When the Besht was on his deathbed, Satan came and asked him: “Do you wish for the Messiah to come?” The Besht requested that he give him two hours to think it over. After two hours had passed Satan returned and the Besht gave him his answer: “I wish for the Messiah to come in sixty years from now. If for some reason he will be unable to come, I will have to be born again.”
Sixty years later, a son was born to the Ruzhiner. The Ruzhiner said, “I would have liked to name you Israel after the holy Besht but since my own name is Yisrael I will name you Yaakov– Yaakov is also [=another name for] Yisrael.” This was R. Abraham Yaakov, the elder Sadagurer Rebbe.
I.F.
Yirmiyahu Katz
(Boyaner Hasid)
