son all his life and catered to all his whims, once more gave in. But on one condition: the girl had to convert.
Happily, the young squire raced back to the inn and told Sarah the “good” news that his father had consented to the marriage. There was, of course, the small matter of conversion, but once done, she would live a life of luxury.
Sarah was shocked by the circumstances and ran from the room. She decided not to say anything to her father in the hope that this was a passing whim.
The young squire was used to getting what he wanted. Like his son, the old squire’s pride was hurt to think that a poor Jewish girl was turning down the marriage proposal of an elegant and handsome nobleman! The old nobleman sat down at his desk to write a letter to the innkeeper. In the letter, the squire stated that his son had graciously consented to marry the innkeeper’s daughter. If the innkeeper refused, the lease on his inn would be revoked, all rent owed would be demanded, and the family would be thrown out.
The young squire rushed to deliver the letter with a few of his friends. En-route, a tremendous rainstorm broke out and they were soaked to the bone. They stopped at the closest inn until the storm passed. There, they continued to drink and joke about the situation. “Drink,” they said to the young squire. “Once you marry that pretty Jewish girl, the innkeeper’s daughter Sarah, you will have to behave....” Laughter followed.
All this time, a middle-aged man sat quietly reading a book. He was Rabbi Yosef, the teacher of the two sons of the innkeeper from this small village. His ears soon caught the boisterous conversation of the company and the mention of Sarah, the daughter of the neighboring innkeeper. He listened intently as the young squire read out loud the letter from his father to Sarah’s father.
When the young squires fell into a drunken sleep, Rabbi Yosef closed his book and traveled quickly to the next village where he immediately alerted Sarah’s father as to the situation at hand. “Rabbi Yosef,” Sarah’s father moaned, “What is your advice?” “Sarah must get married immediately. There is no time to wait.” “But with whom will she go to the chupa? There is not one Jewish man of marriageable age in this village,” the innkeeper lamented.
“In that case, there is no other way,” the teacher said. “Please understand, I would never dream of making such a proposal. I am not a young man, I am a widower, and Sarah deserves someone worthier. But, as a temporary arrangement, I am prepared to be the groom. Of course, once the danger is over, we will go to the rabbi and arrange for a proper divorce.”
The innkeeper asked Sarah what she thought. “What can I say, father? Rabbi Yosef is ready to risk his life for us. I do not know if I have a choice.”
“Then, all is settled,” said Rabbi Yosef. “We have no time to lose.”
All of the Jews in the village were awakened and asked to prepare something for the wedding feast. The following morning when the young squire and his companions arrived at the inn, they were greeted with a wedding celebration.
“What welcome guests!” the innkeeper called to the new arrivals. The young squire was stunned to see Sarah married.
Rabbi Yosef stood up. “My friends,” he said, “we must be truly grateful to the One Above for this wonderful salvation. We celebrated this wedding to save Sarah from a calamity. Now that the danger has passed, I am ready to arrange for a divorce so that Sarah is free to marry the man of her choice.”
The innkeeper smiled and thanked the guests for their wonderful cooperation. “Well my daughter, remove your bridal veil, for we are going to the Rabbi,” he said to Sarah.
“I am prepared to venture into town with my new husband, but not for a divorce,” Sarah replied. “The fact that G-d has brought us together and made us husband and wife, I am sure this marriage was made in Heaven. I could not have chosen a more devoted and loyal partner, who risked his life for me!”
The following year, Rabbi Yosef and Sarah were blessed with a son, the famous Rabbi Leib Sarah’s, so called in honor of his pious mother Sarah.
