TYH Nation Presents
Hold on to Shabbos with Stories of Tzadikim
with Rav Yussie Zakutinsky
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A gut voch everybody. It once happened that there was a group of chassidim of the Tzemach Tzedek, the 3rd Lubavitcher Rebbe. They were sitting amongst themselves and they were talking about stories of mesirus nefesh. Stories about how jews sacrificed their lives, if need be sacrifice their time, their money to help other yidden with mesirus nefesh. 
So the Tzemach Tzedek was there and he heard what they were talking about and he said obviously any level of self-sacrifice that a jewish person offers, is of great value. But the Rebbe said the truth is, sacrificing your money or your body for Hashem’s sake or for the Jewish people’s sake it’s a big deal but that's not how far reaching mesirus nefesh can be. You want to kn ow what mesirus nefesh really is? I’ll tell you a story about Reb Boruch of Medzbyzh.
He was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov. He was known to be very fiery. It was well-known that it wasn’t so simple to be in his presence; he was very very strong. Only a select few were able to claim the title of being his chassidim. 
It was a particular shabbos that he was in town leading Tish and there was a guest in the neighborhood for that shabbos. A chossid, but no one knew who he was, he came for shabbos. All of a sudden when this guest walked in Friday night for the Tish, Reb Brouch’l looked at him for a few seconds and saw something. The rest of the night at the Tish he was just making fun of this guy. Talking about his chesronos, his deficiencies, his aveiros, mamash embarrassing him in front of everyone. He was mamash a guest. 
So that was very odd, chassidim were used to strange things with Reb Boruch’l and his fire but this was something very difficult to hear. To be a part of, And the next day, the same thing repeated itself by shalosh seudos and the whole shabbos Reb Boruch’l is making fun of this yid. Really being mevazeh him. To thi schossid’s credit he didn’t leave, he just stood there and took it but it was very very strange. 
That shabbos, besides this particular guest that was there there was also a visiting tzaddik that was with Reb Boruch’l the whole time as well and he was also taken aback by this experience until after shabbos was over. This tzaddik went over to Reb Boruch’l, Rebbe if you don’t mind me asking, doesn’t the mishna say that if a person embarrasses another jew in public you lose your portion in the world to come? Reb Boruch’l said I know the mishna. But let me explain.
This jew, I never saw him before I don’t know who he is. But when he came, I looked at him and I saw something. What he does for a living, for his parnassah is that he’s a courrier. If a person has to take a product, something of value that has to get to a particular place, they hire this jew as a courier to bring the object or the money whatever it is from point A to point B. This jew he says as a courier right before shabbos he was given a package by a jew to deliver to a particular place. 
The problem was, he planned on being able to get to the town of Medzbyzh where Reb Boruch’l was with enough time before shabbos to make the proper arrangements to have this package with product was sent and protected in a particular way. The problem was there was traffic, the weather was not good and they ended up coming to town extremely late. They had no time to set up arrangements to make sure this package that was given to him by this yid was going to be safe. So what did he do, he wanted to come to the tish. 
He was a little bit negligent. He went to the first place he saw, the first inn that he found which was owned and run by a goy. He takes this particular object that this yid gave him to bring to another place, it was of great value and he went to the owner of the hotel, i’m here for the weekend, if you don’t mind keeping this by you I’ll come by Saturday night to pick it up. ...