Heaven & Hell

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

The suddenness of the rebbe’s appearance in his city caught the chassid, along with his wide-open mansion, off guard. Left with no choice, he reluctantly surrendered his house so that it could serve as the rebbe’s accommodation.

The newspaper of the Nazi party, "Der Sturmer," portrayed Rabbi Wiedenfeld as "the greatest Talmudist in the world," and placed him high on their black list. Thus the rabbi was forced to flee...

Word resounded throughout the supernal worlds: "Because Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov has forced the hand of heaven to overturn the laws of nature, he has forfeited his portion in the World to Come"

“Suddenly, I saw an angel walking toward me. It blocked my way forward, and began to drag me back out of Gan Eden!”

Rabbi Elazar of Kozhnitz would tell this tale, which illustrates the immense value and spiritual power of even a single mitzvah.

Not waiting another moment, he jumped into the fiery depths of Gehinnom.