The sight that appeared to the officials of the baron, nicknamed "the well-known benefactor," was completely surreal: Feybel Schnitz - an ordinary farmer - holding an etrog in his hand, resembling a mosh in appearance, and the mighty nobleman "the father of the settlement" standing in front of him, begging to accept the etrog.
6 years earlier.
The city of Bohuslâ in Moldova has become famous since the Rebbe, Rabbi Yitzhak Friedman, zt”l, grandson of the righteous Rabbi Israel of Ruzin, zt”l, settled there.
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In this city, a large yeshiva called 'Beit Israel' was established in 1905. About 120 young men studied there. One of the most diligent young men was Shraga Fibel Sheknitz. He was bent over his mat from time to time and would only break for prayers and quick meals.
He was well-versed in Halacha and Aggadah in the Rishonim and Aharonim, and since he was also a wonderful rereader and a sharp commentator on Talmud, the Rosh Yeshiva would consult with him before delivering the general lesson to the yeshiva students. To the point that they said: The Rosh Yeshiva is not afraid of the general lesson and its difficulties, but rather ofThe preparation For the lesson, which he would do together with Shraga Fibel. And since the time of fellowship was over and the lesson had passed Shraga Fibel's approval, the Rosh Yeshiva was no longer afraid at all.
It is no wonder, therefore, that when the time came for uncles, matchmakers knocked on Shraga Feible's door, bringing with them proposals and matchmaking from rulers and noblemen.
And indeed, the time came, and Shraga Feibel was betrothed to the daughter of the great Rabbi Mordechai Wilner.
Rabbi Mordechai, who was a learned man, knew that his son-in-law would grow up to be one of the greatest of his generation, and he assured him that they would live honorably for the rest of his days and that he would not have to worry about his livelihood at all.
The wedding was celebrated with pomp and splendor, and immediately afterward the newlywed returned to his Talmud, as if nothing had happened.
Rachun was in the attic of his house from the early morning until the wee hours of the night, with friends changing, coming and going from the small room.
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The sudden passing of Rabbi Mordechai struck everyone with astonishment. He was beloved by the people and the place, a Torah keeper and a pursuer of righteousness and kindness. He was as healthy as a lamb, and his death occurred without any prior announcement or sign.
At the end of the seven days, the widow of the old man called Rabbi Shraga Feibel and asked-informed him that he needed to fill the place of his father-in-law. Rabbi Shraga Feibel was shocked. What did he have to do with business? His soul yearned for Torah, and moreover, he understood nothing about business, and Rabbi Mordechai's assets were likely to go down the drain.
However, the widow would not listen and argued against him that, on the contrary, the same skills that helped him in his Torah studies would help him in business.
Rabbi Shraga Feibel initially did not agree at all, and argued vehemently that he was not asking his mother-in-law for anything and that a basket of carobs was enough for him. However, his wife, who was accustomed to little more than a basket of carobs, came to his rescue and argued against him that it was possible to both study Torah and earn a decent living.
In the end, Rabbi Shraga Feibel gave in and went into business.
However, there was another hidden reason for it. His father-in-law, the famous nobleman, had an etrog tree planted in one of his many fields. The uniqueness of this tree was that it only produced two etrogs each year.
No one could explain how this happens, but it is a fact and there is no arguing about it.
What did the great man find in this tree? Or alternatively, how did this poor tree attract Shraga Feybel to the world of business?
His uniqueness lay in his clients. And these were two people: the holy Rebbe, Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac of Yassi, and the rabbi himself.
Every year, this tree would produce two beautiful etrogs that would be picked with reverence, and from among them, the Rebbe would choose one and Rabbi Mordechai would take the other.
They truly said that it was not clear that the Rebbe's etrog was more beautiful, and that those in the know say that Rabbi Mordechai's etrog was more beautiful than his, and that the Rebbe would intentionally leave the beautiful etrog for Rabbi Mordechai. This issue sustained the residents of the study halls throughout the holiday.
This arrangement lasted for many years, and when the Rebbe passed away, Rabbi Mordechai wept bitterly, both over the removal of the revered Rebbe and over the end of the successful ”deal’ between them.
And indeed, behold, it is a miracle, since the passing of the Rebbe, the miraculous tree began to produce only one etrog each year, with which Rabbi Mordechai would shake all the days of the holiday, and afterwards all the members of the community would shake in turn.
Rabbi Shraga Feibel was intrigued by this tree when he was debating whether to take on the burden of the business world, as he knew that anyone who bought his father-in-law's assets would condition it on the purchase of the miraculous tree, and he did not want to lose that. The sight of his father-in-law holding a sacred reverence for the only etrog every year, with all the members of the congregation standing around him, did not deter him, and he decided to take his father-in-law's place.
To the amazement of all who knew him, Rabbi Shraga Feibel doubled his father-in-law's fortune. In a short time, his sharp mind from his extensive studies and natural talent were at his disposal, and he became one of the greatest men in the land.
However, they did not say to Hanam that the Torah repeats its own inn and not its work, so that slowly the rumor spread that Rabbi Shraga Feibel was mired in enormous debt. It turns out that Rabbi Shraga had taken on particularly large investments without insuring himself as a precaution, as his late father-in-law apparently had done.
Not many days passed before Rabbi Shraga emerged empty of all his assets. The Rebbe's creditors took advantage of his innocence and emptied him of all his assets, until not only did he lose his father-in-law's fortune, but he also left nothing for his house, and he was left virtually homeless.
However, Rabbi Shraga Feibel did not give up on one thing - that miraculous tree. He found many tricks to keep it in his possession: registering it in his wife's name, renting it out for fixed periods of time, and various other solutions.
Land of Israel
In those days, a group of Jews from Romania organized to immigrate to the Land of Israel and work the land there. The Land of Israel activists succeeded in getting the attention of the well-known benefactor Edmond Rothschild, and he agreed to buy an area of several thousand dunams, settle twelve Jews there, and work the land of the Land of Israel under the guidance of French experts, and make its wastelands flourish.
Among those twelve settlers was Rabbi Shraga Feibel.
They all got used to seeing Rabbi Shraga Feibel as a Jew devoted to his work, devoting several hours each night to Torah, and enjoying his income, which was of course not very much. So what was particularly puzzling was the fact that every year after Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Shraga Feibel would disappear for a few days across the border and return on the eve of Sukkot.
Only those in the know knew that Rabbi Shraga went to pick the precious etrog, which, most miraculously, survived all the hardships that Romanian Jewry went through in those days.
That same year, when Rabbi Shraga returned to Israel, he was surprised to discover the great man, the famous Baron Edmund Rothschild, waiting for him in his humble abode.
"Why did I receive this honor?" asked Rabbi Shraga.
The Baron told Rabbi Shraga that he was the one who had acquired all of the gentleman's property when Rabbi Feibel went bankrupt, but informants whispered in his ear that all of his property was worthless if he did not obtain the miraculous tree – the tree of the Rebbe and of Rabbi Mordechai. Therefore, he asked Rabbi Shraga to grant him the tree and that it would enrich him greatly, etc., etc.
Rabbi Shraga, of course, did not agree. The Baron, who felt as if his dignity was being slighted, was greatly offended, and the matter, which was initially minor, became the talk of the town, and the atmosphere in the Baron's colonies became very agitated.
On the one hand, many residents claimed that with all the Baron's help, the residents did not have to give up their personal and valuable assets to him. On the other hand, some residents and the Baron's representatives claimed that it was impossible for the Baron, who saved the lives of so many residents, provided them with a livelihood, and turned the Land of Israel into a flourishing place, to not be able to accept something so small - an etrog tree.
At that time, the holy Rabbi Zelmhaleh Kahane arrived in the country, and it seemed that there was no more appropriate time than the appearance of the renowned Rebbe. The parties, namely the representatives of the Baron and Rabbi Shraga Feibel, decided to raise the issue before him.
When the time for the hearing arrived, they were surprised to see that the Baron himself had arrived, and his tense face betrayed what was going on inside him.
Rabbi Zelmhale sat in judgment, listened to the parties, fell into deep thought, and then asked: Why can't both parties enjoy the tree? Rabbi Shraga Feibel tried to explain to the Rebbe that he had misunderstood the matter, but the ministers signaled to him that the discussion was over.
The next year, the miraculous tree began to produce two etrogs as before.
And it was a wonder.
• Also published in 'Hevruta'’
