By Rabbi Michoel Oishe for COLlive and Hasidic Archives
We had been in Kaluga for three months. During that time we had met many Jews, but now the High Holidays were coming, and we were worried.
All around the world, otherwise assimilated Jews would be flocking to synagogue, as if drawn by magnets. In the former Soviet Union, however, those forces don’t apply. Do the Jews of Kaluga recall the last time they attended High Holiday services? How would they know to come?
Someone had compiled an informal list of local Jews, and we decided to call every one. Two hundred names and numbers. Many had been disconnected, others were simply incorrect, and then there were those that just rang and rang.
We had no idea what to expect. How many prayer books should we buy? How many challah rolls should we bake? How much food should we prepare? Would we even have ten for a quorum?
The situation recalled a story about the Rebbe Maharash:
An innkeeper in the town of Lubavitch had fallen on hard times. As the High Holidays approached, he realized that he would not be able to purchase even the bare necessities his family needed for the season.
As he wandered around the town in a depressed daze, he found himself in front of the Rebbe’s home. Rabbi Shmuel himself was standing on the front porch and addressed him, “What is it that worries you?”
The man told Rabbi Shmuel of his dire situation.
The Rebbe said not to worry. The next day, there would be many guests coming to Lubavitch who would need lodging and food, and the income from that one day would be enough to cover all his debts.
The man thanked the Rebbe, but admitted that he did not have enough money to prepare food for such a large crowd. Rabbi Shmuel gave him a loan, and the man went off in a hurry to purchase provisions.
The next morning, preparations complete, the man stood by the window of his inn waiting to greet the guests. No one came. Morning turned to afternoon. Evening was fast approaching, and still the inn stood empty. The innkeeper began to wonder what he should do with the extra food he had purchased. Perhaps he could sell it and recoup some of his loss.
Then, suddenly, a few minutes before nightfall, throngs of people arrived, so many that the innkeeper had to borrow additional mattresses and divide the food into smaller portions.
By the end of the holiday, he had enough to cover all of his debts and provide for his family’s needs. When he went to return the loan to Rabbi Shmuel, he asked a question that had been weighing on him: “Why did the Rebbe not tell me that the guests would come late? It caused me so much worry.”
Rabbi Shmuel answered simply, “When you stand in a high, illuminated place, you can see far into the distance.”
When you understand that G-d controls the world, that the Almighty decides what will be, it is much easier to cope with life’s uncertainties. You do your part and prepare. But you understand that G-d will do what is best for you and the community. You are standing in a high, illuminated place.
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Rosh Hashanah came in Kaluga. The synagogue was packed. The meal after services was so crowded on the first day that on the second day, we decided to eat outside.
An excerpt from the forthcoming book In the Trenches: Stories from the Front Lines of Jewish Life in Russia, it can be pre-ordered here. Find more of Hasidic Archives latest books on HasidicArchives.com. Hasidic Archives books are also available in bulk.
