Sefer Sipurim Niflaim relates that one year, after the Chozeh of Lublin zy”a concluded the Pesach Seder, which was conducted with much d’veikus and holiness, he was in a very happy mood. At that point, it was revealed to him from Shomayim that his Seder was not as powerful as the Seder of R’ Itche of Lublin, who had made an even greater impression in Heaven.
The Chozeh was greatly shaken up by this revelation. He had never heard of a tzadik in Lublin named R’ Itche and he asked his chasidim to find out who he was and to ask him to come to see him. They found several men named R’ Itche and brought them all to the Chozeh. They were brought before him one by one. As each man passed, he could see with his ruach hakodesh that it was not the right person and he said, “This is not him...” After none of the men turned out to be the right R’ Itche, he asked the chasidim to keep looking.
After quite a bit of investigating, they returned to the Chozeh and said that there was only one other man named R’ Itche in Lublin. This Itche was a simple man who lived on the outskirts of town. He was known to love wine and he was usually drunk. The Chozeh said, “Bring him to me.”
When this Itche was brought to the Chozeh, he saw that his face was shining. He told him, “I command you to tell me every detail about how you conducted your Seder on leil Pesach!”
The man began to cry and he said, “I see that the Rebbe knows everything already about how shameful my Seder was. But if the Rebbe asks me to say, I cannot refuse.”
He tearfully said, “I love wine and I love getting drunk. That’s why they call me ‘Itche the Shikkur’. On erev Pesach, my wife said to me: ‘Every Jew, even the simplest person, sits with his family on leil Pesach and conducts a Seder. I ask you not to drink for just one night so that we can also have a Seder.’ ”I promised her that I wouldn’t drink until the Seder, and I did, in fact, hold myself back from drinking until it was almost nighttime. However, right before the time to start the Seder, I couldn’t hold back any longer and I drank until I passed out.
”After Hadlakas Neiros, my wife tried to wake me up and to send me to shul to daven, but she couldn’t rouse me from my drunken stupor. When she saw the neighbors coming home from shul and getting ready to start the Seder, she came over to me and said, ‘Itche, everyone is about to start the Seder. Get up and sit at the head of the Seder table like everyone else.’
”But I was so drunk that I couldn’t get up, no matter how hard I tried. As the hours passed, my wife tried numerous times to wake me. When she saw that it was getting late, she led the Seder herself. After she finished, she cleared off the table and went to sleep.
”After midnight, when the candles had already gone out and the house was dark, I finally woke up. I suddenly remembered: It’s Pesach tonight and I haven’t made a Seder.
”I felt a great hisorerus in my heart and I was deeply ashamed of what I had done. I wanted to make a Seder, but the house was pitch black and I couldn’t see anything. I walked outside, hoping to find a neighbor who was still in the middle of his Seder that I could join. Unfortunately, I saw that all the homes were already dark and everyone had gone to sleep.
”I returned home with a broken heart and I began to feel around on the table, hoping to at least find a small piece of matzoh or maror that I could eat. I didn’t end up finding anything besides for a bottle of wine.
”I felt so bad that I began to cry loudly. I took the bottle of wine in my hands and I declared, ‘Ribono Shel Olam! You know that I truly desire to make a Seder like all other Jews. But what can I do? I am Itche the Shikkur and I cannot overcome my natural desire to get drunk. This caused me to miss my chance to make a Seder. I regret this immensely. All I want to do now is to fulfill Your will. But what can I do? My house is dark and all I could find was a bottle of wine. Ribono Shel Olam! I will drink the wine for You, and I ask You to consider this as if I made a full Seder, ate the matzoh and maror, drank the four cups and fulfilled all the mitzvos.’
”I drank the entire bottle of wine as I cried, and I then went to sleep.”
After hearing this story, the Chozeh understood why R’ Itche’s Seder was so valuable in Shomayim. Drinking wine with a broken heart and genuine desire to serve Hashem was more powerful than the lofty and wondrous Seder of the Chozeh.
We can learn a powerful lesson from this story. Even the simplest Jew has the ability to accomplish great things when he makes a Seder. A smart person will use every moment of this holy time to daven, sing and praise Hashem from the depths of his heart because this time is auspicious to break through the Gates of Mercy.
