Like a Thief:
Rav Yisroel Shimon Kostilnitz zt”l (quoted in Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen, page 279) related that he once was in the bais medrash of the Bais Avrohom of Slonim zy”a on the seventh day of Pesach. The Rebbe davened for the amud very emotionally, and everyone was awed by the kedusha. The entire assemblage felt as if they had ascended above this world.
After davening, the Rebbe descended from the amud and walked towards the kehillah with a smile on his face. Rav Yisroel Shimon was standing next to Rav Moshe Kliers of Teveriah zt”l, who he heard say to himself, “He is just like a thief. He acts as if he didn’t do anything and the hisorerus has nothing to do with him.”
Everyone Can Rectify Themselves:
Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen (page 84) relates that one year on the seventh day of Pesach, the Bais Avrohom of Slonim zy”a related the following story about his father, Rav Yose’le Hotiner zy”a, a close talmid of the Baal Shem Tov zy”a:
For a number of years after his marriage, Rav Yose’le’s father was not blessed with children. He asked the Baal Shem Tov many times for a bracha, until he finally blessed him to have a son, with this son being Rav Yose’le. As the boy grew up, he rebelled against his father and against Yiddishkeit. Eventually, he left the path completely. He left home and went to work as an apprentice to a non-religious shoemaker. His father was brokenhearted and he went to speak to the Baal Shem Tov. He told the Besht that if he had known that this is what was to become of his son, he never would have asked for a bracha for children.
The father spoke like this to the Baal Shem Tov several times, crying about his plight and saying that it would have been better if his son had never been born. One time, the Baal Shem Tov handed him a kamaya and said, “If your son touches this amulet, he will immediately be inspired to do teshuva.”
The father hurried to the shoemaker’s house and hid the amulet amongst his son’s possessions, hoping that he would end up touching it. And so it was, the boy touched the kamaya as he was rifling through his belongings and he was immediately struck with a sense of awe and fear. He began to cry, “What has become of me!”
He regretted all his previous sins and asked the Baal Shem Tov to help him do teshuva. He ultimately became a full baal teshuva and a lofty individual.
He began traveling from place to place, telling his story and urging everyone to do teshuva. He would say, “Do you know why I am telling you my story? So that you can see how anyone can repent. I had already sunk to the lowest level of impurity but, through the power of teshuva, I managed to return to Hashem. None of you have sinned as badly as I did. Every one of you can certainly do teshuva and reach a much higher level than I have reached.
“However, you should not think that this is easy. You should know that I fasted so much in order to attain full teshuva that not one tooth remains in my mouth. I fasted so much that every one of my teeth fell out.”
He would then open his mouth and show the crowd that he was toothless.
As the Bais Avrohom related this story, he became very passionate and he said, “Do you know why I am telling you my father’s story? So that you should all learn how much a Jew can improve and perfect himself!”
Better to Be Here Than in a Bad Place:
The following story is related in Sefer Kadosh U’Baruch (page 153) about the Imrei Boruch of Vizhnitz zy”a, in the name of his son, the Ahavas Yisroel of Vizhnitz zy”a. The story depicts the great love the Imrei Boruch felt for every Jew:
One year, on the last day of Pesach, the Imrei Boruch was walking into his bais medrash for tish when he passed by a group of idle, emptyheaded young man standing in the entranceway. These youths spent their days in senseless chitchat and frivolous nonsense and the chasidim wanted to throw them out of the bais medrash so that they wouldn’t disturb the tish. The Imrei Boruch would not permit this. He said, “It is better that they disturb me here than for them to go to bad places.”
The Avodah of the Shinover Rov:
Sefer B’Niflaim Maasecha (page 110) relates that the Nirbator Rov, Rav Naftali Teitelbaum zt”l would speak about the incredible level of hislahavus he saw when the Shinover Rov zy”a conducted his tish on the seventh day of Pesach. As he spoke, the Nirbator Rov became very emotional and he proclaimed, “I saw how the Rebbe clapped his hands together. He clapped like this. (He displayed how the Shinover Rov only clapped the tips of his fingers together because he didn’t want to transgress the halacha that one should not clap his entire hands together on Shabbos. See Shulchan Aruch, Orech Chaim, 339:3.) Blood was pouring from his hands but he continued to clap...”
For over an hour, the Nirbator Rov continued to describe the lofty avodah of the Shinover Rov.
The Tune Sang at Kriyas Yam Suf:
Haggadah Zera Kodesh (page 293) relates that Rav Moshe of Rodzolov zy”a would dance very enthusiastically on the eve of the seventh day of Pesach. One time, after he finished dancing, the Dayan of Rodozlov, Rav Elazar Rosen zt”l, got up and proclaimed, “I am ready to swear that this is the same tune that Moshe Rabenu and bnei Yisroel sang during the splitting of the Yam Suf.”
The Rebbe replied, “I don’t know if this is that tune or not but I can say with certainty that this tune is worthy of being sung at Kriyas Yam Suf.”
Riches from the Sea:
Sefer Siach Zekeinim (Chelek 6, page 227) relates that the Arugos Habosem zy”a had a student named Rav Boruch Hendler zt”l who was supported by his father-in-law for several years after his wedding.
After his years of support ended, he asked his Rebbe, the Arugos Habosem, what he should do for parnassah. The Rebbe advised him that his wife should sell wine and whiskey while he continued to learn. And that’s what he did.
One year, on the seventh day of Pesach, the Rebbe stopped suddenly in the middle of dancing and looked for R’ Boruch. When he saw him, he called him over and told him, “You will receive the bizas hayam (spoils from the sea).”
From then on, R’ Boruch’s wife’s business was very successful in business and they became very wealthy.
