הַצֶּמַח צֶדֶק בְּסַפְּרוֹ לִבְנוֹ אַאַזְמוּ"ר מְאוֹרָע מֵחַיָּיו, סִיֵּים: מִיט דעֶם וואָס מעֶן העֶלפט אַ אִידעֶן אִין פַּרְנָסָה, אֲפִילוּ פאַרדִינעֶן זִיבּעֶצִיג קאָפִּיקעֶס (מַטְבֵּעַ קְטַנָּה בְּרוּסְיָא) אִין אַ קעֶלבּעֶל, אִיז אַלעֶ שַׁעֲרֵי הֵיכָלוֹת הָעֶלְיוֹנִים זַיינעֶן פאַר אִיהם אָפעֶן. כַּעֲבוֹר כַּמָּה שָׁנִים סִפֵּר אַאַזְמוּ"ר כָּל הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל לְאַאַמוּ"ר וְהוֹסִיף: מ'בּאַדאַרף אֲפִילוּ וִויסעֶן דִי וועֶג צוּ דִי הֵיכָלוֹת הָעֶלְיוֹנִים, נאָר דאָס מאַכט נִיט אוֹיס, עֶס דאַרף זַיין דעֶר עִקָּר, העֶלפעֶן בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם מִיט אַ געֶפִיל, האָבּעֶן אַ געֶשׁמאַק אִין אַ אִידעֶן טאָן אַ טוֹבָה.

After the Tzemach Tzedek told his son, my revered grandfather, the Rebbe [Maharash], about an incident that once happened to him, he concluded: “When one helps a Jew make a living, even to earn a mere seventy kopkes1 when he’s selling a calf, the gates of all of the heavenly palaces are open for him.”2

Several years later, my revered grandfather, the Rebbe [Maharash], told this whole story to my revered father, the Rebbe [Rashab], and added: “Though ideally one should know the path to the heavenly palaces, this is not crucial. What is of fundamental importance is to help another person wholeheartedly and with warmth — to take pleasure in doing a fellow Jew a favor.”3

A Story with an Echo

Elsewhere the Rebbe Rayatz relates in detail the story mentioned above.4 The Tzemach Tzedek had returned to Lubavitch from a journey, during which he had experienced several visions of the Alter Rebbe. He was expecting a similar vision upon his return, and had prepared a number of questions to ask the Alter Rebbe when the latter appeared.

Several days passed, and the vision did not come. Heavy-hearted, the Tzemach Tzedek examined his conduct to discern in which areas he needed to repent. One day, as he was going to shul for the morning prayers, R. Pinchas, one of the simple local villagers, approached him and requested a loan of three rubles in order to buy some merchandise to sell, and cover his Shabbos expenses.

The Tzemach Tzedek of course agreed to grant the loan and asked R. Pinchas to meet him at home after his prayers. But as he put his tallis on his shoulder in the midst of his preparations for prayer, he thought of R. Pinchas and realized: “Today is market day, and the transactions are conducted early. The sooner he has the money in hand, the better.”

He put down the tallis, went home, took the money, and headed for the marketplace to find R. Pinchas and give him the loan. That done, he returned to shul and went to wash his hands in preparation for prayer. At that moment, the Alter Rebbe appeared to him with a glowing countenance and resolved all the questions that the Tzemach Tzedek had prepared.5