***** The Lisker Rebbe helped a goy which led to releasing a Yid from prison *****
Reb Yeshaya of Kerestir told a story of his rebbe, Reb Hershel of Liska. A woman came to Reb Hershel, and asked the Rebbe to help her find her husband. She added, “I will not leave here until the rebbe brings me back my husband!” “Where is your husband?” asked the Rebbe. The lady answered, “The police have captured my husband, in the city of Kalev, and they put him in prison for a long time!” “In Kalev?” asked the Lisker Rebbe sharply. “Go immediately to the warden of the prison there and tell him that the Lisker Rebbe asks him to release your husband from prison immediately and let him go home.” After the woman left the Rebbe, she had doubts, but the chassidim who had heard what the Rebbe said assured her. They convinced her to travel to Kalev and do everything the Rebbe had told her to do. The woman hadn’t really understood what the Rebbe had meant. She knew that the goy was in the government, and he had followed the ruling of a judge. How would telling him what some rebbe had said make any difference to him? But the chassidim spoke convincingly to her, so she decided to try it, and she left to travel to Kalev.
When she arrived at Kalev, she began to hang around the prison, hoping to meet the warden. She hung around until she met the warden alone, without another officer present. He asked her, “Who are you looking for here? “I am looking for the warden,” she answered. “And what do you want with the warden?” “The Lisker Rebbe sent me to ask the warden to release my husband from prison.” “I am the warden.” said the officer. “And if you are certain that your husband is in this prison, and you can recognize him, I will immediately let him free!”
The warden promptly opened the door to the prison, and the woman saw and recognized her husband in one of the cells, and the warden instantly removed him and brought him to the warden’s office. He gave him his clothing and belongings, and ordered the man and his wife to leave Kalev as quickly as possible, and to run and tell the tzaddik that he had done him a favor, as promised.
No one knew why the goy did this favor for the Rebbe, but Reb Yeshayah, shed light to the mystery. In a town near Liska there lived a goy who was very poor. He would chop wood and shlep water for the Yidden of the town. Once, before Shavuos, the goy overheard two Yidden discussing traveling to the rebbe in Liska for yom tov. When the goy heard this, he asked them to take him along. The chassidim agreed, with a condition. He would have to drive, and take care of their horses, and wagon on the road, and during the two days of yom tov. This way, they could rest easy, and not have to worry about taking care of the horses. The goy agreed to the terms.
In Liska, the goy watered and groomed the horses, and from time to time went to shul, and looked at people, and events he had never seen before in his life. They explained that there was a tzaddik there that helps his chassidim with everything. Motzei Yom Tov, as they began to get ready to leave, the goy asked to go and see the rebbe and get a bracha from him. When he went in to see the rebbe, he began to pour out his heart how he worked so hard for a few pieces of bread.
I beg the Rebbe to bless me with better means of livelihood. “Didn’t you see any announcements of people looking for workers asked the rebbe?” “As it happens,” answered the goy, “I just saw in a newspaper that in Kalev they’re looking for a man to become warden in a very large prison, to watch a huge group of prisoners. But why would they take a simple man like me for such a prestigious position?”
“Travel there, and present yourself to them. They will take you on as warden. This will bring you a very beneficial livelihood. People will pay you a lot of money to bring food to their family in prison. Aside from your regular salary, you will make a lot of money.” The goy obeyed the Rebbe, and was offered the job as the warden in Kalev. He had great success, and very shortly became pretty rich. After some time passed, he realized that he should express his appreciation to the tzaddik that brought him this prosperity. He went in to see the Rebbe and presented himself as the person the Rebbe had advised to travel to Kalev and apply for the position as warden. He wanted to show his appreciation by bringing something to the Rebbe. The Lisker Rebbe didn’t want to take anything. But he did agree to one thing. If I ever need a favor, I ask that you do me that favor in return for what I gave you.” The goy promised the Rebbe he would do that favor for the Rebbe when the time came. When the woman came to the warden in the name of the Lisker Rebbe, he immediately repaid the Rebbe’s favor.” Reb Yeshayah concluded, “When you foresee doing a favor can help a Yid down the road, you do that favor.”
