Baruch Hashem, I Am Cold and Hungry

It is told that Rav Mendel was a young man when he began his journeys to Lizhensk, to Rebbe Reb Melech. He was poor and did not have a coin to his name. His clothes were simple and old, and the harsh winter brought the kind of bitter cold that creeps into the bones.

With no alternative, Rav Mendel hired himself out as a watchman. He traveled with the coaches and their passengers. While the coachmen and travelers spent the night at the inn, Rav Mendel stayed outside in the cold, guarding the coach and the horses against thieves.

On one trip the snow fell relentlessly and travel was hard. At last night fell and the coach reached its destination. As the coachman and his passengers entered the warm inn, Rav Mendel braved the bitter elements outside, shivering under his threadbare coat, shaking in his hole-filled shoes, and waiting for dawn as he stood guard.

It was so cold that he ran back and forth, clapping and rubbing his hands for warmth. Soon he began to hop from one foot to the other, and the hopping became a dance. He hopped and clapped and sang with simchah, "Baruch Hashem I am cold. Baruch Hashem I am freezing. Baruch Hashem I am starving."

Another coach arrived at the inn, and as the travelers stepped down they were astonished to see an obviously poor man dancing and singing in the freezing night. "What are you singing?" they asked. "I am praising Hashem for making me so healthy that I can properly feel my hunger," answered Rav Mendel. "And why don't you eat?" they asked. "I have no money," he said.

The travelers decided to take care of him. They brought him into the warm inn, placed someone else on watch, and fed him until he was satisfied. When his wits returned, he said, "Had I not sung and danced, praising Hashem, I would still be cold and hungry."