Rebbe before, he was filled with great fear and awe because he had not properly prepared himself to enter. He entered the bais medrash, and it was evident on his face that he was anxious and fearful.
At that time, the Rebbe was in the bais medrash. He approached him and asked, “R’ Yid, why are you so troubled?”
He answered, “Because I want to meet the Rebbe, but I heard that he is very strict. I am afraid that once he sees me, he will be very tough with me.”
Rav Boruch said, “I know the Rebbe, and he is only strict with people who are haughty and rebellious, but he is not strict with chasidim.”
He placed his hands on the arm of the chasid and walked with him in conversation in the bais medrash until it was time for davening.
When they began to daven, the chasid saw that the man who spoke and walked with him was the Rebbe himself, He was overwhelmed with great fear because he felt he had interacted with him in an inappropriate manner. After davening, he went into the Rebbe’s room and asked him to forgive him for having talked with him in that way. The Rebbe said to him, “I am willing to forgive you, but on one condition - that you go out with me now and stroll in the same manner as before davening...”
He once humbly declared, “When I look at the world, no one looks good to me. But when I look at myself, everyone looks good in comparison.”
Yearning for Hashem:
A distinguished man once came to visit Rav Boruch, and Rav Boruch told the Gabbai that since there were two chairs in the room, he should take one away. The man asked why he needed a third chair and he explained, “There are two ‘benklach’ (chairs). The Eibishter ‘benks’ (yearns) for a Yid, and a Yid ‘benks’ for the Eibishter. (In Yiddish, the word ‘benk’ can mean either a chair or to year.) However, I noticed that you only have one ‘benk’. The Eibishter ‘benks’ for you, but you do not ‘benk’ for Him. So I told the Gabbai that we only need one benkel.”
Learning Sefer HaZohar:
When Rav Boruch began studying the Zohar Hakadosh, he started learning from the “Shaar Daf”, the cover page of the book, where it is written: “‘This is the book of Zohar that the Tana Rav Shimon bar Yochai composed.”
He then said, “This is the book (sefer), this is the diamond (sapir). This is the Zohar that illuminates all worlds. ‘That was composed (chibur)’ – that connects (mechaber) the hearts of the Jewish people to their Father in Heaven. ‘Tana’ – it teaches us that there is a Creator in the world. And who made it? Rav Shimon bar Yochai zy”a.
In the Heichal of Rav Shimon bar Yochai:
He once was sitting at a seudah on Tu B’Shevat and he was in a very good mood. He said that he had dreamed that numerous tzadikim were sitting together, some of whom were still alive, and some who were already in the World of Truth. At the head of the table sat Rav Shimon bar Yochai, and he himself stood at the end of the table facing Rav Shimon, and Rashbi spoke to them incredible words of mussar.
He told them, “Is the way you serve Hashem really the proper way to serve Him?”
From intense fear and embarrassment, Rav Boruch’s face began to contort. Rav Shimon then rose from his seat and went to the end of the table, clapped him on the shoulders lovingly, and said, “Boruch’l, my dear one, I did not mean you, for you are an odom hashaleim (complete person).”
Mizmor L’Sodah:
Sefer Botzina D’Nehora relates that one leil Shabbos, during the recitation of “Ribon Ha’Olamim”, Rav Boruch reached the words where we thank Hashem for “all the chesed You have done for me and that You will do for me in the future.” He was quiet for a moment and then said to himself, “Why must we thank Hashem now for things He will do in the future? Why can’t we just thank Him when we get that chesed?”
He then answered, “Perhaps He will do a chesed for me at a time when I won’t be on the level of thanking Him properly. I don’t want that to happen. Therefore, I have to thank Him now.” And he broke down in tears.
Rav Moshe of Savrin zy”a was standing in the corner and he asked, “The Rebbe said a good question and a good answer. Why is he crying?”
Rav Boruch replied, “I cried from the thought that I might one day not be on the level of properly thanking Hashem.”
Forgetting Torah Through the Malach:
During his times, there lived a lamdan who was fluent in all of Shas and Poskim and all Sifrei Kabbalah. This man would belittle and mock all the tzadikim. He once met Rav Boruch, and Rav Boruch struck him on his nose. At that moment, he forgot all of his learning.
Rav Boruch said, “Chazal say (Niddah 30B) that a baby learns the entire Torah in its mother’s stomach, and before it goes into the world, an angel strikes it on the nose and it forgets it all. The angel forgot to hit this man, which is why he knew so much.”
Simcha in the Heart:
Sefer Sarfei Kodesh quotes the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz zy”a relates that R’ Hershele Ostropolier z”l, who was known to always be happy, once saw Rav Boruch looking very sad. R’ Hershele began looking around, as if searching for something. When the Rebbe asked what he was looking for, he said, “I see that the Rebbe’s nose has fallen (an expression for looking sad), so I am searching for it.”
Rav Boruch laughed and said, “He raised my spirits.”
Sefer M’Zekeinim Esbonen relates in the name of Rav Mordechai Chaim of Slonim zy”a that R’ Hershele Ostropolier began drinking whiskey because of the following story:
R’ Hershele was the shamash of Rav Boruch’l and he would occasionally cheer him up with his jokes and antics. He once said, “I would like to tell the Rebbe a joke. I once met the Satan, and he looked very sad. I asked him why he was sad, and he said, ‘How can I be happy? I have to hang out all day with boorish, coarse people in taverns and theaters. Would you want to hang around such people?
“A year later, I met him again, but this time, he looked very happy. I asked him why he was so happy and he said, ‘Business is good. Recently, I have found a way to get into the heart of a ‘sheina Yid’ and I don’t have to only hang around low-class people anymore.”
Rav Boruch’l laughed and said, “You certainly are referring to me.”
Rav Hershele replied, “I told this story to many ‘sheina Yidden’ already, and they all said the same thing.”
When Rav Boruch’l heard this, he became upset at him. He gave him a shot of whiskey and said, “You deserve a drink of whiskey as payment for your words.”
From that time on, he began drinking excessively.
Rav Mordechai Chaim said that he heard two versions of how R’ Hershele died. According to one version, he passed away shortly after this story. Rav Boruch’l once went to his grave and ordered a ditch to be dug next to it and for some whiskey to be poured into it so that he would still be happy.
Ikvesa D’Meshicha:
Rav Boruch once said about the coming of Moshiach, “There will be small milchamah’lech, small wars, and then Moshiach will come.”
The Gates of Gan Eden:
Before his petirah, Rav Boruch said, “After my soul ascends Above, they certainly will not allow me to enter Gan Eden. I will stand behind the Gates of Gan Eden and say Tehillim. Dovid Hamelech will then surely come and ask who is saying Tehillim so sweetly. He will open the gate for me to allow me to enter.”
