The holy Rabbi of Kaminke related the following story:
Once, a poor man came before the Baal Shem Tov seeking salvation from his poverty. The Ba’al Shem Tov told him to search under a certain bridge where his request would be fulfilled and he would find treasures of gold and silver.
The man searched under the bridge but found nothing. He encountered a poor tailor who asked him what he was looking for. The man told him the Ba’al Shem Tov's words – adding that he had searched in vain and found nothing. The tailor replied: "The Ba’al Shem Tov also instructed me to go to a certain place (which was actually the house of the man who was seeking treasure under the bridge) and there, under the stove, I would find a treasure. But I've been lazy about going there and digging in someone else's house…”
When the man heard the tailor's words, he thought to himself: "He’s talking about my house! I'll go home and look under the stove." And so it was that he found the treasure. And the tailor thought to himself: "I'm already here by the bridge, what harm is there in digging here? Perhaps the man's words in the name of the Ba’al Shem Tov are true." He searched well and also found treasures, and both became very wealthy.
Each one said to himself: "The man who I met under the bridge was the cause of my wealth. How can I bear to see the person whose words brought me so much wealth in poverty?" They each decided to bring a bundle of gold and silver to the other, and so they did. On the way, they met each other, and their joy was great. They didn't know what to do with the bundles of money they had with them. They decided to arrange a marriage between their children, as one had a son and the other a daughter, and they put the money toward a dowry for the children.
The holy Rabbi of Kaminke said: This story is auspicious for livelihood and should be told at the Melaveh Malkah meal. After the story, no other story should be told, only Shir HaMa’alot and the Grace After Meals should be recited. And when the story was told, the holy Rabbi immediately recited Shir HaMa’alot. The holy Rabbi said that sometimes each person is destined for a great salvation but can attain it only through helping someone else.
A Treasure of Fear of Heaven
Why did the Baal Shem Tov send each person to bring his sustenance from afar, when in fact there was a treasure nearby?
We often find that tzaddikim bring about salvation, but they demand effort from the recipient. We can explain that the effort is a vessel through which the tzaddik merits the seeker with the mitzvah of faith in him and listening to his advice, and through this he merits salvation. This is what the Holy Blessed One did for us when we left Egypt. We were bare of mitzvot, and He gave us the mitzvot of Passover and circumcision so that we would merit redemption through them.
When explained this way, we can say more deeply that our story is not just about a physical treasure, but primarily about the inner treasure, which is the "treasure of fear of Heaven" about which the verse says, "If you seek it as silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of God and find the knowledge of God."[1] The poor men indeed sought only money, but the Ba’al Shem Tov generously guided them to what lies at the root of money and livelihood—the clear feeling that God is orchestrating all of man's affairs, and only from Him are we nourished. This is the secret of the power and virtue of this story, which presents man's very serious efforts to strive for his livelihood in a somewhat humorous light, thereby revealing what the poor man truly lacks: Not money, which is under his stove but knowledge of God and fear of Heaven.
And when it comes to fear of Heaven, personal effort is certainly crucial. "Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven."[2] The concern for nahama dekisufa—bread of shame (spiritual or physical wealth acquired without effort) that embarrasses its eater, is much greater with respect to spiritual possessions than with respect to physical ones. Moreover, fear of Heaven must be found specifically in one's own home and close domain. It is not an external possession that can be obtained from another's domain. Treasures of fear of Heaven are hidden in every Jew. They are revealed when one digs and searches for them.
United we Stand
Our two poor men are not alike; each responds differently – both to the Baal Shem Tov's words and to reality. The first poor man is truly destitute, seemingly without even a profession. Perhaps that is why he found the strength within himself to fulfill the Ba’al Shem Tov's words, even though he was sent to a distant place. In contrast, the tailor is more indifferent. He is indeed in distress and therefore turned to the tzaddik, but the instruction he received is outside his comfort zone. “Each man helps his fellow."[3] As one of the tzaddikim said, a person needs a Rebbe to take advice from on how to fulfill God's will, and also a good friend so that together they can fulfill the Rebbe's advice.
The poor man, with all his devotion and alacrity, needed the tailor's kindness, who shared with him what he was going through out of compassion and identification, and only thus did he find his treasure. And the tailor, from whom salvation came to the poor man, certainly also needed the encounter. It seems that not only was he lacking information, but the energy that filled him with the motivation to dig under the bridge was born within him because of his encounter with the poor man. Without it, he would not have taken any action.
The words of the holy Rabbi of Kaminka, that this story contains a special segulah (spiritual charm) for livelihood, can be understood primarily through an important principle illustrated very clearly in the story: "No man can touch that which is waiting for his fellow, not even a hairsbreadth of it."[4] The poor man dug under the bridge, and yet his eyes were closed and he did not find the treasure. The tailor, for his part, could have schemed to dig in the poor man's house, but by God’s Divine Providence, he did not use justified excuses to employ that option.
For many people, the end of Shabbat is a time of gloom and pressure, as the rest experienced on Shabbat passes and the coming week already stands at the threshold. The days of the week are characterized by relentless pursuit: one must always be smarter than others, quicker, more confident and thus achieve more. Not everyone is greedy, but they simply assume that these are the rules of the game. For them, Shabbat is a day of refuge, like those souls suffering in Gehennom who rest on Shabbat, and at the end of Shabbat return to their sufferings.
If no one touches what is prepared for his fellow, it means that livelihood is not by chance. Everyone is nourished from the Holy One's table, and each receives his portion directly from His hand. No flesh and blood can prevent livelihood, nor can they influence it. The source of livelihood is in the manna that fed the Israelites in the wilderness and about which the Torah says, "He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no lack."[5] When we don't waste strength on vanity and emptiness, the soul is free to hear and understand what God is saying to us, how He is speaking specifically to each and every one of us individually, and how He is sending us what is appropriate for us.
[1]. Proverbs 2:4-5.
[2]. Berachot 33b.
[3]. Isaiah 41:6.
[4]. Yoma 38b.
[5]. Exodus 16:18.
