Of Taxes And Apples
…the girl's father was positive that the Rebbe would intercede in Heaven on behalf of the girl, as the Sages state, "A Tzaddik (righteous person) decrees...
One day Yitzchak received a threatening letter from the Israel Internal Revenue Service, accusing him of owing them tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes. Yitzchak was both shocked and worried. He had always been meticulous about balancing his accounts, and was dumbfounded at their claim. To make matters even worse, the mail had been delayed and he received the notice with threats of lien just weeks before the money had to be paid.
Israel is notorious for its bureaucracy, and Yitzchak needed a miracle to resolve the mix-up before the lien on his assets would take effect.
Yitzchak went to ask the advice of the Gerrer Rebbe, shlita. The Rebbe told Yitzchak not to worry; everything would turn out all right. Then he gave Yitzchak his blessing for a successful solution to his predicament. Afterwards, the Rebbe instructed Yitzchak to seek out a certain Chassid named Moshe Spiro. The Rebbe explained that Moshe would be able to help Yitzchak solve his problem. When Yitzchak asked the Rebbe how he would help him, the Rebbe did not answer. Instead, he reiterated his advice, “Seek out Moshe Spiro.”
So although Yitzchak had no idea how Moshe Spiro could help him, he sought him out with complete faith that since his Rebbe had instructed him to seek out Moshe Spiro, he must seek out Moshe Spiro.
When Yitzchak arrived at Moshe Spiro’s house, Reb Moshe was just on his way out to drive to Tel Aviv to be menachem ovel, to console a mourner during the Seven Days of Mourning. Reb Moshe invited Yitzchak to join him for the ride, so that they would be able to discuss the pressing issue in the car. Reb Moshe also failed to understand why the Gerrer Rebbe had sent Yitzchak to speak with him.
Nevertheless, Reb Moshe, like Yitzchak, had emunat Tzadikim – a belief in the Tzaddik’s spiritual influence. Reb Moshe knew that eventually he would understand the Rebbe’s intentions and therefore pledged to help Yitzchak in whatever way possible.
When they arrived in Tel Aviv, Moshe invited Yitzchak to join him in the mitzvah of consoling a mourner. The mourner, a secular Jew, told the two men the following story:
Several years earlier, the mourner’s young daughter suddenly became seriously ill and had to be rushed to the hospital. The girl’s father, the mourner, immediately contacted the previous Gerrer Rebbe, the Lev Simcha, to ask for a blessing. The Rebbe blessed the girl with a full and speedy recovery. In addition, the Rebbe told the father that he would be sending a messenger to deliver an apple, and instructed him to feed it to his daughter.The girl’s father was surprised. His daughter was unable to eat anything, let alone an apple. But the girl’s father was positive that the Rebbe would intercede in Heaven on behalf of the girl, as the Sages state, “A Tzaddik (righteous person) decrees, and Hashem carries out the decree” (Medrash Tanchuma Vayerah 19).The messenger arrived at the hospital and handed the apple to the girl’s father. The girls’ father returned home and baked the apple until it was very soft. Then be brought it back to the hospital and managed to feed is daughter a tiny piece. Almost immediately the girl started to recover, and within a short time she was completely well.
When the mourner finished telling this story, Yitzchak informed the mourner that he had been messenger who had delivered the apple to the girl’s father!
As it turned out, the mourner worked for the Israeli Internal Revenue Service! Immediately after he finished the Seven Days of Mourning, he straightened out Yitzchak’s problem.
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Used with permission from goodshabboseveryone@yahoo.com.
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