No Smoke Without Fire

Rabbi Tzvi Kopshitz shlit"a from Modi'in Illit excitedly shared with the Pele Elyon editorial board the story he witnessed. A group of avreichim (Torah scholars) recently began joining trips to a destination near Modi'in Illit in order to practice Hisbodedus (secluded prayer). Traveling to a destination for Hisbodedus is known as an important foundation in the deep connection of Breslov Chassidim with Hashem, as Rebbe Nachman commanded that one must set aside an hour a day to pour out one's heart before Hashem. The driver who merited this trip was an avreich from the Brachfeld neighborhood, who, among other things, takes several of the neighborhood children to the Talmud Torah schools every morning, including Rabbi Kopshitz's child.

On the particular trip our story revolves around, a Breslov Chassid participated who began to speak disparagingly about Rabbi Berland shlit"a. His self-appointed "holy" duty to distance newly drawn followers from the great and awesome light of the tzaddik of the generation grated on the ears of the other passengers. However, being truly close to the light of lights, they understood that they must have pity and pray that Hashem would enlighten his eyes. They accepted the insults in silence and were not dragged into an argument. They could have answered and protested, but just as it is a mitzvah to say something that will be heard, so too it is a mitzvah not to say something that will not be heard, and "the wise man will keep silent at that time." And "to You, silence is praise."

After a few minutes of driving on the highway, cars began honking at them. It turned out that thick, choking smoke was coming out of their car's exhaust, indicating a severe engine malfunction. In worse cases, such a malfunction could, God forbid, cause the car to catch fire. One of the drivers who pulled up behind them at a traffic light explained that he saw fire mixed with smoke coming from the exhaust, which indicated a tangible danger and a severe malfunction.

As believing Jews, the sons of believers, they clearly felt that there was a connection between the events. As it says in the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos: "Warm yourself by the fire of the Sages, but be careful with their glowing coals lest you be burned, for their bite is the bite of a fox, their sting is the sting of a scorpion, their hiss is the hiss of a serpent, and all their words are like fiery coals." The conversation in the car turned into a discussion of Emunas Chachamim (faith in the Sages) and the power of tzaddikim. Everyone present in the car, including the Jew who had initially spoken disrespectfully about the tzaddik, took it upon themselves never to speak against any tzaddik in the world.

They continued driving since their destination was closer than any garage, and they were not interested in just getting stuck on the road. It was better to get stuck at their destination, where they could at least practice Hisbodedus until the towing company arrived to rescue them, in the event the car actually broke down.

They arrived at their destination and practiced Hisbodedus. They did teshuvah (repentance) for having heard words against the tzaddikim and for not protesting, and they prayed to Hashem to have mercy on the Jewish people and grant them the merit to hear only words of encouragement and faith in the power of the true tzaddikim, and never to hear words of heresy. Afterward, they returned to the car, which started without any problems. However, just to be safe, they decided to stop by a garage in Moshav Matityahu, adjacent to Modi'in Illit. After all, the smoke indicated a severe internal problem, which surely still existed even if there was no smoke for the time being.

The mechanic conducted a comprehensive check of the engine, and finally said to the passengers in these words: "I don't understand why you came here. Everything is fine. There is no sign of a malfunction that requires urgent repair, and there is no sign or reason for smoke to come out of the exhaust. Everything is fine, have a safe trip, and if there is a problem, come back again." But the Breslov Chassidim knew they would not be coming back, because from the very beginning there was no malfunction in the exhaust, but rather in their mouths and ears. Once they did teshuvah (repentance) and took it upon themselves not to speak disparagingly of tzaddikim, God forbid, the problem disappeared as if it had never existed.

From the book "Pele Elyon Part 3"