The Great Mitzvah of Hachnosas Kallah

A young girl approached the rabbi of her village. With tears in her eyes she described her situation to the kindhearted rabbi. She was engaged, but her joy in her upcoming wedding was marred by the fact that she was an impoverished orphan, and her intended was also very poor. There was no money for a wedding gown or even a proper wedding feast.

The rabbi turned to her and said, "Don't worry, my child. With G-d's help we'll celebrate a fine wedding." The young girl went home, comforted by the rabbi's optimistic words.

No sooner had she left when the rabbi immediately donned his coat and set off to visit some of the wealthier members of the community to attempt to raise money for the wedding.

His first stop was at the home of a very wealthy and generous man, and the rabbi felt confident that he would find success there. When he arrived, the wealthy man greeted him warmly.

"Peace unto you, Rabbi," he said. "I am greatly honored by your visit. Please allow me to fulfill the mitzva of welcoming guests properly." With that, he offered the rabbi a seat and served him some fruit.

The rabbi pointed to the fruit and said, "While I enjoy the fruit that you have so kindly offered me, I want you to enjoy the fruit that I have brought."

The man looked puzzled, and the rabbi went on to explain:

"As we say in our morning prayers, 'These are the things, the fruits of which a man enjoys in this world and the remainder is held for him in the World to Come: Honoring one's father and mother, giving charity, hospitality, visiting the sick, endowering a bride...'

"You see, my friend, I am collecting money to enable a poor orphaned girl to get married, and I have come to offer you a chance to partake in this great mitzva, hachnasat kalla."

His host smiled at him and replied, "If you will stay and enjoy some refreshments, I will take upon myself the full expense of the wedding, And if your time permits, I would like to tell you a story which will explain why I'm so eager to fulfill the mitzva of hachnasat kalla."

The rabbi was indeed curious to know what motivated his host to make such a generous offer, settled himself comfortably and listened intently to the man's story.

"This happened soon after my own wedding had taken place. It was my first time heading out to the market to seek my fortune. I had a substantial amount of money in my pocket, and I was eager to get involved in the noise and excitement of trading in the marketplace.

"As I was about to get started, I noticed a poor woman standing off to the side, crying quietly. I was greatly affected by her obvious distress, and went over to her to uncover the cause of her sorrow. When I inquired as to what was wrong, she informed me that her daughter was to be married shortly, and she had no money to cover the expenses, and both she and her daughter were heartbroken.

"At that moment, the bundle of money in my pocket began to feel like a heavy burden. I took it out and handed it to the woman without saying a word, and then I left quickly before the woman could even thank me.

"I had no choice but to return home, as I had no money to purchase goods in the marketplace. As I made my way home, a stranger stopped me and greeted me warmly, and then he offered me some diamonds for sale. As my father had been a diamond merchant, I was able to examine the stones competently, and I judged them to be beautiful stones offered at a fair price. I told the stranger that I would be happy to purchase them, but I had no money.

"The stranger didn't seem surprised by that, and he said, 'I knew your father, and I know you to be an honest man. Take them on credit, and when you resell them you can pay me back. You will be able to find me in the study hall.'

"I had no problem selling the stones at a substantial profit. At the end of the day I hurried to the study hall to pay back my debt. I searched the study hall, but the stranger was nowhere to be found. When I arrived home, I calculated my earnings, and they were ten times what I had given that poor woman. I put the money aside, but I have not seen him since. Since then, I have, thank G-d, been very successful, and I have always been aware of the importance of this mitzva. Permit me then, rabbi, to arrange the wedding of the orphaned bride in my home."

With that, the wealthy man handed the rabbi an additional sum of money to pay for the wedding gown and to cover additional expenses of setting up a home.

The wedding was celebrated amidst great joy and festivity, and the young couple was able to set up a true Jewish home which was the pride of the community.

Reprinted from Talks and Tales, published by Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch

Tzeddakah Money Goes Where It Belongs

When the Baal Shem Tov saw that Reb Dovid, one of his chasidim, was not arranging a match for his daughter, he called in some of his other disciples. "Collect two hundred rubles. Take the money to these two addresses, look over the two young men and decide who is more suitable for Reb Dovid's daughter."

The chasidim visited both young men and chose the second of the two. They then concluded the engagement to the satisfaction of the young man and his family. The father of the groom told the chasidim, "Take this gift along for the bride and tell her father that I await a similar gift for my son."

Reb Dovid and his daughter were delighted with the good news and the gift. Reb Dovid tried to put the money together for a gift to send in return, but due to his extreme poverty he was unable to come up with a sizeable sum.

Reb Dovid wrote a letter to the groom's family, assuring them that he would eventually be sending a dowry. Then, he traveled to the Baal Shem Tov to explain his predicament. The Baal Shem Tov listened compassionately and said, "Do not worry. Trust in G-d and everything will be all right."

When Reb Dovid arrived home he found a letter waiting for him from the groom's family. 'We have not yet received the dowry. Is it not time for our children to celebrate their wedding?"

Overwrought with worry, Reb Dovid decided to travel once again to the Baal Shem Tov and explain the urgency of the situation.

"I told you not to worry," the Baal Shem Tov told Reb Dovid. "Go home, put your trust in G-d, and everything will work out well."

Reb Dovid returned home, but upon his arrival, Reb Dovid found another letter: "We are leaving for your city within two weeks. Please be prepared for us."

"Two weeks," Reb Dovid read, in sheer misery. He didn't even have enough food in his house for his own family let alone the groom's family and all their guests. His only option was to go once again to the Baal Shem Tov.

As Reb Dovid neared the Baal Shem Tov's study hall, one of his traveling companions pointed to a beautiful carriage travelling in front of them and said jokingly, "There is your help."

As it happened, the passenger in the carriage arrived just a moment before Reb Dovid and they both entered the Rebbe's room together. The Baal Shem Tov greeted only Reb Dovid and said, "I want to tell you a story. There lived in Danzig a wealthy merchant named Reuven. Once he was returning from a very successful business trip with his bookkeeper and secretary. The two men became jealous of their employer's wealth and plotted to rob him. They attacked the coach driver and beat him to death. They then bound Reuven to a tree.

" 'Please, spare my life for the sake of my wife and children,' Reuven pleaded. 'Take all of my money but spare my life.'

"The two thieves laughed. 'We cannot leave you alive. Prepare to die.'

" 'Then give me five minutes to say the final confession,' Reuven pleaded.

"The thieves agreed. While Reuven said the final confession, he wept from the depths of his heart. He called out to G-d, 'I swear that if my life is spared, I will give one quarter of my fortune to the poor of my family and one quarter to other needy causes.'

"At that moment the sound of hoof-beats were heard approaching. The would-be-murderers fled, leaving Reuven tied to the tree. It was a nobleman approaching with his servants. Having come upon an abandoned wagon loaded with costly merchandise, they entered the forest to investigate.

"The noblemen sent two of his servants to accompany Reuven home. There, Reuven rejoiced wholeheartedly with his family. After the celebration, Reuven called in a bookkeeper and ordered him, 'Add up all of my assets.'

"But when Reuven saw what a large sum half of his fortune was, his determination faltered. He decided that giving half of his fortune all at once, would break him. He therefore decided to 'pay it off' over many years' time.

"A short while later, Reuven's wife became ill. The local doctors could not figure out what was wrong with her. They sent Reuven's wife to specialists who sent her to other specialists. Reuven and his wife traveled from country to country, specialist to specialist. But no doctor could diagnose her illness.

"Finally Reuven's wife said to him, 'Let us go to the Baal Shem Tov.'

"Reuven agreed to his wife's suggestion," the Baal Shem Tov concluded. "How much money have you spent on doctors ever since your wife became ill?" the Baal Shem Tov asked the second visitor, finally acknowledging his presence. "Was it not more than a quarter of your fortune, the amount you should have given to the poor? Redeem the rest of your pledge immediately, down to the last penny. You will see that your wife will regain her health."

Reuven was still in shock from the Baal Shem Tov having so vividly described the horrifying events of the past few months. Dutifully, in front of the Baal Shem Tov and Reb Dovid, Reuven emptied his entire purse of money. It contained three thousand gold coins.

The Baal Shem Tov gave the money to Reb Dovid and it was not long before his daughter's wedding was celebrated amidst much joy and happiness.