by Rabbi Laibl Groner, of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's secretariat
One year, just a few days before Pesach (Passover), I called one of the Rebbe's emissaries in Europe with a message from the Rebbe. The emissary was being instructed to visit a certain city and give assistance to a Jewish resident there. The Rebbe did not specify who this Jew was or what type of help he was supposed to provide.
"Reb Laibl," the emissary said. "It's a few days before Pesach. I'm expecting 400 people for the Seder. How can I drop everything and travel four hours there and four hours back?"
"Listen," I told him, "are you a shliach (emissary) of the Rebbe or not? The Rebbe knows that it's right before Pesach. Drop everything and go immediately to that city. Don't waste any time."
The shliach called me after Pesach: "Let me tell you what happened. I came to that city, but there was not a single Jew - no synagogue, no nothing. I went around asking the local residents if there were any Jews in the city. No one knew of any Jews living there. I went to the city hall and asked to check the lists of people who live in the city, but there were no records of any Jews in town. I thought that maybe I had made a mistake (there were no cell phones in those days), and so I prepared to head back home. I would call you to say what happened.
"Before leaving the city, I stopped at a gas station. The attendant came out and asked me, 'What's a Jew with a beard doing in a city where there are no Jewish people?'
"'Are you sure that there's not even one Jew in this town?' I asked the man. The attendant thought for a moment and then said, 'Now that you mention it, there's a butcher shop about half an hour away from here, and I'm almost sure that the owner of that butcher shop is a Jew.' He gave me the directions, and I arrived there at around a quarter to six in the evening.
"I opened the door of the butcher shop, and when the owner saw me, he literally fainted! What had I done to him? I picked him up, revived him, brought him to a chair, and gave him a cup of cold water. When I asked him what had caused such a strong reaction, he told me the following:
"'My wife, my two children, and I are the only Jewish people in this town. The local minister comes from time to time and tries to convince us to convert. "Why does your family have to be alone?" he asks. I would always tell him that rather than renounce our religion, Jews preferred martyrdom, to be burnt in auto de fés...
"Recently, the minister came again,. But this time he told him he wasn't going to leave the store unless I would agree to do what he asked. I told him I needed a week to decide. When he left my shop, I turned to G-d and said, 'I need a sign from You that I should not agree to his request.' A whole week passed without any sign from Above. At 5:30 this afternoon, a half hour before the minister was supposed to return for my final decision, I said to G-d, 'He is coming at 6. If You don't send me a sign I will agree.' Fifteen minutes later, out of nowhere, you entered my shop. I realized this was the sign I was waiting for and that was why I fainted."
The shliach told the butcher, "Passover is in another few days. I'm inviting you, your wife, and your two children to spend the holiday with us." The man happily agreed.
Two years later, the shliach called me again. "There is a postscript to the story. While the family was staying with us for Pesach, we invited them to stay a little while longer. Their stay lasted for about six weeks during which time we shared with them the basics of how to lead a Jewish life.
"Last week, I was visiting Jerusalem and I went to pray at the Western Wall. Suddenly, I felt someone tapping my shoulder. I turned around and saw a bearded young man standing with his children.
"'Do you recognize me?' he asked. When I said 'no,' he replied, 'Look into my eyes.' I took a closer look at him. 'You're the butcher from that town!' I cried. 'What happened? What are you doing here?'
"'When we returned home after spending those six weeks in your house,' he replied, 'my wife told me, "Listen, if we're Jewish then we have to live amongst other Jews. What are we doing here? We have to close the shop, pack our things, and make aliya to go live in Israel." That's exactly what we did. Since arriving here in Israel, we have become closer and closer to our Jewish roots and you can see for yourself how we've progressed...'"
We can see from this story how the Rebbe's foresight led to this family becoming a vibrant part of the Jewish people for generations to come. The Rebbe is sitting in Brooklyn, and he sees a family in need somewhere else in the world. To save them from, G-d forbid, doing something disastrous, the Rebbe makes sure that someone who can help them goes out there and takes care of the matter.
Reprinted from Beis Moshiach Magazine
