The Second Hole

Whenever an opportunity presented itself, the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz would retell a story about Rav Raphael of Bershad's amazing control over his middos. Once, after his tisch (the Chassidic Shabbos banquet over which the Rebbe presides), he shared song, stories and words of Torah with his devoted chassidim for a remarkable seven hours. Exhausted and weak, he walked home in the cold and rain, and arrived to find that his attendant, who had the keys, was nowhere to be found. While he waited a wearisome stretch of time for his gabbai to appear, the Imrei Chaim told this story.

For many years, Rav Raphael of Bershad had a burning desire to acquire pure white wool from the Holy Land, to fashion a resplendent, mehadrin tallis katan and tzitzis befitting such a precious mitzvah. After great effort, he finally obtained the wool from Eretz Yisroel. Elated, he gave it to one of his chassidim and urged him to take extra special care of it, and to make from it a tallis katan and tzitzis.

The chassid, who understood the great lengths the Rebbe had gone to and the importance of his mission, approached the task with great care. Despite all his good intentions, he accidentally folded the tallis katan over twice, so that when he cut the hole in the middle for the head, he ended up with two holes instead of one. When he unfolded the garment and held it open, there were two openings for the head.

With trepidation he brought the ruined garment before his Rebbe. Rav Raphael had been waiting with great anticipation to see the fruit of his efforts and to fulfill the mitzvah b'hiddur. When the chassid entered the room, the Rebbe noticed how crestfallen he looked. "What is it? What is wrong?" he asked, beckoning him to come near.

The chassid held out the ruined garment ashamedly. He could not lift his eyes to meet the Rebbe's as he waited for the Rebbe's anger and disappointment to cascade over him. What he heard instead was Rav Raphael's delighted voice. "Why, of course this garment needed two holes. Yes, yes, exactly. One hole, just as any tallis katan has, for the head, and another hole to teach Raphael to suppress and contain his emotions and not be angry."

When he concluded the tale, the Imrei Chaim said with great emotion, "Kodesh kadashim, Holy of Holies. From where can we learn such lofty behavior? This story shakes me up and excites me much, much more than any miraculous tales you could tell me about the tzaddik."