The Kossover Rebbe repays a person Good for Good
Harav Hakadosh Reb Menachem Mendel of Kossov ztzk’l, early in his life, began to travel to Harav Hakadosh Reb Meshulam Feivish of Zbariz, ztzuk’l, the “Yosher Divrei Emes.” Once, Reb Meshulam traveled for a Shabbos to the city of Skola, and Reb Mendel thrived to be with the Zbarizer Rebbe for Shabbos, but didn’t have a wagon to travel with, since he was poor, so he traveled by foot. Thursday night he arrived at an inn on the road to Skola. He wanted to eat a little something, and stay there the night, as he hadn’t eaten in quite some time. When he entered the inn and asked for supper and a room, the innkeeper told him, “We can put you up for the night, but we have no food here. We have been fasting for two days now, because we have had no money to buy any food. In a few days the yearly rent is due, and if I don’t pay the rent the poritz will throw me and my family into jail.” When Reb Menachem Mendel heard these words he grew very heartbroken. He wasn’t able to sleep the entire night, he was so upset. But he had no means to help the innkeeper.
At daybreak, Reb Mendel took leave of the innkeeper. He reassured the man and bentshed him, and he went on his way, hoping to arrive in time at Skola. As he walked the road to Skola, he met a wagon on the road. The wagon was being driven by a rich man. The rich man asked Reb Mendel, “Where are you going?” “I’m going to my Rebbe in Skola,” answered Reb Mendel. “I’m also traveling to Skola,” said the rich man. “Get in the wagon and we’ll travel together.” “I will not travel with you unless you give me some money,” said Reb Mendel. And he named a large number of 20 rubles. “Young man,” said the rich man. “It’s not enough I offer to take you to Skola without asking for pay, you want me to pay you? I can give you a ruble as a donation!” “Believe me,” said Reb Mendel, “I’m not asking for myself. There’s a family not far from here who needs the money. This is not just regular tzdaka, this is saving lives! “You should also remember what Chazal say: The whole world is a wheel, and people go up and people go down.’ Poor people become rich, and rich people become poor (Shabbos 151b). So giving can help keep you rich, and stop you from becoming poor.” The yid took these words to heart, and he immediately took out the entire sum of money and gave it to Reb Mendel. “Now let’s turn back and travel to the inn,” said the Kossover to the rich man, “and we will go to the innkeeper and bring him life!” Reb Mendel gave the entire amount to the innkeeper, telling him, “The merchant standing here donated this money. “Now,” said Reb Mendel, “one mitzvah leads to another mitzvah. So let us daaven Shacharis. Meanwhile, send someone out to buy bread, and with bread we will have a seudah and bring energy to your hungry children who haven’t eaten in a few days.”
They sent a wagon to the city to bring back good food to make a meal with. The entire family was able to eat bread and other food until they were satisfied. Reb Mendel, who had fasted a few days, also ate from the seudah. Reb Mendel asked the rich man to arrange food for the coming Shabbos for the innkeeper’s family, and everyone was happy. The Kossover, before leaving, went into a private room with the innkeeper, and spoke with him, secretly. “You should know that in a short time you will become rich. But take a good look at the person who just saved you from a bad time. A time will come when his fortunes will, sadly, take a turn for the worse. The world is, after all, like a big wheel. Today he’s rich, and tomorrow someone else is. The poor become rich, and the rich become poor. Remember that you must be a, you must be someone who repays good for the good someone else has done for you.” The innkeeper accepted this from Reb Mendel.
Reb Mendel and the rich man got back in the wagon to travel to Skola. When they arrived, there was a large crowd waiting to go in to see the Rebbe to give him shalom. The Zbarizer Rebbe noticed the two guests, and he called out, “Make room for those who have today done a great mitzvah!” And so they were able to get in to see the tzaddik without waiting. Reb Mendel began to tell the entire story, but Reb Meshulam Feivish said, “I know, I know! I just want to know if you, told the innkeeper how to act when the time comes?” “Yes!” said Reb Mendel. “I told him everything he needed to know, and asked him to remember, and he accepted.” That Shabbos they celebrated with much joy, and afterwards the rich man traveled home satisfied, and with much simchah.
A few years passed, and Reb Mendel known as the Ahavas Sholom became famous, and he led his chassidus in Kossov. Information came to the Kossover that the innkeeper had become rich, as he had predicted to the man, and he now had a very fine business and properties. Unfortunately, the rich man who had helped him began a new business that brought him great difficulties, and eventually he became poor. He lost so much money, that he had to travel far and wide to collect money from good yidden who could help him. While traveling from town to town, the formerly rich man arrived in Kossov. Not knowing that he was standing before the tzaddik he had a previous connection to, he waited to meet him. The Rebbe recognized him, and he called him in before everyone else. Before the man could speak, Reb Mendel said to him, “I would like to help. Here is a letter I have written to a rich man I know. You will have a yeshuah through him, I assure you.” The brokenhearted man became full of wonder how did the tzaddik know him and his situation, and he even had a letter written up for him to take?
The formerly rich man thanked the Rebbe, and he began to travel to the now rich man, carrying the closed letter. The letter was addressed to the innkeeper, who now lived as a very successful merchant. When the now-poor man came to the now-rich man with the closed letter, he didn’t recognize the former innkeeper. Fifteen years had passed since he had met him, and a lot of change had come over him. But the former innkeeper, the now-rich man, recognized him, and called out, “I don’t even need to open the letter! I know it’s a letter from the Kossover tzaddik! He came to me in a dream last night and reminded me about what had happened fifteen years ago. He said to me, ‘Now is the time for you to be a, to repay good with good. Remember what you agreed to do!” The two of them hugged each other with love, as they remembered that time, fifteen years ago. The now-rich man said, “Let us both travel to Kossov. Whatever the tzaddik will say, I will do and give you entirely!” The Rebbe Reb Mendel Kossover instructed the rich man to give a nice amount of money to the man who had saved him so long ago, enough money to begin a new business. And in a short time, the man was able to support himself again.
