The celebrated chossid, Reb Hillel Paritcher, once arrived in a town where some Yidden kept their stores open on Shabbos. Deeply disturbed, he called all the storeowners for a meeting, at which he explained to them why they should close their businesses on that day. They all agreed, but on one condition – that he persuade a particular wealthy man, their most formidable competitor, to close his business, too, on Shabbos.
The Rich Man’s Defiance
Reb Hillel summoned the rich man to come, but to no avail. He called for him a second and a third time, but he did not make an appearance. Reb Hillel remained in the town for Shabbos. In the course of the day, that rich man suddenly felt a sharp piercing pain in his stomach. The pain grew so intense that he screamed. His wife, suspecting that this was connected to his disrespect for Reb Hillel, quickly ran to ask him for a beracha. To her surprise, Reb Hillel remained silent.
Thinking that he was hesitant to wish refua shleima on Shabbos (in the spirit of the halacha), the people present turned to him and begged that he wish her instead, Shabbos hi miliz'oik u'refua kroiva lavoi – "It is Shabbos, when it is forbidden to cry out; healing will come soon" – but Reb Hillel still remained silent. The woman left empty-handed, and her husband's pain worsened.
The Motzaei Shabbos Melave Malka
On Motzaei Shabbos, when Reb Hillel was sitting with chassidim for Melave Malka, the door burst open. The businessman's wife stood there crying, begging Reb Hillel to have rachmonus and bless her husband with a refua shleima. Reb Hillel turned to her and said, "Shabbos hi miliz'oik u'refua kroiva lavoi." The chassidim wondered: why now, after Shabbos, was he saying this?
Reb Hillel explained: "Shabbos hi miliz'oik – if Shabbos stops screaming in distress, then u'refua kroiva lavoi – the healing will come speedily. Go tell him that if he promises in the presence of three people that he will close his business on Shabbos, he will be healed." Three chassidim stood up and went to his home, where the man gave his word that his store would be closed on Shabbos. His suffering immediately eased, within a short time he was completely healthy, and the kedusha of Shabbos was restored to the town.
Without forewarning, one of the wealthy Yidden residing in Yerushalayim began rapidly losing his riches, until he reached a point of dire straits. One of his acquaintances went to Reb Shlomo'le of Zvil to ask for a yeshuah. Said the tzaddik, “Had this man not thought about his business matters on Shabbos and Yom Tov he would not have lost his possessions.”
When the former wealthy Yid heard what the tzaddik had said, he admitted, “The Rebbe is correct. I used to do business with Arabic dealers on Motzoei Shabbos and Yom Tov, and would therefore plan these transactions during the afternoon hours on the holy days.”
From then on, the Yid stopped faring as such, and his financial situation improved.
Reprinted from the Parshat Ki Sisa 5785 edition of The Weekly Farbrengen.
