Besht {1}
A wealthy man from Drazna didn’t have any children [Heaven save us!]. So he went to the Besht and begged for mercy. The Besht said ‘If you wish to have a child you can but you must be prepared to be a pauper. Talk it over with your wife and see if she agrees to this.’
His wife agreed and he returned to the Besht. The Besht blessed him – and he had a son and immediately became poor. His house burned down – and his business failed. He became such a pauper that when the child grew up he was verily unable to give him a piece of bread.
So he came to the Besht to complain. The Besht told him to go out into the world – so far that they hadn’t heard of the Besht.
He listened to him – took his only belongings – his Tallit and phylacteries and went off.
He went from one shtetl to another. He would enter the synagogue [kloyz] and listen to what the Jews conversed about among themselves – and when he heard that they spoke of the Besht he went on.
One time he found a village where they were already not speaking of the Besht. He knew that his journey would soon be over. However, he had nothing to do in the village so he went on from there as well. A great frost and storm occurred and the Jew with great effort just managed to make his way to a shtetl – it was dark – only in one house did he still see light. He went over and stood in front of the door – but apparently, they did not hear his knocking until they happened to open a window to pour out a bucket of water. The water fell upon the nearly frozen Jew, and he gave such a bitter cry that they opened the door and let him in.
They then changed his clothes, gave him something to eat, and gave him a bed.
The householder was a wealthy Jew and as the Jew tried to go to sleep the wealthy man was sitting and studying. The Jew began to recall that he was also once a wealthy man – and was able to sit in his warm home and serenely study a page of the Talmud his heart became bitter and he was unable to sleep.
He saw a young woman enter – with bitter sobbing and he heard her arguing with the householder – over why he doesn’t see better doctors and the householder tried to excuse himself, ‘What can I do – I am doing everything possible.’ Afterward, she left.
The Jew – who in any case was unable to sleep was bothered by this. So he got up and asked the householder for information about what had occurred. The householder did not wish to answer his – ‘What business is it of yours?’ But the Jew did not relent – so the householder told him that the woman was his daughter who had been married already for several years – and completely healthy. There is only one problem: when she has to immerse and goes to the mikveh – she becomes ill, and she gets her period again – and it has already been several years like this and no doctors can help.
The Jew tells him about the Besht and advises him strongly to travel to him. And although the householder had never heard of the Besht he agrees and takes with him the Jew and travels to the Besht.
When they came to the Besht, the Besht said to the wealthy man – go home but take with you this Jew – and I too will later follow. The Besht took with him 10 of his followers [hevraya] and traveled to the wealthy man’s shtetl.
The Besht went to the mikveh with his followers and took along a knife – and before he went to immerse himself – the followers were to constantly repeat the “alphabet.”
After this, he went to immerse himself and he immersed himself together with the knife, and they saw that the water immediately became full of blood. When the Besht emerged from the mikveh he related that there were demons in the mikveh who had been harming the woman. However, now everything will be alright.
When the wealthy man came to thank him – the Besht asked him: “Do you recall – that by fate, a year ago {4} you found a boat of wheat?” He replied “Yes.” “How much money did you get for that?” He replied “Such and such amount.”
“Well, if so give the Jew the money. When he became poor – he happened that one of his ships of wheat disappeared. This was your ship.” He did so and both of them were helped.
The Jew had a child and recovered a portion of his former fortune. And the householder, his daughter was healed.
I.F.
Elazar Zohn
A Mezibuzer
