Peninei Emunim
Pearls of Tefillah in the Parashah
Ahead of the yahrtzeit of Rav Shmelke of Nikolsburg zy”a, which will take place next Tuesday, 1 Iyar, we present this awe-inspiring story that describes a wondrous event that occurred with Reb Shmelke as a result of his scrupulousness not to recite a brachah without someone being present to answer amen.
This story was written by Rav Tzvi Yechezkel Michelson, the Rav of Plonsk and author of Shu”t Bais Yechezkel, in his letter to Rav Moshe Menachem Walden, who, like his father Rav Aharon, published compilations of the Torah of gedolei Toraha and chassidus. The letter was printed by Rav Moshe Menachem in his sefer Ohel Yitzchak (in the note to letter 176) and this story is based on it:
It was after Pesach of 5538, at the holy home of Rav Shmelke of Nikolsburg zy”a. The Rebbe was laying weakly on his bed, his eyes closed and his face burning. He was surrounded by his family and prime disciples, gazing at him in mounting worry.
The end seemed near, and those standing around the Rebbe’s bed were on alert, listening to every sound the Rebbe uttered. His mouth was constantly murmuring divrei Torah, and in between, he conveyed lessons in mussar and for life, and revealed a little bit about deeper goings on. They did not want to miss even one syllable that he uttered.
During this lofty time, the Rebbe turned to the talmidim and said:
“I want to tell you a story that happened to me many years ago. Since then, there were a few opportunities for me to tell it to you. But I was afraid that you might cast doubt about its occurrence, and so, I would end up being machshil you instead of bringing benefit. Now, feeling that my end is near, I would like to tell you the story, so that you can learn mussar from it, and learn that when a person is moser nefesh and wants to do a mitzvah with all his being, he is guaranteed that from Above he will be assisted to fulfill his will.”
Rav Shmelke then continued:
“You surely know the practice that I have been very careful about for a very long time, to this day, not to make a brachah without someone standing next to me to answer amen. I have already stressed to you many times that every brachah creates an angel, but its form is not complete unless amen is answered to the brachah. Therefore, I am strict that my brachos should be answered with amen, so that the angel that is created from them is complete.
“One day, I was asked by a wealthy balabos from a town near Nikolsburg to serve as the sandak for his son’s bris. On the appointed day, the baby’s father sent a carriage hitched up to strong horses to bring me to the bris. The carriage was driven by a wagon driver who – although Jewish – was clearly a coarse and uncouth person who was very far from the path of Torah.
“In the middle of the way, when we stopped for a short rest, it became necessary for me to recite Asher Yatzar. Baruch Hashem, there was a spring of water there so I could wash my hands before the brachah. But when I wanted to make the brachah in front of the Jewish wagon driver, so that he could answer amen to me, I quickly realized that the man was so empty and lowly that I could not include him in anything holy.
“I didn’t know what to do. All my life, until that time, I had been able to maintain my practice. I was afraid of the thought that I’d have to give it up now. Almost of its own accord, a tefillah emerged from my heart that I should merit to fulfill my practice now as well, and that a blemished malach should not be created from my brachah. Bechasdei Hashem, my tefillah was heard.
“Suddenly I heard a rustle in the bushes around me. I turned my head to the direction of the noise, and was surprised to see two men with a very regal but strange appearance step out. They approached me, without saying anything, and just stood next to me. As such, I immediately made the brachah with great awe, and those two men answered amen with tremendous sweetness and enthusiasm. I wanted to thank them, but before I could do so, they disappeared.
“For a long while, I stood there, frightened and trembling. I realized that Raphael and Gavriel – the malachei Elokim – had been sent to me from Above to answer amen to my brachah, after it was desired by Shamayim that I should maintain my holy practice that I had become so used to. Needless to say, the wagon driver did not see their arrival or departure, and right after that, I boarded the carriage and we continued on our way.
“At the time, I thought of an explanation to the words in the passuk (Iyov 23:13): “Vehu b’echad umi yeshivenu uvenafsho ivsah vaya’as,” which we say on Rosh Hashanah – and then add the words “Nora V’Kadosh.” And I explained it as follows:
As is known, answering amen completes the words of the mevarech, and everyone wants to complete their brachos with amen. What should a person do if he has no choice but to make a brachah when he is alone, at home or on his way, and there is no one to complete his brachah with amen? To this the passuk says: “Vehu b’echad” – when a person has to make a brachah alone, “umi yeshivenu” – and there is no one to answer amen after him, then if “venafsho ivsah” – if he desires that his brachah should be completed with amen, then “vaya’as – nora vekadosh” – he is able to effect awesome things by having angels sent to him from Above, who will answer amen to complete his brachah.
“As we traveled, I dozed off in my seat, and from Above it was revealed to me in a dream that I my explanation was well received, and that indeed those were malachei Elokim who had been sent to me from Above to answer amen to my brachos.”
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The fact that two angels were sent to answer amen to the brachah of Rav Shmelke indicates that it was not enough to send just one angel. This can be explained based on the words of the Rema MiPano, in his sefer Asarah Ma’amaros (Maamar Chikur Din 2:15, cited in Machatzis Hashekel Orach Chaim 6 9), who writes: “How good it is that each person should have two friends, who listen and answer amen after his brachos.”
