Behaalotcha: The Most Humble Man
"If after six pages of Talmud one is so excited that his hat slips over his ears, how many pages does it take for one’s hat to fall off completely?”
Parshat Behaalotecha
“And the man Moshe was very humble" (Bamidbar 12:3)
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In his youth, Reb Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk studied under Reb Dov Ber, later known as the Mezritcher Maggid and the successor to the Baal Shem Tov. By the time Mendel was ten years old, he was already well versed in all of the Talmud, and because of his diligence, the Maggid was very fond of him.
One Shabbat morning, the Maggid saw young Mendel strutting about in high spirits. “Mendel,” he called, “how many pages of Talmud have you studied today?”
“Six,” Mendel answered, in a satisfied voice.
"I see,” responded the Maggid, as if he were talking to himself: “Now if after six pages of Talmud one is so excited that his hat slips over his ears, how many pages does it take for one’s hat to fall off completely?”
Mendel knew that the Maggid was speaking about him. “Rebbe, it is true that I am proud of my abilities and I realize that such conceit is not appropriate, but I can’t help myself.”
“Don’t worry,” the Maggid reassured him. “We will both go to the Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov. He will guide us to the proper path to follow.”
The next day they departed for Mezhibuzh. When they arrived, on Friday, the Maggid went directly to see the Baal Shem Tov. Mendel decided to first bathe, and put on his better suit – as he was always careful about his appearance.
As was the Baal Shem Tov’s tradition, he conducted a Melave Malkah meal after the conclusion of Shabbat. Throughout the meal, he gazed at Mendel. He then related a story that seemed to relate to Mendel’s’ life – from the moment of his birth until the time of his death many years later in Eretz Yisrael. The Maggid and Reb Yaakov Yosef of Polonnoye (two of the Baal Shem Tov’s most well-known disciples) were also present. Later, Mendel mentioned he understood that the Baal Shem Tov was referring to various aspects of his life. One of the others, the Maggid or Reb Yaakov Yosef, later said that he had understood the whole story while the other confessed that he had understood only half.
The Baal Shem Tov later commented to the Maggid that his pupil, Reb Mendel, appeared to be an onov, a truly humble person. And to the end of his days, Reb Menachem Mendel signed his letters, ‘Mendel HaKoton’ – ‘the small one.’
Many years later, Reb Menachem Mendel understood the whole story told by the Baal Shem Tov that night.
Once, while Reb Menachem Mendel still lived in Vitebsk, he became so ill that he lost his ability to speak. Hearing the cries of his Chassidim, who were afraid that they would lose their Rebbe, he said: “Have no fear! The Baal Shem Tov had said that I would have the merit to live in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel).”
Later, he did indeed recover and set out for Eretz Yisrael. On the way he stopped in Polonnoye. After settling in at an inn, he removed his gartel (the belt worn by Chassidim for prayer and on certain other occasions, as an expression of reverence), lit his pipe and strolled over to pay his respects to Reb Yaakov Yosef.
When the local Chassidim saw what appeared to be Reb Mendel’s irreverent attitude, they quietly told him, “Rebbe, we think you ought to know that Reb Yaakov Yosef is likely to express his displeasure when he sees such a lack of deference!”
Reb Menachem Mendel ignored their advice, and was received warmly by Reb Yaakov Yosef. When the latter asked whether he understood the story that they had both heard from the Baal Shem Tov years before, the Reb Mendel answered that he did. Then Reb Yaakov Yosef asked, “And which part of the story are you up to now?”
Reb Menachem Mendel sighed: “I have already used up more than half of the story.”
“And do you know,” asked Reb Yaakov Yosef, “that there was a remez [a hint] in the story that you would be visiting me?”
“I do,” replied Reb Menachem Mendel. “And that is why I passed through Polonnoye, so that I should have the honor of calling on you.”
They discussed Torah late into the night, and then Reb Yaakov Yosef escorted his young guest to his lodgings.
The local Chassidim were curious about the meeting between these two great Chassidic masters. Finally one of the braver elder Chassidim asked Reb Yaakov Yosef, “What kind of a man is this who dared to pay a visit to you, Rebbe, without his gartel, with a lit pipe in his mouth, and silver-threaded shoelaces in his shoes?”
Reb Yaakov Yosef answered with a parable. “Once there lived a king who possessed a priceless gem. He lived in constant fear that thieves would steal it. So what did he do? He hid it in the barn, under the manure pile – where no one would expect to find such a treasure. And so it is with Reb Menachem Mendel. He is an onov, and holds himself as the lowest of all people, and is afraid that if he would exhibit any slight expression of humility, others may think of it as false. And that is why he has chosen to conceal his humility in a place of “filth”, namely — pride!”
And so it was.
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Tzvi Meir Cohn attended Yeshiva Hadar Hatorah in Crown Heights, Brooklyn after completing his university studies in Engineering and Law. While studying at the Yeshiva, he discovered a deep connection to the stories and teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. His many books about the Baal Shem Tov can be found in the Breslev Store. He can be contacted at howard@cohnpatents.com.
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