Once the Besht suddenly ordered R. Wolf Kitzes to travel to Brody. R. Wolf did not ask any questions and set out on his journey.
The journey was difficult, and when night fell R. Wolf went into a tavern and asked for a bed.
The tavern keeper told him that he would allow him to sleep over but only on the condition that if more guests arrive, he will have to give up his bed, and R. Wolf agreed.
In the middle of the night, a nice calash [open carriage] approached and the Noda be-Yehuda with a group of his students alighted. The tavern keeper awakened R. Wolf and ordered him to give his room to the great guest. R. Wolf obeyed and he lay down with the other students on the floor. The Noda be-Yehuda began to study a difficult Talmudic topic. He studied out loud and he deviated from the straightforward meaning [of the text]. When R. Wolf Kitzes heard this, he reminded him of the correct meaning. This occurred once, twice, and even a third time. The third time, Noda be-Yehuda realized that the interpretation that was suggested was a stroke of genius. He looked around a saw that it had not come from one of his students, but from a Jew lying on the floor dressed as a pauper. He conversed with him in learning [Talmudic subjects] and he did leave him alone until he agreed to sleep in his bed.
In the morning, the Noda be-Yehuda asked him: “where are you going?” and when he answered that he was also traveling to Brody, he ordered him to join him in his carriage.
When they arrived in Brody, R. Wolf bid him farewell, searched for a Mikva, and disappeared.
Why did the Noda be-Yehuda come to Brody? The sages of the kloyz heard that the Besht was distributing emulates containing the ineffable name of God. So they convened a meeting and invited the Noda be-Yehuda to attend.
When the Noda be-Yehuda came to the meeting, he declared: that he did not want to go to the meeting until they summoned the great scholar whom he met on the way. They searched the entire city of Brody until they found R. Wolf behind an oven in a small synagogue. When he came to the great synagogue where the meeting was convened the Noda be-Yehuda called him up to sit next to him and he gave him a seat next to him on the Bimah.
The rabbinic trial meeting commenced, and the Sages of Brody claimed that the Besht distributed amulets in which he inscribed the ineffable name of God.
R. Wolf called out with great pathos: “Who says that the holy Besht has to write the ineffable name of God? It is sufficient for him to write R. Yisrael ben Sarah [Israel son of Sara]. To prove this, search for these amulets and you will see for yourselves.”
When the Noda be-Yehuda heard what R. Wolf Kitzes said, he ordered that they search for the amulets that were circulating in Brody and when they opened them they saw that R. Wolf told the truth.
I.F.
Dovid Fishman
