Tazria
On the eight day, the (child) shall be
circumcised.
(Leviticus 12:3)
* * *
The Naming
And then there was the time that Yisrael Baal Shem
Tov and his wife, Rebbetzyn Channah, were
desperate for a new horse to pull his wagon. At this
time the Baal Shem Tov was
still young
and had just married. He earned a meager livelihood
by
digging lime and taking it with his horse and wagon
from town
to town to sell. Although his holy wife Rebbetzyn
Channah was
bought up in a rich household and was not use to
hard labor,
she nevertheless helped Yisrael load the wagon and
sometimes
traveled with him for weeks on end. In the pale of
Eastern
Europe, they appeared as one of the numerous
simple Jews.
In time, their horse grew so weak and old that it was
barely
able to pull just the wagon much less when it was
loaded with
the lime. The Baal Shem Tov began to wonder what
he was
going to do. He could not afford a new horse and
without one
could not earn a living. Once, while talking with some
other
poor travelers whom he met on the road, he told
them about
his old, weak horse. They told him there was a well-
known
Jewish landowner named Reb Boruch who lived in the
community of Uman and was known for his
hospitality. He also
dealt in horses, so perhaps he could be of assistance
to the
young couple. Yisrael and Channah decided to go and
meet Reb
Boruch so they began a long, arduous journey to his
farm in
Uman.
Reb Boruch had fled the pogroms in his native
Bohemia and
moved to Ukraine. He was not a Torah scholar, just a
simple
Jew. Both he and his wife Rachel were kind, God-
fearing
people. They had two daughters and without other
children
decided to devote themselves and their wealth to
charitable
acts.
They were particularly known for their involvement in
the
mitzvah of hospitality. They had built a special
guesthouse on
their estate that had many small rooms, each
furnished with
two beds and a table. Any needy traveler was
welcome to stay
for a week. The visitors were given two meals daily
and on
Shabbos joined all the other guests at Reb
Boruch's
Shabbos table.
When a poor man came together with his wife and
children, the
family was given a room together. However, if a man
and a
woman came without children, Reb Boruch would not
give them
a room together because he was unsure as to
whether they
were married. When the stay of each poor guest was
over, they
were sent off with a sum of money to help them on
their way.
When Yisrael and his wife Channah arrived at Reb
Boruch's
estate, they were offered a meal and a place to
stay. After
eating, the Baal Shem Tov told his host about his
horse. Reb
Boruch immediately instructed his servants to replace
it with a
younger, healthy horse. The gift was greatly
appreciated and
since the Yisrael and Channah were exhausted from
their
journey, they decided to stay in Reb Boruch's guest
housing
until after Shabbos. Reb Boruch gave them separate
rooms
according to his custom. "I don't doubt you are
married, but my
policy is a man and woman separate rooms unless I
know for
sure that they are a married couple," he explained.
The Baal
Shem Tov smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
On Motzei Shabbos (the night when Shabbos
is just
over), Reb Boruch was studying some holy texts as
was his
custom. At one point he looked up and saw a bright
light
shining through a window from the guesthouse. He
thought the
guesthouse was on fire and ran out to investigate.
As he got
closer to the guest house, he realized it was not a
fire, but a
bright light shining through the window of the Baal
Shem Tov's
room. He quietly approached the door of the room
and peeked
in through the keyhole. There he saw his unknown
guest,
sitting on the floor and reciting Tikun Chatzos
(the
midnight prayer lamenting the Destruction of the Holy
Temple
and the exile of the Divine Presence). The Baal Shem
Tov's
face was radiant and tears were pouring from his
eyes. Next to
him was a tall man with a long white beard and a
glowing
countenance standing in a long white robe.
Reb Boruch fell down against the door in a faint.
Hearing the
noise, the Baal Shem Tov rushed to open the door
and helped
him into the room. After Reb Boruch composed
himself, he fell
down at the Baal Shem Tov's feet. "Please forgive me
Rabbi for
separating you from your wife."
The Baal Shem Tov helped Reb Boruch to his feet
and
answered, "Don't give it another thought. I can't
thank you
enough for your generosity. But I have one request:
I ask that
you promise me that you will not reveal anything you
have
seen tonight to anyone."
"Rebbe, I swear I will never tell anyone what I saw
tonight,"
said Reb Boruch.
The Baal Shem Tov then said, "I bless you with a son
that will
grow up to be a great Tzaddik (righteous
man). Be
sure that your wife nurses this child herself instead
of using a
wet nurse as she had done with your other children."
After responding, "Amen, may it be His will," to the
Baal Shem
Tov's blessing, Reb Boruch asked, "Rebbe, if I may be
so bold
as to ask, who was that old man in all white standing
next to
you?"
"Since you merited to see him," answered the Baal
Shem Tov,
"I'll reveal to you that it was the saintly Maharal of
Prague
(Rabbi Yehudah Leib ben Bezalel of Prague). His lofty
soul must
return again to this world to accomplish some great
tikkun
(spiritual correction). It is your privilege that this soul
will find
its abode in the son you will have. To this son, give
the name
Leib. After his birth, I will see him and bless him."
Reb Boruch wept for joy because he had all but given
up hope
that he would ever have a son. "My holy master,
please don't
be angry with me, but may I ask what is your name
and where
are you from? I wish to help and provide for all your
needs so
you will never know need again."
"Please do not ask me these questions," responded
the Baal
Shem Tov, "for the time for me to be known in this
world has
not yet come. Your son likewise will not be known
early in life.
He will first live a life of poverty. Later, his
righteousness will
shine forth like the radiance of the sun. More than
this I cannot
tell you. And again I ask that you not to tell anyone
what you
have seen and the words we have spoken here
tonight. Please
do not show me any special honor in anyone's
presence, and
treat me exactly as you do all the other guests you
generously
provide for. Tomorrow I will be on my way."
The Baal Shem Tov departed in his wagon, which
was now
harnessed to the new horse. No one knew what had
transpired,
but Reb Boruch recorded every detail in a diary.
Within a year, the Baal Shem Tov's blessing was
fulfilled and
Reb Boruch's wife gave birth to their first son. Their
joy was
boundless. Reb Boruch sent word to all the
neighboring towns
inviting all the poor to attend the bris (ritual
circumcision) and
celebration. Because, as the Talmud says, "Your
friend too has
a friend," the message spread in no time, and groups
of
beggars started to travel to Uman to celebrate with
Reb
Boruch.
On the day of the bris, hundreds attended the joyful
event. But
Reb Boruch was anxious. He paced to and fro among
the crowd
looking for the face of the hidden Tzaddik whose
blessing was
the source of his son. Finally, he saw him: with his
staff and
knapsack in the middle of the crowd. Reb Boruch ran
to greet
him, but did not manage to utter a word before the
Baal Shem
Tov motioned him to remain silent, adding: "Please be
sure not
to speak to me, nor to honor me in any way. Simply
treat me
like all the other poor people here."
The bris was held after morning prayers, and the
infant was
named Aryeh Leib. Reb Boruch very much wanted the
Baal
Shem Tov to bless his new son, but realized he could
not reveal
his identity. Finally he thought of an idea — He
carried
his newborn from hand to hand-asking each person
to give a
blessing to the infant. Reb Boruch carried the baby
all the way
through the crowd of poor folk because as he wished
to have
their blessings as well. When he reached the Baal
Shem Tov,
the latter placed his hands on the baby's head, and
said in a
loud and happy voice: "I am sorry — I am an
ignorant
man and don't know how to give blessings in the Holy
Tongue.
But I do remember one verse from the Torah that my
father
taught me:
It says: V'Avhram Zakein' — And
Avraham was
old." The word av at the beginning means
father. The
second word zaken means 'zeide'
(Yiddish for
'grandfather'). That is to say, our father Avraham is
our
grandfather. May this child baby be blessed to grow
up to be a
grandfather for all Israel, just as Avraham Avinu (our
father
Avraham.)"
Some in the crowd were amused and laughed by the
words of
this simple beggar. From that time on, the child was
refered to
as "Zeidelle" — the little grandfather.
Townsfolk would
jokingly ask Reb Boruch "How's your Zeidelle?" Even
Reb
Boruch and his wife called their son Zeidelle.
Indeed, the nickname remained with Reb Boruch
throughout his
life. Reb Aryeh Leib grew to become a great Tzaddik
who
helped his Jewish brethren and through acts of
kindness in this
World and through intercession in the World Above.
Not only
was he loved in his time, he is remembered to this
day as the
Shpoler Zeide — may his memory be a blessing.
And so it was.
Adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Howard M. Cohn,
Patent
Attorney) from a story in A Treasury of Chassidic Tales on the
Torah by
S.Y. Zevin
