 Rabbi Zisha of Hanipoli once related the following story during Shalos Seudos the mystical third Shabbos meal: Once when my brother Rebbe Elimelech of Lyzhansk and I were walking during our self-imposed exile
we encountered a strong gusting wind. It was freezing cold and much snow had fallen on us that day. This was the third day we hadn’t tasted any food from fasting. We realized that we needed to reach some inhabited area to eat something that night or we would perish! By nightfall we did indeed reach a remote village. After praying the Mincha and Maariv prayer services and tasting some food, I prepared myself to recite the bedtime Shema and to go to sleep on the ground.
My brother Rebbe Elimelech of Lyzhansk called out to me “Zisha what are you doing? We must be Masters of Reckoning.” (Meaning that they should reckon and consider the day’s past deeds in order to practice character refinement.) “Truthfuly spoken,” said I. My brother began to put into writing a list of the sins he had committed that day. After listing them all, he counted 111 transgressions that he had performed on that day alone. He immediately began repenting and crying out profusely till Hashem had mercy on him and erased all his sins. Then he went to sleep on the ground. This was the story Rav Zisha recounted.
One of the listeners present at the table of the saintly Rav Zisha spoke up and said: “We aren’t afraid of the types of sins your holy brother recorded and we surely wont get Gehinnom for committing them. Anyway what sins could he possibly have transgressed? He didn’t eat any forbidden food because you were fasting. It wasn’t on Shabbos so he couldn’t have transgressed that either. Your brother was a Tzadik, a foundation and pillar of the entire world he surely wasn’t a sinner. Especially on the third day of a week long fast. What could that list of 111 sins possibly be? Maybe he thought that he interrupted his divine rapture in the meditation of Hashem for one second and considered that a sin. But on our level we don’t even think of that or fear such crimes.”
When the saintly Rebbe Zisha heard the protests and arguments of his guest he grew angry. He shouted back at him loudly “What are you talking about? Why shouldn’t you be punished for such sins? Maybe because that day you ate a nice meal and we starved fasting? Or because you sat warm and cozy at home while the wind and snow beat down on us outside? Or because you wore shoes and we traveled barefoot while the cold caused blood to flow from our feet? Why do you not fear such transgressions? If you are thinking of the teaching of our sages that “Hashem is more exacting with the Tzadikim and judges their deeds within a hair’s breadth” (see Talmud Bavli tractate Yevamos 221b), then you have misunderstood that Talmudic statement! First you will be judged and punished in Gehinom for the greater sins you have committed. Then once you have been cleansed and are considered a Tzadik and a saint, then you will judged and punished exactingly within a hair’s breadth for smaller violations. I am relating to you this story about my saintly brother to teach you that he counted 111 sins that he had committed. This should teach you how to what extent you should distance yourself from evil and do good.”
Sources: (Related by Rabbi Shmuel of Kaminka in Beis Pinchas p. 25 )
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Subscribe
