A Holy Hat

It is told that the Maharil Diskin was once in Lomza when he passed a sick Jew in the street. The man was mentally ill and was walking about with his head uncovered. The Maharil asked him, "Where is your yarmulke?" The man answered that he had none.

Without hesitating, the Maharil took off his own yarmulke and placed it on the man's head. Chassidim relate that the man's illness left him at once, and his mind began to work normally. From then on he always wore the Maharil's yarmulke. He never took it off, and he even wore it to the mikveh.