The main street of the town of Dubna is crowded with people. Everyone is rushing and running, both on the eve of Shabbat and today, hurrying for the last shopping in preparation for the beginning of the Queen's Shabbat. The Gaon Rabbi Yaakov Krantz, the renowned Maggid of Dubna zt"l, also goes out to the town market to complete his last shopping for Shabbat. Suddenly, he looks at his presence and sees a young and graceful Jewish man, standing on the outskirts of the market, scrambling coins for charity. The sight caught the Maggid's attention, and the fact that there was a young Jewish boy here who had to make a living aroused his pity.
He approached him and asked softly: "Boy, what is your name?" "Shlomo" was the answer, but the Maggid was not satisfied with it. "Where are you from, dear Shloimle? Why do you have to stand and collect penny for penny in the municipal market?'The boy did not answer, shrugging his shoulders in embarrassment. But the Maggid did not intend to give up, and repeated his request to know where he came from and who his parents were. In the end, the boy sighed deeply, and opened his heart: "I lived far from here, and on the other hand, I made my way to the city of Dubna, looking for a place to elevate myself in Torah study. I was orphaned by my father a while ago," the boy added, sighing a rogue tear. "Since then, I have been lonely, forced to raise money for my living, and as a result, I no longer know if I will ever be able to realize my life's aspiration to ascend and elevate in Torah..."The boy burst into sobbing tears, tearing the Maggid's heart out of pain: "I had plans to study Torah and delve into it, to study the Gemara constantly, but the Holy One, blessed be He, had other plansfor me, and He took my father to heaven prematurely. Since then, I have been struggling for my personal livelihood," the young boy added, crying bitterly... '
Perhaps you will agree to come and stay at my house for the Shabbat meal?" the Maggid asked pleasantly. The boy's eyes lit up at the offer, it was evident that he had not been able to have a warm and homely Shabbat meal for some time, while the Maggid hurried home to prepare another place at the Shabbat table for the young guest...The time of Friday night came, and the Maggid of Dubna returned from the synagogue with the two angels and the young guest by his side. With a radiant face, he entered his house, greeted the family with a heartfelt "Good Shabbos," and said "Shalom Aleichem" in exaltation. All the while standing by his side was the young boy, the guest he had picked up from the town market in the afternoon. The Friday night meal is served in abundance and generosity, and the young boy was rewarded after a long time with a delicious and nutritious Shabbat meal, in a warm and homely atmosphere. The Maggid tries to make the boy's stay at the meal pleasant; he is already planning additional plans for him...When the meal was over, the Maggid asked the boy: 'Do you have somewhere to sleep, my tzaddik? It's late at night, it's very cold outside, will you agree to sleep in my house tonight?' The boy was surprised by the question, but could not find a place to object. Only he knows that he has been sleeping in the old synagogue in the city for months, wrapped in thick blankets and shivering from the freezing Russian cold. How can he object to such a generous offer, to sleep on a bed made in a warm and properly heated house? It was the first night, and many more nights followed...The Shabbat meal was also only the first meal, following which the child was left to eat his meals and dwell in the Maggid's tent for many years.
"All your needs are on me, and do not worry about your livelihood," the Maggid promised the young boy, "you will stay in my house, dine at my table, and sleep in my dwelling. You can now return to your plans to work diligently at the doors of the Torah, because from this moment on, I will be in your father's place and take care of all your needs!" Indeed, the Maggid of Dubna kept his promise, and as far as he said, he stood up and became. For many years, the young Shloimele was a regular guest in his home, dined at his table and shared his meals with him. The Maggid's sons also learned to grow up in the shadow of their new brother – the orphaned guest, and became accustomed to the fact that the child is just like their brother, for all intents and purposes...Our story ends here, almost.
All that remains is to reveal the identity of that little Shloimele, who he is and how he became the greatest in Israel. The astonishing story is told in the book Chafetz Chaim on the Torah, where the author discovers that this Shloimle became the renowned Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Kluger zt"l, the Gaon of Israel and a posek of great stature, who wrote about one hundred and fifty works in all the subjects of Torah, with rare genius and depths! Every mitzvah is a mitzva that we do not know how to estimate and appreciate its value, but "hospitality" contains another surprising component. When a guest enters the house, he absorbs something from the atmosphere of the house - and more often than not, what he absorbs becomes part of his personality, guiding him in his life, guiding him forward, activating him to the next step...
