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14. The Blessing of Elijah the Prophet on Yom Kippur (IFA 960)
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14 The Blessing of Elijah the Prophet on Yom Kippur T O L D B Y D V O R A F U S It was right before the Shavuot* festival. Many of the Hasidim were making preparations to travel to the rebbe’s** court and spend the Holiday of the Giving of the Torah with him. Two Hasidim, who had once been very rich but had lost their wealth, remembered their bygone days of affluence when they used to travel to the rebbe by carriage, bearing many gifts, their trunks full of delicacies. Now, however, they made their way to the rebbe on foot, empty handed. The two were so engrossed in their conversation and thoughts that at first they did not notice that night had fallen. When they did, they found themselves near an inn at a crossroads. Seeing a light shining in the window , the two decided to enter and rest for a while. The old innkeeper greeted the two cordially, gave them a good meal, and found them a place to sleep. When he heard that the guests were on their way to the rebbe and would arrive on Shavuot eve, he took a bottle of wine from the cupboard and asked them to give it to him. The two Hasidim were glad to accept this commission. How wonderful it would be not to come to the rebbe with nothing to offer him! The next day the Hasidim resumed their journey and reached the rebbe’s court by late afternoon. Wherever you looked, the place was jammed with Hasidim eager to see the rebbe. The tzadik§ sat in his study, sunk in his thoughts, while his shammes§§ stood outside the door and collected the Hasidim’s petitions. When it was the two travelers’ turn, they gave him their requests, along with the bottle of wine. 102 * The holiday celebrating Moses’ receiving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. ** A Hasidic rabbi.§ Rabbi.§§ Synagogue caregiver. After the evening service, hundreds of Hasidim crowded around the rebbe’s table for the holiday meal. The table was covered with entrees and side dishes of every sort and many bottles of wine. But wonder of wonders! The rebbe drank only from the small flask that our two Hasidim had brought. What is more, after every sip he whispered, “The taste of Paradise! The taste of Paradise!” This went on at every meal for the entire holiday. The two Hasidim were astonished. Why had the simple innkeeper’s wine merited such distinction and praise from the rebbe? But they did not dare ask for an explanation, of course. When Shavuot was over, the two Hasidim received the rebbe’s blessing and set off for home. They decided that they would stop off at the same inn and purchase several bottles of wine from the innkeeper. When they reached the inn, they asked the host for several bottles of the wine he had sent to the rebbe. Of course, they would pay the full price. But here they were disappointed. He had had only one bottle of that wine, he said, and proceeded to tell them the following story. “When I was a young man, many years ago, I worked as a shoh.et* and mohel.** Once, on Yom Kippur eve, I was busy from early morning slaughtering chickens for the kapparos§ ritual; there was a long line of people waiting, with hens or roosters in their hands. Along came a village Jew in his cart, pleading, with tears in his eyes, that I come circumcise his son. I knew that his village was far away. But was it possible to leave a Jewish infant uncircumcised? Without giving the matter much thought, I left everything in the hands of the other shoh.et in town and set out. “When I reached the village, the only Jew there was the mother of the newborn. At such a time, the eve of the holy day, who would make the effort to go to such an isolated place? Everyone leaves and goes to the nearby shtetl, to attend services in the synagogue. The problem was that no one was left to serve as sandak§§ and hold the baby during the circumcision . Time was passing, and I still had to get home for the prefast meal. “Suddenly, an old man appeared at the door and agreed to serve as the sandak. When the ceremony was over, the old man disappeared. I was astonished by this. None of...