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The Making of a chosid
In honor of the birthday, Yahrtzeit and day
of liberation of the Mittler Rebbe, Rabbi Dovber of Lubavitch - second
Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Once, when Rabbi DovBer was 14, he
visited his father-in-law in Yanovitch. There he met one of his
father's chasidim. The young man made fun of the chasid as it was known
that this chasid was not the smartest but spent inordinately long times
davening.
Said the chasid to Rabbi DovBer:
"Considering who you are and how you've lived, what's the big
deal? Your father -- well, we all know who your father is. You were
certainly conceived under the holiest of circumstances, and I'm sure
that your father secured a most lofty soul to bring down into the
world. Then you were raised in a rebbe's home and great care was taken
to mold your character and safeguard you from any negative influences.
All your life you've been exposed to scholarship and sanctity, and to
this very day you're preoccupied only with the study
of Torah and the teachings of Chassidism. So, you've
amassed a certain amount of knowledge and you pray with fervor and
devotion. Big deal.
"Now, take me, for example. My father
was a simple man, and we can well imagine what was on his mind when he
scraped out some dreg of a soul from the bottom of the barrel. My
upbringing? I was raised as a goat and basically left to my own devices
and do you know what I do with my life? I loan money to the peasants
during the planting season and then, during the winter months, I make
my rounds to their villages and farms to collect the debts before they
have a chance to squander their entire harvest on vodka. This means
setting out several hours before sunrise, well before the permissible
time for prayer, equipped with a flask -- for without a drink one
cannot begin to talk business with a peasant. After drinking to his
health, one must share a l'chaim with the woman in the house
as well -- otherwise she can ruin the whole deal for you. Only then can
you sit down to settle part of the account.
"After three or four such stops I make
my way home, immerse myself in the mikveh and prepare for prayer.
But after such preliminaries, what sort of prayer would you
expect...?"
The words of this chassid, who was, in
truth, renowned for his refined nature and soulful prayers, made a deep
impression on Rabbi DovBer. The young man immediately traveled home to
his father and poured out his heart. He bewailed his spiritual state,
saying that his service of G'd is worthless, falling so short
of what is expected from him.
The next time the chasid from Yanovitch
came to Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the Rebbe said to him: "I am most
grateful to you. You have made a chasid out of my Berl."
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