“I need no more time with you, in this horrible place, now let me go!” Heshy stepped away from the group. “My father paid you his dues, now keep your end of the agreement !”

“Jan, please…” Tzvi looked at Jan beseechingly.

“Sorry, old man, but I agree with the priest. We need more time to consider things. The boy is clearly still immature and not yet wise enough to think for himself. He needs more time with the priest before he can really decide if he wants to remain a Jew or not.”

“Liar! We had an agreement!” Tzvi bellowed.

“Unfortunately for you, whether I am a liar or not, I control this city. So what I say goes, regardless of your feelings, Jew. And I say your son shall remain in our holy church for as long as is necessary for him to see the truth. Now walk away, Jew, or I’ll have you punished in front of your son…”                                            Tzvi returned from his meeting with Jan in total hysteria. Soon the entire town of Sharayeh had heard about what the church was doing, all at the bidding of the wicked poritz. The Jews usually lay low, but they could not remain silent while such a tragedy was unfolding. Far more than the injustice of Jan keeping the money without abiding to his side of the agreement, was the terrible travesty of a Jewish child being held in a place of utmost impurity.

So they took to the streets. All the Jews of Sharayeh came marching to Jan’s house, protesting loudly. Come what may, beatings, fines, it made no difference. The poritz would not be allowed to get away with this.

As the protests were intensifying, other avenues of advocacy were being utilized. There was a wealthy man in town who, although not particularly friendly with the Jews, was known for being an honest and decent man. He was contacted by some of the local residents and it did not take long for even he, a faithful member of the church and devout Christian, to realize that Jan had crossed a line.

The wealthy man pushed his way through the crowd of angry protesters and into Jan’s house. They met for a short while, whereupon Jan’s servant was seen being dispatched to the church from the back of Jan’s house. Before the sun had fully set, a cry of relief and joy arose from the Jewish people of Sharayeh — Hersh was freed!

The money Yankel and his wife had given Tzvi was never returned. Not for one moment did they regret their great sacrifice. As long as Heshy was safe, they knew they had done the right thing. Unbeknownst to them, Hashem was about to repay their selfless act many times over…

Shortly after this incident, a hidden tzaddik close to the Baal Shem Tov, Reb Kehos, appeared one night in Sharayeh at the house of his dear friend, Rabbi Hirsch Leib. After giving his friend a warm drink at the fireplace to warm his freezing body, Reb Kehos revealed the reason why he had come.

“The Baal Shem Tov told me there is a Jew here who made tremendous waves Above. Not only did he change the trajectory of his entire life at an elderly age, but he also inspired many people to follow in his footsteps and spend less time at work and more time learning. Under your guidance, this group has given tremendous nachas ruach to the Master of the World. Recently, this man, Yankel, gave away all he and his wife had saved to help a fellow Jew.

“I have here a small fortune of money with instructions from the Baal Shem Tov to deliver it to Yankel. Not only will this tzaddik have money from now on, he will also be blessed with something far more valuable…”

And that is how the great illui of Sharayeh, Reb Yosef Yitzchak, was born.

The End

(Originally featured in Mishpacha Jr., Issue 889)