B"H
Menachem Av 22, 5771 * August 22, 2011
=======================
W E E K L Y S T O R Y
=======================
A Sensitive Stomach
By Yerachmiel Tilles
====================
Failing health once forced Rabbi Chaim of Sanz to make use of the mineral baths in Baden, near Vienna. Hearing that a chassidic rebbe was visiting the area, an irreligious Jew named Marcus decided to pay him a visit, arriving late Saturday morning at the Sanzer Rebbe's Shabbat table. Rabbi Chaim sat at the head, surrounded by the chassidim who had accompanied him on his trip, as well as those from Vienna and Germany who had come to be in the company of their rebbe.
As soon as Marcus entered and sat down, the Rebbe sent small portions to him from each course that he had been served. Marcus ate a bit of fish, cholent, kugel and chicken, and soon thereafter, having satisfied his curiosity, he left.
Later that day Marcus went out for dinner to a restaurant—non-kosher, as usual—and ordered a sumptuous meal. But a soon as he began to eat, he suffered painful stomach cramps and began to vomit.
"They have served me terrible food here!" he exclaimed, calling over the manager to complain.
"There is nothing wrong with our food," the manager protested. "Why, just look at all the other patrons who are dining on our fine cuisine without any ill effect! It must be that you are unwell, sir."
Perhaps the manager was correct, Marcus thought to himself. He suddenly reminded himself of the renowned miracle-worker he had visited earlier that day, and decided to return to him and ask for a blessing that his stomach ailment be cured.
He described his problem to the rebbe's attendant, who went into the Sanzer's room and related Marcus' request. "He is perfectly healthy," replied Rabbi Chaim. "There is nothing wrong with him! Go into the kitchen and serve him some kugel, and he will be able to eat it."
After this snack, Marcus told the attendant, "Thank you—that was really delicious! I feel much better now. Please thank the rebbe for me."
Later that night, thinking himself cured by the rebbe's blessing, Marcus decided to make a second attempt to dine at the restaurant. To his dismay, the afternoon's incident repeated itself: as soon as he started eating, the stomach pains returned and he began to vomit. Puzzled, Marcus returned to the Sanzer Rebbe for an explanation.
"I was very ill this afternoon, and your blessing cured me. But when I went back to the restaurant, the same thing happened again!"
Rabbi Chaim smiled and told him, "There is nothing wrong with your health. But now that you have tasted our Shabbat food, your body can no longer tolerate anything unkosher! Your body had experienced purity, and now you can eat only kosher food."
Marcus realized the truth in the rebbe's words and accepted upon himself to observe the laws of kashrut (keeping kosher). One thing led to another, and he eventually returned to full observance of the Torah, even changing his name to Moshe. He returned to Sanz to live his newly chosen lifestyle in the community of the Sanzer Rebbe, and was known as "Reb Moshe Baal Teshuvah (penitent)." His previous education enabled him to write well in German, and eventually he became the Sanzer's secretary for all official matters.
After the Sanzer Rav passed away, Moshe became a chassid of one of the rebbe's sons, Rabbi Baruch of Gorlitz. He would constantly seek R. Baruch's advice on how he could repent for his past sins.
* * *
When the Bobover Rebbe, R. Shlomo Halberstam (1907–2000), a great-grandson of Rabbi Chaim of Sanz, would relate this story, he would ask, "It would seem that upon eating the food of the Sanzer Rebbe, Moshe lost his free choice. How is that possible? And why then should he be rewarded for repenting, when the choice was taken away from him?
"We can ask further: How is it that every morning we ask G-d, 'Compel our yetzer hara (evil inclination) to be subservient to You'? Is this not a contradiction to the concept of free will? The answer is that the yetzer hara is removed only because G-d accepts a sincere prayer. Therefore, the subjugation of the evil inclination is attributable to the prayer of the person. He did not lose his free choice; on the contrary, he used his free choice, to ask G-d to help him in this struggle.
"Similarly, Moshe's body did not become sensitized to impurity simply because of the Divrei Chaim's food. The first step was taken by Moshe, for it was he who sought out the Rebbe, coming to his tish (table) that Shabbat. And he willingly accepted the food from the rebbe's plate that he was served. Thus, the consequences of his actions are attributable to him, a result of his exercising his own free choice."
Connection: In the weekly Torah reading of Re'eh, keeping kosher is discussed in chs. 12 and 14.
Biographical note:
Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (1793–10 Nissan 1876) was the first rebbe of the Sanz-Klausenberg chassidic dynasty. He is famous for his extraordinary dedication to the mitzvah of tzedakah (charity), and also as a renowned Torah scholar; his voluminous and wide-ranging writings were all published under the title Divrei Chaim, and he is sometimes called by that name.
[Adapted from the rendition in Gut Voch (Artscroll), by Avrohom Barash]
- Yerachmiel Tilles is the Co-founder of Ascent-of-Safed and was its educational director for 18 years. He is the creator of www.ascentofsafed.com and www.kabbalaonline.org, and currently the director of both sites. He is also a well-known storyteller, a columnist for numerous chasidic publications and a staff rabbi on AskMoses.com [ http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=5422CAAE7F2EF02E976A01C2EC4D9DDD&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2 ].
- To view this article on the Web, or to post a comment, please click here: http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=E0F50ACF937898FD8036EDF20B057A59&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
This subscription is available and better viewed in a graphic (HTML) format. To update your preferences, please click here:
http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=C6B0D5E52DC74DD0F732D9B4B7E9ABE1&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Copyright © Chabad.org
For more Torah study and inspiring articles, please visit:
http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=B69EA02E240AD8057ADE063B776EE1AD&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
** Enjoyed this email? Please help us continue sharing the
study of Torah and Jewish traditions:
Dedicate or sponsor an email to mark your special occasion!
Please click here: http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=7ED85869611DE2A9B934A371F3D8C404&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2
Please click here to make a donation to Chabad.org:
http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=B934F00414E26EEEB2C4D978D77FFC3F&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2
** Important Tip: In order to guarantee that your Chabad.org subscription
emails continue to be delivered to you, please make sure to add our
address, subscriptions@chabad.org, to your address book, or "whitelist"
it in any spam filters or spam programs you may have.
** Manage your complete subscription profile online: Subscribes,
unsubscribes, address changes, vacation holds, and more. Register here:
http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=79BF57FE678AE0386D9855287C62C7EE&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2&emailpk=_230465_1826535@
** To subscribe to more Chabad.org email lists please click here:
http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=535CAD517BD0524D9220CCC7ED109755&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2
** To be removed from this email list please click here:
http://www.chabad.org/unsub.asp?i=5AF4698367548130251CBA06BE963C19BB070820D2D034DB3D55F44EF28BA64D
If you would just like your email suspended and resumed at a later
date, please let us know here:
http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=7BC78E27DEA57455928516E4B59BCE15&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2&email=yurochkadrugach.yurochka@blogger.com
** You are subscribed to the "Weekly Story" email list as:
yurochkadrugach.yurochka@blogger.com. If your e-mail address is changing
please send us your new email address here:
http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=B5B6CACFC23E7C578BAD106F931C77FA&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2&email=yurochkadrugach.yurochka@blogger.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Chabad.org
Chabad Lubavitch Media Center
770 Eastern Parkway * Brooklyn, NY * 11213
Web: http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=F8147D9DE5F68CD8A5DB1864A463B075&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2
Feedback: http://link.Chabad.org/go.asp?li=DF3C18A67C070D540FF0D88846E00517&ui=F8C16ABBBCDB72AD0024EE2F647D78D2
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий