| The Wedding Party |
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| Once, Rabbi
Israel Baal Shem Tov and a group of his Chassidim were on route to a
destination only known to the Baal Shem Tov. Suddenly, the Baal Shem Tov told
the others that they would stop and daven Mincha (afternoon prayer) beside the
road. The Chassidim wanted to continue on to the nearest Inn but the Baal Shem
Tov insisted that they stop right then. Everyone was so cold that they decided
to light a fire to warm themselves. |
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| Once the fire
was blazing and the Chassidim completed their prayers, they noticed a sled
approaching slowly towards their fire. The small sled was pulled by an old,
haggard, brown horse and carried a young couple snuggled together under a pile
of blankets. On closer look, the couple were staring out through a frozen
glazed look on their faces. The sled came to a stop next to the fire and the
Chassidim lifted the young couple from the sled and placed them next to the
fire to thaw their already blue bodies. After they began to move, the Chassidim
helped them sip a cup of hot tea with brandy. |
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| Slowly the
couple regained consciousness. The young man told the tale of how they were two
orphans that worked for a Jewish Innkeeper. The special feelings that the
orphans had for each other were apparent. The Inn Keeper promised that he would
help them get married in a few years when they were older and had worked a
little longer for him. |
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| One day, the
young man saw the Inn Keeper's wife screaming at the girl and when the wife
struck his beloved friend, he lost control, started screaming and finally
struck the wife. The Inn Keeper, hearing the screams, came in just in time to
see his servant boy raise his hand and strike his wife. |
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| The Inn Keeper
started screaming at the two orphan servants and told them to pack up their
bags and get out of his Inn. As the Inn Keeper yelled his parting words, "I
never want to see your ugly faces again," they left into the cold Ukrainian
winter. |
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| Carrying their
belongings, they bought a rickety old sled and a tired old horse with all of
their savings. They went from town to town looking for a place to settle. But
no luck. After about three weeks in the freezing Ukrainian countryside, they
were out of food and didn't know where to go next. They fell into an
unconscious daze as the cold filled their famished bodies. The horse ambled
around pulling the sled when suddenly it stopped by a small fire surrounded by
Chassidim. |
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| "We are going
to have a Chasana," said Rabbi Israel, while looking at the young couple. "Lets
all go to the next inn. |
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| In a few hours,
the sleds stopped in front of an Inn and the Inn Keeper came out to greet the
Chassidim. As he was telling them where to put the sleds and horses, he
suddenly noticed the young couple. |
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| "What are they
doing here. They are not allowed to step foot in my Inn," yelled the Inn
Keeper. |
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| The Inn
Keeper's wife, hearing her husband speak in a loud voice, came outside by her
husband. "Get away from here, you dirty little brats," she joined in.
|
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| "Please," said
Rabbi Israel, "we are going to have a wedding at your Inn." |
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| "And who is
being married, may I ask?" queried the Inn Keeper. |
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| "This young
couple," answered the Baal Shem Tov. |
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| The Inn Keeper
and his wife began to laugh uproariously. Then, the Inn Keeper suddenly became
serious and said "They'll get married here over my dead body." |
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| Rabbi Israel
Baal Shem Tov stepped over to the Inn Keeper and took him aside while speaking
in a very quiet tone. Then, the two of them went into the Inn together and the
Chassidim watched through the door as the Rabbi pour a pile of gold coins onto
the table. |
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| Immediately
thereafter, the Inn Keeper called his wife in and they planned a gala wedding
party for the young couple. As the plans were concluded, Rabbi Israel said,
"And don't forget, we want the best wine from your cellar." |
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| Word passed
through the nearby town and everyone flocked to the wedding celebration. Rabbi
Israel was the Tzad HaKiddushin and the other Chassidim took care of the
details. |
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| Everyone had
been eating and dancing for a while when the Baal Shem Tov, sitting at a table
with the Chassidim said "It's only right that the Chosson and Kallah should
have gifts to begin their life together" Everyone listened intently as Rabbi
Israel continued. |
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| "And I'd like
to give the Chosson and Kallah this fine inn" After a momentary silence, the
Inn Keeper and his wife started laughing so hard they could barely stand.
|
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| Then Dov Baer
(later known as the Mizritcher Maggid} said "I'd like to give them mill down by
the river." |
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| "I'll give the
stables and horses," piped up Reb Ze'ev Kotses. |
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| "And I'll give
the wine cellar in the Inn," said another of the Chassidim. |
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| Everyone at the
wedding party were looking at the Inn Keeper and is wife when the Baal Shem Tov
said "And what about you Inn Keeper? What gift will you give to the newly
married couple"? |
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| "Oh, I'll give
them five rubles," said the Innkeeper. |
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| "That's not
enough for a couple just starting off," retorted Rabbi Israel. |
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| "You're right,"
said the Inn Keeper, "I'll give them the forty thousand rubles that the Duke
just collected as a tax from all of the local Poritzes running his
lands. |
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| The Inn
Keeper's wife followed with "They can live in the old broken down house at the
end of town". When the guests complained about her stinginess, she said "OK,
I'll give the big diamond broach the Duke's wife always wears". |
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| So they benched
and the Baal Shem Tov quickly wrapped all the leftover food and drink into the
table cloths, all of which he had purchased from the Inn Keeper. The Chassidim
put the leftovers into the sled along with the newly wedded Choson and Kallah.
The Chassidim also got into their sled with the Baal Shem Tov. |
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| Just before
leaving, the Baal Shem Tov said "I bless you that all our gifts will be
fulfilled, and that you live long, healthy, happy lives both physically and
spiritually." |
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| The newlyweds
got into their sled and started off along the road. At first, they were elated
with the turn of events. They felt like they had just awoken from a dream.
After they traveled for a few hours, it dawned on them that they still didn't
have a place to go and they still didn't have any money. They started to feel
bad as the realization began to grow that they were in the same condition as
before they met the Chassidim except they were married and had a package of
food in the sled. As time passed, they became more and more despondent as the
old horse aimlessly pulled the sled through the frozen Ukrainian
trail. |
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| As the couple
fell into a depressed state, they suddenly noticed an unusual form in the snow
that caught their eyes. It almost looked like a person. They got off their sled
to get a better look. "My G-d, it's a young nobleman." His skin was blue and
icicles were forming on his beard. Quickly they built a blazing fire and
covered him with extra blankets. As he regained consciousness, they gave him a
drink of whiskey and fed him the leftover food from the wedding. |
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| As he slowly
came back to himself, the young nobleman related how he had had a hunting
accident and his horse ran away. |
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| Before he
finished relating the story, a hunting horn was heard and one of the servants
of the young nobleman's father, the Duke, came riding up searching for the boy.
As soon as he saw him, he called for a carriage, put the Duke's son into the
carriage, and rode off without paying any attention to the young
newlyweds. |
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| The boy was
returned to the Duke and his wife who were hosting an extremely somber party
celebrating the collection of the Duke's rents. All of the small Lords that
owned land in his district were there. They had just returned from an afternoon
of hunting to learn that the Duke's only child was missing. When the boy was
brought into the party room, everyone cheered and let a sigh of relief. The boy
was still in shock and was taken to his room to recover. After some time, he
returned to himself and the whole incident returned to his mind. |
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| The boy ran
down to his parents inquiring about the young couple that had saved his life.
Because of the shock surrounding the events, everyone had forgotten about the
young couple that had saved him. "Quick, find the couple and bring them here,"
ordered the Duke to his servants. Immediately, the servants went off and found
the couple. They were brought to the party and given a victors
welcome. |
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| The Duke
questioned the couple and learned of their life in the Inn {which coincidently
belonged to the Duke}, their meeting with a strange Rabbi, their wedding, and
their finding the Duke's son. |
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| The Duke, his
wife, his servants, and the guests at the Duke's party were thrilled that the
Duke's son was miraculously saved and unharmed. The music played and the
liqueur flowed as they crowded around the young couple, thanking them over and
over. |
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| Someone yelled
"Let's help the newly weds begin their life together with some gifts. The Duke
immediately jumped up and said, "I'm giving the Inn to them!" |
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| When someone
else offered the stables, horses and wine cellar in the Inn, the Duke said,
"Absolutely." |
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| Then another
guest said "What about the mill by the river?" "Definitely," chimed in the
Duke. |
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| "What about
some cash?" asked another celebrant. |
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| "Here are all
of the rents I collected," said the Duke as he thrust a bag of gold in the
Chosson's hand. |
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| Then the Duke's
wife removed her famous diamond broach and pinned it onto the Kallah. She burst
out, "You are the most beautiful of all brides and there is no way I can thank
you for giving me back my son," and then she started hugging the Kallah and
weeping. |
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| The Kallah
exclaimed, "But what about where the innkeeper and his wife? Where are they
going to live?" |
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| "We'll give
them the broken down house at the end of the town," answered the Duke's
wife. |
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| The gifts of
those that joined with Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov in blessing the Chosson and
Kallah materialized as the outcome of a very unexpected set of circumstances.
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| And so it was.
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| Adapted by Howard Cohn |
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