Tzedakah Leads to Supernatural Salvation:
The following story is related in Sefer B’Yeshishim Chochmah:
One of the chasidim of Rav Yitzchok of Vorka zy”a was a businessman who owned the rights to collect tolls on one of the bridges in Warsaw. He made a good living from this enterprise.
Every year, the rights to collect this toll was auctioned off, and every year this man won the bidding and retained his rights. One year, however, the gentiles of the city decided that they didn’t want a Jew collecting tolls. They decided to block him from attending the auction. When the chasid heard this, he ran to his rebbe to seek his advice.
When he got to Vorka, he went into the bais medrash and spoke with the locals about certain matters as he waited for his turn to see the rebbe. Suddenly, the door to Rav Yitzchok’s room opened and the rebbe called out, “Is anyone willing to donate 300 rubles to hachnasas kallah?”
This chasid immediately took 300 rubles out of his wallet and handed it to the rebbe. Rav Yitzchok then went back into his room and shut the door.
About an hour later, Rav Yitzchok again opened his door and called out, “Who here can give me 300 rubles for tzedakah?”
Once again, this chasid reached into his pocket, took out 300 rubles, and gave it to the rebbe. When this occurred a third time, the man did the same thing once more.
Rav Yitzchok then turned to the chasid and said, “There is a chamber in Shomayim that is known as ‘l’mailoh m’derech hateva.’ It is beyond nature. When a Jew gives tzedakah in a manner that is supernatural, they perform miracles for him that are supernatural. You can now go home in peace.”
The man did not even stick around to tell the rebbe his problem. He immediately headed back to Warsaw. When it came time for the public auction, no one stood in his way to stop him from bidding. As usual, he won the bid and kept his rights to the toll.
On his way home, he bumped into the gentiles who had wanted to block him. When they saw him, they said, “Which rebbe did you go to for help? We got lost for three hours and missed our chance to stop you from bidding.”
