Story of the week (By Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
The Shinover Rov brought rain in order to marry off a grandchild of Reb Elimelech
The Shinover Rov, Harav Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam, oldest son of the Divrei Chaim, the Sanzer Rov, had a chossid by the name of Reb Yaakov Safir, from the city of Dzikov. He was a wood merchant, and he and his partner would buy a number of forests and chopped down the trees. They shipped the wood over water when the river streams were flowing strongly and could take the wood a long distance. There, they would sell the wood. Reb Yaakov was very honest and reliable, and widows and orphans would invest their money with him. Reb Yaakov would make a lot of money and give them large dividends from the money they invested.
One year in early spring, Reb Yaakov cut a lot of wood, and he hauled the wood to the river. He placed the wood on the water, but there had been no rain lately, and the water was still and did not move the wood down stream. The wood waited day and night for rain to come, but the season was dry. The entire wood industry was halted, and the wood began to rot a bit. Reb Yaakov was in danger of losing a lot of money. Reb Yaakov harnessed his horse and wagon and traveled to his Rebbe, the Shinover Rov. He poured his bitter heart out to him, asking him to bring about a yeshuah for him and daven to Hashem that it should rain. They spoke of the wood that was worth tens of thousands of ruble that was standing still on the face of the water. The river was not moving because there had been no rain in a long time, so the water stream was shallow and not running strongly. Their entire business was at a halt! “So what do you want from me?” asked the Shinover Rov from Reb Yaakov. Reb Yaakov answered, “I would like the Rebbe to see that it should rain!” The Shinover Rov got angry and said, “Am I instead of Hashem Who can bring rain??” “But the Rebbe must understand that I’m not talking for me alone, for my parnassah. Along with my money are the assets of widows and orphans, and other yidden who have risked what little money they had so they could marry off their children. They have all trusted in me and given me their money as investments. Now that everything is going wrong, what will I do with all the pain of the widows and orphans?” Those words hit home with the Shinover Rov, and he felt bad. He said, “I have a solution. I know the tradition, that whoever does a favor for a sibling of the Rebbe Reb Elimelech has a guarantee that he will be helped and will have a yeshuah with whatever he needs. “Here in Shinova there is an einikel of the Reb Elimelech. He is getting married soon, but he doesn’t have any money at all. He can’t afford an apartment, he has no furniture, and no money whatsoever for any of the expenses. If you will undertake to pay the expenses for this couple, then you will be helped with a yeshuah. and in a few days get rain,” “We accept. We will do it!” the two partners said. “We will give him all the money he needs.” “Ok. bring to me the list of expenses that he needs,” said the Shinover Rov.
The two partners returned to the Shinover Rov and brought him a paper on which they and the chosson had listed all the expenses, and they gave it to the Shinover Rov. The Shinover Rov said, “You need to give only the things a couple needs to live and set up a home,” he said to the two partners. The amount was written out, and the partners paid out the money and gave it to the couple.
“Now go home,” said the Shinover Rov to them, “and Hashem will IY”H send rain.” The two partners traveled home happy and satisfied. On the way home, they met a yid from Dzikov who had left to buy fish. The man was dressed for the summer. Reb Yaakov said to him, “We have a wagon. Come, travel home with us. It’s soon going to rain a lot, and you’ll get soaked.” The man laughed very hard, saying, “We’ve been waiting so long for rain! The skies are blue, the weather is warm. What makes you think that suddenly the skies will open and there’ll be a storm and a flood? I’m going to buy some fish, and then I’ll go home.”
The two partners arrived in Dzikov on Thursday, and suddenly the weather changed and the skies got very cloudy. Rain fell in sheets until it flooded the entire area. The Dzikover man they had met earlier came home soaked. By Shabbos, the river was full, and the wood that was standing on the river moved quickly with the stream of water. The river led the wood to the distant area it was headed to, and Sunday it arrived. The wood was sold very quick, and they earned a fantastic profit. Reb Yaakov and his partner later traveled to Shinova to thank the tzaddik, and then rejoiced at the chasunah of the einikel of the Reb Elimelech, whom they had helped get married.
