Rabbi Shimshon Wertheimer zt"l
Chief Rabbi of Hungary and Moravia
Rabbi of Eisenstadt
17 Av 5484
Rabbi Shimshon Wertheimer was a big Talmid Chacham and a master in Kabbalah. But at the same time he was a minister and treasurer of Emperor Leopold I and other kings.
Emperor Leopold couldn’t understand how Rabbi Shimshon who was so busy with his duties for the Empire had time to help every Jew and his house was always full of poor Jews coming for help, especially on Shabbos when many Jews would join the Rabbi and minister for his Shabbos meals.
Over the time the Emperor’s respect for Rabbi Shimshon grew and even began to have respect for all the Jews.
The Emperor's Question
On one occasion the Emperor called Rabbi Shimshon in to his private study. ‘Samson, I have a question for you that is bothering me greatly and gives me no peace. How is it that the Jewish Nation is in exile for so many years, shamed and suffering from all other Nations and cannot manage to raise themselves to be redeemed from their exile to their original power and great standing they they used to be? Please Samson, tell me the truth and don’t hide the answer from me.”
Rabbi Shimshon was lost for words. After a few minutes, Rabbi Shimshon regained his composure and offered the Emperor the following answer. “Although the Jewish Nation is very special with so many good qualities; there is one dark cloud that is the cause of our troubles, the reason why our Temple was destroyed and the reason why we are still in Exile. Sinas Chinam – the hate between Jews.”
The Emperor was not expecting such an answer and replied, “I cannot accept such an answer. Especially after seeing the behavior of Jews myself, I am sure you are trying to get out of giving me the real answer. I am not stupid and you can’t fool me. You don’t need to give me an answer immediately. Think it over for a few days and come back to me. But please come back with an answer that I will understand that it is an honest answer.”
Rabbi Shimshon went home and was lost in thought what to do and how to satisfy the Emperor with a true answer, especially after he had given the true answer. Before he went to sleep he spent time learning and praying that Hashem enlightens him with an answer what to do. As he went to sleep he meditated his thoughts as if asking a question to Heaven.
The answer came to him that night in his sleep. He was told that he had given the correct answer and he shouldn’t try to find another answer. The Emperor will see for himself in the near future that Rabbi Shimshon was right. Rabbi Shimshon woke up relaxed and decided to wait and see what happens.
The Emperor's Adventure
A few days later Emperor Leopold woke up to a nice sunny and warm day, a rarity during the autumn months. He decided to use the beautiful day to go out and enjoy his favorite pastime and entertainment, hunting. Hunting was a popular entertainment for Kings who would go out with their close friends and spend the day hunting. They would split up and each one would spend the day trying to hunt down and shoot wild animals. In the evening the groups would meet up, show off their catch and then head back home. It was a relaxing pastime and a practice for sharp shooting skills.
Emperor Leopold was so involved in his hunting that by the time he looked up it was almost dark. For sure, everyone would be already waiting for him. But as it was already getting dark he lost his directions. Instead of going out the forest he went far deeper into the forest. By now it was already dark and he rode slowly with his horse till he reached a river he had never seen before. He noticed a small village on the other side. He tied his horse to a tree, took off his outer clothing and swam with his underwear across the river. He tried knocking on some doors but when seeing a shadow dressed in white everyone was so frightened that it was ghost, they just closed their shades and never opened.
Finally he noticed a building that looked different from the rest. He decided to try his luck. When he got there he saw it was the local inn. He knocked and the innkeeper opened up. From his looks he realized that the innkeeper was a Jew. The innkeeper invited him in and brought him fresh clothing to wear, some food to eat and some alcoholic drink to warm him up. He told over his story without revealing his identity.
The innkeeper’s wife who heard his story shouted out in Yiddish, “Yankel, what are you doing, for all you know he is a thief. His story doesn’t sound right.” But Yankel wasn’t moved, “you can see a man shivering from cold, tired and hungry, is it a time to start making calculations?”
“But Yankel he is a Goy!”
“It makes no difference Goy or Jew, he is a human being that Hashem created. Go bring a hot dinner for him.”
And she followed her husband’s instructions. The Empoeror of Austria spoke German so he understood the conversation in Yiddish so similar to German. He was so taken aback by the hospitality of this simple Jew. He was in tears. After he ate he asked for a bed to sleep. Yankel gave him a room and even gave him his fur to keep him warm.
Yankel’s wife couldn’t take it. “Yankel, are you insane, that ganev will wake up in the middle of the night and run away with your expensive fur.”
But Yankel wasn’t moved. “I am busy saving someone’s life and your head is busy with a silly fur,” he shouted at her!
It took a long time for Emperor Leopold to fall asleep out of awe and respect for this simple righteous Jew who had saved his life and his Nation Am Yisrael. And with these thoughts he finally fell asleep.
In the morning he asked Yankel to please ride him back to Vienna to his house. He told him that he is a wealthy man and he will repay him for his kindness as well as returning the clothing and fur he had lent him. Yankel’s wife wasn’t happy at all and she gave her husband a piece of her mind how this thief was going to get a free ride back to the city and run away with his expensive fur. But Yankel wasn’t moved.
When they got to Vienna Yankel asked him where to go? The guest replied, “take me to the palace.”
“But one isn’t allowed to stop there,” said Yankel.
“Don’t worry I live here in Vienna and it will be ok.”
Yankel followed the instructions and drove to the palace. As they came close he shouted, “STOP!” Yankel got a shock and stopped a moment. The man jumped off the wagon, ran up to the guards and whispered the secret code. They were taken aback but had no choice but to let him in. Within a few minutes the news was out in the palace, the lost Emperor had come back.”
As he walked in he told the guards to make sure that the wagon driver doesn’t go away, and to invite him into the palace. Yankel was taken to a room and told to wait. He couldn’t understand what happened and to what trap he had fallen into. What he did manage to understand that he had been arrested for riding on the palace road and stopping without permission. He was busy preparing himself what to say when he is called in and how some man who had entered the palace got him into trouble.
Finally Yankel was called into the Emperor. He nearly fainted out of fear. He bowed in front of the Emperor. The Emperor asked him, “do you recognize me?”
“Sure,” replied Yankel. “Who doesn’t know the picture of the Emperor.”
“And have you ever seen me before?” “No, not in real life, only in a picture. It is such a merit for me to see His Royal Highness, may G-d give long life to the Emperor.”
“Well,” said the Emperor, “last night I slept in your inn and you brought me here yourself.”
Slowly Yankel began to grasp what was happening and slowly began to regain his composure. The Emperor continued talking to Yankel and then returned him his clothing and fur. The Emperor then said to Yankel, “I give you an offer to ask for whatever you want, nothing is too big for your hospitality.”
Yankel was thinking what to ask. Finally he began to talk. “Your Royal Highness I am not lacking anything. I earn a good living from my inn, have a nice family. But one thing bothers me. There is a Jewish peddler that lives in the village nearby and comes every week to my village to buy things from the local farmers their bits and pieces. It really angers me. Did I ever go his village buying out all the deals from the farmers in his village? I ask the Emperor to forbid him from entering my village. Everyone can do business in their own village without treading on their neighboring villagers toes. That will be a great reward for me.”
The Emperor was so shocked he couldn’t even talk. Finally he managed to open his mouth and he said, “call for Rabbi Samson. How right he was, he truly knows his brethren. Now I can understand how true his answer was.”
Rabbi Shimshon came and the Emperor told him to give a large some of money to Yankel and send him home. He the continued and told him that although he had asked for an answer in three days, in the meantime he had learned a new chapter in life. “Just it is so sad, that this behavior exists between such a Royal Nation.”
Rabbi Meir of Premishlan would tell over this story to explain what Chazal tell us that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of Sinas Chinam.
