A Chasid of Rav Yehoshua of Belz, zt”l, was having a hard time supporting his family. Someone suggested that he travel to America, where, it was reported that “the streets are paved with gold.”
The Chasid was afraid of taking such a step, since he had heard that the level of Ruchniyus in America was very weak at that time. He knew of many devout Jews who had traveled to America and abandoned the traditional Jewish lifestyle they used to live in Galicia, assimilating into American society. He was worried that the same thing might happen to him.
This Chasid asked his Rebbe for guidance. The Rebbe instructed him to travel to America. “However,” the Rebbe added, “I have one condition: I want you to write me a letter every week to tell me how you are doing there.”
The Chasid agreed to the condition and sailed off to America. At first, the Chasid’s letters to the Rebbe were filled with descriptions of the difficulties he was encountering. He wrote of his loneliness and how much he missed the bustling Jewish life he had known back in Galicia, and also about his discomfort of not “fitting in” in America.
The Rebbe responded to each letter, offering support and encouraging the Chasid to remain strong. One day the Rebbe received a letter where the Chasid wrote that things were beginning to get a bit easier. He had picked up a little English and he was making friends. The loneliness he had complained about was not as strong anymore. Life in America was becoming more bearable.
Immediately, the Rebbe sent a letter back to the Chasid instructing him to return to Galicia. The Chasid obeyed without hesitation, and he came to see the Rebbe as soon as he returned. He asked the Rebbe why he had encouraged him to stay in America when things were so hard for him, and yet, he insisted that he come home just when he was beginning to grow accustomed to life over there.
The Rebbe replied, “A Yid in Galus must always feel like a newcomer. As long as you felt out of place in America, I knew your spiritual level was safe. The moment you began settling in and feeling comfortable there, I sensed a threat to the safety of your Ruchniyus, and I instructed you to come home immediately!”
Reprinted from the Parshas Vayeishev 5786 email of Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg’s Torah U’Tefillah.
