In the Balance

QUESTION OF TRUST Yisrael Baruch suddenly felt dizzy and his vision blurred. If he wouldn’t sign he would not be able to reap the profits from this contract and he would have nowhere from where to return the deposits to those people who trusted him. And yet if he signed he would desecrate Shabbos

T he Jews of Skala were ecstatic over the news. In just two weeks the holy tzaddik Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin would arrive to spend Shabbos. The Rebbe had been to the city before — on his flight from Czar Nicholas I who had him framed for murder and imprisoned for two years. Even after his release from prison Czar Nicholas planned to have the Rebbe exiled to Siberia on treason charges for attempting to create a “Jewish kingdom.” His plight caused an international stir as influential Jews throughout Europe petitioned to save the Rebbe from a frozen exile. He was eventually spirited over the Russian border to Moravia and into Austria passing through Skala before permanently settling in Sadigura where he rebuilt his majestic chassidic court.

The rav in Skala at the time was Rav Shlomo Drimmer author of Beis Shlomo and one of the eminent poskim of that generation. He was also thrilled to hear the news that the tzaddik of Ruzhin would be spending a few days in his city. The Rav asked that the Rebbe be housed close to his own home so that he could spend as much time as possible in his company.

For a week the heads of the community worked tirelessly on plans for the upcoming visit. Accommodations for the Rebbe were arranged as were schedules for davening and receiving the public. They also made plans to ensure that all the city’s Jews would be able to see him and observe his holy service during the tishen.