Rebbe Mordechai (Mottel) Twersky of Chernobyl was born in 5530 (1770) to his father Rebbe Menachem Nachum, the first Rebbe in the dynasty. When required to choose a surname, Rebbe Mordechai chose Twersky after the city of Tiberias, where Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk and his disciples had settled. Many chasidim gathered under his guidance, and many towns appointed him as their Maggid Meisharim (preacher of righteousness). His leadership style was characterized by wealth and expansiveness, unlike his father's custom. Nevertheless, he ate very little and derived hardly any pleasure from material matters. He passed away in Kiev on the 20th of Iyar 5597 (1837), and while still alive, he prepared his burial place on the outskirts of the village of Anatevka, saying that there were no churches there, and the sound of church bells would not disturb his rest. His eight sons served as Chasidic rebbes throughout Ukraine and were prominent in spreading the teachings of Chasidut.
Once there was a wealthy man who had bought a large orchard from the local nobleman to plant fruit trees. He worked the land to prepare it and invested money and hard labor in the orchard. When he planted the saplings, he needed abundant rain so that the saplings would take root and his investment would not be in vain. That year there was a drought, and the man came with a broken heart to the holy Rebbe Mottel of Chernobyl to ask him to pray that rain should fall and water his orchard. Rebbe Mottel took out a Bible and began to read from the portion of Bechukotai: “If you follow My statutes... I will provide your rains in their time, etc.” He then said, “According to the verse, the reason that there is no rain is probably because you are not walking in God's ways, so I cannot help you.” When the wealthy man heard the holy rebbe's words, he left him in despair.
After the wealthy man left, the holy rebbe went to his room to rest a bit. Just then, an old man knocked on the door, wanting to enter to see the holy rebbe. The attendant told him that the rebbe had just gone to rest, and the old man returned to his lodging. Meanwhile, Rebbe Mottel came out of his room and asked the attendant: Who was here? The attendant told him that there was an old man he didn't recognize, and since the rebbe had gone to rest, he did not let him in. The holy rebbe ordered to call for him.
When the old man came, the Rebbe asked him where he was from, and he answered: from the city of Sassov. He asked him: Did you know the tzaddik Rebbe Moshe Leib of Sassov? He answered that he knew him and had also heard many Torah teachings from him, and the holy rebbe asked him to tell him a Torah teaching from him.
The old man said that once the holy Rebbe Moshe Leib said: It is written in the Torah, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you, day by day... so that I may test him, whether he will follow My teaching or not.”
We should understand it as follows: For what purpose does God give someone livelihood day by day? To elevate him. “Whether he will follow My teaching or not,” even if he sometimes follows the way of the Torah and sometimes not!
When the holy Rebbe heard this interpretation, he ordered to call the wealthy man to him and said to him: 'Did you hear what the tzaddik from Sassov said? That rain will fall!' The wealthy man left Rebbe Mottel happy, knowing that his salvation was near. And so it was. The windows of heaven opened, and he was saved from a great loss.
This story has all the classic ingredients of a good Chasidic story—a crisis, a pair of tzaddikim, a revolutionary insight into a well-known verse from the Torah, and finally a miracle inspired by this insight. These are all the components of a classic and sweet Chasidic story. Between the lines, we sense the immense spiritual and emotional effort invested by the tzaddikim to bring about this sweetness. As Rebbe Usher Freund once said when asked why he doesn't bless everyone who approaches him on Shabbat with Shabbat greetings: "What do you think? That saying, 'Good Shabbos' comes easily to me?"
This effort is reflected in Rebbe Mottel's retreat to his room. True, he speaks harshly with the wealthy man, but we see immediately that the words he speaks affect him no less harshly. He closes himself in his room, processing the incident and seemingly attempting to sweeten the harsh judgment. This is also how we can understand the appearance of the elderly man: Rebbe Moshe Leib of Sassov was no longer in this world, but Rebbe Mottel summoned him to participate in this task of sweetening, with the elderly chasid serving as a messenger. True, Rebbe Mottel had told the wealthy man that he could not help him, but together with another great tzaddik, he was able to come to the man’s aid.
From the salvation that the tzaddikim accomplished here, we can learn that every verse in the Torah that seems to contain judgment and caveats can be sweetened through the unconditional love represented by the manna. In the Torah portion of Bechukotai, there is a tone of judgment even in the blessings: if you walk in the good path - you will be given rain. If not, woe to you.
The bread from heaven sustained Israel for forty years, even when the test of their faith totally failed. It is no coincidence that this bread, which came daily, was a great sweetening for all of Israel: all those with physical defects, who were many, due to the slavery in Egypt, were healed by eating the manna so that they could receive the Torah in completeness and joy, with all 248 organs and 365 sinews in perfect health.
Much can be contemplated and derived from this, whether in the realm of trust in God or in child-rearing. We will conclude with a few allusions: The gematria of the first three words of the condition, “If you walk in My statutes” (ּכוְלֵּי תַתֹּקֻחְּם בִא) and the first three words of the sweetening, “Behold, I will rain down for you” (יִנְנִה םֶכָיר לִטְמַמ)? The descent of the manna was accompanied by dew above and below it, and our pair of verses also add up to 1521, which is the value of “dew” (לָט) or “Havayah is one” (דָחֶי-הוה א) squared. Specifically, the request for dew, "which does not halt [even in the summer]" is a proper request, unlike the request for rain, “which does halt” when not in its time or without the appropriate conditions, thus considered an improper request. But through drawing down the dew-manna, we eventually also receive the rainfall, as needed.
Thus, the caveat and the sweetening are united through the pair of tzaddikim, and the Jewish people merit elevation and abundance.
Notes
- Exodus 16:4.
