The Story of Yossele

The Baal Shem Tov had a disciple named Yossele. Yossele’s evil inclination tempted him to steal. Unable to overcome his urge, Yossele decided to try and steal at night, when the entire township was fast asleep. He set his first sights on Lady Sara’s mansion, the vast three story residence on the outskirts of the township where the rich spinster lived. Sara was the only daughter of a wealthy merchant who died and left her all his wealth.

 

Yossele sneaked up to the mansion, and to his delight, found the gatekeeper snoring away in a deep slumber. Two overfed dogs sat by the gatekeeper wagging their tails. Yossele couldn’t believe his good fortune – even the front door to the mansion was unlocked! Not a single servant was in sight.

 

Quietly, as if walking on eggs, Yossele entered the mansion. He never saw so much abundance in his life – rich carpets from Persia, crystal chandeliers from Vienna, paintings from the leading galleries of Paris and Amsterdam. He tiptoed through the parlor to the drawing room; once, Yossele had come here to receive a donation from Sara’s father, who made no effort to conceal the whereabouts of the safe.

 

He moved aside the painting of the waterfall in the drawing room, and lo and behold, there was the safe. Yossele barely turned its dial, and the unlocked door simply popped open! Diamonds, gold, and stacks of paper currency stared him in the face.

 

Yossele was astonished at how everything proceeded so smoothly: The guard slept, the dogs didn’t bark, the front door was open, all the servants had disappeared, and even the safe was unlocked. As strange as it seemed, Yossele felt like he was receiving Divine corroboration!

 

"Why’s HaShem making this so easy for me?" Yossele asked himself. "Strange, it looks like all these riches are just waiting for me to take them." The more he stared at the wealth before his eyes, the more his heart pounded with guilt. He remembered his Gemora that said a person’s livelihood is predetermined. "If so," he argued with himself, "why should I be touching anything that doesn’t belong to me?"

 

Yet, the diamonds and the stacks of money seemed to be calling his name – "Yossele, take us…"

 

Yossele’s Torah background, his conscience, and his good inclination were gaining the upper hand in his inner struggle; a spark of emuna kindled a fire of faith in his heart. "If all these riches are really mine, then they’ll come to me by honest means; certainly – there’s no need for me to transgress HaShem’s commandments and steal!"

 

Suddenly, Yossele felt an awesome fear of HaShem, as he stood on the verge of a terrible felony. "HaShem, save me!" he yelled, turning abruptly and running out of the house without taking a thing.

 

The following day – in the evening hours – after having spilled a river of tears and a flood of remorse while begging for HaShem’s forgiveness, Yossele received a summons from the Baal Shem Tov. Obediently, he proceeded to his master with no delay.

 

"Sit down, Yossele," said the Baal Shem Tov cordially, offering him a chair. "How are you feeling?"

 

"F-fine, b-baruch HaShem," stuttered Yossele, expecting the worst chastisement imaginable.

 

"Yossele," said the Baal Shem Tov, "I received a message from Lady Sara – do you know who I’m referring to?"

 

A tremendous lump parked itself in Yossele’s throat; he could barely breathe, let alone speak. He cleared his throat several times, while his face alternately changed colors from a bright crimson to a pale yellow to an ash white. He was sure that Lady Sara reported the attempted theft to the Baal Shem Tov. Even if she didn’t, nothing escaped the limitless spiritual vision of the tzaddik. Yossele wanted to jump in a hole and then have the ground devour him. He was so ashamed…

 

"Yossele," the Baal Shem Tov continued, "Lady Sara, as an orphan and as an only child, has asked me to be her guardian and to advise and assist her in conducting her affairs…". The Baal Shem Tov paused, and his probing, Heavenly, ice-blue eyes seemed to penetrate the fibers of Yossele’s soul.

 

"…Lady Sara asked me to find her a suitable chatan; she wants to get married. She desires a pious husband, who’ll spend every waking hour in the study of Torah and in the service of HaShem. She doesn’t want a businessman who’ll manage her commercial affairs, for she can do that herself; her father trained her well, and she’s most adept in the business world. She wants a husband that will be isolated from the outside world, whose entire energies and aspirations will be channeled toward Torah."

 

Yossele nearly fell off his chair; he was expecting to be consumed by a bolt of lightning at any second, but instead…

 

The Baal Shem Tov smiled warmly. "You know, Yossele, when Lady Sara first approached me several weeks ago, I couldn’t think of a suitable candidate. Later, HaShem gave me the idea that the time has come for you to take a wife, and that you and Sara would make a splendid match. I want you to prepare yourself for the wedding; the High Holy Days are drawing near, so I think that you and Sara should be married with no further delay."

 

Any bombshell – even a sweet one – requires time to digest. Yossele stepped out of the tzaddik’s house, his head spinning like a dreydel (spinning top), into the warm midsummer Ukrainian sunshine. He sat down by the beautiful river of Medzhiboz, and contemplated the vastness of HaShem’s Divine Providence to the tiniest detail, His mercy, and His phenomenal loving-kindness. "What if I hadn’t withstood the test?" he asked himself, and almost fainted when he contemplated the hypothetical consequences. If he’d have stolen, he’d have stolen money that would ultimately have come to him by permissible means! Instead of being Lady Sara’s bridegroom and a pious Torah scholar with all his needs taken care of, he would’ve been a lonely, common thief out on the street with nothing!

 

Yossele saw life as a tightrope – the thinnest line separated between good and evil, happiness and despair, magnificent success and utter failure. He thanked HaShem for giving him the strength to withstand temptation and to pass the test of faith. He also realized that good fortune and abundance readily come to a person without forcing the issue. HaShem has His timetable.

 

More than anything, Yossele realized that in order for money – or anything else – to carry a blessing, it must reach a person by permissible means. When someone prematurely or illegally takes what is not theirs, they endanger losing what’s currently theirs and what’s destined for them.

 

Understandably, not everyone receives such a clear preview of the abundance that’s in store for him like Yossele did. Also, few realize that their future needs are already taken care of. Our efforts in making money are merely tests as to how we’ll make our money – in honest, straightforward means, or by shady deals, bickering, fraud, swindling, and the like. In essence, we are all Yosseles – with emuna and patience, we’ll receive all our needs.

 

Maybe you’re thinking about Yossele’s good fortune in marrying a rich woman. Know full well that even if Yossele didn’t marry Lady Sara, if her money was earmarked for him, he would have received it anyway, by any number of means. HaShem is not limited in the number of ways He sends people their livelihood.

 

To be continued…