A New Heart

An unfamiliar visitor with graying hair entered the synagogue. While everyone danced and rejoiced on Simchat Torah, the visitor remained in his place. Suddenly, one of the chassidim, a warmhearted man whose own beard was already streaked with white, approached him and invited him to join the circle.

The visitor politely declined. "I am weak and don't feel well," he explained apolo-getically.

"If so," replied the chassid, "then all the more reason you should dance!"

The visitor, unable to understand what he meant, stared at him in bewilderment.

"I see that my words are a riddle to you," the chassid said. "So let me tell you a sto-ry, and you will understand what I mean."

The two stood at the side of the dancing circle, and the chassid began:

The Doctor's Warning

In the town of Lubavitch lived a family whose father had fallen seriously ill. The man had suffered a severe heart attack, and his life was in real danger. His doctors ordered him to remain confined to bed and warned him against any exertion. The slightest strain, they cautioned, could cause his condition to deteriorate to the point of death.

When the festivals arrived, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, days when every Jew spends time in the synagogue pouring out his heart before his Father in Heaven, this Jew was forced to remain at home and pray alone. This caused him tremendous anguish.

The same was true when Sukkot arrived. Those days passed, followed by Shemini Atzeret, and the Jew remained deeply de-jected. When Simchat Torah arrived, how-ever, he could no longer bear the loneli-ness and his separation from the syna-gogue. He decided to get out of bed and go to hakafot (Simchat Torah dancing).

His wife, who had witnessed the emotion-al suffering he had endured throughout the month, could not bring herself to stop him, even though she knew the danger in-volved.

Entering the Synagogue

The synagogue closest to their home was of the Rebbe Rashab, the fifth Rebbe of Chabad, only a few dozen meters away. Yet because of the man's difficulty walk-ing and his need to stop and rest every few steps, the couple left their home about an hour before hakafot were scheduled to begin, hoping to arrive on time.

As they walked, however, they realized that they had miscalculated. The journey took much longer than expected, and by the time the sick man reached the syna-gogue, the hakafot were already under-way.

One of the chassidim, who knew the man and was aware of his medical condition, approached him and helped him sit down on a chair.

After some time, two chassidim came over, lifted him while he remained seated on the chair, and carried him to the area where the Rebbe was dancing.

His weakness was clearly visible on his tormented face. The exhausting walk from his home, together with the stifling air inside the crowded synagogue, had taken their toll. He appeared to be on the verge of complete exhaustion. At that very moment, the Rebbe was dancing with all his strength. The chassidim surrounded him in a circle, dancing fervently in their places and following his every movement.

Suddenly, the Rebbe's gaze fell upon the sick man being carried on the chair by the chassidim.

The Rebbe stopped dancing and walked toward him. The mass of chassidim parted, forming a path from the Rebbe to the sick man. The Rebbe extended his hand and motioned for him to rise.

The man's wife, who had been anxiously watching what was hap-pening, began crying out, "Rebbe, he is ill and his life is in danger! He cannot stand on his feet. Please, leave him!"

But her words were swallowed up by the tremendous noise of the celebration.

The Dance

Meanwhile, the chassidim began a new song, and the Rebbe, gently supporting the sick man by his arms, began dancing with him.

At first, the Jew managed to summon enough strength to dance. The Rebbe's feet rose a handbreadth above the ground, while the sick man could barely shuffle along. But before long, his strength was completely exhausted. His face turned deathly pale, and it appeared that at any moment he might leave this world.

The man's devoted wife pushed her way through the crowd until she reached the inner circle, crying out in anguish. When she saw her husband's condition, her cries grew even louder.

At that very moment, the man col-lapsed to the floor, unconscious.

For an instant, his wife lost control and cried out to the Rebbe:

"You killed him!"

Yet, for some reason, the Rebbe did not appear frightened or concerned. On the contrary, a slight smile hovered on his face.

"Nu, er hot shoin iber getantzt," he remarked-"Nu, he has already danced beyond it."

The man was carried out and the Rebbe returned to the hakafot as though noth-ing had happened.

Many More Years

A doctor was hurriedly summoned to treat the unconscious man. During the treatment, the Jew regained conscious-ness and opened his eyes. Several chas-sidim then carried him home.

It was not many days before the sick man was back on his feet and walking. To everyone's astonishment, he soon appeared in public looking completely healthy.

In fact, the Jew went on to live for many more years without ever again experiencing a problem with his heart, and he eventually passed away at a ripe old age.

Thus, the man who had been close to death and unable to walk more than a few steps had received a new heart while dancing at hakafot.

When the chassid finished his story, he took the elderly visitor by the arm and once again invited him to dance.

This time, the man did not refuse.

With joy, he joined the circle of Jews dancing in celebration of the Torah.