R. Elimelech of Lizensk

The two brothers, the famed Rabbi Elimelech of Lizensk and Rabbi Zushe of Anipoli, often wandered about together, posing as simple beggars . . .

Disguised as simple beggars, the holy brothers journeyed from village to village, refining their souls with the travails of exile and inspiring their brethren with words of wisdom and encouragement...

One day, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov arrived in Tarnow. This was before the chassidic master had revealed himself to the world, and he appeared as a simple itinerant, but with a gift for telling stories . . .

“You lowly, despicable man!” thundered the Hungarian visitor. “What do you know! You obviously have no understanding of anything holy and spiritual!”

The Angel Michael harnessed the horse to the wagon of mitzvot, and the wagon driver cracked his whip. Suddenly the wagon gave a lurch forward, flattening the piles of sins that had been obstructing its way...

Head bowed and cheeks burning, overwhelmed by a sense of self-disgust, I accepted the verdict.

An assortment of tefillin—some old and worn, others glossy and new—lay neatly arranged.

Some of the town’s most distinguished community members hinted that perhaps the rabbi was wrongly suited for a city as “modern and developed” as Nikolsburg.

The door creaked on its hinges as Rabbi Lippman hurried to open it for the band of strangers. The men were dressed in rags and tatters, their beards had grown wild...