The historic old shul of Mezhibuzh
This story was related by Rav Yosef of Mezhibuzh in the name of his grandfather, the Degel Machaneh Efraim zy”a, and explains why the Baal Shem Tov zy”a chose to live and set up his holy court in the city of Mezhibuzh.
In the city of Mezhibuzh, there lived a distinguished man named R’ Berish Bialis. He was a talmid chochom and upstanding person who spent his entire day learning. He was a wealthy man but he did not personally run his business. Rather, his wife ran their large fabric store while he sat and learned.
At that time, the Baal Shem Tov’s fame was starting to spread. Rav Berish, however, was a misnaged and he never went to see the Besh”t, who was living at that time in the city of Brody. His wife, on the other hand, traveled occasionally to Brody to purchase fabric, and she would go to visit the Baal Shem Tov. She gave him gifts and a lot of money, and he blessed her with success. The brachos were fulfilled and she got wealthier and wealthier.
One day, the local Poritz decided that he could make some money by selling the Rabbanus of the city. He announced that whomever paid him the most would be the Rov. Rav Berish’s wealthy wife jumped at this opportunity and purchased the Rabbanus of Mezhibuzh for her husband for a large sum of money. The Poritz gave her a contract saying that her husband was the sole Rabbi of the city, and he assumed the position.
She built a new shul with a beautiful beis medrash for her husband and arranged a festive and memorable Chanukas Habayis ceremony, which impressed all of the residents of the city. Just a few days later, after the people began davening in the new shul, Rav Berish became sick. His wife brought in expert doctors to treat him, but his condition got worse by the day and he appeared to be near death.
Mrs. Bialis decided that he must travel to Brody to obtain the Baal Shem Tov’s bracha. She informed her husband that whenever she was in Brody, she met many people who said that whenever a sick person’s name was given to the Baal Shem Tov, he would daven for that person, and he would be healed. Rav Berish, however, was unconvinced.
He said, “Even if I would know for certain that this illness was going to kill me, I would not go to the Baal Shem Tov because I don’t believe in him at all!” Days passed and the sickness got even worse. Rav Berish told his wife, “If you believe in the Baal Shem Tov, you can go to him yourself and ask him to daven for me.”
At first, she did not want to go and leave her husband alone. However, when she saw how sick he had become, she agreed to go alone, on condition that he promise to do whatever the Besh”t would say. He gave his word that he would obey whatever the Baal Shem Tov asked of him. She quickly traveled to the Besh”t and asked him to daven for her husband.
The Baal Shem Tov told her, “For this, I personally have to go to Mezhibuzh.” He asked her to hire a carriage for him, and she did. When he got to Mezhibuzh, he went straight to Rav Berish’s house and saw several men walking out the front door. He asked them, “How is the patient doing?”
They replied, “He is on his deathbed.” When the Besh’t heard this, his face crumbled and he remained in his carriage for several minutes, deep in thought. He then got down from the carriage and entered Rav Berish’s home. He opened the door and placed his hand on the mezuzah. He stood in the doorway for several minutes, looking at the face of the sick man.
He then said, “Rav Berish, is this how you greet a guest? It would be polite to give me shalom!” Rav Berish began to lift his right hand in greeting, but the Besh”t told him, “It is not polite to give shalom while you are laying down.”
Rav Berish exerted himself, little by little, until he was in a sitting position. The Baal Shem Tov then took his hand off of the mezuzah and went to stand next to the bed. He then pulled up a chair and sat down. After a few minutes, he said, “Rav Berish, there are two Heavenly complaints against you.
The first complaint is why you became a Rov. Why do you need to be a Rov? You can solve this problem by giving up the Rabanus. The second complaint is that you abandoned the old bais knesses. It is true that you built a new one, however the old bais knesses, where people davened for close to 300 years, came with a complaint against you for leaving it abandoned.”
The Baal Shem Tov continued, “You should know that the old bais knesses is situated exactly opposite the Bais Hamikdosh Shel Maaloh. It is only proper that people should daven there. Therefore, the only solution is for me to move to Mezhibuzh and set up my court here.”
Rav Berish agreed to give up the Rabbanus, and he was healed from his sickness. The Baal Shem Tov moved to Mezhibuzh and davened in the old shul, which is known until today as the Bais Medrash of the Baal Shem Tov.
Reprinted from The Way of Emunah – The Collected Torah Thoughts of Rabbi Meir Isamar Rosenbaum – Parshas Pekudei 5785
