 Old Zalman the beggar was standing before the Baal Shem Tov with his head hung in shame trying to explain. "I'm a tailor, or at least I used to be before I started begging. It's a long story. A few years ago, after going
a while with not even one tailoring job, I and my friend Shmerl took to the road hoping that perhaps a change of place would at least bring some work so we could feed our hungry families.
"After a few weeks of wandering we stopped in an inn. The place seemed empty but then we saw that in a corner sat a Jew, head in hands, weeping.
"When he noticed us he dried his eyes, stood, introduced himself as the innkeeper and asked if he could help.
"'Yes' Shmerl answered 'You can tell us why you were crying, maybe we can help.'
"He told us that he was in big trouble from the local Baron. The Baron was marrying off his daughter in a month and wanted new fancy clothes for his entire family to wear for the occasion. Anyway he ordered the innkeeper to find an appropriate tailor but everyone he brought the Baron outright rejected.
"Now the Baron said that if he didn't come up with someone soon he'd throw him and his family in the street and rent the inn to someone else.
"So we told him that this was obviously the hand of G-d that brought us here because WE are tailors and WE will save him.
"At first he looked at us and cringed. I mean we didn't exactly look like royal tailors. But on the other hand he was desperate so he took us there.
"We took some measurements, made a few samples and well, the miracle happened. We got the job! The Baron liked our work!
"For the next month we worked day and night almost non-stop and the Baron was ecstatic with the results! In fact he was so happy that after the wedding he invited us to his official room and presented each of us with three hundred guilder!! But I wasn't happy.
"You see, someone told me that there was an entire Jewish family imprisoned in his dungeons because they couldn't pay their debts. I just couldn't sleep nights.
"So I asked him if it was true and he told me 'Those who cannot pay must suffer and with a gleam in his eye asked me if we would like to pay their debt? It was three hundred Guilder!!
"But my partner said he couldn't do it. He had a wife and family to feed and wasn't willing to give half of his earnings for people he didn't even know.
"I guess he was right but I just handed the Baron my three hundred guilder and begged him to set them free.
"The Baron was obviously impressed. He took the money, ordered his men to free the family, gave me a few guilders for the road, shook my hand and showed me to the door.
"Well, I went home penniless. Shmerl invested his money in a new shop and really did well, thank G-d. But I just couldn't seem to make ends meet and that's why I took to begging.
"Well a few weeks ago this rich man gave me a nice donation and asked for a blessing for some business he was beginning so I did it. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. Then a few days later he came back excited and told me that my blessing worked.
"Well, since then about fifty people come to me everyday and ask for blessings for all sorts of things and they give me charity. So I bless them. I guess I shouldn't do that, right Rabbi? I mean, who am I to bless people? So if you tell me to stop.. I'll stop, Rabbi.
The Baal Shem looked at Zalman with love and explained to him that the opposite was true; It was from the merit of his self-sacrifice that his blessings were effective and he wanted him to continue blessing. The Baal Shem even promised him that he would send him a special tutor to teach him Torah so he could help Jews even more.
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