A Jew traveling about on business from town to town arrived in the middle of a winter’s night in Gostynin, and made his way to the only house where lights were still shining, and knocked on the door. The householder — who was the chasidic rebbe Reb Yechiel-Meir of Gostynin, whom he did not know — gave him a warm welcome, and when he heard that his guest was hungry, served him strong drink and refreshments.
After that the traveler was still hungry, so the tzaddik searched about the house for food of some kind, and found a quantity of uncooked porridge and a saucepan full of fat. Unschooled in the finer points of cooking – his wife and his attendants always took care of all matters concerning food...and of lodging too, for that matter -- he emptied one into the other, and put the result into the oven, which was still heaped with red-hot coals. It was a success; the famished traveler ate with gusto, and was sated.
The Rebbe then settled him in for the night in his own bed, where he slept soundly, galoshes and all (for he was weary from his travels), while his host, having nowhere to sleep, stayed awake through the night.
When his family awoke early, the Rebbe did not allow them to enter the room lest they disturb their guest, and he too walked about on tiptoe. The time came for morning prayers, and he went to the synagogue as usual. The guest, waking up soon after, also went to shul; and there, in the course of conversation after prayers, people told him whom the illustrious personage was who had gone to so much trouble for him.
He was much abashed, and hastened to offer his apologies to the Rebbe, explaining that he did not know whose room he was in or whose house he was visiting.
The tzaddik’s reply was disconcerting: “I refuse to accept any apology from you.”
The traveler tried even harder to explain that he was the innocent victim of ignorance, and so on and so forth, until the tzaddik finally said: “If you promise to carry out an instruction which I give you, then I will accept your apology.”
The forlorn fellow solemnly gave his promise, after which Rebbe Yechiel Meir spoke: “This is my condition: that every time you ever pass by Gostynin, you will be my guest. For when do I ever get a chance to fulfill this mitzvah as I was able to do this time with you – inviting you in, preparing for you a place to sleep, cooking and serving you food? They always spoil it for me!”
Source: Same as Story A. However, Story B is revised from a previous emailing to this list in 2002!
Why this week? Same as story A.
Biographical note:
R. Yechiel Meir Lifschitz of Gostynin [1816 - 21Shvat 1888] was sometimes known as Der Tilim Yid (the Psalms Jew) because of his constant instruction to those who came to him for advice and support that that they sincerely read many Psalms. He was also referred to by many as “one of the 36 hidden tzadikim,” due to his selfless and kind lifestyle. He was a disciple of R. Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, who advised him to take up the position of chief rabbi of Gostynin, and of R. Yaakov Aryeh of Radzymin, after whose death in 1874 he became chassidic leader in Gostynin.
