R. Zusha Anapoler once came to a tavern – tired out and weak – he asked the tavern keeper for a glass of whisky – the tavern was filled with gentiles at the time – and the tavern keeper did not want to bother with the poor outcast Jew. R. Zusha asks him again – he is about to faint from weakness – the tavern keeper gets angry and gives him a hard slap. 

R. Zusha goes to a corner and begins to speak to himself – “Zusha, Zusha, repent, repent!” 

This makes an impression on the tavern keeper – he gives someone a slap and that person seeks yet repentance – very strange –  he thinks – and he is seized with terror – he goes over to R. Zusha and begs him: “Rebbe – forgive me Rebbe – I would like  to confess to you – for several years now I have not prayed the afternoon prayers [minhah].” R. Zusha replied – “For that one does not yet deserve a slap” (that is to say, the tavern keeper had not sinned and fallen to such a degree that he might allow himself to slap R. Zusha). 

So he enumerated further sins – he didn’t eat kosher food – also failed to observe the Sabbath – and R. Zusha kept replying – “For this Zusha does not yet deserve a slap.” 

In the end, the tavern keeper admitted that he had a son [shegetz] by a gentile woman. 

“Woe” – he then said – “For this  Zusha does deserve a slap” – (that is to say, a Jew who committed such a sin is liable to give such a slap). It is written in Tractate Hagigah – ‘Who is “the crooked that cannot be made straight” [Eccles. 1:15]? This is one who engaged in intercourse with a woman forbidden to him and fathered a mamzer with her’ [b.T. Hagigah 9a]. Repentance only helps for this if the mamzer leaves this world. This is the only solution.” 

R. Zusha asked what the son did – the tavern keeper replied that he worked in a forest chopping trees. R. Zusha prayed and immediately there came a message that the son was found dead under a tree, which had fallen on him. 

Then the tavern keeper was able to repent. 

I.F.

Jacob Teitelbaum