The Heavenly Voice in Nikolsburg

Once Rav Elimelech was on his way to the mikveh with another Jew when he heard a heavenly voice call out, "He who helps Rav Shmelke overcome the wicked people in Nikolsburg will be assured a portion in the World to Come." Rav Shmelke had suffered terribly at the hands of some of the local residents. Rav Elimelech asked the man with him whether he had heard anything, but the man had heard nothing. The Rebbe said to himself, "Since I heard this myself, it is a sign that I must journey to Nikolsburg."

He set off, and when he arrived he went straight to Rav Shmelke's house and asked permission to give a discourse in the shul and rebuke the congregation. "And what good will it do for you to scold them?" Rav Shmelke replied. "They will accept no tochacha." But Rav Elimelech insisted, and finally Rav Shmelke gave in and granted him permission.

Rav Elimelech went to the shul, where many people had gathered to hear him, and began to speak. It seemed he had set out to prove how several sins listed in the Torah could actually be permitted. This kind of speech was quite to their liking, and it whetted their appetite for more. It was announced that he would speak again the next day, and the congregation returned in droves, almost the whole town.

This time Rav Elimelech proved how false the previous day's proofs had been, how grave all the sins in the Torah are, and that it is forbidden to transgress even the slightest of the prohibitions in the enactments and decrees of the Rabbonim. His words stirred feelings of repentance and regret until the people began to cry. "Our own Rebbe," they said, referring to Rav Shmelke, "told us these truths, only we refused to listen to him. We must all go to beg his forgiveness and make amends."

They went to their Rebbe and fell on their faces, begging for forgiveness. They promised to listen and heed his words from then on, now that Rav Elimelech had shown them that their Rebbe's words were true. Having accomplished his mission, Rav Elimelech asked leave of Rav Shmelke and left town.

As he left Nikolsburg, he heard another heavenly voice proclaim, "Since you have aided Rav Shmelke, we grant you that anyone you bless within the next twenty-four hours shall be blessed." Rav Elimelech walked for almost a whole day and met not a single Jew to bless. He cried before Hashem, "Here You have given me this gift for twenty-four hours, and whom will I bless with it?" Suddenly he saw a woman walking in a field and at once began to bless her. She became frightened and fled. The Rebbe called after her, "Do not be afraid. I am not an evil man, Heaven forbid. Tell me, where are you from and what is your occupation?" She stopped running and answered his questions, then allowed him to finish blessing her, and they each went on their way.

When the woman arrived home, she told her husband about the stranger and his blessings. Sure enough, their fortune turned for the better, and their standard of living grew until they were quite wealthy. Seeing the result of the tzaddik's blessing, the couple believed that the man had been Eliyahu HaNovi in disguise, for they saw with their own eyes that all their handiwork was blessed. They established a fine home in the city with servants, and the wealthy man gave his servants permission to distribute donations of up to a gold dinar without even consulting him.

Time passed, and Rav Elimelech and his brother Reb Zusha were traveling together, collecting charity to free captives, when they heard about this wealthy and charitable man. They came to his city and called on him, and his servants offered them a donation. They refused the golden dinar and insisted on seeing the affluent man himself.

When they entered the rich man's home, his wife saw them and recognized Rav Elimelech. She was so overcome that she fainted, causing a great commotion in the household. When she came to, she told her husband that this was the man who had blessed her several years earlier, Eliyahu HaNovi. Rav Elimelech immediately declared that he was not Eliyahu HaNovi and had not come to take away their wealth, Heaven forbid. On the contrary, he was happy to see that his blessings had borne fruit.

The wealthy man asked how much they needed to collect to redeem the captives. "Five hundred coins," they said. He left the room and soon returned with the entire sum, but they refused his generous gift, saying that they wanted other Jews to have a hand in the merit of this great mitzvah. After much entreaty and pleading by the rich man, they accepted half the amount.