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13 Why Rebbe Levi Yitzh.ak of Berdichev Deviated from His Custom T O L D B Y A Z R I E L B E R O S H I T O Z A L M A N B A H A R AV The Hasidim of Rebbe Levi Yitzh.ak of Berdichev asked him: “Master, why don’t you perform the mitzvah of true and disinterested benevolence ? Why don’t you follow deceased Jews to the cemetery?” Rebbe LeviYitzh.ak answered them: “I don’t attend the funerals of rich men, even if they left money for tzedakah,* to keep the heirs from getting puffed up and saying, ‘The rebbe is honoring our father because he was very rich.’ Nor do I attend the funerals of poor people, to keep the synagogue wardens and community leaders from being angry with me and saying that I am biased in favor of the poor, who were never able to support their families respectably. And because the Jews of our town are either rich or poor, I am not able to perform this mitzvah.” But when Yosef Halperin, a very rich man who owned a lot of property , died, Rebbe Levi Yitzh.ak set aside all his other engagements and studies and, contrary to his custom, attended the funeral. Seeing the astonishment of his disciples, Rebbe Levi Yitzh.ak explained, “Reb Yosef Halperin’s special merit compels me to deviate from my custom.” To explain himself to his associates, Rebbe Levi Yitzh.ak told them three stories about the man’s character and habits. “Once a Jew whose business was selling grain to stores and bakeries lost two hundred rubles that he owed one of the wholesalers. Extremely distraught, he made a public announcement that he had lost his money. WhenYosef Halperin, the local magnate, heard about this, he notified the rebbe that he had found the money. The merchant was happy that his money had turned up and RebYosef gave him two hundred rubles in bank notes. “A few hours later, when the merchant called on a bakery, he found the money he had lost on top of a bag of flour. He wanted to return the two * Charitable giving. 92 hundred rubles to Reb Yosef, but the latter refused to accept them. The two asked me to render a verdict on the matter. Reb Yosef Halperin’s argument was, ‘I renounced any title to the money the moment it left my possession. If the grain dealer doesn’t want it, let him distribute it anonymously to needy people.’ “And once there was a teacher, a desperately poor man with a large family. He had taught in the elementary religious school for many years but had never been able to make a decent living in his native town. He decided to try his luck elsewhere. “When he left home, he told his wife, ‘Don’t worry, dear wife, you won’t want for anything. The magnate Reb Yosef Halperin has promised to give you twenty rubles a month.’ “The woman believed her husband, although in fact the teacher was just trying to placate her and had not spoken to the magnate at all. He had faith that his valiant wife would muddle through somehow. “The teacher packed up his clothes with his tallit* and tefillin** and some food for the way and headed for a nearby town that was home to several Jewish leaseholders, hoping that there he would be able to accumulate a decent sum to support his family. When several weeks passed and she had not received a single penny from the teacher, his wife went to Reb Yosef Halperin’s office. ‘You promised my husband you’d give me twenty rubles a month until he completes his term as a teacher in that town,’ she told him, ‘and I haven’t received anything yet.’ “Even though he knew absolutely nothing about the matter, RebYosef didn’t miss a beat. He gave the woman the first twenty rubles and promised to have his clerk bring her twenty rubles every month. He even confirmed that there was an ‘agreement’ between himself and the teacher, although he knew very well that the husband had left his wife in the lurch and was taking advantage of him. For the next six months, the magnate adhered faithfully to the ‘agreement.’ “When Passover, which marks the end of the school term, approached, the teacher returned home with his wages from his pupils’ fathers...

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