In the city of Berditchev a very wealthy man, regarded by all as a miser, died. When famed Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev heard of the man's passing, he was grieved and said he would attend the funeral.
When the news spread that Reb Levi Yitzchok would come, never was there such a crowd as attended the funeral of this richman. Yet, no one could understand why Reb Levi Yitzchok was showing so much respect for the dead miser.
After the funeral, Reb Levi Yitzchok said, "Nobody really knew this man as I did. He had a noble character that I discovered through three separate incidents when he came to me." And he told the following stories:
A wine merchant who acted as agent for other merchants was going on his usual purchasing trip when he suddenly discovered that his money was missing. When he realized his terrible situation, he fainted. A doctor was called and managed to revive him. But, as soon as the agent regained consciousness and remembered his great loss, he fell into another swoon.
A Jew suddenly stepped forward from the crowd and declared that he had found the missing bag of money. Everyone was delighted and the agent revived miraculously!
"Some time later," related Reb Levi Yitzchok, "two Jews came to see me. One was the man who was just buried. The second Jew claimed that he, in fact, had found the wine agent's money but could not resist the temptation to keep it. However, when he found out that someone had given away such a large sum of money in order to save a man's life, his conscience troubled him. He had repented and was now eager to repay the money.
But the first man (whose funeral was just held) refused to accept the money, saying he did not want to give up the mitzva of saving the agent's life.
"And my verdict," said Reb Levi Yitzchok, "was that he was not obliged to accept the money if he did not wish to. The man who had repented would have to find some other way of making amends."
There was a Jew who was unsuccessful in business and could not support his family. He decided that he would go away to try his luck somewhere else. He told his wife that this same rich man had engaged him to do business in a certain city and that she should go to collect part of his salary each Thursday at the rich man's place of business. The wife didn't know that this "arrangement" was her husband's invention.
On the first Thursday she presented herself at the office and demanded her husband's salary. The rich man overheard her conversation with his secretary and said, "She is quite right. Pay her the money each Thursday. Sorry, I forgot to tell you about this arrangement sooner."
Time passed and when the husband returned home, after having been very successful, he found that his wife had managed well on the "salary" she drew every week. With that, the husband went off to see the rich man, thanked him for his good-heartedness and tried to repay him. But the rich man would not hear of it.
The case was brought before Reb Levi Yitzchok. "My verdict was that the husband could not compel the rich man to accept the money."
A certain man in great financial difficulties came to this rich man and asked for a loan.
"Who will be your guarantor in case you cannot repay the loan?" he asked.
The only guarantor I can offer you is the Alm-ghty" he answered.
"Very good," said the rich man. "You could not have chosen a more reliable guarantor."
Sometime later, the man came to return the money he had borrowed.
"Your Guarantor repaid me the loan through an unexpected profit," said the rich man. "So, you see, you don't owe me anything."
The grateful Jew insisted that the case be brought before me," said Reb Levi Yitzchok. "This time, too, I said that the rich man could not be compelled to accept money which he did not want."
"So you see, my friends," concluded Reb Levi Yitzchok, "that the deceased was not mean or miserly. He just preferred giving charity anonymously. And that way of giving charity is the highest form of charity-giving. The man who has just been buried was truly a great, saintly Jew."
From "The Storyteller"