Everyone was astounded by the Divine Spirit of Rabbi Shneur Zalman and the tremendous faith in tzadikim of the innkeeper, who, by immediately following the advice of the tzadik saved all his possessions from the fire.
The innkeeper merited to live to a great old age. In his later years he heard that Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the author of the Tanya, the six-volume set of Jewish Law known as Shulchan Aruch HaRav, and the founder and Alter (elder) Rebbe of Chabad Chassidism, had passed away. His son, Rabbi Dovber, was his successor and lived in the town of Lubavitch.
The innkeeper could still hear the voice of the Maggid of Mezritch when he told him that his student the Alter Rebbe would "merit a son like me." He decided to travel to Lubavitch to see the son of the Rebbe.
On entering the room of Rabbi Dovber, the Mittler Rebbe, he was amazed to see how much the Rebbe looked like the Maggid. He knew that the young Rebbe was called Dovber after the Maggid.
He was so overcome with emotion on seeing the wondrous likeness between the Maggid and the son of his student that he collapsed in a faint.
This story was told by the grandson of the Alter Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek [the 3rd Rebbe], to his son [the Rebbe Maharash, the 4th Rebbe], so that one should learn from the behavior of this simple innkeeper how to follow the advice of tzadikim.
Source: Adapted and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles from the excellent first-draft translation by C. R. Benami of an article in Sichat Hashavua. Rabbi Tilles of Tsfat, is a co-founder of ASCENT. His email list for stories is in its 27th year. To join the list a/o his WhatsApp group for Saturday night Audio, Video and Zoom stories, go to AscentOfSafed.com or WhatsApp +972-526-770-137.
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