Freyda, Wife of the Malach, Washes Other People’s Laundry

After the passing of the Malach, Rebbetzin Freyda traveled to the Land of Israel and settled in Tiberias.

Unfortunately, she did not have enough money to support herself, so she washed other people’s laundry to support herself.

At the time, R. Mendel Vitebsker lived in Tiberias. When he heard this story about the Malach’s widow he was very surprised and he went to visit her to determine whether this story is indeed true. He found her at work. He asked her: “do you need to wash laundry?” He thought that she had to wash her own laundry because she was too poor to hire a Gentile woman to wash her laundry. She answered: no Rebbe! This is not my laundry – it is other people’s laundry.

[Note: Heschel added the following comment: “To wash her own laundry would be undignified, would there be any difference [if she washed other people’s laundry] for the sake of making a livelihood?”]¹

I.F.

Rabbi Gold

1. I am uncertain whether these words were deciphered accurately.