“Chazak ubaruch!” exclaimed Tzadok “Hatzadik” after Shacharis Purim morning at the Jerusalem Prison. “Kavod Harav, that was such a good kriat megillah - except for the fact that you didn’t make any mistakes.”
“Uh... well thank you,” said Rav Volender, the prison rov. “But why would you want me to make a mistake?”
“Because the whole year you are the one correcting me. But today on Purim, we do the opposite, so I should be the one correcting you!”
Rav Volender sighed.
“Kavod harav!” exclaimed Tzadok. “You look sad! Quick, Here, have a hamanfish - it’s the best segulah to be happy on Purim.”
“I think I have a better way to make Rav Volender happy,” a man dressed as a Yerushalmi said, walking into the prison beis midrash.
“Aharon Spetner?” Tzadok said in wonderment. “The author of Toras Avigdor Junior? How did you get them to let you inside the prison?”
“I wrote myself a guest pass,” Aharon said, holding up a piece of notebook paper. “Rav Volender, why don’t you take the day off and spend Purim with your family? I’ll handle things here at the prison.”
Rav Volender gratefully thanked Aharon and left the prison with a huge smile on his face. Meanwhile Tzadok looked shocked.
“You can do that?” Tzadok asked in astonishment.
Aharon held up his notebook with a half-written Toras Avigdor Junior story written inside of it.
“It’s written right here,” he said.
“But what about you?” asked Tzadok. “You don’t want to spend Purim with your family?”
“I don’t live in Yerushalayim,” said Aharon. “So Purim for me was yesterday.”
“So why are you wearing a Purim costume?”
“Well, how could I appear in the illustration for the Toras Avigdor Purim edition without wearing a costume? It just wouldn’t look right.”
Tzadok thought this over. Suddenly an idea hit him.
“Wait,” he said. “Everything you write in that notebook comes true, right? So you can just write down that the judge ordered me released from prison and I can go free!”
“I can,” said Aharon.
“Really? You will?” Tzadok exclaimed.
“No, I will not,” Aharon responded. “Tzadok, when are you going to learn to behave properly and stop doing silly things which get you thrown in jail?”
“You should know the answer to that,” answered Tzadok.
Aharon pondered this for a moment.
“Maybe I should, but I don’t,” he said. “Listen Tzadok, I’m not going to have you released from jail. You need to show real change - that you can actually behave as a functioning member of society.”
“PLEASE!!!” begged Tzadok. “Don’t be like Achashveirosh! What if I make everyone in the prison fast for three days to show how serious I am?”
“What?” asked Aharon. “You’re going to make everyone else in the prison fast just so you can get released? Why would they do that for you?”
“Okay, I’ll do anything you ask,” Tzadok pleaded, holding out a triangular tuna fish sandwich. “Here let me give you a hamanfish. Please? PLEASE??? You’re the only one who can help me!”
“Tzadok,” said Aharon. “I’m not the only one who can help you.”
“Oh, I guess the editors at Toras Avigdor headquarters can help me too. Can you get them on the phone?”
“Tzadok!” said Aharon, getting exasperated. “You’re missing the point! Didn’t you listen during krias megillah? Do you think that it was Achashveirosh or Charvona, or even Mordechai and Esther who saved Klal Yisroel?”
“You mean it was Hashem?” asked Tzadok. “Then why wasn’t He mentioned in the megillah?”
“That’s the point, Tzadok! It doesn’t matter whether Hashem does a huge neis or if he talks to a navi or not - it’s ALWAYS Hashem! Anything and everything that happens is Hashem! I couldn’t write the Toras Avigdor Junior if not for Hashem - I’m just the messenger!”
“Can I borrow your notebook for a second?” asked Tzadok hopefully.
“No, you CANNOT!” Aharon said angrily. “Tzadok! Seriously! Stop and THINK for a second! The One you need to beg is Hashem - turn to Him! Beg him to help you do teshuva! Beg him to get you released from prison! Beg him to make you into a ben Torah, a yorei shomayim, into a good Yid!”
Aharon scribbled into his notebook and a new Rabbi whom Tzadok had never seen before walked in.
“Tzadok, this is Rabbi Markovich. He will be taking over as the prison rov for the rest of the day. Have a Freilichen Purim!”
Let’s review:
- Who does Tzadok need to ask to get what he wants?
- Who is really in charge of Toras Avigdor Junior?
