Trust Fund

A chassid of Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heschel journeyed to Apta to tell his rebbe to what wretched straits he was reduced.

“I will give you a letter to one of my people,” said the tzaddik, “instructing him to give you two hundred rubles on my account. He is a very wealthy man.”

When the poor man arrived at the home of the addressee, he merely told him that he had been sent by the rebbe, and was received warmly. Only after he had enjoyed his host’s hospitality for several days did he hand him the letter. At the sight of it, the rich man went purple with rage.

“I don’t know what business affairs the rebbe has with me, that he should take it upon himself to instruct me to give you such a large sum on his account!” he protested. “I can give you a certain amount—but definitely not two hundred rubles!”

The guest argued that it would not be proper for him to disobey the rebbe’s orders by receiving less. In the end he left emptyhanded, and returned to Apta to repeat his sad story.

“Very well,” said the tzaddik, “I will now give you a letter to another of my chassidim. This man is not so rich, so I will tell him to give you only one hundred rubles.”

This letter received a different welcome altogether.

“My brother,” said this chassid to the stranger at his door, “please stay in my house for a few days, until I manage to put together the amount that the rebbe named.”

After the host had handed it over with a happy heart, the poor man took his leave and brought this story, too, back to the tzaddik.

Now, the recipient of the first letter noticed after a short time that his fortunes were steadily waning. He even came to a stage at which he was compelled to beg for bread from the houses of the rich.

In the course of his wanderings he came to Apta, and the mere sight of the town reminded him of the letter he had received from the tzaddik who lived there.

As the misfortunes that had since then overtaken him came to mind one by one, he could not forgive himself for not having obeyed the rebbe’s instructions unquestioningly—for he saw his own willful disobedience at the time as the root of all his suffering since then.

He begged and pleaded to be admitted to the rebbe’s presence for an audience, but the rebbe had left orders that this was not to be. Seeing him weep day and night, one chassid advised him to stand outside the rebbe’s window, where the tzaddik would be able to hear his anguish for himself.

The rebbe in fact asked his attendants whose voice this was, and when they told him, they added that he was full of regrets for his earlier conduct.

Said the tzadik: “If he has any claims against me, I am willing to appear with him at a hearing before the rabbinical court.”

A beis din of three rabbinical judges was duly constituted—one of their number was Reb Moshe Zvi of Savran—and the tzaddik stated his case:

“This is the background to the story. When I was due to come down to this world, the Almighty entrusted me with the amount of gold and silver that I would need for the discharge of my divine service in the course of my lifetime down here. I divided it up, and distributed it amongst the disciples with whom I came in touch. So, really, all the property that this man ever owned—was mine. When he refused to give that pauper two hundred rubles on my account, I claimed my own, and gave it over to the other chassid, the one who followed my instructions.”

After due deliberation, the court ruled that the man could not reclaim his property, for it was not his. Nevertheless, compassion dictated that he be awarded sufficient for his upkeep, provided that he regretted his earlier action and made amends with the rebbe.

The verdict became fact. Throughout his days he earned sufficient for his support, but left no estate behind him; the other chassid prospered in all his affairs, and became a wealthy man.

Connection to Weekly Reading: righteous accounting

Based on the rendition in A Treasury of Chassidic Tales (Artscroll), translated by Uri Kaploun from Sippurei Chasidim by Rabbi S. Y. Zevin.

Biographical note:
Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heschel (?–5 Nissan 1825), the Apter Rebbe, was a primary disciple of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizensk. He is also often referred to as “the Ohev Yisrael,” after the title of the famous book of his teachings, and also because its meaning [lit., “Lover of Jews”] fits him so aptly.

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