I can't vouch that every detail in the following story is authentic since I do not know the original source, but the lesson of the story is certainly true.
A renowned maggid (traveling preacher) arrived one day at the hometown of Reb Shmuel Munkes, a noted disciple of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, who was a deeply pious man with an incredible sense of humor. After reading his letter of approbation, the townspeople—who were simple, G-d-fearing, innocent Jews—invited him to preach.
Throughout his sermon, the maggid berated his fine audience, chastising them for “dreadful sins.” He rebuked them for being such terrible, lowly, and horrendous Jews, evoking G-d’s wrath. He proceeded to describe in vivid detail the severe punishment that awaited them as a result of their evil ways. When finished, the proud orator quickly retired to his room, leaving his crestfallen audience to wail over their horrific moral state and the Divine retribution about to befall them.
No sooner had the maggid made himself comfortable than Reb Shmuel himself walked into his room.
Reb Shmuel took out a long knife and a sharpening stone.
“What’s this all about?” the maggid asked, with a look of astonishment.
“We were taught by our parents that before Rosh Hashanah, one should pray at the gravesites of the righteous. And sadly, we never had the grave of a righteous man in our cemetery. All of our residents—as you have eloquently described us—have been utterly wicked.”
“Of course, of course,” nodded the maggid. “But why the knife!?”
“It's rather simple,” explained Reb Shmuel calmly. “The nearest burial site of a tzaddik is very far from our town. It is extremely cumbersome for our townsfolk to make the yearly trek. We decided that we finally needed to have a righteous man buried in our midst.”
“After hearing your speech,” Reb Shmuel continued, with a straight face, “I know there is no one more holy and righteous in our entire region than you. So I decided to... slaughter you and bury you right here in our very own cemetery. Finally, before Rosh Hashanah, we will be able to come pray at your sacred grave site.”
As the grim reality began to set in, the maggid adeptly switched course. “Come to think of it,” he stammered, “I am not all that righteous after all. I have committed some small sins here and there. Obviously, they were all inadvertent.”
By now, Reb Shmuel was done with the sharpening of the knife. The “holy preacher” began to panic.
“On second thought,” stuttered the maggid, “some of my transgressions were a bit more serious, such as...” He went on to share some immoral things he had done in his life, which disqualified him from being a tzaddik.
In the end, the maggid confessed to some rather embarrassing transgressions. He admitted that, in truth, he was far from the great tzaddik that he portrayed himself to be. He was actually morally disgraceful.
Now, it was Rabbi Shmuel’s turn to preach. “How dare you admonish these beautiful, innocent, and pure Jews when you yourself are a despicable, immoral charlatan? How dare you cause such fine, lovely, well-intended Jews so much anguish? It is you who needs to transform his life; it is you who needs to repent for all of his transgressions.”
The maggid got the message. He left the town in deep inner shame and never again rebuked his audiences with stern, harsh words.
RABBI YY JACOBSON
MONDAY & THURSDAY Chassidus Shiur 7:45 AM(18 Main) • TUESDAY Womens Shiur 9:30 AM (84 Viola Rd)
SHABBOS Friday Night – before Barchu (20 Upstairs)) • Morning 8:40 AM (20 Upstairs) | After Davening 12:00 PM (20 Upstairs)
PLEASE NOTE: Rabbi Jacobson’s Shabbos morning shiur will now begin at 8:40 AM, followed by the Minyan at 10:00 AM.
