The Pipe That Came Back
When the Yehudi's pipe was stolen, he said it would return, and Chassidim tell that it did.
A story ofRav Yaakov Yitzchok Rabinowitz of Peshischaהרב יעקב יצחק בן אשר מפשיסחאProfile ›
It is told that the Yehudi had a pipe which he used as he prayed and studied, and Chassidim remember that when he smoked it, he would do great things for the Jewish people. Not everything he did was understood by the people around him, but he himself knew what the pipe meant to his work.
One day the pipe was stolen. The Yehudi was deeply upset, and it was not the loss of an object that troubled him. He explained that when he smoked it, he was able to accomplish great things and to draw down abundance of holiness for Klal Yisroel. Those who stood nearby saw that this was a real loss to him.
Then he said something that surprised them. The pipe, he said, would come back to him in a short time. It was a calm statement, with no anger in it, and the Chassidim waited to see what would happen.
The account goes on that the thief had sold the pipe to the district governor. Each time the governor tried to smoke it, sores broke out on his tongue, and he could not enjoy it. Before long the pipe found its way back to the Yehudi, just as he had said.
The story is told to show how a tzaddik's ordinary things can be bound up with his holy work.
Source: Tiferes HaYehudi (Warsaw, 1912), compiled by Baruch of Kasov, and Zechusa D'Avraham, as cited in The Yeshiva World, 'Pipe of Yehudi Hakadosh of Peschischa' (May 2017); the printed page is not pinned.
Think of something you have lost or something you are waiting for, a job, an answer or an item you misplaced. This week, say a short prayer for it each morning and then do the practical thing you can do: make the call, look again, or ask for help. Try to hold the calm confidence of the Yehudi, who said what he believed and then waited. You are not predicting the outcome. You are leaving room for Hashem to surprise you.