Sichos HaRan
Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom

by Reb Noson of Nemirov

Shevachay HaRan

(The Praise of Rebbe Nachman–Part II)
(Rebbe Nachman’s Pilgrimage to the Land of Israel)

#18.

During the intermediate days of Sukot, the entire community went to the Cave of Elijah, where they celebrated with singing and dancing. The Rebbe went along, but did not take part in the festivity. He merely sat there with a broken heart appearing to be in a very dejected state. Rebbe Zev went to the Rebbe's aide and asked him, "What's this all about? Your master has been depressed since Rosh Hashanah. God only knows if this is good."

On Simchat Torah, the congregation made the customary circle dances in the synagogue, joyfully dancing with the Torah scrolls. The mood was especially jubilant because of the many chassidim there. The Rebbe was in the synagogue, but would not even carry a Torah. He just sat there with his head bent, looking utterly dejected.

(Of course, this was always the Rebbe's way. Each time he wanted to accomplish something important, it was preceded by an extremely brokenhearted mood. This happened very often.)

After Simchat Torah, the Rebbe told his attendant, "Thank God I have attained my goal. Everything has been accomplished with the greatest degree of perfection. I was going to stay a while because of my love of the Land, but now I have changed my mind. Go book passage for us back to Istanbul. I am ready to return home today!"

The Rebbe's attendant refused to listen. He said, "I am not yet ready to return. I still want to see Tiberias and the other holy places." The Rebbe replied, "If you really must see Tiberias, then hire donkeys and we'll go." This was always the Rebbe's way—he was never stubborn regarding anything.

They got the donkeys and travelled to Tiberias, arriving there in the evening. All that night the people of Tiberias went to meet the Rebbe. As soon as one left, another would come. Many dressed themselves in their Shabbat garments in honor of the Rebbe. Because of this, he could not sleep all that night.

When the Rebbe first came to Tiberias, he stayed with a cousin who was also a grandson of Rebbe Nachman Horodenker. The community, however, felt that a larger house would provide him with more peace of mind. It was agreed that the Rebbe should stay in the home of the saintly Rebbe Tzvi Harker.

Rebbe Avraham Kalisker, head of the Chassidic community in the Holy Land, lived in Tiberias at the time. He sent a message to the Rebbe, saying that he had just received a bloodletting and could not come to greet him. The Rebbe answered that he had already intended to go to Rebbe Avraham. He immediately went and Rebbe Avraham greeted him with great affection and respect. The bond of friendship that was forged between the two is beyond all description.

Rebbe Avraham pleaded with the Rebbe to stay with him. The Rebbe answered that he could not move in permanently, but would spend one Shabbat. The very next day, Rebbe Avraham sent a message inviting the Rebbe for the next Shabbat, the Shabbat of Noah.

On Friday night, the Rebbe bent his head for Rebbe Avraham to bless him. Rebbe Avraham jumped back, trembling violently. He began speaking with such great excietement that it was impossible to understand him. His final words, however, were clear. "How abashed we are before a descendent of the holy Baal Shem Tov." Rebbe Avraham absolutely refused to bestow his blessing on the Rebbe. However, as soon as the Rebbe's attendant bowed his head, Rabbi Avraham gave him the blessing.

The meal was the scene of great rejoicing. Rebbe Avraham asked the Rebbe to deliver the Torah lesson, but he absolutely refused. Rebbe Avraham then said the lesson himself. The same thing took place at the Shabbat afternoon meal and again at the Third Meal.

Rebbe Avraham delivered the lesson with fiery enthusiasm, shouting so that it was impossible to understand his words. Again, only his last words could be heard, "This is the root of devotion to God." The Rebbe praised his lesson beyond all measure, saying that it was second to none.

We also heard this from the Rebbe's holy lips. He said, "Perfect sincerity only exists in the tzaddik Rebbe Avraham." Another time he said, "I have seen many tzaddikim. But I have seen perfection only in this holy man.

#19.

That Sunday Rebbe Avraham went to visit the Rebbe and the two conversed for a long time. After a day or two, the Rebbe became extremely ill. He sent a redemption to Rebbe Avraham, asking that he pray for him. As long as the Rebbe was sick, Rebbe Avraham visited him daily.

The Rebbe's illness caused him to be directly involved in an episode involving an informer. This individual had recently arrived in the Holy Land, and had become an informer for the Pasha. He caused much hardship for the Tiberias community.

A short time earlier, he had arrested the community leaders and held them in prison for nine weeks. Some Sephardic Jews went to the Pasha, paying a large ransom to free these prisoners. They captured the informer and attempted to strangle him. He escaped only by feigning death.

He complained to the Pasha and was appointed as overseer of the city, to do as he pleased. Accompanied by a regiment of Turkish troops, he returned to Tiberias with great fanfare. When the Jewish community saw the troops, they immediately fled the city. They were so terrorized that they did not even wait for the women and children, leaving them crying bitterly in the city. Every house was filled with great weeping.

The Rebbe wanted to flee with them, but was prevented by his infirmity. He made an attempt to leave the city, but had to return. This was all God's doing for it resulted in the entire community being able to return. It turned out that the Rebbe was able to control this informer completely. When he went to the Rebbe, he literally humbled himself before the Rebbe's feet.

The entire story would consume many volumes. In short, the Rebbe made use of his great intelligence, totally subjugating this informer. By the time he was finished with him, he was able to tell his attendant to announce that all who had fled could return. In this way, the Rebbe's illness resulted in everybody returning to the city.

The people later found out what had happened. This informer was a complete hypocrite, acting as if he were most pious. As soon as he met the Rebbe, he began speaking about religious matters. The Rebbe pretended that he knew no better, so that it was actually he who had tricked the informer.

The informer was greatly impressed with the Rebbe's wisdom. The Rebbe then told him, "A good overseer should pray to God, asking him to help his Jewish brethren. He should be a pious, humble person."

The Rebbe continued to impress him with his wisdom and cleverness. He began to speak about prayer, convincing this informer that he should make a habit of chanting the Psalms with great humility. The informer assured the Rebbe that he would heed this advice, but the Rebbe acted very skeptical. Finally he said, "If you want to convince me that you are truly a humble and pious man, this is what you must do. Gather the young boys into my house, and in their presence, chant the Psalms with great weeping."

This was soon accomplished and the informer began chanting the Psalms with tears literally rolling down his cheeks. Suddenly he felt faint and became extremely ill. Now this informer had told the Pasha that the Jews were bringing a large sum of money from Europe. The Turks had posted special watchmen at all the city gates, waiting for these emissaries. It was only with God's help that they were able to prevent learning the details of the transaction. The Rebbe's aide was later sent to Haifa, where he collected the funds from the emissaries and brought them to Tiberias. The money was then delivered to the Rebbe who gave it to the community leaders for distribution.

When the informer later recovered, he boasted that he would cause them even more evil than before. He suddenly fell ill again, but this time he did not recover. Soon after he died. When the people returned to Tiberias, they all came to the Rebbe, making a great celebration. The community was safe again and the Rebbe was very happy that he had had the merit of bringing this about.

The Rebbe then went to visit the grave of his grandfather, Rebbe Nachman Horodenker, who is buried in Tiberias. He obtained donkeys and visited the other holy catecombs. They travelled to Miron and visited the cave where Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar, is buried. The Rebbe told all the young men accompanying him to engage in prayer and study of the Zohar, which they did with great enthusiasm. But the Rebbe himself appeared to be doing nothing, just standing in the cave glowing with joy. Every few minutes he went over to his attendant and said, "Happy are you…."

That night they went from room to room in the cave. The Rebbe again cautioned those with him to recite passages from the Zohar. The Rebbe himself, however, did not say a thing. He merely walked around very happily, humming to himself until daybreak. Putting on his tallit and tefillin, he then stood and prayed for several hours.

From there they all went to the cave where Hillel lies buried. The Rebbe displayed great joy, chanting the 33^rd and 34^th Psalms along with the others. They then went to the grave of Shamai where the Rebbe began to act very depressed. At first he was very surprised at his mood, but later said that he understood its reason. The reason, however, was never revealed.

They also travelled to the other catacombs. Approaching a very high mountain, they were informed that there was a cave near its peak, where the tanna {Mishnaic sage}, Rebbe Kruspedai was buried. They attempted the climb, but it was too steep for the donkeys. Finally the Rebbe jumped down from the animal and practically climbed on his hands and knees to the top. His attendant followed close behind and the two finally reached the cave.

After staying there awhile, they climbed down the mountain. The group then went to another cave where a holy child was buried. The cave of the Holy Child was like a deep pit in the ground. There was a rumor that a snake lived in the cave and people were afraid to enter it. There was a large tree by the mouth of the cave and the Rebbe climbed down by one of its roots, ignoring all warnings. He was the first one ever to enter the cave and he found no snake at all there. From that time on, nobody was afraid to go into the cave and it was visited by all.

From there they visited some other catacombs in Miron and then returned to Tiberias. Soon after they returned, the Rebbe told his attendant to go to Haifa and obtain passage on a ship heading home. The attendant went to do his bidding, but as soon as he came to Haifa, a ship arrived, carrying the renowned Rebbe of Shepetovka along with a group of emissaries returning from Europe.

It is at this time that the episode mentioned earlier occurred. The emissaries heard that the informer had told the Pasha about them and that troops were on the lookout for strange Jews carrying money. Meeting the Rebbe's aide, they decided that it would be best to send the money with him. Because of this, the Rebbe's attendant had to return to Tiberias without securing passage.

When his attendant returned, the Rebbe simply said, "It is probably God's will that we remain in the Holy Land for a while longer." The Rebbe told his aide to obtain donkeys for a journey to Jerusalem. When Rebbe Avraham heard that he was leaving, he asked that the Rebbe remain in Tiberias a while longer.

The Rebbe of Shepetovka soon arrived in Tiberias. One of the first things he did there was to make a large feast in honor of the Rebbe. He acted very friendly to him and they conversed for a long time. Their conversation was absolutely private and nobody knows what went on between them. But soon after that, the Rebbe made peace between the Rebbe of Shepetovka and Rebbe Avraham Kalisker.

A short time later, an epidemic broke out in Tiberias, forcing the Rebbe to flee from the quarters. As soon as he secured lodgings in a new area, the plague broke out there also. The Rebbe then had to flee from Tiberias.

The flight from Tiberias involved tremendous peril. The city gate was sealed because of the plague and the only exit was through a cave. After crawling through this cave, the Rebbe found his way blocked by a high wall. The Rebbe climbed the wall and slid over it, thinking that he had escaped. But when he looked down, he saw water beneath him. There he was, hanging by his hands and feet with nothing but the sea below him. He had only the most meager grip and was sure that he would fall and drown. At this moment he lifted his heart to God, praying with all his might. And in His mercy, God rescued him.

The Rebbe finally left Tiberias and reached Safed. He was there for just a few days when news arrived that the French were about to invade Acre.

#20.

As soon as the Rebbe heard this, he sent someone to Acre to obtain passage on a ship flying the flag of Ragusa. He knew that Ragusa was not involved in the war between the French and the Turks and, as a neutral nation, ships flying its flag were not subjct to impressment. The Rebbe was quite aware of the practice of impressment, where passengers on enemy ships were captured and impressed into military duty.

The Rebbe's envoy was successful in obtaining passage on a ship from Ragusa. News that the Rebbe was attempting a voyage home, soon reached Tiberias. Rebbe Avraham immediately sent a special messenger to Safed with his own personal letter as well as one from the community as a whole. A letter was also on its way from the Rebbe of Shepetovka, but the Rebbe was in too great a hurry to wait for it.

On Thursday evening before Shabbat Zakhor {the Shabbat before Purim}, the Rebbe left Safed with his attendant. They travelled all that night, arriving in Acre just three hours before the Shabbat. They found their agent and sent him to make arrangements for them to board the ship where they had booked passage. He returned with the news that their ship was already filled beyond capacity and it would be impossible for them to board.

The Rebbe and his attendant realized that they would have to spend Shabbat Zakhor in Acre. They had a letter of introduction from Rebbe Avraham to a wealthy man there and were able to spend the Shbbat with him. When they heard the news that over 15,000 Turksh troops with their entire garrison were stationed in Acre, they became quite alarmed. They later learned that the gates of the city had been sealed and they were filled with great apprehension.

In the midst of the Shabbat morning services, the agent burst into the synagogue with news that war would break out in another two or three days. Remaining in the city involved great peril, for many people were sure to be killed in the battle. The agent also reported that he had been unsuccessful in finding another neutral ship. There were a number of Turkish merchant ships travelling to Istanbul, but going on them involed the danger of impressment.

The agent said to the Rebbe, "It is better to risk the danger at sea than to remain here. Why risk your life? Permit me to obtain passage on a ship for you right now! Where life is in danger, the Shabbat may be ignored." The Rebbe agreed and the agent payed a golden dinar as deposit for their passage on a Turkish trading vessel. Meanwhile, many British troopships arrived in Acre. The city became crowded with troops and the terror of the civilians knew no bounds.

That Shabbat was one of fear and apprehension. The entire household spent the day praying, pouring their hearts out to God. The Rebbe and his aide felt some degree of security because they had obtained passage to leave the city. But they were also distressed because things had happened so suddenly that they had not had time to secure food and provisions for the voyage. They spoke about their previous journey, where they had had everything they needed on the ship. At that time they had carried the customary provisions, enough for four or five months at sea. How different it would be now, where they would have to set forth without a crumb.

On Sunday morning the Rebbe sent his attendant to the agent asking that he attempt to secure the customary provisions for the voyage. They went to the market, but not a thing was to be bought. The attendant returned to the Rebbe and found him wearing his tallit and tefillin, totally engrossed in prayer. He became so upset that he simply fainted. He lay unconscious in his room and the Rebbe did not even know that he had returned.

Meanwhile a great cry arose in the city. An order had come from the Pasha giving all civilians a two hour limit to leave the city. The city gates would remain closed and all civilians were to attempt to leave by sea. Anyone found in the city after the two hour limit would be killed.

The Rebbe soon learned the reason for this. The city was very overcrowded and the Turkish troops needed room to maneuver. In order to make room, they were prepared to slaughter everyone in the city. The city became a seething mass of terror. Screams and wailing filled the streets. In the midst of all this commotion, the Rebbe made his way to the sea. He was not even aware of his attendant, who was still lying unconscious.

When the attendant regained consciousness, he realized that the Rebbe was no longer in the house. He waited as long as he could and then went out to the courtyard. He saw men, women and children screaming in the streets, weeping and wailing with great bitterness. The cry of the city seemed to rise to the very heavens.

Their host's wife saw him and ran over screaming, "Woe! A pity on your youth! You will be killed here! At least we had some good here. Now we must accept the bad with the good. But all the more pity on you. You have had nothing here, and now you will be lost to your family." She continued wailing in this manner and all the while the attendant became more and more terrified. He was numb with fear and could not move a finger. Finally he summoned up enough presence of mind to ask her about the Rebbe. She replied, "I imagine he has fled to the sea!"

As soon as he heard this, he realized that their chest was still in the house and that the Rebbe must have fled empty-handed. The chest contained all their money and possessions and they could not leave without it. He tried to lift it, but it was obvious that he could not carry it by himself.

Suddenly a Sefardic Jew appeared and offered to carry the chest. Together they fled toward the sea. But soon they found it impossible to move through the city because of the great confusion. Troops were surging through the city with drawn swords and were ready to stab anyone who got in their way. But here again God had mercy and arranged things for the best. For suddenly the Turks standing on top of the wall announced that they had a good report. The people pressed around the wall to listen and there was enough room to get through the city to the sea.

When the attendant arrived at the docks, he saw a confusion of ships, but could not find the Rebbe. He looked up and down, searching one place after another. Finally, he came to a small sailboat filled with Turks. When he looked more closely, he saw that there, sitting in their midst, was the Rebbe. The Rebbe and his attendant were overjoyed to be together again. They had both experienced considerable anguish, each not knowing where to find the other.

The small boat eventually left the port and brought them to a large cruiser anchored in the harbor off Haifa. At first they were very surprised to see their ship bristling with cannon. They discussed this and came to the conclusion that because of the war, even the merchant ships were carrying weapons.

There had been so much confusion when the Rebbe was fleeing, that he did not have time to get further information from the agent. He had no idea where his ship was and somehow was led to believe that this small boat would bring him to it. Little did he know that he was being brought to a Turkish warship!

Even as they boarded, they had no idea of their great peril. They were actually walking onto a warship, loaded with troops and weapons. The Turkish troops were unpredictable enough on land. To travel with them by sea was to take one's life into his hands.

The Turks helped them on board and gave them a private room. Not knowing the language, they had no way of communicating with the Turks. But they more than realized that something was wrong when the Rebbe's attendant was handed a loaded gun. They sat in their room without a thing to eat or drink. After two or three hours they closed their door and tried to get some sleep.

Another hour or two passed, when suddenly their door was opened and a voice said to them in Russian, "What are you doing here? Don't you realize that this is a warship and you can get killed here? Didn't you see the loaded cannons all around?" They were thoroughly aroused from their sleep and grabbed the stranger by his sleeve. They could not see his face in the dark, but felt that his jacket was made of linen.

While they had slept, a battle had begun. They came out of their room and saw cannonballs flying toward the ship. They realized that they were in mortal danger and decided that it would be better to return to the Holy Land to die than to be killed at sea. They begged the stranger to help them get off the ship and return to shore. He replied that he would need a considerable sum of money to try to bribe the captain.

The Rebbe's attendant went to their chest to get the money. He waited awhile, thinking that the stranger would meanwhile speak to the captain. After a short time had passed, he went to the captain, holding out his hand with the money. The captain began screaming at him in Turkish, but the attendant could not understand a word. They had no other choice but to find the stranger who had spoken to them in Russian. They searched the ship over and over, but all they found were Turks and Arabs. There was not a single person who spoke Russian.

Having lost their only means of communication, their apprehension grew by the minute. They literally began trembling with fear. They tried to get some rest during the night, but could not even lie on their cots, so great was their trembling. More and more, they were beginning to understand their grave danger. Their only chance lay with the stranger who had spoken to them during the night, but they had no idea who he was. The only thing they knew about him was that he spoke Russian.

#21.

The next morning, the harbor patrol boarded the ship. The Rebbe and his attendant searched for the captain, to fall before his feet if necessary, begging him to allow them to return with the patrol. But before they could find him, the ship lifted anchor and the wind carried them out of the harbor. The sounds of battle were coming closer and the sailors were very frightened, wanting to leave as quickly as possible.

From where the Rebbe and his attendant stood on the ship, they could hear the sound of the bombs and cannon, even though they were already very far away. The very thought of their great peril drained all their strength and they both fell into their cots, thoroughly exhausted. Even as they lay there they became aware of a new crisis. They had taken no supplies and now found themselves without even water to drink. But here again, God was with them. The ship's cook learned of their plight and had pity on them. Every morning and evening, he would sneak each one a cup of black coffee. This sustained them, but their strength was rapidly draining away.

They soon reached a point where they did not have enough energy to leave their cots. Closed up in their cabin, they had no idea at all where the ship was heading. For a while they heard a storm raging outside and felt the ship being carried rapidly along. But all the while, they did not know where they were going.

Eventually, they heard the sounds of their ship being tied up at a port. They crawled out of their cabin to see where they had landed. Immediately realizing that it was not Istanbul, they asked the Turkish cook where they were. He replied that this was the land of Adal. They had already heard of Adal. The people there had a rule that any Jew falling into their hands should be killed as a human sacrifice. When they realized that this was where they were, they fled to their cabin and locked themselves inside. For three days they hid there, utterly terrified. They realized that they could not remain concealed very much longer and had no idea how long the captain would stay there.

Suddenly a storm arose, snapping the anchor ropes. The sailors had no chance to raise sail, and without an anchor, the ship was totally out of control. There was a great cry on board, for even the Turks were terrified. From where they were huddled, the Rebbe and his attendant could hear their cries, "Homan! Homan! Woe! Woe!"

The ship tossed at sea all that night. In the morning the wind subsided and they were glad because the seas were quiet. But they had not been led to their desired haven for the storm had carried them back to within a day's journey of Acre.

That afternoon, another storm broke out, sweeping the ship along. For several days and nights the ship was tossed about at sea. “They mounted to the heavens and plunged to the depths.” The captain and his mates had no idea how to control the vessel. “They reeled and staggered like drunkards and all their wisdom was in vain.”

That Thursday at noon, they began pumping the third compartment as usual. It usually took about fifteen minutes to pump out all the water that accumulated in the bilge each day. This time they continued pumping all day and by nightfall were still drawing water. Soon the entire upper deck was awash with water pumped up from the bilges. The water seeped into the Rebbe's compartment, making it impossible for them to sleep on their pallets. The Rebbe climbed to a higher place in the compartment and lay down there and his attendant found a smiliar place. They remained inside, not wanting to be seen by the Turks.

The water continued to rise until the pumps could no longer function. The sailors had to tear out the pumps and install pulleys, attempting to remove the water with large barrels. Meanwhile the storm continued to rage, whipping up mountains of water. The waves seemed to rise to the very heart of the heavens. This continued all through the night.

When his attendant approached him the next morning, the Rebbe told him, "My heart is faint with terror. Deep down I know that we are in great danger and this is by no means a simple matter. I do not know what they are doing, but the heart still sees." His attendant then went to look in the hold where they were drawing out water. He saw nothing but water rippling just like in a river. Cargo normally took up all but a third of the ship's capacity, but this had been thrown overboard. All that was left in the hold was water. Still, the vessel was riding very low and it was obvious that the water's weight far exceeded its capacity. The sailors were feverishly trying to pump out the water, but it still continued to rise.

Realizing that nothing less than a miracle could save them, the Rebbe's attendant returned to their compartment. He was trembling with anguish and terror and could not get a word out of his mouth. The Rebbe saw him and said, "Where is your tongue? You yourself said that nothing was wrong. Why are you so afraid?" The other replied that there was no logical way that they could be saved without a miracle. The water was now rising faster than the men could remove it and the laborers' strength was failing. The sailors had been without food, water and sleep for almost twenty-four hours.

The Rebbe's attendant then told him that he had not yet prayed the Shacharit. The Rebbe told him, "You need not recite the entire service now. Accept the yoke of the Heavenly Kingdom with saying the first verse of the Shema and say the first and last three blessings of the Amidah. That is enough at a time like this."

The Rebbe then told him, "Take every penny that we have and divide it in half. Bind your half next to your body and I will do the same with mine." His attendant was mystified. He asked, "Why bother? Can't the fish swallow us without money?" The Rebbe replied, "Do as I tell you. The Jews were inside the Red Sea and did not drown. At least we are still in a ship…" He then did what he did.

Having taken care of this, the Rebbe told his attendant to dress himself in his fur coat and bind his belt tightly around it. The Rebbe did the same, acting as if he was preparing to embark on a journey. The Rebbe's attendant then asked him, "Why don't you pray for us? I cannot even recite the prayers that I say every day and certainly cannot open my mouth to God at a time like this. But you, Rebbe, know how to pray at all times, for the general and the particular."

The Rebbe replied, "I am now in a state of mochin d’katnut {constricted consciousness}. I am far from God. But still, my council is faithful. We are now in fierce danger, and I have no other choice. God knows that I have never made use of the merit of my fathers, but now I am compeled to do so. I pray that God help us for the sake of my grandfather, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov of blessed memory, for the sake of my grandmother Udel and for the sake of my grandfather, Rebbe Nachman of Horodenka." The Rebbe said no more.

They looked up and suddenly saw a thick dark cloud in the distance. Their hearts filled with dread, for these were the types of clouds that usually create a waterspout. If the ship were to be drawn into the vortex it could easily be sunk. The only solution would be to fire at the clouds with cannon, but the sailors were too occupied bailing out the ship and could not stop for an instant. It seemed as if one trouble was coming on top of another, like a wasp and scorpion biting at the same time.

Again God came to their rescue, and a very strong wind began to blow. The ship began flying along the waves, like an arrow shot from a bow. When they approached the waterspout, the clouds opened up like a mountain pass and the ship went through in safety.

God also enlightened the sailors' eyes and they discovered the place where the ship's hull was leaking. The Turks slaughtered a ram and used its skin to repair the leak.

They had been in fearsome peril, but had managed to come through safely. It was a Friday, and everybody on the ship rejoiced greatly. In the Mincha before Shabbat, the Rebbe chanted the 107th Psalm, "Give thanks to God," with great joy.

They continued on their voyage, passing many places. During the entire voyage, the only thing the Rebbe and his attendant had to eat were the rotten vegetables that the cook gave them from the ship's stores. Their meager rations were often putrid and crawling with maggots. Even for these they had to plead like beggars with the cook until he had pity on them. The few rotten vegetables procured this way was all they had to eat.

As the days passed, they realized that the Passover was rapidly approaching. One day they discussed this and were very concerned. The food from the ship's stores could not be eaten then and it would be impossible to fast for the entire week.

After an hour or two, they came to a large city standing on a rocky mountain in the middle of the sea. The Turks bought a considerable amount of fruit there. For a thaler, the Rebbe and his attendant were able to buy a bushel of carobs, what we call buxer.

The Rebbe said, "This is also very good right now. If necessary, we can subsist on these carobs alone during the eight days of Pesach. Now if God helps us, we will also have matzah and the four cups of wine for the Seder."

#22.

Even after overcoming these threats, the Rebbe and his attendant were still in indescribable danger. They were two Jews, alone on a warship filled with Turkish troops. These Turks would think nothing of selling two Jews as slaves in some faraway place. The very thought filled the Rebbe's heart with terror.

He began to think about it. What would he do if he were sold as a slave in a faraway place where there were no Jews? What if nobody knew about it? How would he keep the mitzvot of the Torah? This particular worry bothered him the most. The Rebbe pondered the possibilities again and again. Finally, he was worthy of realizing that he could serve God even if he were unable to actually keep the mitzvot. He comprehended the devotion of the Patriarchs, who lived before God even gave the Torah. They also kept all the mitzvot, even though they often did so only in a symbolic manner. Thus, Jacob fulfilled the mitzvah of tefillin through the sticks he peeled while watching Laban's sheep (Genesis 30:37).

The Rebbe thought along these lines until he understod how he could keep all the mitzvot in this manner. He could continue to serve God even if he were sold as a slave in the most distant land.

No sooner had the Rebbe arrived at this conclusion, when they sighted land. It was the night before Passover and they arrived at the island city of Rhodes, a great city unto God. They knew that this city had a thriving Jewish community. Here they would be able to buy matzsh for Pesach and wine for the four cups.

The Rebbe and his attendant were overjoyed by this prospect alone. They never imagined that the captain or the sailors would let them actually go into the city. Everything seemed to indicate that the Turks were going to imprison them, robbing all their possessions, and perhaps even selling them as slaves.