One Saturday night, after Shabbat had departed, Rabbi Moshe Alsheich (1521-1593) was walking down the street and overheard a conversation which was taking place inside the house of a poor couple. He heard the man wishing his wife "a good week," as is customary. Then the man began to sing the hymn "Eliyahu Hanavi," (Elijah the Prophet).
The musical tones were touchingly beautiful, but the singing was interrupted by the voice of the man's wife, who was complaining: "I can't understand you! Have you no heart? How can you sing when your children are facing yet another week with no food in the freezing cold house? Where is this Eliyahu you're singing about, and why isn't he helping us?"
Rabbi Alsheich was not only an outstanding scholar, but he was also a very wealthy man and a great philanthropist as well. He felt such sympathy for the poor family that he returned to his home and filled a small sack with gold coins. He then quietly approached the house of the poor couple and tossed the coins inside, quickly running away so to avoid being seen.
His act of selfless charity aroused the heavenly host, who clamored to reward the tzadik. The prosecuting angel wasn't going to allow such a tumult to continue unchallenged. "This isn't such a big deal," he said, and he suggested that since Rabbi Alsheich was such a great soul, it was only right that he should be subjected to a further test before receiving any reward. In fact, the prosecutor continued, he would go down and administer the test himself.
The very next Shabbat a poor stranger appeared in shul and declared: "I am very hungry. Who will bring me home for the Shabbat meal?" Rabbi Alsheich was the first to seize this opportunity for the great mitzva of hachnasat orchim (hosting guests) and invited the man to dine with him.
Upon their arrival, the poor man was seated at the fine table. The first course was placed before him and in a twinkling, he immediately devoured everything he had been served. As soon as he had downed the last bite he announced that he was still starving. Another portion was brought at once, and another, and yet another, but nothing seemed to quell his terrible hunger. Every delicious variety of food was put before the man, and he gobbled up every morsel. After each portion disappeared, he announced that he was still very hungry. Finally, with no more food in the kitchen, Rabbi Alsheich served him his own portion. When that had been eaten, the portions of the family were eaten one by one by the poor guest, but the man insisted he was still hungry.
Rabbi Alsheich didn't know what to do. He brought food from the neighbors in his courtyard to satisfy his guest, but the man was a bottomless pit of hunger. As Shabbat drew to a close, the man was still eating away, and declaring that he was not full yet. Rabbi Alsheich had exhausted all sources of food, but he promised the man, "When Shabbat ends I will make sure that you can eat your fill. You will not leave my house hungry."
After Shabbat, Rabbi Alsheich ordered that an ox be slaughtered, but upon examination it was discovered to be not kosher. He had another slaughtered, but it too was not kosher. The financial expenditure was enormous, but Rabbi Alsheich was unwilling to renege on his promise. He had another and yet another slaughtered, but each animal was found to be not kosher! Finally, on the fortieth try, the animal was kosher and could be prepared.
When at last the meal was prepared and served, the poor man had disappeared and could not be found.
This tremendous act of benevolence was unbelievable. Now, there was no question that the prosecutor's argument was null and void. Even the Adversary had to concede that Rabbi Alsheich possessed tremendous merits and deserved a reward. But what should be the reward of such a man? Of course the most dearly sought possession of a Torah scholar is a deeper understanding of Torah. And so, a decree came down from the Heavenly Court that Rabbi Alsheich merited to have one of the seventy facets of Torah revealed to him. A special messenger was immediately dispatched to impart this holy knowledge to him.
