Rabbi Shmuel, the fourth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, known as the Rebbe Maharash, once sent one of his Chasidim, a shochet, on a special mission. "Go to the royal archives, where you will find the file which contains all the documents pertaining to the arrest and trial of the Alter Rebbe [Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Chasidism]. Bring it to me." The Rebbe Maharash gave the Chasid explicit instructions, telling him exactly the room and the shelf on which the file was kept.
Despite the danger involved, the Chasid followed the Rebbe's instructions. After entering the archives, he discovered the desired file with little difficulty. As he attempted to remove it from the shelf, however, he was suddenly apprehended by a stern-looking high official.
"How dare you try to steal a file from these archives? Why, I'll have you arrested and sent off to Siberia in no time!" he bellowed angrily. "Now tell me, who sent you here? Someone must have told you exactly where to look for this file. Tell me which organization is behind this conspiracy, and what they are plotting. If you confess it all, your punishment will be more lenient."
"I'll tell you the honest truth," replied the Chasid a bit shakily. "In the city of Lubavitch, there is an honorable Chasidic leader, who is a direct descendant of the Rebbe to whom this file applies. He instructed me to obtain the file."
The official's face turned unexpectedly friendly. "Oh, it is Rabbi Schneersohn who sent you! In that case, I will not report you to the authorities."
The shochet turned to his interrogator in wonderment. "Why is it that at the mention of the Rebbe's name you allowed me to go free? Do you know him?"
"I do not know the present Rebbe," replied the man, "but I knew his father. I met him when he was called to Petersburg for a government conference on the future of Jewish education.
"Nikolai I was Czar at that time. He would frequently disguise himself as a commoner and attend these sessions incognito. Once, in the midst of one of the sessions that Czar Nikolai attended, Rabbi Schneersohn interrupted the translator and demanded that he relate everything he had said to the Russian authorities. After the translator continued, the Rebbe interrupted him again, claiming that again, his statements had not been translated in their entirety. This scenario was repeated again until finally the Russian official moderating the session demanded that the translator relate the Rebbe's statements in full.
"Having no alternative, the translator stated that the Rebbe had said that if the Russian government would impose their educational system upon the Jews, there would be a revolution in Russia within fifty years.
"Nikolai rose and signaled to the guards to arrest the Rebbe and treat him as befits a rebel against the government. At that time, I was a young soldier and the task of carrying out the Czar's orders was delegated to me.
"The Rebbe asked for permission to pray and recite his confessional prayers before I carried out the sentence, and I agreed. In the middle of his prayers, a messenger from the Czar appeared, with instructions to rescind the order and set the Rebbe free.
"Before the Rebbe was released, he blessed me with success in my military career. In the course of time, I rose through the ranks until I became a general. In my old age, I have been given the task of supervising these archives. It is in appreciation of the Rebbe's blessing, that I am setting you free."
