His Connection to the Baal Shem Tov Hakadosh:
Before becoming a student of the Baal Shem Tov Hakadosh zy”a, the Magid lived in the city of Tolchin. For a period of time, he fasted all week, from Shabbos to Shabbos, for seven or eight consecutive weeks.
Rav Mendele of Brod zy”a, who was already known as a tzadik who had ruach hakodesh, lived in his neighborhood. He heard the Magid learning, and he could tell that he was a great talmid chochom. He went to the Magid’s house and saw that he was sickly and weak. He said to him, “Haven’t you ever heard of the Baal Shem Tov? He can heal you.”
The Magid replied that he had bitachon in Hashem. His family was upset by this reply and asked why he couldn’t just go see the Baal Shem Tov to see if he could help him. Finally, he agreed to go.
The Magid came to the Besht and told him that he needs a refuah. The Besht told him, “There is no cure for a donkey!” The Magid didn’t understand what the Besht was trying to say. He left him and went outside, where he saw a young man standing near the door. The Magid told him, “Do me a favor. Go in and ask the Baal Shem Tov why he doesn’t fulfill the mitzvah to love a ger. Does he think the pasuk is only speaking about a convert? No. We have to love and draw close every Jew!”
The young man was afraid to say such words to the Baal Shem Tov. Still and all, he gathered his courage, went inside, and said quickly, “There’s a Yid outside who asked why you don’t fulfill the commandment to love a ger.” He then quickly ran away.
When the Besht heard this, he gathered a minyan of men to go and appease the Magid. The Besht then told the Magid to say several chapters of Tehillim every day. The Magid asked if he could also give him a bracha for a refuah sheleima, and the Besht said, “I provided you with a means to have a refuah through words. If you also want a refuah through actions, I am sending someone to buy medicine for you.”
After some time, the Maggid’s condition improved, and the Baal Shem Tov gave him money so that he could properly heal himself and be strengthened.
Tzadik Hador:
Sefer Sarfei Kodesh quotes the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz zy”a as relating that the Magid once suddenly came out of his room, turned to his talmidim and asked, “Isn’t it true that I am the tzadik hador?”
They were very surprised by the question and remained silent since they didn’t know what to answer.
After not receiving a response, the Magid went back into his room. A short time later, he came out again and said, “You lost out.”
He explained, “I was asking in the highest Heavens to send the geulah. I was asked why my request should be granted and I said, ‘I am the tzadik hador and Chazal say (Moed Katan 16B) that when a tzadik makes a decree, Hashem fulfills it.’ I was then asked: Who says that you are the tzadik hador? I answered that my students would attest to it. But when I asked you, none of you back me up! Thus, you delayed the geulah.”
The Value of His Sleep:
The same sefer relates that the Ruzhiner Rebbe zy”a related that once on erev Shabbos, Rav Aharon Hagadol of Karlin zy”a was sitting in the room of his grandfather, the Magid zy”a, and saying Shir Hashirim. The shamash entered the room suddenly and told him that the Magid asked him to stop because he wanted to lay down and rest l’kavod Shabbos and Rav Aharon’s Shir Hashirim was creating such a commotion in Shomayim that it was disturbing his sleep.
The Ruzhiner concluded, “From this story, we see the greatness of the Magid. Although Rav Aharon was creating a commotion in Shomayim, he still knew that his sleep on erev Shabbos was more valuable!
The Depths of His Torah:
Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen quotes Rav Mordechai Chaim of Slonim zy”a as relating that heard the following story from Rav Berel Zhiraner zt”l, who heard it from Rav Dovid Moshe of Chortkov zy”a:
Two talmidim once went to see the Magid and he told them thirteen divrei Torah. They said, “If we had come only to hear these things, that would have been enough!” And they returned to their city.
They hired a driver to take them home and made up with him that he would drive his wagon slowly, and they would walk behind it on foot, and when they wanted to rest, they would get on the wagon. And so, they set out on their journey at midday, walking on foot and conversing leisurely among themselves about the Magid’s words. Their conversation continued all day and all night until the early hours of the morning, and they did not notice anything that was happening around them.
Suddenly, the driver turned to them and said, “You sinners, you did not daven Mincha or Maariv, and you did not even put on Tefillin!”
Immediately, they came back to themselves, right as they were in the middle of reviewing the fifth devar Torah they had heard from the Magid. Had the wagoner not awakened them, they would have continued going over the Magid’s words for the rest of the journey.
He Fainted When he Touched the Besht’s Garment:
Once, on a Motzoei Shabbos, the chasidim were sitting in the bais medrash of the Ruzhiner Rebbe zy”a for Melave Malka. Suddenly, the Rebbe opened the door of his room next to the bais medrash, stood at the entrance, and said, “The Baal Shem Tov was not a deity, and the zaida, the Magid, was not just an ordinary wagon driver. And once, when the holy Baal Shem Tov prayed, his talis fringe fell out of his gartel and dragged on the floor. The Magid approached, picked it up, and put it back in the gartel, but he was trembled with such tremendous fear that he fainted and his life was in danger. They were compelled to rouse the Baal Shem Tov from his deep dveikus in order to calm him.”
He then added, “I told you that the Baal Shem Tov was not a deity and my zaida, the Magid, was no wagon driver. Still and all, when he touched the Besht’s garment, he fainted from fear. The entire world is Hashem’s garment. How much fear must we feel to touch this world!”
May the memory of the tzadik be a blessing for all of Klal Yisroel.
